New York Giants hero Eli Manning set to retire after 16 years

Hardest working man in blue

On the field, he was known to be very dedicated, hard-working, a master of preparation, serious but even-keeled and tough as nails. Manning started a franchise-record 234 games for the Giants, never missing a game due to injury.

No matter how bad of a beating he took from opposing defenses and regardless of how sore he was, Manning always got back up, fixed his jersey and shoulder pads and got ready for the next play. From November 21, 2004, to  November 23, 2017, he started 210 consecutive games (third-most of all-time) before the infamous one-game benching atrocity by then-head coach Ben McAdoo.

Stepping in as the starting quarterback replacing Hall-of-Famer Kurt Warner midway through the 2004 season, Eli Manning went 1-6 in seven games as a rookie. That was followed by an 11-5 sophomore campaign in 2005 where he threw for 3,762 yards and 24 touchdowns. He got his first taste of playoff atmosphere in the NFL that year, being on the receiving end 23-0 shellacking from the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wildcard game.

Eli Manning is heading into retirement as the franchises’ winningest quarterback with a 117-117 record over 234 career starts. He also holds the franchise record for games played, passing yards, completions, pass attempts, completion percentage (among Giants quarterbacks with at least 300 pass attempts), touchdowns, fourth-quarter comebacks, and game-winning drives.