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Eli Manning The Making of a Quarterback
When Eli Manning found teammate Plaxico Burress in the end zone with just 35 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLII, he completed what was perhaps the greatest game-winning drive and unlikely upset in Super Bowl history. But the drive, which also included a remarkable escape and pass completion to unheralded receiver David Tyree, was the culmination of years of promise and development. After all, champion quarterbacks aren't made overnight.
With Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, as its focal point, New York Daily News Giants beat writer Ralph Vacchiano's 'Eli Manning The Making of a Quarterback' is a fascinating insider's look at the National Football League, how stars are made and crushed, and how fortunes are won and lost on the performance of one man: the quarterback. From the bold draft day trade that brought Manning to New York, through his dramatic ups and downs on and off the field, his first training camp to his last-minute heroics in Super Bowl XLII, Vacchiano takes a candid and revealing look at the people and events that made Manning's and his 2007 Giants' success one of the greatest stories in modern sports history. Complete with exclusive interviews with NFL stars, coaches, and executives and a foreword by former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, Vacchiano uses his unfettered access to the world champion Giants to present a true, behind-the scenes look at the quarterback and team that defied all of the experts and oddsmakers to pull off one of the most phenomenal upsets in pro football history.
With Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, as its focal point, New York Daily News Giants beat writer Ralph Vacchiano's 'Eli Manning The Making of a Quarterback' is a fascinating insider's look at the National Football League, how stars are made and crushed, and how fortunes are won and lost on the performance of one man: the quarterback. From the bold draft day trade that brought Manning to New York, through his dramatic ups and downs on and off the field, his first training camp to his last-minute heroics in Super Bowl XLII, Vacchiano takes a candid and revealing look at the people and events that made Manning's and his 2007 Giants' success one of the greatest stories in modern sports history. Complete with exclusive interviews with NFL stars, coaches, and executives and a foreword by former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, Vacchiano uses his unfettered access to the world champion Giants to present a true, behind-the scenes look at the quarterback and team that defied all of the experts and oddsmakers to pull off one of the most phenomenal upsets in pro football history.
286 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
16 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Ralph Vacchiano
5 books1 followerBorn in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Ralph Vacchiano, graduated from Syracuse University in 1991.
He began his professional career covering the Buffalo Bills for the Niagara Gazette in Niagara Falls, New York. He spent two seasons doing that before moving on for four years covering the New York Giants and the National Football League in general for the North Jersey Herald and News in Passaic, New Jersey.
In 1997 he joined the Daily News to cover hockey, first the New York Islanders and then the New Jersey Devils, before returning to cover football in 2001.
He is married and lives in West Caldwell, New Jersey with his wife, Kara, and daughter, Alexandra.
He began his professional career covering the Buffalo Bills for the Niagara Gazette in Niagara Falls, New York. He spent two seasons doing that before moving on for four years covering the New York Giants and the National Football League in general for the North Jersey Herald and News in Passaic, New Jersey.
In 1997 he joined the Daily News to cover hockey, first the New York Islanders and then the New Jersey Devils, before returning to cover football in 2001.
He is married and lives in West Caldwell, New Jersey with his wife, Kara, and daughter, Alexandra.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 12, 2012
It's so strange to read this now, after Eli Manning has won not one but TWO Super Bowls and the MVP titles to go along with it. That doesn't take anything away from the book, though, which is not only incredibly enjoyable, but gives readers insight into one of the most derided AND most celebrated quarterbacks of the last 10 years ... probably in the history of the NFL. As a huge Giants fan who has been following Eli's career since the very beginning, I loved reading about all the behind the scenes details of Eli's famous trade from the Chargers to the Giants, off-the-back-page stories from the locker room and the players who were there during the turmoil of those first four years, and anecdotes from Eli's childhood with nice quotes from his two big brothers and his father. I've read a lot of Vacchiano's work in the Daily News but I particularly loved the way he wrote this book -- journalistic with tons of creative detail. Everything was fact based but he also painted such a vivid picture. My stomach was in knots while Accorsi sweated out the trade up until those final eight minutes, even though I knew how it turned out. I felt sick for Eli throughout his Eli the Terrible phase, even though I know that he would become the franchise quarterback everyone knew he could be. I felt like I was sitting on the grass in the backyard beside the Manning boys as they played their game of Amazing Catches. Vacchiano took typical sports fodder and turned it into the edge of your seat story of one of the greatest players the NFL has ever seen. Perfect journalism, in fact. I got chills a couple of times throughout when I read about Plaxico Burress (who we all know would soon be leaving the Giants for a jail cell), Brett Favre's "final year in the NFL" (which wouldn't actually come for another three years), and most of all, with Accorsi's final wager placed on the strong back of Eli Manning, written on a cocktail napkin four years ago: "Eli will win more championships than his brother." As of 2012, we all know how that one is turning out.
