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The Giants drafted Eli Manning 10 years ago today..

Sean in PA : 4/24/2014 7:08 am
April 24, 2004...I really wish I was on BBI that day to get a vibe of the fanbase when the trade was announced.

10 years later, he has been apart of two improbable Super Bowl victories and hopefully he can give us another 5 years or so.

Amazing how the Coughlin/Manning era is entering year 11 already.
There was some  
BigBlueDownTheShore : 4/24/2014 7:11 am : link
Remote throwing in here for sure because people wanted Gallery or Taylor. Glad we got Eli! He was who I wanted!
And I hayted it..  
Big Blue '56 : 4/24/2014 7:12 am : link
Up until the regular season finale against the 15-0 Pats, I effectively wanted him gone. I had pretty much seen enough after 4 seasons..

Obviously I've done a 180 plus since then for the inarguable best QB this Team has seen in its 89 year history..
any archived  
madgiantscow009 : 4/24/2014 7:14 am : link
threads?
Many opined  
PEEJ : 4/24/2014 7:16 am : link
that EA gave up too much for Eli
I hate to be this guy but....  
Rjanyg : 4/24/2014 7:21 am : link
...... 10 years ago we actually drafted Philip Rivers.
A few things  
Matt in SGS : 4/24/2014 7:31 am : link
- Prior the draft, the original Gloveone who used to post here, was an asshat and I think we all generally believe that he was in Tom Condon's camp. Gloveone was keeping the forum informed (which would include the media who read the site) on the fact that Eli was pushing to get to the Giants. This was all intended to put more pressure on AJ Smith to force a deal. I remember Gloveone mentioning when Eli gets drafted, he wouldn't wear the Chargers hat (or something like that) and would not really be smiling during the photos after being the #1 pick. And he would eventually get traded to the Giants. BBI went nuts during this time.

- As mentioned above, there was a contingent for Sean Taylor. Also one for Robert Gallery as well.

- What was also crazy, in hindsight, and Accorsi brought it up. The NFL is not like the NBA, where you can pre-arrange trades during the draft. There is no mechanism to enforce it and it seems to be also be in some murky territory if it's even allowed by the rules. The Giants had no interest in Rivers. I think Accorsi wanted Big Ben instead. But they knew that the Chargers had said they wanted Rivers. So they made that pick and could have gotten screwed and there was no way to go yelling to Tagliabue about the deal being backed out of.
And just how  
GermanGiant : 4/24/2014 7:41 am : link
could the Giants be sure that four picks later Rivers would still be there?
I wanted Sean Taylor...  
x meadowlander : 4/24/2014 7:45 am : link
...was happy with Kerry Collins. Really, if the Giants wanted a QB, Big Ben was fine with me. I had mixed feelings about the Eli trade. Excited over the potential, but concerned about all that was given up.

RE: I wanted Sean Taylor...  
GermanGiant : 4/24/2014 7:47 am : link
In comment 11635706 x meadowlander said:
Quote:
...was happy with Kerry Collins. Really, if the Giants wanted a QB, Big Ben was fine with me. I had mixed feelings about the Eli trade. Excited over the potential, but concerned about all that was given up.


My sentiments at the time exactly. Glad I was wrong. Taylor quickly went nowhere and Big Ben is just disgusting.
I remember  
Nomad Crow on the Madison : 4/24/2014 7:49 am : link
being angry that they picked Rivers over Rothlisberger, but happy that they made the trade for Eli simply b/c I did not believe Rivers was very good. I did, however, think that they gave up too much to get Eli. I thought about that trade when I watched Draft Day and Costner was wheeling and dealing an array of 1st round picks.
Taylor quickly went nowhere?  
Big Blue '56 : 4/24/2014 7:51 am : link
He quickly became a force and then he was killed. Not understanding that part of the post
I was at the Draft Day Party at the Stadium with my buddies  
GiantBlue : 4/24/2014 7:51 am : link
I was the only one in favor of acquiring Eli. To be fair, my buddies weren't upset with Eli, but what we traded.

