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.
Obviously I've done a 180 plus since then for the inarguable best QB this Team has seen in its 89 year history..
- 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.
My sentiments at the time exactly. Glad I was wrong. Taylor quickly went nowhere and Big Ben is just disgusting.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
10 years, two titles later, I still have that onesie, except now he asks 'who was Shockey?'. Shit, time flies.
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.
Weren't you like 12?
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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.
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In comment 11635722 JOMO25 said:
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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).
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.
Britt, have you been watching "Caught in the Draft" on the NFL Network? Can't wait to see the 2004 episode.
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.
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.
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....
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
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In comment 11635729 BrettNYG10 said:
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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.
What did they say overall? Typical, all teams won and benefited type stuff?
Accorsi thought he had to make that deal right then. In retrospect I'll take Eli and he two SB's.
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
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.
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?!!!
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
And we spent until 2007 having the "If his last name wasn't Manning" threads on a daily basis.