Word: ely
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Mannings, the games began in the front yard of the family home in the ornate Garden District of New Orleans. Cooper and Peyton relegated little Eli to the ignoble role of center, the guy who snaps the ball to the glory-hogging quarterback. "Every once in a while they'd throw a pass to me," says Eli in the barely detectable Delta drawl he shares with Peyton. "If I dropped it, I wouldn't get the ball the rest...
...Eli doesn't have the résumé to rule the Giants with such an iron fist. While he has shown a flair for late-game heroics, he is not yet Joe Montana. He has struggled with his accuracy, throwing four interceptions in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Plus, his personality is just not Peyton's. Eli attributes his reticence at least partly to birth order. "Around dinner, I was just kind of watching and letting them do the talking," says Eli of his older brothers. "Don't speak until spoken...
...never devoured football like Peyton. Before college, Eli couldn't name all the teams in the Southeastern Conference, sacrilege for a Louisiana schoolboy. He even has trouble remembering the start times of his games. In high school, about 90 minutes before a big game, he called his mother Olivia at home. She thought something was wrong. He just wanted her to tape Seinfeld. Eli is also more culturally ambitious than the average NFL quarterback with a $20 million signing bonus. He's a budding oenophile and likes to scout antiques, which could make him the only NFL quarterback adept...
...Eli's diverse interests and slightly scattered brain, however, should not be mistaken for indifference. "He stepped right into the National Football League's biggest arena--New York--and has no fear," says Cutcliffe. "He'll succeed, and he knows he'll succeed." So far, his best moments have come in high-pressure situations. He threw a game-winning touchdown pass with five seconds left against the AFC West--leading Denver Broncos and led the Giants to last-minute, game-tying scores in losing efforts against Minnesota and the Dallas Cowboys. In a 27-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles...
Since he's in his first full season as quarterback, Eli will get a pass if the Giants falter. But the pressure is clearly on Peyton. Although he has thrown for 4,000 yds. in each of the past six seasons, tossed 49 touchdown passes last year--breaking Dan Marino's 1984 record--and twice won the NFL's MVP award, the critics chirp that he has never made it to the Super Bowl. "Peyton feels the weight on his shoulders," says John Michael Vincent, an Indianapolis sports-radio host. "There's going to be a lot of disappointment...