There was some guy at our table who was a self-described draft guru...with binders, graphs, etc. He put his brother on the phone with me and we argued for an hour on why having a franchise QB was key and why Kerry (though I liked him as a QB) was not going to win our team a super bowl.
Hated the deal at the time  
Mike in NY : 4/24/2014 7:52 am : link
Because, although Eli Manning was my top rated QB, I did not think there was a large enough difference between him and my second rated QB (Ben Roethlisberger) to justify the cost of moving up for Eli. That was made worse with the rumor that we had an offer from Cleveland to trade back to the 7th pick where we could have landed Roethlisberger and still had extra pick(s). Two Super Bowls later caused by the play of Eli Manning that I do not believe Ben Roethlisberger would have given us...
I was afraid  
GermanGiant : 4/24/2014 7:52 am : link
with all the traded picks gone that the Giants would turn into a team with a great QB but no supporting cast. That Eli would turn into a legend with no rings, like Marino. At that time I thought we could win with Collins if the rest of the team was good enough.
I wanted Big Ben  
JOMO25 : 4/24/2014 7:53 am : link
and have always felt he's the better QB, let alone adding several picks to pick Eli when they could've just sat tight.

Both guys did their part to win two SBs so I can't complain.

I also think both guys probably won't ever be a top 10 or 12 QB again.
I wanted  
dorgan : 4/24/2014 7:54 am : link
Manning, but didn't think we could pull it off.

If not Manning, I wanted Gallery.

Wrong on both counts.
I was also wrong about Eli being NFL ready. I thought he'd hit the ground running and start to play well by mid-season.

Apparently, I didn't have much right that draft.
BB56  
GermanGiant : 4/24/2014 7:54 am : link
My bad! Yeah, Taylor was shot. Sorry for confusing Taylor with someone else!
RE: I wanted Big Ben  
GermanGiant : 4/24/2014 7:56 am : link
In comment 11635722 JOMO25 said:
Quote:
and have always felt he's the better QB, let alone adding several picks to pick Eli when they could've just sat tight.

Both guys did their part to win two SBs so I can't complain.

I also think both guys probably won't ever be a top 10 or 12 QB again.


I don't know. Big Ben certainly played well in his second SB. But I thought Pitt won the first SB despite Big Ben, not because of him. That's where Eli shines in comparison. He did well in both SBs.
RE: RE: I wanted Big Ben  
Ira : 4/24/2014 7:59 am : link
In comment 11635726 GermanGiant said:
Quote:
In comment 11635722 JOMO25 said:


Quote:


and have always felt he's the better QB, let alone adding several picks to pick Eli when they could've just sat tight.

Both guys did their part to win two SBs so I can't complain.

I also think both guys probably won't ever be a top 10 or 12 QB again.



I don't know. Big Ben certainly played well in his second SB. But I thought Pitt won the first SB despite Big Ben, not because of him. That's where Eli shines in comparison. He did well in both SBs.


He was incredible in both Super Bowls.
BB56  
Jay on the Island : 4/24/2014 7:59 am : link
Yeah Accorsi had said that if they couldn't trade up for Eli they would have taken Roethlisberger at 4.
...  
BrettNYG10 : 4/24/2014 8:01 am : link
I wanted Roethlisberger because I didn't think Eli warranted the premium we would have to pay for him.
GG,  
Big Blue '56 : 4/24/2014 8:01 am : link
cool...:)
Ira  
GermanGiant : 4/24/2014 8:03 am : link
I remember him admitting as much as having played badly in his first SB.
Ten  
CapeGman : 4/24/2014 8:14 am : link
years ago we drafted Phillip Rivers dude. Who I really did not want. I was hoping for Eli and was thrilled when he didn't want to play for the chargers and we made the trade.
The whole gloveone thing was probably BBI at its all-time best  
NNJ Tom : 4/24/2014 8:19 am : link
would he put the hat on? It was great.

Personally, I always thought Collins was brain dead and wanted to draft Eli. I think Ernie got played by tipping his hand. But in the end, it all worked out.
First NFL draft with a son  
jcn56 : 4/24/2014 8:24 am : link
he was barely 3 months old, I remember throwing a big party and him wearing his Shockey onesie.

10 years, two titles later, I still have that onesie, except now he asks 'who was Shockey?'. Shit, time flies.
I remember thinking that the Giants....  
rptl530 : 4/24/2014 8:34 am : link
gave up too much, but I was also pretty convinced they were going QB since Collins was never going to play a down for TC.
RE: Taylor quickly went nowhere?  
AnishPatel : 4/24/2014 8:40 am : link
In comment 11635714 Big Blue '56 said:
Quote:
He quickly became a force and then he was killed. Not understanding that part of the post


I wanted ST and Eli second. ST struggled early on but the time where he passed away he was a force. I still wonder, in general, how great he would have been.

That's one pick I am glad at be wrong about. I saw talent in Eli I just never liked our coordinator hires of Hufangel and Tim Lewis.
RE: ...  
arcarsenal : 4/24/2014 8:49 am : link
In comment 11635729 BrettNYG10 said:
Quote:
I wanted Roethlisberger because I didn't think Eli warranted the premium we would have to pay for him.


