Eli all business as he tries to seal deal
New York Giants' Eli Manning answers questions during a media availability. (Feb. 2, 2012) Credit: AP
INDIANAPOLIS -- Eli Manning took some time Thursday to talk about the way he and his teammates got to this point. He reflected on his first home playoff win against the Falcons and the road victories over the Packers and 49ers. He waxed about the bus rides to practices and other events here, the dinners together in restaurants, the laughs they shared.
"The whole journey has been great," he said with a smile. But then he became serious and talked not about the path but the destination. "The goal," he said, "is to finish it all and to finish it off strong."
Finish it, in other words, with a win. Because all of those sweet memories will fade very quickly if the Giants can't get a Super Bowl title. "That's been the word of the season," Manning said, referring to the ubiquitous six letters in "finish."
"We finished our regular season very strong, winning three of our last four. We took that momentum into the playoffs. Now we have the last game of our season on Sunday, and hopefully we will finish that strong."
It's the "all business" approach that Manning preached to the team last week after the Giants won the NFC championship. They had their fun; it's time to put the game faces on.
Manning has looked sharp in practice, according to the pool report. He completed 10 of 11 passes in the final two drives Thursday and was particularly effective in the two-minute drill against the Giants' first-team defense. He completed a pass to Hakeem Nicks, who was limited Wednesday with a shoulder injury but practiced fully Thursday.
Early in practice, Nicks made a "twisting, one-handed catch of a line drive from Manning down the left sideline, corralling the ball easily and turning upfield."
"We did fine," Tom Coughlin said. "The energy level, the enthusiasm, the excitement is all there, as it should be, as it was yesterday. This was a good day of preparation.''
The media sessions are over. The players won't be readily available for public comment again until after the game, when they'll be celebrating a title or grappling with the devastation of defeat. Players' families began arriving Thursday, adding a new layer to the distractions.
Coughlin said the team will remain in its downtown hotel throughout the weekend. Sometimes teams move on Saturday to a more secluded location to bunker down for the game. The Giants did not do that four years ago, but they were staying outside the city limits then, away from the thumping beat of the festivities. This year they are two blocks away from the Super Bowl Village and all of the parties and fireworks and concerts.
The Giants may be the first Super Bowl team ever to give this pregame directive to players: No zip-lining!
Manning probably covered that when he spoke of the distractions of the Super Bowl. He's already won one, and he's only the 19th quarterback to start a second. He and his brother have that in common. Eli would like to separate himself from Peyton by winning again. And thanks to Peyton, whose football mortality undoubtedly has made Eli recognize that someday his career will end as well, he's not counting on a third chance.
"Having been in the NFL for eight years, you realize how rare it is to get here, how special it is and what a great opportunity it is," Eli said. "This might be the last one I ever get to. You want to make the most of it and make sure you don't let it slip away."
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