NFL

How Eli is helping Peyton prepare for Super Bowl

Eli Manning this week is filling a vital role as big brother Peyton’s ticket manager for Super Bowl XLVIII, allowing the Broncos quarterback to keep his fertile mind uncluttered, conserving space to concentrate on the task at hand — denting Seattle’s NFL-best defense.

With that, Eli also hopes he can help.

“I will try to give him everything that I can give him to make his preparation better,’’ Manning said Thursday on a conference call.

Like any dutiful younger brother, Manning wants to pitch in. The Giants played the Seahawks back on Dec. 15, losing 23-0. He threw five interceptions in that game, so his advice might fall into the “do as I say, not as I did’’ category.

“I’ll give any information that I have to him, in our preparation, our game plan, just kind of different things I saw watching film and different tips,’’ Manning said.

No quarterback has started more games at MetLife Stadium than Manning’s 33, and as far as specifically educating his brother as to the ins and outs of playing there, he said, “I might have a few things for him. I don’t want to reveal that. I don’t want to give it to Russell Wilson. Any tips I have wind-wise I will tell him in private.’’

Peyton says he will be sure to listen.

“It has been neat having the relationship with him, both having the same job for these past 10-something years,’’ he said. “We have a lot that we can relate to and a lot of situations that we’ve both faced. I’ve always thought that quarterbacks naturally can share those thoughts, and if you have other buddies who are quarterbacks, when he’s your brother it’s a pretty unique situation and we bounce a lot of ideas off of each other these past 10 years.”

In nine days, Eli will be on hand at his Meadowlands football home, but will be up in the seats and not on the field for what he anticipates will be an uneasy evening as a spectator.

“I’m rooting for him,’’ Eli said. “It’s not like watching any other football game. If I’m watching two other teams, I’m kind of casually watching and don’t really care who wins or loses. Here, it’s a little bit more nerve-wracking. I don’t get nervous playing football games, I get nervous watching my brother play.’’

Big brother arrives Sunday night to Manning’s town and he figures there will be some time Monday or Tuesday to “hang out a little bit.’’

It will assuredly be cold and it might be windy or snowy. Although Eli says “the weather isn’t going to decide the game,’’ a harsh night could adversely impact his brother.

“I think if it were to snow or be very windy, it could be a disadvantage to the Broncos, just because how much they like to throw the ball, compared to Seattle and their running game,’’ he said.

At present, Manning is doing what he can to get the ticket situation in order.

“He’s asked for a number for me to try to get,” Manning said and then proudly reported, “I hit that number. Unless he has a few surprises, I’m in good shape right now.’’

Of course, he is merely returning the favor. Peyton helped with tickets prior to Super Bowl XLII and XLVI when Eli was preoccupied with quarterbacking the Giants.

“You try to help out any way you can,’’ Peyton said. “That is certainly a way that I think I’ve been helpful to him and he’s been helpful to me the past two that I’ve played in and he’s helped me out again this year. You certainly appreciate that.”

Eli, despite some mediocre or downright poor seasons, has forged his place in Giants lore as the quarterback of two Super Bowl-winning teams. Peyton, for all his regular-season greatness and dominance, has lost more than he has won in the playoffs and is looking to match his younger brother with a second Super Bowl triumph.

“I think Peyton’s already created his own legacy,’’ Eli said. “He’s played at a very high level for a long period of time and he’s overcome injuries and obviously set numerous records and been on a lot of playoff teams, playing in his third Super Bowl. I don’t think that’s something that he’s worried about. There will always be arguments about who is the greatest, of who is the best. I think if you’re in that argument, if you’re one of the names thrown around in there, I think you’ve already created a pretty good legacy. I don’t think he’s worried about that.’’