Weren't you like 12?
RE: RE: ...  
BrettNYG10 : 4/24/2014 8:54 am : link
In comment 11635778 arcarsenal said:
Quote:
In comment 11635729 BrettNYG10 said:


Quote:


I wanted Roethlisberger because I didn't think Eli warranted the premium we would have to pay for him.



Weren't you like 12?


Yes, I was 12 and still smarter than everyone here.
RE: RE: RE: I wanted Big Ben  
Moondwg : 4/24/2014 8:56 am : link
In comment 11635727 Ira said:
Quote:
In comment 11635726 GermanGiant said:


Quote:


In comment 11635722 JOMO25 said:


Quote:


and have always felt he's the better QB, let alone adding several picks to pick Eli when they could've just sat tight.

Both guys did their part to win two SBs so I can't complain.

I also think both guys probably won't ever be a top 10 or 12 QB again.



I don't know. Big Ben certainly played well in his second SB. But I thought Pitt won the first SB despite Big Ben, not because of him. That's where Eli shines in comparison. He did well in both SBs.



He was incredible in both Super Bowls.


No, he was horrid in their first super bowl, by all accounts, including his own (he was disconsolate in the locker room after the game).
I thought Ira was referencing Eli in that 'incredible' comment?  
BrettNYG10 : 4/24/2014 9:00 am : link
.
A great day, and a great month of speculation leading up to the draft.  
Britt in VA : 4/24/2014 9:02 am : link
When all is said and done, I think they will look back on this draft much like they look back on the '83 draft in regards to QB's.

Took a lot of balls to take Rivers at number 4. I don't like a lot of what EA did, but I will forever be grateful to him for making that trade.
I wanted Sean Taylor, too.  
Klaatu : 4/24/2014 9:15 am : link
And Matt Schaub in the 2nd round.

Britt, have you been watching "Caught in the Draft" on the NFL Network? Can't wait to see the 2004 episode.
It was a great day  
Randy in CT : 4/24/2014 9:23 am : link
that EA effed up. He needed to show balls and offer to swap players and give up the 3rd that year.

Smith wanted Rivers and Eli wasn't playing in SD. EA needed to sell the idea that EA was helping Smith by taking Eli whom had no value to Smith.
RE: I was afraid  
Scyber : 4/24/2014 9:25 am : link
In comment 11635720 GermanGiant said:
Quote:
with all the traded picks gone that the Giants would turn into a team with a great QB but no supporting cast. That Eli would turn into a legend with no rings, like Marino. At that time I thought we could win with Collins if the rest of the team was good enough.


What the giants did in the '05 draft with such limited picks was amazing. 3 of the 4 picks were key players for the giants: Corey Webster, Justin Tuck, and Brandon Jacobs.
2005 was a banner year for the roster as I think the Giants  
Jimmy Googs : 4/24/2014 9:30 am : link
also got Pierce, McKenzie and Plax in free agency.

When SD took Eli #1,  
Doomster : 4/24/2014 9:38 am : link
I was disappointed, because we all had this fantasy that he would come in and be another Peyton....

When we drafted Rivers, I felt ok, either him or Roth.....but then the trade, and everything we gave up to get Eli....

I thought it was insane....especially the way Eli played that first year....

We will never know, if Rivers would have ever blossomed in New York, and what those draft picks may have turned into....or did we pick Rivers instead of Roth, because that is what SD wanted? yes, Roth is considered a scumbag, but he would have been our scumbag....

As it turned out, it all worked out in the end...we got the guy we wanted....we captured to Championships, that had incredible playoff runs.....Priceless....
I remember like it was yesterday  
Johnny5 : 4/24/2014 9:56 am : link
It was a beautiful sunny day, I was out in my driveway, listening to the draft blasting on my car radio.

As soon as we drafted Rivers you knew what was going down, and I was FURIOUS. I did not want Eli. Not at all. My neighbors (Cowboys fans) still laugh at listening to me yell about it in my driveway.

I wanted to trade down and give Collins a decent OL for once. I was thinking Jake Grove and Shawn Andrews. Either that or stay put and draft Ben R. and also draft some lineman in the lower rounds. I was so pissed about taking Eli, and the trade up was just salt in the wound.

Glad I was wrong... lol
I was  
SoZKillA : 4/24/2014 10:19 am : link
10 when he was drafted... Time flies
RE: RE: RE: ...  
hudson : 4/24/2014 10:19 am : link
In comment 11635784 BrettNYG10 said:
Quote:
In comment 11635778 arcarsenal said:


Quote:


In comment 11635729 BrettNYG10 said:


Quote:


I wanted Roethlisberger because I didn't think Eli warranted the premium we would have to pay for him.



