It began with a standing ovation and ended with a curtain call.
Those who stayed to the end on their feet and The Pride of the Giants fighting back tears, feeling somewhat awkward and uncomfortable since Eli Manning has never made it about him, a wave of the right hand from the sideline and a smile captured on the big video screens, his team so genuinely happy for him, his fans forever grateful for delivering those two Lombardi Trophies.
“It gave everybody chills,” Sterling Shepard said.
The scoreboard clock showed 1:50 left when Alex Tanney replaced Manning, and one by one players and coaches and support staff congratulated him.