Sophia Michaels
There are a lot of similarities between Giants quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Eli Manning. Jones played for the same coach in college that Manning played for. That same coach was the quarterbacks coach for Peyton Manning in college.
Manning was drafted by the Giants in a similar way to Jones, too, with a veteran quarterback starting over the rookie while also acting as a mentor to help the young, presumed future starter develop. When it became clear the best days of his career were behind him, Manning stepped to the side and let Jones take the reins as starter for a stretch in 2019. Jones has played okay so far. Nothing too spectacular, but he is a rookie and it has to help to have a mentor like Manning behind him. Someone that can also take over when Jones is injured, such as in Week 15 when Jones couldn’t play due to injury.
What followed was a pretty cool moment. In Manning’s likely final start of his NFL career, he led the Giants to a win over the Dolphins. Then, when Jones was able to come back on Sunday, he helped lead the Giants to a win over Washington giving New York a two game win streak.
Despite the tough season, that feel-good stretch was enough to get both quarterbacks out partying together in a very funny but also touching moment of team unity.
Watching these two live it up is a really funny site because, well, they just look so goofy doing it. They party the exact way you would expect them to. The napkin throwing, for example, is perfect. Although I have to wonder to myself if Eli Manning is a frequent flip cup player or if he was pressured into doing it by the much younger and fresh out of college Jones. Either way, it’s nice to see some joy come from what’s been a very frustrating Giants season and what’s likely the end of an era for Manning.
Written by: Uproxx