May 28, 2015
This story about Eli Manning is really interesting as it tells the life of Eli and how he has always followed the shadow of his brothers and father. Eli is told to be a silent child with a quiet and shy personality unlike his brother Peyton Manning who is rowdy and outspoken, use to bully his little brother. Eli always tried to follow in his father even though his dad did not really pressure his sons to do football, he let them choose their own paths and he would support them in their mission, a truly inspiring father who soon found out all his boys shared a dream to play football like their father. Eli would not usually try to take advice from his older brother Peyton, but when he did he used them constructively to improve his game, making Eli Peyton's favorite football player in the modern game, following legendary Unitas and others while on the New York Giants. From the point in the story where I am, it is safe to assume that they will discuss more of Eli's motivation towards football and how he truly feels about it and his life around it. An exciting moment of the story was when Eli told of how he beat Peyton for the first time, not in football, but in basketball, ending with a thunderous dunk over Peyton then end the game in the best way a little brother can end it.
October 4, 2011
When Peter King of Sports Illustrated was asked about how he made his selections for the Top 10 Super Bowl teams from 1966 – 2004, he mentioned how fans are always taught to "love the old stuff, respect the old stuff." He went on to mention different iconic moments in the National Football League, like Bart Starr diving into the end zone at the end of Ice Bowl I to drive his point home.
One of the teams that consistently remind their fans of "the old stuff" is the New York Giants, since the victories for this club are few and far between, forcing their fans to look back on victories from days gone by. When my grandfather was getting acquainted with the team, he had the 1934 Championship Game against the Chicago Bears, the first "Sneakers" game. When my father was suffering through the Yale Bowl years of the 70s and the early days of Giants Stadium – including the infamous "Miracle at the Meadowlands" - all he had to look back on fondly were the Yankee Stadium 1950s teams and the 1956 Championship (once again, against the Bears in the second "Sneakers" game).
And as I grew up and had to deal with such meltdowns as the 1997 & 2002 playoff games, the decimation at Super Bowl XXXV and Dave Brown, all I had were the Parcells years with the two Super Bowl wins. So when the Giants finally got over that hump and made history by knocking off the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, I sought as much memorabilia as possible to soak up the win. T-shirt, check. Hat, check. Copies of the Daily News and New York Post, check. Both DVDs, check. How about the book...?
For months, the only books that were on the shelves about the Giants' third Super Bowl win were collections of articles from the different New York / New Jersey newspapers. Oh, and the hardcover edition of the Sports Illustrated commemorative issue. But now the wait for fans' chances to revisit that incredible playoff run has finally arrived. Plaxico Burress' book is out. David Tyree's book is out too. And Tom Coughlin's book is about to come out.
But the one you want to read before you get any others is "Eli Manning: The Making of a Quarterback" by Daily News writer Ralph Vacchiano.
Why is it that you want to read this one first? It's simple. Out of all the other authors, Vacchiano has had the most insight regarding the Giants and their struggle to capture glory for the first time since Scott Norwood's kick just barely missed the upright. (Yes, Tom Coughlin was there on the field when they won Super Bowl XXV, but he had since gone on to Boston College and Jacksonville before he came back.) Ralph has covered the NFL for over fifteen years, and specifically the New York Giants for thirteen years. He has watched them go from a 5-11 joke in 1995 to NFC Champions in 2000 and beyond, and he has been given extensive access to various current and former players, coaches, personnel, the Mara family, the Tisch family and, most importantly, the Manning family.
Yes, Vacchiano covers the whole Manning family and gives us plenty of details on Archie and Peyton, if only to show the reader the kind of mountain that Eli was already faced with before former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi saw him and knew this was his chance to solidify his legacy in the NFL. We then learn about how Accorsi struggled with a brief run as GM of the Baltimore Colts, and his time as GM of the Cleveland Browns, when his team's playoff runs were constantly cut short by John Elway, the quarterback he was supposed to have in Baltimore.
From Accorsi's story, we see the natural progression to the Mannings and how they made their mark in Giants history. We even get a look inside the mind of the late Wellington Mara, who was not very receptive to replacing Kerry Collins, the quarterback who turned his whole life and career around and took the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV. Plus, we get to hear from other players who were equally excited and worried that a rookie was going to be given the reigns. There's plenty of suspense for the reader as well, despite the fact that we all know how this journey ends. The fact that I was almost on the edge of my seat, waiting for the moment when Accorsi would get a call from the San Diego GM to make the infamous draft pick trade, is a testament to Vacchiano's writing and how well he crafts this story.
Vacchiano covers plenty of moments that I would much rather forget, like the 2004 Philadelphia game in which the Giants could only score a field goal, the 2006 Saints game where they only managed a touchdown and the 2007 Minnesota game where Eli threw three interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. (I was at all of those games. Wasn't thrilled.) And he's not one to pull his punches either. There are many occasions when he mentions the newspaper headline that read "Eli The Terrible" the day after the Minnesota game in 2007, and once he's got that in your head, then he lets you know he was the one who wrote the article.
