They met at an Indianapolis Colts playoff game almost two decades ago, back when Eli Manning's biggest claim to fame was still that his older brother was a No. 1 draft pick starting his brilliant career.
Manning was a senior in high school. Drew Brees was a prolific college passer at Purdue, just an hour-long drive from the since-demolished RCA Dome. They ran into each other on the sidelines before the Colts played the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 16, 2000, and shook hands.
It was their first -- but certainly not last -- encounter on a football field.