There is only one NFL quarterback who can call Peyton Manning his older brother, only one NFL quarterback who can call Peyton Manning or answer a call from Peyton Manning and ask him for top-level secrets on the team he shredded days earlier.
Eli Manning had “Football On His Phone” Tuesday night, and the Giants welcome it.
“I talked to him yesterday, I talked to him about Philly. I gave him my thoughts on Dallas, that’s who they’re playing this week. And just watch their game, you ask him questions and just see some general thoughts and I’ll do the same helping him with Dallas,” Eli said Wednesday.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Peyton Manning played the Eagles on Sunday, and it was Manning against boys again.
Eli Manning plays the Eagles on Sunday.
Eli Manning’s season is on the line.
Peyton Manning can help save it.
He helps by letting Eli unlock the safe to that brilliant mind filled with dancing X’s and O’s.
“Not advice — scheme or just ideas, or just some general thoughts on their team,” Eli said.
Eli said he talked to Peyton for 10-15 minutes and gleaned some valuable information.
Then he smiled mischievously and added: “But I can’t tell you what I got.”
Peyton Manning threw for 327 yards and four TDs in a 52-20 beatdown of the Eagles. He probably can’t tell Antrel Rolle how to slow the Chip Kelly Express; he and his defensive brothers are on their own against Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson.
But he can tell Eli everything a Hall of Fame quarterback with an Einstein football mind can tell about a defense.
And, in case you haven’t noticed, Eli can use the help.
Eli is 0-4.
Peyton is 4-0.
Eli has thrown 11 interceptions.
Peyton has thrown none.
“Peyton has a cerebral mind, and he’s been great at exploiting defenses’ weaknesses, so I think it could be very helpful,” Justin Tuck said.
Curtis Painter was Peyton’s backup in Indianapolis. He’s Eli’s backup now.
“The guy picks up on a lot of things, and obviously they had some success,” Painter said. “ I don’t know what they talked about, but I’m sure he has some information. We can see a lot on film, but just maybe what he saw out there, and what they kind of thought.”
Steve Weatherford was asked how helpful Peyton can be.
“You’re asking a punter this,” he said, and chuckled, “but just watching Peyton play over the last couple of years, it seems as if he has a mental edge over the teams he’s playing. He almost always seems to know what people are throwing at him. I think it’ll be very helpful, because the different teams that I’ve been on, when we’ve played Peyton, it almost feels like he knows our defense as well as we know it.”
This is a quote from Peyton about Eli in “Success” magazine:
“I enjoy his success. He and I talk, usually on Sunday night after the game, and then again usually on Thursday during the week about the upcoming opponents, about challenges. He and I will share notes about common opponents.”
Peyton will be in Dallas on Sunday, where Jerry Jones is undoubtedly wondering why his Cowboys are only 5 ¹/₂-point underdogs. Eli lost 36-31 to the Cowboys in the opener. Eli has a long history against the Cowboys. Eli has insight that will be of interest to Peyton, who leaves no stone unturned.
“Football On Their Phones” wasn’t uncommon last season when the Broncos and Giants both played the NFC South and AFC North.
“Football On Your Phone” obviously isn’t foolproof — Peyton beat the Bengals 31-23 the week before Eli threw two picks and was sacked four times in a 31-13 loss in Cincinnati. It ultimately boils down to execution. But if you were to ask Tom Coughlin these days about his offense’s execution, he’d probably tell you that’s a good idea. Eli knows the benefit of being a sponge when big brother speaks.
“You can see what they do on third down, what they do in the red zone, what are some of their looks,” Eli said last year.
Eli, asked if this losing streak was personally tough on him, said: “Yeah, of course it is. This is my job, and something I take very seriously. You work hard to try to go out there and have a good year and play well and get wins, and obviously, we haven’t produced any wins yet. So yeah, it’s difficult. But you got to stay strong. I think a team that can deal with adversity and come out of it, I know there’s benefits to that, and if we can get out of it, I think it’ll make us a stronger team and better for it, but also we got to break into that win section.”
He, of course, is the one whose mandate it is to lead the way.
“I got to do my part and I got to make the plays that are there for me to make,” Eli said, “but everybody’s got to be responsible for their own play, and you try to keep everybody upbeat and keep ’em informed. That’s part of the quarterback’s job, to make guys better or get the best out of their abilities, so I’m trying to do those things.”
“Football On Your Phone” is a good place to start.