In addition to the bad times, there are plenty of good times that get the spotlight as well. The first 2006 game against Philadelphia is mentioned quite a bit, as well as the period before the '07 season started, when Eli uncharacteristically responded to Tiki Barber's remarks about Eli's attempt to be a leader and how it came off as "comical." And of course, the final chapters read like a thriller as the Super Bowl and the undefeated Patriots are getting closer.
Granted, there are a decent number of Giants books out there that cover more than just the period Vacchiano delves into, but none of them are handled with this much detail and this much insider information. Nothing is handled as gossip, since there is always a senior member of the team ready to back up whatever is said, and we finally get some perspective that puts the speculation about other quarterbacks to rest. Fans kept asking why we didn't pick up Ben Roethlisberger instead of picking Eli or why we didn't keep Phillip Rivers, and Vacchiano's breakdown of both of those situations make for a great argument. Of course, now that Eli delivered the Vince Lombardi Trophy, we don't hear too much about those speculations anyway.
Would there have been more I'd like to have read about? Sure. I wish Vacchiano had gone into more detail about how Steve Spagnuolo replaced the god-awful Tim Lewis as defensive coordinator, and I would have enjoyed a more detailed breakdown of the first round of the NFC Playoffs, since fans had to endure both Tiki and Ronde Barber talking about how "Eli could be had." But there are plenty of responses to Tiki's off-field antics in the book already, and the story of the Giants defense is likely for another book somewhere down the road. The story at hand is the evolution of Eli Manning from a first-round draft pick that spurned San Diego to the Super Bowl XLII MVP, and the way Ralph Vacchiano tells it, he accomplished what I had been looking for in a book on the 2007 season: he took me back there. And even if they don't repeat as Super Bowl Champions – out of all three championship teams, this is the one that has the best shot to do it – I'll have this to help me look back on it until the next one comes up…
One of the teams that consistently remind their fans of "the old stuff" is the New York Giants, since the victories for this club are few and far between, forcing their fans to look back on victories from days gone by. When my grandfather was getting acquainted with the team, he had the 1934 Championship Game against the Chicago Bears, the first "Sneakers" game. When my father was suffering through the Yale Bowl years of the 70s and the early days of Giants Stadium – including the infamous "Miracle at the Meadowlands" - all he had to look back on fondly were the Yankee Stadium 1950s teams and the 1956 Championship (once again, against the Bears in the second "Sneakers" game).
And as I grew up and had to deal with such meltdowns as the 1997 & 2002 playoff games, the decimation at Super Bowl XXXV and Dave Brown, all I had were the Parcells years with the two Super Bowl wins. So when the Giants finally got over that hump and made history by knocking off the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, I sought as much memorabilia as possible to soak up the win. T-shirt, check. Hat, check. Copies of the Daily News and New York Post, check. Both DVDs, check. How about the book...?
For months, the only books that were on the shelves about the Giants' third Super Bowl win were collections of articles from the different New York / New Jersey newspapers. Oh, and the hardcover edition of the Sports Illustrated commemorative issue. But now the wait for fans' chances to revisit that incredible playoff run has finally arrived. Plaxico Burress' book is out. David Tyree's book is out too. And Tom Coughlin's book is about to come out.
But the one you want to read before you get any others is "Eli Manning: The Making of a Quarterback" by Daily News writer Ralph Vacchiano.
Why is it that you want to read this one first? It's simple. Out of all the other authors, Vacchiano has had the most insight regarding the Giants and their struggle to capture glory for the first time since Scott Norwood's kick just barely missed the upright. (Yes, Tom Coughlin was there on the field when they won Super Bowl XXV, but he had since gone on to Boston College and Jacksonville before he came back.) Ralph has covered the NFL for over fifteen years, and specifically the New York Giants for thirteen years. He has watched them go from a 5-11 joke in 1995 to NFC Champions in 2000 and beyond, and he has been given extensive access to various current and former players, coaches, personnel, the Mara family, the Tisch family and, most importantly, the Manning family.
Yes, Vacchiano covers the whole Manning family and gives us plenty of details on Archie and Peyton, if only to show the reader the kind of mountain that Eli was already faced with before former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi saw him and knew this was his chance to solidify his legacy in the NFL. We then learn about how Accorsi struggled with a brief run as GM of the Baltimore Colts, and his time as GM of the Cleveland Browns, when his team's playoff runs were constantly cut short by John Elway, the quarterback he was supposed to have in Baltimore.
From Accorsi's story, we see the natural progression to the Mannings and how they made their mark in Giants history. We even get a look inside the mind of the late Wellington Mara, who was not very receptive to replacing Kerry Collins, the quarterback who turned his whole life and career around and took the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV. Plus, we get to hear from other players who were equally excited and worried that a rookie was going to be given the reigns. There's plenty of suspense for the reader as well, despite the fact that we all know how this journey ends. The fact that I was almost on the edge of my seat, waiting for the moment when Accorsi would get a call from the San Diego GM to make the infamous draft pick trade, is a testament to Vacchiano's writing and how well he crafts this story.
