As the eldest Manning brother, Peyton saw Eli grow up in stages. Along the way, he witnessed many indicators that his sibling would have the type of success that he ultimately did.
The one moment that convinced him was Eli's pro day workout for the Giants in their family's hometown of New Orleans leading up to the 2004 NFL Draft. Another quarterback "piggybacked" his younger brother's showcase, as Peyton put it, to siphon some attention from the scouts who had gathered to watch the holder of 47 Ole Miss passing records.
"Literally, Eli is making his last throw and the other guy is already out there starting his workout," said Peyton, courtesy of the Denver Broncos. "And it's the kind of thing that would have driven me crazy. But Eli, classy Eli, it didn't bother him one bit. He's like, 'What's the big deal? I got my workout.' It was just a great indicator of how calm, cool and collected he was and how that helped him handle being the first pick in the draft by the New York Football Giants and handling all that comes with that."
Eli handled that moment and the next 16 years the right way, including Friday's retirement ceremony at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. It was the first of three likely speeches a player of his caliber will make. There is the farewell press conference. Then comes the halftime jersey ceremony, which team president John Mara invited him to this upcoming season as he said no other Giant will again wear No. 10. After that, Canton will come calling.
"When you're the Super Bowl MVP twice against the greatest dynasty of all time, the New England Patriots, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and you join a list that includes Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Eli Manning as the only [multiple] Super Bowl MVPs, I don't know what that term 'drop the mic' is," Peyton said. "But I guess if there was one – there really is no 'yeah, but…' after that. That kind of ends it. But if you want a 'yeah, but' – yeah, but he also started 220-plus consecutive games, he's seventh all-time in touchdowns, it wasn't like he just played those two seasons."
But, as Peyton said, last week was not the time to look ahead. It was a chance to reflect.
"I got to play in four Super Bowls," Peyton said. "I got to be on the winning side of two. And I think people don't really believe me or are surprised when [I say] that my favorite Super Bowl memory was watching my little brother take the New York Giants down the field in the two-minute drill and beat the undefeated Patriots and all that came with that. Maybe I wasn't as happy as the '72 Dolphins."
That Miami team, because of Eli and the Giants, remain the only undefeated championship team in NFL history. Peyton almost didn't attend the game because of superstition. Unlike Eli's high school and college days, there wasn't a good track record when Peyton showed up to watch his brother play at the NFL level.
"He's like, 'Peyton, I hate to burst your bubble but you don't have that much power to impact a game,'" Peyton recalled. "'It wasn't your fault that we didn't beat the Vikings. I want you to come to the Super Bowl.' I was like, OK, I'm relieved now. I can go.'"
And what he saw was one of the most famous drives in Super Bowl history. David Tyree highlighted it with the "Helmet Catch," but it is only remembered because Eli finished it with a game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. The miraculous play would all have been for naught if he didn't.
"Everybody else was hyperventilating because he got out of this mosh pit and he got the ball down there [to Tyree]," Peyton said. "But he, once again, calm, cool, collected, goes down and, 'Alright, now we've got to figure out what to do in the red zone. The Patriots like to blitz.' They make this great call and hits Plaxico for the winner. Now, everybody goes back to the play, but Eli finished the job. He followed through."
View photos of the first pair of brothers to play quarterback in a Super Bowl.
