ESPN, NFL Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is having a lot of fun in retirement.
Eli Manning may not be on the field with the New York Giants anymore, but the legendary quarterback is still finding ways onto your screen.
In his latest episode of “Eli’s Places” for ESPN, Manning sat down with former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin to watch some old game film. But instead of watching Manning’s highlight reel, they dug up some footage of Coughlin at Syracuse in the 1960s.
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Here’s a preview of the episode, via Art Stapleton on Twitter:
@EliManning and Tom Coughlin breaking down film of … Tom Coughlin at Syracuse. Classic. Check out this teaser as part of a new “Eli’s Places,” which premieres Wednesday on @ESPNPlus @OmahaProd #Giants
“Coach I had to listen to you break down my film for over a decade,” Manning said to Coughlin in the segment. “Now it’s my turn to break down your film.”
“You’re gonna get even now,” Coughlin responded.
During the film session, Manning ribs Coughlin for his running style, blocking ability and little mistakes. He even finds a clip where Coughlin got away with a false start, which was a pet peeve of Coughlin’s during his coaching career.
Coughlin played running back/wide receiver at Syracuse from 1965-67. In three seasons, he amassed 714 yards and three touchdowns on 104 total offensive touches.
Coughlin, now 75 years old, became the Giants head coach in 2004 — the same year Manning went the No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. They won two Super Bowls (XLII and XLVI) in their 12 seasons together (2004-2015) and are widely considered the greatest head coach/quarterback tandem in franchise history.
Eli, Peyton Pass Game to Next Generation in ‘NFL Play Football’ Spots
The game of football has changed over the years, and the Manning brothers are helping facilitate that transition. They recently starred alongside youth football players in a series of NFL Play Football commercials, where Peyton embodies the “old school” version of the game and Eli embodies the newer values.
This one is called “Sheriff is Here.”
In this spot, Eli heckles his brother for being “boring” and Peyton learns how to do a touchdown dance. In another spot called “Conditioning,” Eli jokingly hypes the Manning family as being in “peak physical form” while Peyton struggles to do a single pushup.
In both videos, Eli is wearing a ridiculous all-orange ensemble with a baby blue bucket hat and fanny pack strapped across his chest. The commercials are meant to be silly, but there’s a serious message behind them.
“Football has played a big role in my life, and it’s important to me to ensure that girls and boys of all ages get the opportunity to participate,” Eli said. “Pickup games and flag football were the ways I first started playing and remain some of my best memories, so I was happy to join with the NFL in highlighting those aspects of the game in this campaign.”
Eli Pokes Fun at Lawrence Tynes For Twitter Analysis
During his playing career, everyone loved to pile on and make fun of Eli Manning. Now that he’s retired, it appears as though the tables have turned. Whether it’s his brother, his old coach — or even his old teammates — Manning is not pulling any punches these days.
A couple days ago, Manning called out former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes for breaking down film of rookie offensive tackle Evan Neal.
“Since when are kickers allowed to break down O-line play?” Manning wrote on Twitter. “I don’t know what a T/E stunt is, how do you know what it is? Just messing with you LT, love ya.”
Manning can’t be too hard on his kicker. Tynes sent the Giants to the Super Bowl twice with game-winning field goals in the NFC Championship. So without him, Eli wouldn’t have any rings or Super Bowl MVP awards to bolster his Hall of Fame case.