Vacchiano covers plenty of moments that I would much rather forget, like the 2004 Philadelphia game in which the Giants could only score a field goal, the 2006 Saints game where they only managed a touchdown and the 2007 Minnesota game where Eli threw three interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. (I was at all of those games. Wasn't thrilled.) And he's not one to pull his punches either. There are many occasions when he mentions the newspaper headline that read "Eli The Terrible" the day after the Minnesota game in 2007, and once he's got that in your head, then he lets you know he was the one who wrote the article.
In addition to the bad times, there are plenty of good times that get the spotlight as well. The first 2006 game against Philadelphia is mentioned quite a bit, as well as the period before the '07 season started, when Eli uncharacteristically responded to Tiki Barber's remarks about Eli's attempt to be a leader and how it came off as "comical." And of course, the final chapters read like a thriller as the Super Bowl and the undefeated Patriots are getting closer.
Granted, there are a decent number of Giants books out there that cover more than just the period Vacchiano delves into, but none of them are handled with this much detail and this much insider information. Nothing is handled as gossip, since there is always a senior member of the team ready to back up whatever is said, and we finally get some perspective that puts the speculation about other quarterbacks to rest. Fans kept asking why we didn't pick up Ben Roethlisberger instead of picking Eli or why we didn't keep Phillip Rivers, and Vacchiano's breakdown of both of those situations make for a great argument. Of course, now that Eli delivered the Vince Lombardi Trophy, we don't hear too much about those speculations anyway.
Would there have been more I'd like to have read about? Sure. I wish Vacchiano had gone into more detail about how Steve Spagnuolo replaced the god-awful Tim Lewis as defensive coordinator, and I would have enjoyed a more detailed breakdown of the first round of the NFC Playoffs, since fans had to endure both Tiki and Ronde Barber talking about how "Eli could be had." But there are plenty of responses to Tiki's off-field antics in the book already, and the story of the Giants defense is likely for another book somewhere down the road. The story at hand is the evolution of Eli Manning from a first-round draft pick that spurned San Diego to the Super Bowl XLII MVP, and the way Ralph Vacchiano tells it, he accomplished what I had been looking for in a book on the 2007 season: he took me back there. And even if they don't repeat as Super Bowl Champions – out of all three championship teams, this is the one that has the best shot to do it – I'll have this to help me look back on it until the next one comes up…
November 21, 2017
The Making of a Quarterback by Ralph Vacchiano
This surprisingly is one of my favorite books I have read in the past couple years, which is strange because I really enjoy biographies. The book is about Eli’s path to the NFL following in the shadow of his father (Archie) and brother (Peyton). Eli had big shoes to fill in the family with his dad and brother both already superstars in the league. Eli is not like his brother though Eli was a shy and not very vocal leader while Peyton was the heart of the team. Despite his dad being a superstar the two brothers were not forced to play the sport there dad loved so much. Eli’s love of the game came naturally, he overcame all the critics and odds and has now cemented himself as one of the best quarterbacks of this decade
I would recommend this to anyone who likes sports books or good biographies. This book would be good for all ages mainly 12 plus because it is a longer book but it's a good read for anyone. I can’t remember being this into a biography before, it intrigued me with all the deeper things in his life and provided me with a completely different perspective on the path to the NFL. Overall I really liked this book with all the behind the scenes of his life.
This surprisingly is one of my favorite books I have read in the past couple years, which is strange because I really enjoy biographies. The book is about Eli’s path to the NFL following in the shadow of his father (Archie) and brother (Peyton). Eli had big shoes to fill in the family with his dad and brother both already superstars in the league. Eli is not like his brother though Eli was a shy and not very vocal leader while Peyton was the heart of the team. Despite his dad being a superstar the two brothers were not forced to play the sport there dad loved so much. Eli’s love of the game came naturally, he overcame all the critics and odds and has now cemented himself as one of the best quarterbacks of this decade
I would recommend this to anyone who likes sports books or good biographies. This book would be good for all ages mainly 12 plus because it is a longer book but it's a good read for anyone. I can’t remember being this into a biography before, it intrigued me with all the deeper things in his life and provided me with a completely different perspective on the path to the NFL. Overall I really liked this book with all the behind the scenes of his life.
October 14, 2016
Eli Manning The Making of a Quarterback
The book Eli Manning The Making of a Quarterback by Ralph Vacchiano forwarded by Ernie Accorsi is one of the better books I have read over the past couple of years. It’s about how Eli followed his father and brother into the NFL. It talks a lot about how Eli is extremely shy and quiet, unlike his brother Peyton who is loud and outspoken. Eli and his brothers were never forced to play football by their father who was a superstar. He wanted them to choose their own path and do what they wanted. Soon enough they had the desire to play professional football as their father did growing up. He was a very supportive father and was always excited to watch his kids. Later in the book it starts to talk about how high the expectations are for Eli being a number one overall pick and a Manning. It talks about his growing pains, and how hard it is for a first time quarterback to get prepared to be in the NFL. It forwards ahead some time and talks about how it felt for him to finally adjust and what it felt like to finally win the Super Bowl.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading sports books and likes hearing people’s life story. This book was really good and recommend it to any age because it is a sport that all age’s enjoy. I found it to be thrilling because all the chapters would go later into his life making you wanting to read more and more. It was an overall good book with many ups and downs for Eli Manning.
