Eli Manning continues to escort brother Peyton Manning around the area for Super Bowl XLVIII this Sunday and give him all the input he can into the Seahawks and playing in MetLife Stadium. But for one night, at least, football wasn’t the focus.
Eli said Peyton and Peyton’s family were guests at his Hoboken home Tuesday night, when Peyton got to meet Eli’s seven-month-old daughter, Lucy, for the first time because the brothers rarely get to spend time together.
Eli served chicken and potatoes, but said he purposely stayed out of the kitchen.
“I didn’t cook it because I didn’t want to be responsible if anything went wrong,” Eli joked.
On a more serious note, Eli said he has been heartened by weather forecasts indicating relatively mild (for New Jersey in February) conditions Sunday night that don’t include much wind.
Eli has won two Super Bowl MVP awards and Lombardi trophies himself, one more than Peyton, but said he gets much more nervous watching his brother in the Big Game than he ever did playing in two of his own.
“It’s just kind of tense,” Eli said. “You want him to win, and you are rooting for him. I get more nervous watching him in a Super Bowl than playing in a Super Bowl myself. When you’re playing, you’re prepared and you can have an effect on the outcome of the game. When you’re watching, you can’t do anything. You’ve just got to sit there and let it happen.”