Eli, meet Eli: Manning, rookie Apple name game
Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, now shares his name with rookie Eli Apple. Credit: Mike Stobe; George McNish
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Now at quarterback for the Giants: Elisha Manning?
After 12 seasons of being the only Eli in town — or at least the most recognizable one on the team’s roster — Manning joked that he may have to start going by his full first name to differentiate himself from first-round pick Eli Apple.
“Call me Elisha, maybe, and switch to my official first name,” he said Monday when asked about having to share the tag.
“I’ve never really cared about other peoples’ names,” Manning said at an appearance to support Guiding Eyes for the Blind. “I don’t know what we’ll do. We’ll figure it out. I have seniority, so we can call him ‘E.A.’ or ‘Apple’ maybe.”
The two Elis — for now — met for the first time earlier Monday during the team’s offseason program. They did not spend much time together because the offense and defense train separately, but they did share a quick conversation.
“He seems like a great kid, so it’s exciting to get him in here and see if he can help us out,” Manning said of the former Ohio State cornerback.
Perhaps the better way to tell the difference between them will be to refer to the new Eli as Annie Apple’s son. Eli Apple’s mother has made quite a splash on social and traditional media since Eli was drafted, so much so that Manning joked about having to keep up with the Apples.
“I got my mom a Twitter account now so she can help out and add to the mix,” Manning said.
It was a chuckle, as Annie Apple’s tweets have been. Manning said he hopes they stay that way.
“I probably haven’t seen everything that’s out there,” Manning said of Mrs. Apple’s oeuvre, “but as long as it’s not a distraction for him or the team, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