Eli Manning, a quarterback from Mississippi, holds up a New York Giants jersey while standing next to his brother Peyton, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts at the NFL draft Saturday, April 24, 2004 in New York. Manning was the number one draft pick in the first round by the San Diego Chargers and traded to the Giants. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)
Brothers Peyton Manning, left, of the Indianapolis Colts, and Eli Manning, of the New York Giants, stand on the field at the end of the Pro Bowl NFL football game at Aloha Stadium, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning pose for a photo during a visit to Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning visit Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and brother Eli Manning, right, quarterback for the New York Giants, listen to Duke football coach David Cutcliffe during football workouts at Duke University in Durham, N.C., Thursday, April 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning visit Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
New York Giants' Eli Manning (10) shakes hands with his brother Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Broncos won the game 41-23. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning visit Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
Former NFL player Peyton Manning (left) talks with his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) prior to an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, in Santa Clara, Calif. (NFL Photos via AP)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning visit with former coach Tony Reginelli at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
Former NFL player Peyton Manning (left) talks with his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) prior to an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, in Santa Clara, Calif. (NFL Photos via AP)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning pose for a photo during a visit to Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
FILE - In this May 4, 2014, file photo, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, right, points out something in the stadium to his brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, from New York Yankees' Derek Jeter's suite during a baseball game between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks with his brother Peyton before a week 1 NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on September 11, 2016 in Arlington, TX. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, and his brother, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning watch from Derek Jeter's suite during the Tampa Bay Rays baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York, Sunday, May 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, stands beside his brother, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning as the pair watch the New York Yankees face the Tampa Bay Rays in a baseball game at Yankee Stadium in New York, Sunday, May 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Archie Manning watches his sons, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, on screens at a studio\ Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks with his brother Peyton before a week 1 NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on September 11, 2016 in Arlington, TX. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
Eli Manning of the New York Giants, left, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos, center, and former NFL player Archie Manning at the 2nd Annual NFL Honors on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 in New Orleans. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
In this May 4, 2007, file photo, from left, Archie Manning poses with his sons, Peyton, Cooper and Eli as they arrive at the Barnstable Brown Derby party in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, right, are surrounded by the media as they get together to shake hands after an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Broncos won the game 41-23. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
A framed jersey and photos of the Manning brothers sit in an office in Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Friday, January 25, 2008. All three brothers, Cooper, Peyton and Eli, wore number 18 while playing football at Newman. (AP Photo/Pat Semansky)
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and brother Eli Manning, quarterback for the New York Giants, talk during football workouts at Duke University in Durham, N.C., Thursday, April 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, right, pose for a photo-op with thier father, former NFL football quarterback Archie Manning, at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., Friday, July 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
COMMERCIAL IMAGE - In this photograph released by DIRECTV on Monday, April 30, 2012, Deion Sanders, right, returns as the Fairy Godfather of DIRECTV's NFL Sunday Ticket and this year he brought two new recruits, Peyton and Eli Manning to help out. (Brian Ach /AP Images for DIRECTV)
Archie Manning, center, poses with sons Eli manning, right, and Peyton Manning during a news conference at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., Friday, July 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
COMMERCIAL IMAGE - In this photograph released by DIRECTV on Monday, April 30, 2012, from left to right, former NFL player Deion Sanders, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, and NY Giants quarterback Eli Manning appear at the DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket commercial shoot at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, N.Y. This is the first time Peyton Manning has appeared in his new Denver Broncos uniform. (Brian Ach /AP Images for DIRECTV)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) greets his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) following the coin toss before an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning talk before the start of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, talks with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
El quarterback de los Giants de Nueva York Eli Manning, izquierda, platica con su hermano Peyton Manning, quarterback de los Colts de Indianápolis, antes de un partido en Indianápolis el 19 de septiembre de 2010. Eli se presentará como conductor invitado en el programa de comedia "Saturday Night Live", algo que ya ha hecho su hermano. (Foto AP/Darron Cummings, archivo)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, talks with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning talk before the start of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, talks with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, talks with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks to his brother Peyton Manning before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday September 8, 2019 in Arlington,Texas. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, talks with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Football fans take photos of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning as they talk on the field before an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning talk before an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks with his brother Peyton Manning before a week 7 NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, October 22, 2018 in Atlanta. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks to his brother Peyton Manning before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday September 8, 2019 in Arlington,Texas. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks to his brother Peyton Manning before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday September 8, 2019 in Arlington,Texas. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