The book Eli Manning The Making of a Quarterback by Ralph Vacchiano forwarded by Ernie Accorsi is one of the better books I have read over the past couple of years. It’s about how Eli followed his father and brother into the NFL. It talks a lot about how Eli is extremely shy and quiet, unlike his brother Peyton who is loud and outspoken. Eli and his brothers were never forced to play football by their father who was a superstar. He wanted them to choose their own path and do what they wanted. Soon enough they had the desire to play professional football as their father did growing up. He was a very supportive father and was always excited to watch his kids. Later in the book it starts to talk about how high the expectations are for Eli being a number one overall pick and a Manning. It talks about his growing pains, and how hard it is for a first time quarterback to get prepared to be in the NFL. It forwards ahead some time and talks about how it felt for him to finally adjust and what it felt like to finally win the Super Bowl.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading sports books and likes hearing people’s life story. This book was really good and recommend it to any age because it is a sport that all age’s enjoy. I found it to be thrilling because all the chapters would go later into his life making you wanting to read more and more. It was an overall good book with many ups and downs for Eli Manning.
January 30, 2019
Over the last few weeks, I have been reading Eli Manning: The Making of a Quarterback, by Ralph Vacciano. I chose this book since I am a huge Giants fan, and wanted to learn more about Eli Manning. Manning, the subject of this book was a huge inspiration to me, throughout my life. Not only is he a great To me, I think that the descriptions by the GM of the Giants offered great insight on what was really happening throughout Eli’s career. Coming from a die hard fan, I never really realized the struggles of being the GM during Eli’s rookie and sophomore years. I would recommend this book to any Giant’s fan.
March 20, 2024
I had so much fun reliving the 2007 miracle run through this book (it was in the “free” pile at my downtown Starbucks. Who could resist??). It drags when it becomes a chronicling of Ernie acorsi and boomer’s every thought. Wish it had a little more access to Eli (as it’s not really a making of Eli but a retelling of Eli’s games. We get no more access to Easy E himself then we would have gotten on sportscenter or with 5 good minutes with acorsi on PTI). But! It’s still a detailed reliving of the few ups and many serious downs that preceded Eli’s first of two miracle runs. I’m eager to read the chapters in the updated book.
February 2, 2019
Great book and that magical season! It seems just like yesterday that it happened.
March 23, 2015
David S. Period 7 IRP Good Reads Review
Awhile back, I asked my uncle, "Uncle Bob, you know I am a big Giants fan, what is a good book about the Giants that i should read"? And he recommended this one. Let me start off by saying this book was the best book i ever read. I have read a lot of football books, and many about the Giants but none compares to this one.
Ralph Vacchiano author of "The Making of a Quarterback" does a great job highlighting plays that Eli Manning made in the 2008 Super Bowl. He talks about the mind set that Eli had going into the game, as well as how down he was looked upon before the game. Going into this game the Giants were big underdogs because they were playing the 17-0 patriots. He talks about how Eli was playing against Tom Brady who already had won three championships and how no way Tom Brady looses this game. This set the stage for one of the best super bowls of all time.
But not only did this book highlight the Super Bowl. It talks about how players are made into star players. It does not take many plays for a player to become a "Star Player" and that is definitely certain in the case of Eli Manning. This book talks about other players as well even though it only briefly touches on them. Johnny Unitas is among the highlighted players who was a star QB for the Baltimore Colts and very highly appreciated during his time period. It talks about how quick his success turns him into being one of the NFLs greats.
This book is very interesting because it talks about the start of Eli Manning's career all the way until the 2008 Super Bowl game. Jerry Reese the Giants general manager talks about how he took a lot of criticism for trading for Eli in that draft. But he also comments on how eventually it worked out very well.
The book also puts in quotes from Eli Manning which makes it for a read. He tells you how he deals with criticism as well as how he reacts to success. The quotes from Eli are a huge part of this book. The direct words from other players is also included and that helps the reader to get a grasp on the true meaning of the story.
I personally loved this book. I am not a big reader but this book was very easy to connect to as an athlete. It also helps you to react professionally to situations that may not be ideal as well as take anyone's criticism and instead of being hurt over it, you can learn from in and build off of it. This book allows the reader to get an inside edge on what is going on in different lives of the players in the National Football League. This is why i gave it five stars and i would recommend it to sports lovers first, but anyone who likes a good read about an athlete who has been through a lot.
Awhile back, I asked my uncle, "Uncle Bob, you know I am a big Giants fan, what is a good book about the Giants that i should read"? And he recommended this one. Let me start off by saying this book was the best book i ever read. I have read a lot of football books, and many about the Giants but none compares to this one.
