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By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY
Eli Manning and Philip Rivers took new steps in their careers last weekend with playoff wins on the same wild-card Sunday. Manning and Rivers will always be handcuffed by history after they were involved in the 2004 draft-day trade between the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants, who coveted Manning, then an Ole Miss Rebel who vowed to boycott the Chargers if they selected him.
PREDICTIONS: Playoff winners from our staffers
Chargers general manager A.J. Smith didn't flinch, selecting Manning with the first overall selection. Smith parlayed the rights to Manning into Rivers, whom the Giants selected fourth overall, plus third- and first-round picks that ultimately became kicker Nate Kaeding and linebacker Shawne Merriman. Smith got his man and two other Pro Bowl talents, while then-Giants GM Ernie Accorsi got his Manning.
PREVIEWS: Chargers at Colts | Giants at Cowboys
FIND MORE STORIES IN: NFL | National Football League | Super Bowl | Giants | Colts | New England Patriots | Cowboys | Chargers | Eli Manning | Manning | Playoff | Philip Rivers | Boomer Esiason
Four years later, both quarterbacks silenced their doubters and raised expectations by advancing their teams into this weekend's divisional round.
More than any other position, the playoffs are about quarterback play. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre have proved over the last 10 years that, as much as defense, quarterbacks win championships.
Showing poise and patience in looking off defenders and slicing up Tampa Bay's league-best pass defense, Eli Manning was most impressive among the eight quarterbacks who played on wild-card weekend.
After two previous playoff failures, Manning solidified his growing stature as the leader of the Giants in leading his team to a 24-14 win. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 185 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Manning has six touchdowns and one interception in his last two games, the other down-to-the-wire, 38-35 loss to the New England Patriots on Dec. 29.
"If that's the guy who is going to play in that uniform, hell, the Giants can beat anybody," CBS analyst Boomer Esiason says. "Eli's played his best football the last eight quarters."
The Giants face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and look like a different team than the one that lost two games against Dallas by a combined 76-55 margin. Plus the Cowboys have legitimate concern about how effective receiver Terrell Owens will be coming off a high ankle sprain.
"I would suspect if I'm a Giants player, I feel very confident playing against the Cowboys," Esiason says. "The Giants are good enough running the ball."
After all the media scrutiny and New York sports radio talk show angst maligning Manning's demeanor and erratic play, he could not have picked a better time to answer his critics.
"If I would have told you going in that Eli would have been the best player at his position wild-card weekend, you would have looked at me cross-eyed," Esiason says. "Eli played a fantastic game against a tough Tampa Bay defense on the road. Two touchdowns, one sack, no turnovers and 20 for 27. I know it wasn't for 300 yards. But he weathered the storm early on and at the end of the day, that's the No. 1 overall draft pick. That's the way you're supposed to play."
Esiason surmises the Patriots game bolstered Manning's game.
"Whatever happened in that New England game, it really was Eli's breakthrough," he says. "He threw four touchdowns against the Patriots in a game where it looked like he was having fun again.
"Until then, he really had a horrendous second half of the season."
The possibility of an all-Manning Super Bowl still looms.
"You can't just be satisfied with what you're doing," Eli Manning says. "It's about the bigger picture and keeping this thing going."
And what about Rivers? Granted, the Chargers were playing at home against a beaten-up Tennessee Titans team. But they trailed 6-0 at halftime as LaDainian Tomlinson struggled for just six yards on seven carries against the Titans' eight-man front.
In the second half, coach Norv Turner put the game on Rivers' arm and the fourth-year pro responded with impressive poise and accuracy.
He completed 19 of 30 throws for 292 yards, hitting eight of nine passes for 118 yards with a 25-yard touchdown to Vincent Jackson in the decisive third period.
Who goes further, Manning or Rivers?
"Rivers had a great third quarter," Esiason says. "But I don't see Philip Rivers going into Indianapolis and beating Peyton Manning and the Colts.
"It was a nice game for Norv Turner. But I'm lukewarm on Philip. I'm worried about his arm strength. Those guys who were open behind coverage had to stop to catch his throws.
"When he throws the ball over 30 years, it looks like he has to put his whole body into it. I don't know if his arm is hurting.
"But Philip Rivers and (Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback) David Garrard will have the two toughest situations this weekend. They're going against the two toughest defenses, the Colts and Patriots."
Says Rivers: "I hear all the talk that the guy under center is a big question mark.
"I know what I can do. And I know my teammates believe in me."
