By Rich Mancuso/ Sports Editor
Eii Manning said goodbye to the Giants and the NFL Friday morning. He leaves with that legacy as one of those iconic New York sports icons with two Super Bowl championships.
The distinction over all those who suit up in the NFL, perhaps all sports, playing 16 years for the same franchise with 236 regular season games (234 starts) and 248 total games as Giants records.
That playing time with one team may never be duplicated. It is easy to understand with free agency and the complexity of sports, as to why this longevity for another player may be difficult to duplicate.
More so, the quarterback and that leader on the field is not easy to find. They discovered their franchise player, a 2004 first round NFL draft pick of the San Diego Chargers and traded to the Giants.
The son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the younger brother of former NFL quarterback Payton Manning, immediately made an impact in New York.
He navigated the big city, as we all are aware it is difficult to be a leader and star in New York. He did it well and is an eventual NFL Hall of Fame inductees sixth in history with 8,119 attempts and seventh with 4,4,806 completions, 57,023 yards and 366 touchdown passes.
Derek Jeter, that other New York icon of sports said Wednesday at his National Baseball Hall of Fame induction press conference, “I always wanted to be a Yankee.”
Manning was no different with this sentiments.
He said Friday, “It’s impossible to explain the satisfaction and actually the joy, I’ve experienced being a Giant. From the very first moment I did it my way. I couldn’t be someone other than who I am.”
The Giants will eventually retire his Number 10.
There is every reason to believe that Eli Manning will continue his legacy off the field and remain in the Giants franchise as a coach or in some capacity with the front office.
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