Ralph Vacchiano author of "The Making of a Quarterback" does a great job highlighting plays that Eli Manning made in the 2008 Super Bowl. He talks about the mind set that Eli had going into the game, as well as how down he was looked upon before the game. Going into this game the Giants were big underdogs because they were playing the 17-0 patriots. He talks about how Eli was playing against Tom Brady who already had won three championships and how no way Tom Brady looses this game. This set the stage for one of the best super bowls of all time.
But not only did this book highlight the Super Bowl. It talks about how players are made into star players. It does not take many plays for a player to become a "Star Player" and that is definitely certain in the case of Eli Manning. This book talks about other players as well even though it only briefly touches on them. Johnny Unitas is among the highlighted players who was a star QB for the Baltimore Colts and very highly appreciated during his time period. It talks about how quick his success turns him into being one of the NFLs greats.
This book is very interesting because it talks about the start of Eli Manning's career all the way until the 2008 Super Bowl game. Jerry Reese the Giants general manager talks about how he took a lot of criticism for trading for Eli in that draft. But he also comments on how eventually it worked out very well.
The book also puts in quotes from Eli Manning which makes it for a read. He tells you how he deals with criticism as well as how he reacts to success. The quotes from Eli are a huge part of this book. The direct words from other players is also included and that helps the reader to get a grasp on the true meaning of the story.
I personally loved this book. I am not a big reader but this book was very easy to connect to as an athlete. It also helps you to react professionally to situations that may not be ideal as well as take anyone's criticism and instead of being hurt over it, you can learn from in and build off of it. This book allows the reader to get an inside edge on what is going on in different lives of the players in the National Football League. This is why i gave it five stars and i would recommend it to sports lovers first, but anyone who likes a good read about an athlete who has been through a lot.
February 24, 2012
What I know about the mechanics of football could fit on the back of a postcard. The only reason that I didn't give this book five stars is that it assumes the reader has an understanding of the sport that I didn't have. I still don't know what the hell an audible is. On Super Bowl Sunday, I watched the Puppy Bowl and the last five minutes of the actual game.
This book was very narrowly focused. It's shelved in my library system as a biography, but it doesn't cover Eli Manning the person, only Eli Manning the quarterback. Living in New York, even being a non-football person, I'd heard about Manning for years, the continual flip-flopping between "Yay, we love him" and "He f-ing sucks!" So when the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2012 and the media was all "OMFG!", I got curious and started poking around. I read the Super Bowl parts of Plaxico Burress's autobiography, Giant: The Road to the Super Bowl, which was a bittersweet experience because, thanks to TMZ, I knew the way Burress's future was going to unfold. I kept circling back to Manning, however, because he won the 2012 MVP and I didn't (and honestly still don't) know what he specifically did that made him the MVP.
Vacchiano's book didn't educate me about football, but I feel I have a better understanding of Manning. Whether it be a football or a briefcase, Manning's the type of guy to suss out the lay of the land, to get a feel for the flow, before he starts making waves. He's the guy you want as a boss, the kind that has your back against outsiders but holds you accountable for your actions. if you want to work with him, you don't have to be drinking buddies, but you have to have a professional demeanor. And when he makes a statement or a promise, you can be damn sure he means it.
There's a lot of behind the scenes stuff and insider scoop that I found interesting. I don't know how much of it was common knowledge prior to the book's release, but I was able to get a rough idea of the people in Manning's orbit. I got a pretty good idea about football team dynamics and how many things have to go right in private for things to look right on the field.
I'm hoping, now that Manning has won another Super Bowl, Vacchiano releases another book covering the five years between Bowls. Also, here's where the former Romance Expert comes in play, I feel like this should be required reading for an author who wants to write a football romance. And now I'm going to go google 'an audible.'
This book was very narrowly focused. It's shelved in my library system as a biography, but it doesn't cover Eli Manning the person, only Eli Manning the quarterback. Living in New York, even being a non-football person, I'd heard about Manning for years, the continual flip-flopping between "Yay, we love him" and "He f-ing sucks!" So when the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2012 and the media was all "OMFG!", I got curious and started poking around. I read the Super Bowl parts of Plaxico Burress's autobiography, Giant: The Road to the Super Bowl, which was a bittersweet experience because, thanks to TMZ, I knew the way Burress's future was going to unfold. I kept circling back to Manning, however, because he won the 2012 MVP and I didn't (and honestly still don't) know what he specifically did that made him the MVP.
Vacchiano's book didn't educate me about football, but I feel I have a better understanding of Manning. Whether it be a football or a briefcase, Manning's the type of guy to suss out the lay of the land, to get a feel for the flow, before he starts making waves. He's the guy you want as a boss, the kind that has your back against outsiders but holds you accountable for your actions. if you want to work with him, you don't have to be drinking buddies, but you have to have a professional demeanor. And when he makes a statement or a promise, you can be damn sure he means it.
There's a lot of behind the scenes stuff and insider scoop that I found interesting. I don't know how much of it was common knowledge prior to the book's release, but I was able to get a rough idea of the people in Manning's orbit. I got a pretty good idea about football team dynamics and how many things have to go right in private for things to look right on the field.
