Outside of The Captain, Derek Jeter,no New York athlete has been as beloved as Eli Manning in the past 20 years. Giants fans suffered through quarterbacks like Dave Brown, Kent Graham, Danny Kanell, and Kerry Collins before Eli. Collins was okay, but you get the point.
Then-GM Ernie Accorsi made a draft-day deal with the San Diego Chargers to acquire Manning in 2004. Expectations were high for Peyton’s younger brother.
After a slow start early in his career, Eli Manning delivered on those expectations.