Eli Manning, left, and his brother, Peyton Manning talk with their father, Archie Manning during the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux La. on Friday, July 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Stamey)
Brothers Peyton Manning, left, and Eli Manning talk before the start of the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux La. on Friday, July 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Stamey)
The Manning family, Cooper, left, Archie, Peyton and Eli pose for a photo during a press conference at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux La. on Friday, July 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Stamey)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, chats with his brother, Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning, as Giants' Brandon Jacobs, right, finds his seat at the New York Yankees' baseball game against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 15-16 - FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2009, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, right, pose for photos with their dad Archie Manning, center, before Pro Bowl football practice at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei, Hawaii. The patriarchs of the NFL's first family of quarterbacks and coaches are anything but interfering dads. In fact, Archie Manning and Jack Harbaugh are just as influenced by their successful sons as their boys are by them. And that's a special quality they cherish on Father's Day, and every day. (AP Photo/Ronen Zilberman, File)
Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning, left, and New York Giants' Eli Manning talk outside their hotel in Kapolei, Hawaii, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009. The Mannings are the first quarterback-playing brothers chosen for the same Pro Bowl. (AP Photo/Jaymes Song)
FILE This is a june 14, 2008 file photo showing Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and and his brother Eli Manning, quarterback for the New York Giants, tossing footballs during a promotional event in New York. Peyton and Eli Manning have been voted to the Pro Bowl, the first time two quarterback-playing brothers have played in the same game. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File)
Archie Manning, center, is joined by his sons Eli Manning, left, and Peyton Manning after the taping of a DirecTV commercial in Beverly Hills, Calif., Thursday, May 8, 2008. Archie Manning, the patriarch of America's reigning first family of football, is getting greedy and wants sons Peyton and Eli to keep going back to the Super Bowl. Just not at the same time. The Manning family celebrated Peyton's first NFL championship when the Indianapolis Colts won the 2007 Super Bowl, then got a unique encore when Eli guided the upstart New York Giants to the 2008 title. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Football players Eli Manning, right, and Peyton Manning are seen backstage at the "Idol Gives Back" fundraising special of "American Idol" in Los Angeles on Sunday April 6, 2008.(AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR DIRECTV - Peyton Manning, left, Eli Manning join moderator Ian Eagle, right, for a fireside chat at DIRECTV NFL SUNDAY TICKET Lounge on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, in Atlanta. (John Amis/AP Images for DIRECTV)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning talk before the start of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Brothers Peyton and Eli Manning sit in the crowd prior to a college basketball game between Duke and North Carolina in Durham, N.C., Saturday, March 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Indianapolis Colts football quarterback Peyton Manning left, smiles at his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning between holes during the Pro-Am of the Zurich golf classic in Avondale, La., Wednesday, April 18, 2007.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, walks off the field with brother, Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts after the Colts beat the Giants 26-21 in NFL football action at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 10, 2006. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, left speaks with younger brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning before an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/John Amis)
Former NFL player Peyton Manning (left) talks with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) prior to a week 7 NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 in Atlanta. Atlanta 23-20. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, right, speaks with younger brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning before an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/John Amis)
NFL quarterback brothers Eli, left, and Peyton Manning are seen at the Final Four semifinal basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, April 1, 2006. (AP Photos/Darron Cummings)
Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, left speaks with younger brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning before an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/John Amis)
ARCHIVO- En imagen del 11 de abril de 2013, el quarterback de los Broncos de Denver Peyton Manning, izquierda, y su hermano y quarterback de los Giants de Nueva York Eli Manning, dialogan durante sus entrenamientos en Duke en Durham, Carolina del Norte. El itinerario de la NFL está lleno de visitas de regreso y duelos intrigantes, empezando con el juego como visitante de los campeones defensores del Super Bowl y el duelo entre los hermanos Manning. (Foto AP/Gerry Broome)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning pose with students during a visit to Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, right, and his brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, wait to throw out the first pitch before the start of the Atlanta Braves game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday, March 10, 2005 in Kissimmee, Fla. The Pirates beat the Braves 1-0. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, meets with his brother Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning following their NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. The Colts defeated the Giants 38-14.(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, left speaks with younger brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning before an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, right, greets his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning following an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. Indianapolis won 38-14. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18),right, talks with his father Archie,left, and brother Eli postgame in the locker room after Denver defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in the NFL Super Bowl 50 at Santa Clara, Calif. February 7, 2016 (Eric Bakke via AP)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, lefts, greets his brother New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning following an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. Indianapolis won 38-14. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2013, file photo, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) shakes hands with his brother New York Giants' quarterback Eli Manning (10) after an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J. There is going to be a Manning in the Super Bowl, just not the one Eli Manning wanted. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
