MVP Award Eli steps out of brother's shadow

Eli Manning has long been used to living in the shadow of his older brother Peyton. Comparisons between the two quarterbacks began long before he even made it to the NFL.

The comparisons have been mostly unfair on Eli because Peyton is a giant of the game and a future Hall of Famer.

But Eli can now boast of doing something his brother has not after leading the New York Giants to a 21-17 win over the New England Patriots in Sunday's Super Bowl.

The victory provided Eli with a second Super Bowl title, one more than his older sibling. And, he was also named as the Most Valuable Player for a second time, just as he was four years ago when the Giants also beat the Patriots.

He joined Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Tom Brady as the only players to win the award more than once. Peyton has won it once.

"I'm excited to win a championship. I'm excited for my teammates," Eli said.

"There are a number of guys, this is their first one. There are some other ones who are getting their second and more, but I'm just excited for them.

"This isn't about one person. This is about a team coming together, getting this win."

With Peyton watching from the stands, Eli turned in a masterful performance, completing 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, and engineering a late drive that led to the game-winning touchdown from Ahmad Bradshaw in the last minute.

"We moved the ball down the field, and Eli made some great plays," New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said.

"His performance, coming down the stretch, was outstanding. He is the guy who has done it for us all year. He is the guy who put us in position."

Eli was born into a world of football. His father, Archie Manning, was the second player drafted in 1971 and played quarterback for 13 NFL seasons, mostly with the New Orleans Saints.

Reuters

(China Daily 02/07/2012 page24)