I'm hoping, now that Manning has won another Super Bowl, Vacchiano releases another book covering the five years between Bowls. Also, here's where the former Romance Expert comes in play, I feel like this should be required reading for an author who wants to write a football romance. And now I'm going to go google 'an audible.'
June 11, 2014
Eli Manning: The making of a quarterback is a good book for giants fans or overall football fans period. This book not only talks about Eli Manning and how he has developed as a football player and a person, but it also goes much more into detail about the NFL and how he compared to some of the best quarterbacks who has ever played the game of football.. It talks about how the NFL draft is ran and how the New York Giants were able to pick up Eli Manning as the first pick of the NFL draft. This book is also a good football fan book because for those who know Eli Manning as the future hall of fame quarterback one sees now, this book displays the Eli Manning who was first drafted in the first round and started off horrible. The coaches for the New York Giants did not believe that that was the same guy who they had seen play in college at Ole Miss. When he was a rookie he started off so bad that the coaches began to regret their decision. Its so hard to read the book because Eli Manning has now two super bowl wins under his belt and MVP titles to follow. However,I liked reading about all of the behind the scene details of Eli's famous trade from the Chargers to the Giants, off-the-back-page stories from the locker room, and the players who were there during the turmoil of those first four years of Eli Manning's career. This book does not talk about Eli's Manning's life as an autobiography but it does insert little parts of how he came up and how he was influenced by his older brother and father who both played/plays quarterback in the NFL as well. They actually became the first family to do so in NFL history. It is a good book and I would advise other football fans to read this because one does not have to be a Giants fan to understand what goes on on with football because what the book talk about here also happens with other teams in the NFL to.
January 25, 2013
I used to be a hockey fan, in my teens. The Montreal Canadiens were my team and I even taught myself French, if only to read and listen, not speak, because Guy Lafleur was French (I'm dating myself, I know. However, even Guy is quite older than I am:)) Then I got married and my husband, an American, was a football fan, specifically the NY Giants. As happens in marriages, my husband learned to appreciate hockey and, eventually, I learned to appreciate football. Nowadays I have to confess we rarely watch hockey any more, except for our son's peewee games. Not sure why, exactly, and this isn't the post to dissect hockey's woes.
My son is also an avid football fan. He recently wrote a whole magazine in question and answer form of a pro scout for a fictional football league. I mean, he is a serious fan. I published it on smashwords for him at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... (as of this writing it is still pending approval).
So I bought this book for my husband and son for Christmas and I'm the only one who's read it so far. Even if you aren't a NY Giants fan you can appreciate the essay on what it takes to be a pro quarterback. If you are a NY Giants fan it's like reliving those years when Eli first came up. The ups and downs...the frustration of a good game then a horrible game. I can remember being sure he'd been thrust into the game too soon without enough time to learn the system. I can remember thinking Coughlin was the worst coach ever and calling for his head. And then, and then...anyway, it's very exciting to live it over again through the book, even knowing what happens...which is quite a trick. A fun read, well-written.
My son is also an avid football fan. He recently wrote a whole magazine in question and answer form of a pro scout for a fictional football league. I mean, he is a serious fan. I published it on smashwords for him at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... (as of this writing it is still pending approval).
So I bought this book for my husband and son for Christmas and I'm the only one who's read it so far. Even if you aren't a NY Giants fan you can appreciate the essay on what it takes to be a pro quarterback. If you are a NY Giants fan it's like reliving those years when Eli first came up. The ups and downs...the frustration of a good game then a horrible game. I can remember being sure he'd been thrust into the game too soon without enough time to learn the system. I can remember thinking Coughlin was the worst coach ever and calling for his head. And then, and then...anyway, it's very exciting to live it over again through the book, even knowing what happens...which is quite a trick. A fun read, well-written.
June 9, 2014
Eli Manning is one of the future hall of fame quarters at this time that has been a person everyone use to overlook. When he was drafted, everyone looked over him through his first couple of years because of his brother Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning is his older brother that is a star at the time and played in the NFL some years before Eli. In the rookie year, Eli Manning had such a rough season and nobody knew what to do with him. Eli was such an unemotional person when it came to interviews and on television. His brother always use to talk for him most of the time in interviews and he used to stare off into space. Also, he didn't know what to say or couldn't even show that he cares in the interviews, so most of the time he use to repeat lots of things when being interviewed. However, this book also shares the outline view of other people that Eli Manning have associated with and not just himself personally. Even through the deep holes that Eli Manning have experienced through, He was able to gain the confidence from others and still have that respect from his coach that caught him first sight to join the team. Eli Manning have been able to win 2 championships and also MVP titles that took him out of that slump that others thought he was in. This book is good for readers who are Giants fans and that wanted to understand the background of one of their best quarterbacks in this time. I think that personally, the titles or some parts becomes boring and needed to be switched around, but however, it was still a good book.