Weren't you like 12?



Yes, I was 12 and still smarter than everyone here.

ESPN is covering this  
Randy in CT : 4/24/2014 10:48 am : link
right now.
Just caught the tail  
AnishPatel : 4/24/2014 10:57 am : link
end of it. I recorded next hours sportscenter just in case they repeat it.

What did they say overall? Typical, all teams won and benefited type stuff?
amazing  
Osi Osi Osi OyOyOy : 4/24/2014 11:11 am : link
one of the most unique athletic careers in recent history. Amazing how he has deliver us 2 epic Super Bowls through cold blooded clutch play. I can't wait to see what he can give us in decade number 2.
i wouldve like to stick with the 4th pick  
spike : 4/24/2014 11:22 am : link
and draft Ben Roethlisberger … but I was wrong
Rivers just doesnt have the personality for NYC  
spike : 4/24/2014 11:24 am : link
He wont last here
I wanted Gallery or Taylor  
GGGmen : 4/24/2014 11:27 am : link
What upset me the most that day is that we could've traded back 2 spots with Detroit who wanted Roy Williams for a 2nd. We could've landed Roth or still made the trade for Eli.

Accorsi thought he had to make that deal right then. In retrospect I'll take Eli and he two SB's.
I said at the time Eli was the best player in that draft  
BigBlueCane : 4/24/2014 11:36 am : link
and got heat for it.

RE: I said at the time Eli was the best player in that draft  
MookGiants : 4/24/2014 11:41 am : link
In comment 11636163 BigBlueCane said:
Quote:
and got heat for it.


Really went out on a limb there predicting the guy who 95% of people expected to go #1 to be the best player in the draft. Don't get hurt giving yourself a pat on the back
I liked the idea of trading for Eli...  
EricJ (formerly Tyleraimee) : 4/24/2014 11:41 am : link
I just thought Acorsi could have played his hand a little better and traded with Cleveland (who was hot for that TE)...then picked Rivers a couple of spots later.

Washington also really wanted Taylor so I did not see them grabbing Rivers.

If someone did step up to pick Rivers, we still would have had Ben available and could have grabbed him while keeping all of those picks.
Larry Fitzgerald probably turned out to be the best player  
BrettNYG10 : 4/24/2014 11:44 am : link
In that draft, even though Eli is more valuable.
Fitzgerald does have other worldly talent  
Sneakers O'toole : 4/24/2014 11:46 am : link
if he had been on a team with more consistent offense and quarterbacking...............that would have been something.
I was a senior in high school  
dontboobigblue : 4/24/2014 11:51 am : link
Working in a deli. My boss kept yelling at me for going into the kitchen to listen to the radio. Once I heard the Rivers pick I new Eli was going to be our guy.

that draft day party  
zebba26 : 4/24/2014 12:19 pm : link
was AWESOME!!! and when Eli was brought over to the stadium we were all going ballistic!!!!
I was at the draft in 2004.  
Big Blue Blogger : 4/24/2014 12:20 pm : link
The prevailing sentiment among Giant fans at the Garden was, "Huh?" The sound system sucked, there was a ton of noise, and we couldn't really hear anything from the Rivers pick through the announcement of the trade. To the extent we could figure out what was going on, the reaction unfolded like this:

1. Giants pick Rivers: WHAT?!!!

2. The implications of the pick sink in: Oh, wait, they must have a trade worked out. Let's chill.

3. Announcement of the trade: YAYYYYY!!! Until...

4. The terms of the deal, which we couldn't hear from the podium, ripple through the crowd: WHAT?!!!
Also,  
BrettNYG10 : 4/24/2014 12:34 pm : link
Accorsi did a great job of standing his ground on Osi.
i was at giants. stadium that day for the draft  
twostepgiants : 4/24/2014 2:38 pm : link
when we picked rivers, the crowd booed but was mostly waiting for the shoe to drop ie trade.

when the trade was announced the crowd freaked. people were ripping off their. giants jerseys and throwing. a bunch of people left.

i wanted. eli really badly so I jumped and screamed. people were giving me dirty looks.

this wasnt everyone but maybe half the crowd? they then announced eli would be there and everyone went to the field. Sid interviewed him, he put on his hat and new jersey. the crowd that stayed for that was definately very pro Eli
Nice Try Mook  
BigBlueCane : 4/24/2014 2:46 pm : link
but I remember BBI at that time. People on here were not sold on Eli from a talent point of view.

And we spent until 2007 having the "If his last name wasn't Manning" threads on a daily basis.
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