ping pong table: A Family Drama

September 7, 2006

By JOHN ALTAVILLA, Courant Staff Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- No matter how much Eli Manning accomplishes in the NFL, he will always be Cooper and Peyton Manning's baby brother, even if he manages to lead the Giants over Peyton's Colts in Sunday's Manning Bowl at Giants Stadium.

In some ways, Eli Manning is still the little annoying kid in the backseat on family trips, unable to keep up with Cooper, seven years older, and Peyton, five years his senior, when they would play an NFL numbers game September 7, 2006
By JOHN ALTAVILLA, Courant Staff Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- No matter how much Eli Manning accomplishes in the NFL, he will always be Cooper and Peyton Manning's baby brother, even if he manages to lead the Giants over Peyton's Colts in Sunday's Manning Bowl at Giants Stadium.

In some ways, Eli Manning is still the little annoying kid in the backseat on family trips, unable to keep up with Cooper, seven years older, and Peyton, five years his senior, when they would play an NFL numbers game to pass the time.

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"It was where you would say, `Number 68,' and they would go back and forth naming players in the NFL who were that number," Eli Manning said. "It was kind of who could last the longest, and I'm just sitting there and I couldn't name one guy. When Peyton and Cooper were growing up, my dad was still playing for the Saints and Minnesota, so they were going into the locker room and knew the players. They were just around football. By the time I came around, my dad was done playing football, so I never got that atmosphere."

Peyton and Eli are now peers, college legends at Tennessee and Mississippi and first-round NFL draft picks. Come Sunday, they will also be the first brothers to start against each other at quarterback in NFL history.

"It's certainly unique," Peyton said Wednesday.

The event has been super-sized since the NFL schedule was released in April. In its effort to promote NBC's first Sunday night game, the league quickly circled this matchup and has worked tirelessly with the network to promote it.

"I can understand why," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "Something like this might not happen again for another 75 years [after the Mannings retire]."

The main participants, Eli and Peyton, have been reticent about talking about their game.

"I think everyone has made a big deal more than Peyton and I," Eli said. "We've tried to make this thing as low-key as possible."

Across the nation this week, tales from every angle have been spun about the Mannings. But somehow Eli and Peyton have found time to just talk, like brothers might.

"It's not difficult to talk. I actually talked to him Tuesday night for about 20 minutes or so," Eli said. "The game doesn't come up. We just kind of talk about what we did over the weekend, things like that. It's less football talk and more personal stuff, what's going on in each other's lives."

"Usually we talk on Thursday nights and we've been doing this since college," Peyton said. "I'd call him and he'd tell me about Georgia's defense, and I'd tell him about the Dolphins' defense and we'd compare some X's and O's. We've done that some in the NFL, too. If the Giants are getting ready to play the Eagles or we're getting ready to play the Titans, we'll share some notes. Obviously I don't think we'll have that same conversation this week."

One of the topics was the first time Eli actually beat Peyton in an athletic event. It happened on a basketball court.

"There wasn't really a whole lot we could compete in growing up," Eli said. "He was five years older than me. We had a ping pong table, a bumper pool table and those games we used to play. I don't remember when I won at those things, but I can remember the first time I beat him in basketball. I was finally at the age where we were even enough where I could handle him. I don't know if it was really fair. I was in the middle of basketball season, playing for my high school. He hadn't shot a basketball in about five years, so I probably had an advantage over him."

Eli Manning's victory was sealed with a resounding dunk.

Now the stakes are much higher. Each leads teams with Super Bowl aspirations, hoping to make a national statement in their opening game. Their parents and brother and extended families will be there watching.

"It wasn't until I was getting ready for the draft [in 2004] and thinking about what teams I might be going to when I started realizing, `What if I get drafted by a team that's in the same division as Peyton?" Eli said. "What if we have to play twice a year? What if we're in the same conference?' That's when you start thinking about when you might get to play him or not.

"I guess it might be tough on my parents. They're both supportive and root for us so strong and to know one team is going to come out with a win and one is not, they never want to see one of us be disappointed or not succeed. So, I think they're very proud of us that we're in this situation, but it's going to be tough on them, and I know with my dad and my mom, they'll probably be a little nervous during the game."

Contact John Altavilla at jaltavilla@courant.com

to pass the time.

"It was where you would say, `Number 68,' and they would go back and forth naming players in the NFL who were that number," Eli Manning said. "It was kind of who could last the longest, and I'm just sitting there and I couldn't name one guy. When Peyton and Cooper were growing up, my dad was still playing for the Saints and Minnesota, so they were going into the locker room and knew the players. They were just around football. By the time I came around, my dad was done playing football, so I never got that atmosphere."

Peyton and Eli are now peers, college legends at Tennessee and Mississippi and first-round NFL draft picks. Come Sunday, they will also be the first brothers to start against each other at quarterback in NFL history.

"It's certainly unique," Peyton said Wednesday.

The event has been super-sized since the NFL schedule was released in April. In its effort to promote NBC's first Sunday night game, the league quickly circled this matchup and has worked tirelessly with the network to promote it.

"I can understand why," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "Something like this might not happen again for another 75 years [after the Mannings retire]."

The main participants, Eli and Peyton, have been reticent about talking about their game.

"I think everyone has made a big deal more than Peyton and I," Eli said. "We've tried to make this thing as low-key as possible."

Across the nation this week, tales from every angle have been spun about the Mannings. But somehow Eli and Peyton have found time to just talk, like brothers might.

"It's not difficult to talk. I actually talked to him Tuesday night for about 20 minutes or so," Eli said. "The game doesn't come up. We just kind of talk about what we did over the weekend, things like that. It's less football talk and more personal stuff, what's going on in each other's lives."

"Usually we talk on Thursday nights and we've been doing this since college," Peyton said. "I'd call him and he'd tell me about Georgia's defense, and I'd tell him about the Dolphins' defense and we'd compare some X's and O's. We've done that some in the NFL, too. If the Giants are getting ready to play the Eagles or we're getting ready to play the Titans, we'll share some notes. Obviously I don't think we'll have that same conversation this week."

One of the topics was the first time Eli actually beat Peyton in an athletic event. It happened on a basketball court.

"There wasn't really a whole lot we could compete in growing up," Eli said. "He was five years older than me. We had a ping pong table, a bumper pool table and those games we used to play. I don't remember when I won at those things, but I can remember the first time I beat him in basketball. I was finally at the age where we were even enough where I could handle him. I don't know if it was really fair. I was in the middle of basketball season, playing for my high school. He hadn't shot a basketball in about five years, so I probably had an advantage over him."

Eli Manning's victory was sealed with a resounding dunk.

Now the stakes are much higher. Each leads teams with Super Bowl aspirations, hoping to make a national statement in their opening game. Their parents and brother and extended families will be there watching.

"It wasn't until I was getting ready for the draft [in 2004] and thinking about what teams I might be going to when I started realizing, `What if I get drafted by a team that's in the same division as Peyton?" Eli said. "What if we have to play twice a year? What if we're in the same conference?' That's when you start thinking about when you might get to play him or not.

"I guess it might be tough on my parents. They're both supportive and root for us so strong and to know one team is going to come out with a win and one is not, they never want to see one of us be disappointed or not succeed. So, I think they're very proud of us that we're in this situation, but it's going to be tough on them, and I know with my dad and my mom, they'll probably be a little nervous during the game."

Contact John Altavilla at jaltavilla@courant.com