October 26, 2015
I was never a Giants fan but when I saw this book on Eli Manning I wanted to read it. I read a book similar to this last year about Tim Tebow and I really enjoyed that book, so that influenced my decision to read this book. While reading this I really enjoyed hearing all the stuff about his childhood that you never hear about. For instance, one point in the book it tells about the time that Eli beat his older brother Peyton in a basketball game. He was happy because that was really the first time he beat his brother at anything. My favorite part of the book is when it talks about Eli's journey through the draft. What made the draft process more interesting is when the San Diego Chargers picked Eli Manning but then agreed to trade him away to New York to play with the Giants. Overall I really enjoy this book. I highly suggest this to football fans who have a passion for the game and who are truly interested on the stars personal lives.
August 6, 2011
An excellent insider story of how Eli Manning became the Most Valuable Player of Superbowl XLII after, in his early days with the New York Giants, to whom he had been traded, it seemed as though the franchise had made a grave mistake.
But Manning and his coaches persisted and he eventually won through and defeated the unbeaten New England Patriots, who were clear favourites, to win that Superbowl. His last ditch pass to David Tyree was remarkable and saw the Giants take the lead for the first time with just 37 seconds left on the clock. It was enough for his team to hold on and win.
There are plenty of inside views of Eli Manning from his team-mates, former quarterbacks and, of course, elder brother Peyton, himself a Superbowl winner.
Will Eli eventually be greater than Peyton, the book reveals that there are those who think so but only time will tell.
But Manning and his coaches persisted and he eventually won through and defeated the unbeaten New England Patriots, who were clear favourites, to win that Superbowl. His last ditch pass to David Tyree was remarkable and saw the Giants take the lead for the first time with just 37 seconds left on the clock. It was enough for his team to hold on and win.
There are plenty of inside views of Eli Manning from his team-mates, former quarterbacks and, of course, elder brother Peyton, himself a Superbowl winner.
Will Eli eventually be greater than Peyton, the book reveals that there are those who think so but only time will tell.
November 26, 2013
The book "Eli Manning The Making of a Quarterback" By Ralph Vacchiano is about Eli Manning the son of Archie Manning who was one of the best NFL player. He has two brothers: Cooper who is the oldest, Peyton the middle child and one of the best current players in the NFL right now. Cooper and Peyton were one of the best high school combination.
Peyton went to Tennessee and had a great college career there, he was drafted in the first round first pick by the Colts. Eli went to Ole Miss and had an good career there, he was drafted in the first round first pick also. Peyton Manning was the first Manning kid to win a Superbowl. Eli Manning won it the very next year!
I thought that this was a good book. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves football. This book has a lot of stats from games. I really enjoyed reading this book.
Peyton went to Tennessee and had a great college career there, he was drafted in the first round first pick by the Colts. Eli went to Ole Miss and had an good career there, he was drafted in the first round first pick also. Peyton Manning was the first Manning kid to win a Superbowl. Eli Manning won it the very next year!
I thought that this was a good book. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves football. This book has a lot of stats from games. I really enjoyed reading this book.
November 18, 2009
This book is about the young Eli Manning quater back of the New York Giants. This book decribes the history of Manning's carrer so far in the NFL. this book also explains how Manning improved in his carrer and went from a person thorwing interceptions to a player who won the the superbowl with the giants at such a young age. Eli Manning is the future of this sport and me as a fan of the New York Giants i am really exicted to see what Eli is going to do for the New York Giants as the years go by.Another thing this book says is that Eli manning is the third Manning to play along with his borhter peyton and their father archy. I recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of the New York Giants.
March 17, 2013
This book was good but it doesn't really talk about who Eli Manning is as a person , but just who he is as a quarterback. Reading this book , the writer assumes that you know about football and the game itself. Being a Giants fan , it's like reliving all the moments when Eli was first drafted and his journey. Reading this book , I feel like I understand who Eli Manning is as a person . He seems to be that type of person I would want as a boss. If he tells you something , he's going to mean it. He has your back but at the same time , you'll be held accountable for your mistakes. I think it would be nice if the author Ralph Vacchiano wrote another book , since now Eli has won not one , but two Super Bowl titles.
November 13, 2009
Learned about what a qb in the NFL has to go through.
May 28, 2010
Informative, but repetitive -- it didn't need to be 270+ pages.
August 30, 2012
Must read for Giants fans. A very detailed and insightful glimpse of a franchise's unlikely road to a championship that all began with an unprecedented trade in the 2004 NFL Draft.
June 30, 2013
Easy, fun, interesting stories. And I was able to get it autographed by Eli Manning at training camp 2010.
September 29, 2013
Ralph did a great job here in what it takes to be a top NFL
quarterback.
As with all ex players kids the name alone will not get you two Superbowls.
quarterback.
As with all ex players kids the name alone will not get you two Superbowls.
December 29, 2008
Pers. Rev. Dec. 2008
May 31, 2012
Very simple here:
If you are a Giants fan or fan of the game....READ IT. Fantastic.
If you are a Giants fan or fan of the game....READ IT. Fantastic.
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