New York Giants: 30 greatest players in franchise history
31. . Quarterback. 2004-Present. Eli Manning. 4. player
Yes, it hasn’t all been pretty during Eli Manning‘s time as the leader of the Giants. Heck, it all started with him forcing his way to the Big Apple, refusing to play for the then-San Diego Chargers and demanding a trade that saw him and Philip Rivers swap teams.
During his heyday, though, Manning was one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Year after year, he put up consistent numbers, kept the Giants in the playoff hunt and occasionally worked some magic during the postseason. Said magic is why he finds himself here at No. 4 on the list of all-time G-Men greats.
As the leader of the Giants, Manning manufactured two surprising Super Bowl runs. In 2011, as the fourth seed in the NFC, New York managed a come-from-behind upset of the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots. The other included the miraculous David Tyree helmet catch, which still lives on as one of the most impressive plays in recent Super Bowl history.
Manning gets a lot of flack for a lot of things. Despite all of that, there’s no denying that he helped this franchise stay relevant for longer than it probably should have. Those two Lombardi Trophy further his case as one of the greatest Giants to ever play the game.