Native Son Manning Conflicted:
Superbowl or Bacchus

GREEN BAY, WIS. — Not often does a quarterback go into Green Bay in the dead of winter and beat the inimitable Brett Favre.

But it happened Sunday night at historic Lambeau Field, where New Orleans-born Eli Manning led the New York Giants to a 23-20 overtime victory in the National Football Conference championship game. New York will play the unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3 at Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Manning, who prepped at Newman School, celebrated outside the Giants’ locker room with his parents, Archie and Olivia, and older brother Cooper and his wife, Ellen.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in quite yet,” said Manning, who completed 21 of 40 passes for 254 yards with no interceptions in subzero temperatures and a wind chill of 24 below, making it the third-coldest game in National Football League history.

“It’s hard to take it all in. I understand the Giants are going to the Super Bowl and everything, but February 3rd is Bacchus. I really can’t decide where to go.”

Eli could try to give the Mannings back-to-back Super Bowl titles. Older brother Peyton led the Indianapolis Colts to a 29-17 win against the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

“I know how special it was for Peyton to get there last year and how hard he’s worked,” Eli Manning said. “But he didn’t have to decide between football and hanging out on St. Charles with his friends. He got to do both; it’s just not fair.”

“You never know when it’s going to be your chance. You never know if you’re going to get another chance, so you got to make the most of it when you get the opportunity. I missed Mardi Gras last year, and it would just break my heart to miss it again.”

More Articles in Sportsman’s Paradise »