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-01-09-mannings-playoffs_N.htm
Eli Manning and Philip Rivers took new steps in their careers last weekend with playoff wins on the same wild-card Sunday. Manning and Rivers will always be handcuffed by history after they were involved in the 2004 draft-day trade between the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants, who coveted Manning, then an Ole Miss Rebel who vowed to boycott the Chargers if they selected him.
PREDICTIONS: Playoff winners from our staffers
Chargers general manager A.J. Smith didn't flinch, selecting Manning with the first overall selection. Smith parlayed the rights to Manning into Rivers, whom the Giants selected fourth overall, plus third- and first-round picks that ultimately became kicker Nate Kaeding and linebacker Shawne Merriman. Smith got his man and two other Pro Bowl talents, while then-Giants GM Ernie Accorsi got his Manning.
PREVIEWS: Chargers at Colts | Giants at Cowboys
FIND MORE STORIES IN: NFL | National Football League | Super Bowl | Giants | Colts | New England Patriots | Cowboys | Chargers | Eli Manning | Manning | Playoff | Philip Rivers | Boomer Esiason
Four years later, both quarterbacks silenced their doubters and raised expectations by advancing their teams into this weekend's divisional round.
More than any other position, the playoffs are about quarterback play. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre have proved over the last 10 years that, as much as defense, quarterbacks win championships.
Showing poise and patience in looking off defenders and slicing up Tampa Bay's league-best pass defense, Eli Manning was most impressive among the eight quarterbacks who played on wild-card weekend.
After two previous playoff failures, Manning solidified his growing stature as the leader of the Giants in leading his team to a 24-14 win. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 185 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Manning has six touchdowns and one interception in his last two games, the other down-to-the-wire, 38-35 loss to the New England Patriots on Dec. 29.
"If that's the guy who is going to play in that uniform, hell, the Giants can beat anybody," CBS analyst Boomer Esiason says. "Eli's played his best football the last eight quarters."
The Giants face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and look like a different team than the one that lost two games against Dallas by a combined 76-55 margin. Plus the Cowboys have legitimate concern about how effective receiver Terrell Owens will be coming off a high ankle sprain.
"I would suspect if I'm a Giants player, I feel very confident playing against the Cowboys," Esiason says. "The Giants are good enough running the ball."
After all the media scrutiny and New York sports radio talk show angst maligning Manning's demeanor and erratic play, he could not have picked a better time to answer his critics.
"If I would have told you going in that Eli would have been the best player at his position wild-card weekend, you would have looked at me cross-eyed," Esiason says. "Eli played a fantastic game against a tough Tampa Bay defense on the road. Two touchdowns, one sack, no turnovers and 20 for 27. I know it wasn't for 300 yards. But he weathered the storm early on and at the end of the day, that's the No. 1 overall draft pick. That's the way you're supposed to play."
Esiason surmises the Patriots game bolstered Manning's game.
"Whatever happened in that New England game, it really was Eli's breakthrough," he says. "He threw four touchdowns against the Patriots in a game where it looked like he was having fun again.
"Until then, he really had a horrendous second half of the season."
The possibility of an all-Manning Super Bowl still looms.
"You can't just be satisfied with what you're doing," Eli Manning says. "It's about the bigger picture and keeping this thing going."
And what about Rivers? Granted, the Chargers were playing at home against a beaten-up Tennessee Titans team. But they trailed 6-0 at halftime as LaDainian Tomlinson struggled for just six yards on seven carries against the Titans' eight-man front.
In the second half, coach Norv Turner put the game on Rivers' arm and the fourth-year pro responded with impressive poise and accuracy.
He completed 19 of 30 throws for 292 yards, hitting eight of nine passes for 118 yards with a 25-yard touchdown to Vincent Jackson in the decisive third period.
Who goes further, Manning or Rivers?
"Rivers had a great third quarter," Esiason says. "But I don't see Philip Rivers going into Indianapolis and beating Peyton Manning and the Colts.
"It was a nice game for Norv Turner. But I'm lukewarm on Philip. I'm worried about his arm strength. Those guys who were open behind coverage had to stop to catch his throws.
"When he throws the ball over 30 years, it looks like he has to put his whole body into it. I don't know if his arm is hurting.
"But Philip Rivers and (Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback) David Garrard will have the two toughest situations this weekend. They're going against the two toughest defenses, the Colts and Patriots."
Says Rivers: "I hear all the talk that the guy under center is a big question mark.
"I know what I can do. And I know my teammates believe in me."
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-01-09-mannings-playoffs_N.htm
Where do these mediots get this stuff - really? 