A banner wishing New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning luck hangs in the cafeteria of Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Friday, January 25, 2008. All three Manning brothers, Cooper, Peyton and Eli, attended Newman. (AP Photo/Pat Semansky)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, meets with his brother Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning following their NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. The Colts defeated the Giants 38-14. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) 'talks to his brother Peyton before a NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, November 12, 2017 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning visit Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, right, and his brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, watch from New York Yankees' Derek Jeter's suite during a baseball game between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in New York, Sunday, May 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE - In this photo released by the NFL, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning visit Isidore Newman School in New Orleans on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for National Football League)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and his brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, right, throw out the first pitch before the start of the Atlanta Braves game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday, March 10, 2005 in Kissimmee, Fla. The Pirates beat the Braves 1-0. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Archie Manning, left, former New Orleans Saints quarterback, is shown with his sons Eli, center, former Mississippi quarterback, Peyton, right, Indianapolis Colts quarterback, during a news conference in New York, Thursday, April 22, 2004. Eli is a top prospect in this weekend's NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey)
ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, SEPT. 18-19 - FILE - In this May 8, 2008, file photo, Archie Manning, center, is joined by his sons Eli Manning, left, and Peyton Manning, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Archie Manning will sit back in his seat at Lucas Oil Stadium and try to enjoy Sunday's game. It won't be easy. The mother and father of the two former No. 1 draft picks and Super Bowl winning quarterbacks will find themselves rooting for each offense _ so they don't have to pick one son over the other. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, right, and brother Eli Manning, quarterback for the New York Giants smile during football workouts at Duke University in Durham, N.C., Thursday, April 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, right, waves to fans as he stands with his brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, in New York Yankees' Derek Jeter's suite during a baseball game between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in New York, Sunday, May 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
FILE - In this April 24, 2004 file photo, Eli Manning, quarterback from Mississippi, holds up a New York Giants jersey while standing next to his brother Peyton, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, at the NFL draft in New York. Manning was the number one draft pick in the first round by the San Diego Chargers and traded to the Giants. (AP Photo/Ed Betz, File)
From left, Eli Manning, Archie Manning and Peyton Manning arrive at DIRECTV's Seventh Annual Celebrity Beach Bowl, on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 in New Orleans. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks with his brother Peyton following a week 1 NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on September 11, 2016 in Arlington, TX. (Evan Pinkus via AP)
Peyton Manning, left, follows his shot from the 11th tee of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course as his brother, Eli Manning, looks on during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Peyton Manning, left, and his brother Eli Manning wait to hit from the first tee of the Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Eli Manning, left, and brother Peyton Manning walk to the green on the 11th hole of the Monterey Peninsula County Club Shore Course during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Peyton Manning, right, and Eli Manning prepare to hit from the first tee of the Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
To get to that point, the Giants had to do what no other team had ever done before – beat the Packers at Lambeau Field with a conference championship on the line. Peyton, winless in two trips to Lambeau Field in his career, admitted that the mystique got to him. But not Eli.
"To me, I thought it was an intimidating place to play," Peyton said. "I thought you could feel Lombardi, you could feel Nitschke, and it was a tough place to play. And to go in there and win in an NFC Championship up there in those conditions, that game might have been even more impressive than the Super Bowl."
Four years later, the Giants did it again in the Divisional Round to set up the 2011 NFC Championship Game in San Francisco.
"You talk about hard to watch your brother get basically pulverized by this 49ers front," Peyton said. "This is back before they were calling the 'drive' rule [to protect quarterbacks]. The Smith brothers, Aldon and Justin, were just taking turns. 'Hey, I'm bored with hitting him. You go hit him this time.' He kept getting up, kept getting up, throws a couple of clutch touchdowns. They win the game and now they've got to play the Patriots again. Everybody says, well, there's no way they can do it again. Last time it was a luck deal."
No luck. Just skill when Eli kick-started one of his 42 career game-winning drives with a 38-yard dime to Mario Manningham down the sideline.
Afterwards, like they had done so any times, Eli and Peyton broke down the Xs and Os of the game. Over the years, they talked game plans of upcoming opponents. If the Colts or Broncos played the Cowboys, for example, Peyton asked Eli what Dallas tended to do on third down. If the Giants played the Titans, Peyton would share what he liked to do against their blitzes.
"I miss those conversations," Peyton said. "I'm happy for Eli because I know he's at peace and he put a lot of time and thought into this decision [to retire]. But I am sad because I won't get to see him play anymore. After my dad and Dan Marino, Eli really was my favorite player. So I have to find a new one."
Perhaps Daniel Jones? After all, he wears No. 8 like Archie did in the NFL.
"The role that [Eli] played this past year kind of as a tutor, if you will, that will pay dividends," Peyton said. "You talk about a true Giant. That will pay dividends for the Giants for many years to come – helping Daniel Jones. You can't get that kind of experience having a veteran quarterback that's won two Super Bowls in your ear every day. I know I'll miss watching Eli. Daniel Jones will miss having Eli there in his ear."
As Jones has only scratched the surface on what is to come, we have now seen the totality of Eli's titanic career.
"He's a true New Yorker, New Jersey guy," Peyton said. "He lives there. He spends the summers there. He actually uses the word 'summers' – he 'summers' – I didn't know that was a verb. He used to be a southern kid from New Orleans, and now he's a true New York-New Jersey guy. My point is he went all in."
