Tag: Ernie Accorsi

Eli Manning’s Super Bowl XLVI supporting cast was worst of any QB since 2010, data shows

New York Giants QB Eli Manning won Super Bowl XLVI with the worst supporting cast (analytically) of any team or quarterback since 2010.

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Bashing former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has become a cottage industry over the years, so much to the point that many are campaigning against his inevitable induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

For Giant fans, Eli is a lead-pipe cinch for Canton, finishing his career in the top 10 in many of the all-time passing categories such as passing yards, completions, consecutive games started and touchdown passes. He also never missed a game due to injury and, oh, almost forgot, he won two Super Bowls in which he was named MVP in both games.

Yet, the bashing continues.

Below is a stat that further illustrates how the Giants tried — and succeeded — to fail Manning during his career. The Giants’ Super Bowl XLVI was one of the worst rosters to ever win a Super Bowl.

So, if Eli was such a bum, how’d he pull it off?

Manning led the Giants to a Super Bowl victory four years earlier, in 2007, which was the first year of Jerry Reese’s tenure as the general manager. Most of that team was contracted by his predecessor, Ernie Accorsi.

Reese managed to add some talent in his first several years through the draft and free agency but his drafts were largely fruitless, leaving the Giants with little depth.

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Ex-Giants scout implored team to draft Tom Brady in 2000

Former New York Giants scout Raymond “Whitey” Walsh Jr., who was with the team in 2000, pleaded for the decision-makers to select Tom Brady.

The New York Giants made seven picks in the 2000 NFL draft, meaning they passed over quarterback Tom Brady six times (Brady went No. 199, the Giants’ final pick was No. 217).

Hindsight is always 20/20, so it’s easy to say that then-general manager Ernie Accorsi & Co. made a tremendous mistake. As did 31 other teams.

It’s a lazy argument without substance but as it turns out, there was at least one person in the Giants’ draft room screaming to select Brady.

As the Giants crept up on their sixth-round selection (No. 177 overall), they were strongly considering a Michigan prospect. It just wasn’t the right prospect, much to the dismay of long-time scout Raymond “Whitey” Walsh Jr.

The Giants ended up selecting Michigan linebacker Dhani Jones, passing over Brady in the process — just as they had done in the fourth and fifth round. Each time, Walsh Jr. was in the ear of anyone around him: You’re making a mistake if you don’t pick Brady!

“I thought he had something,” Walsh Jr. told the New York Post. “I thought he could help us. . . But nobody in the room had anything to say about Brady.”

The Giants had Kerry Collins, who was beginning a resurgence, under center at the time and they weren’t necessarily thinking long-term with late-round prospects. Ironically, just a year later there would be a shift in philosophy as the team selected Florida quarterback Jesse Palmer in the fourth round.

Dhani Jones’ career with the Giants would last just three seasons, while Palmer’s time in the NFL would fizzle after two years.

Brady, on the other hand, would go on to become the greatest of all-time.

“Every time I watch Brady I think the same thing,” Walsh Jr. said. “I feel exonerated.”

Walsh Jr. had it right and the Giants had it wrong. If there’s any solace to be found, it’s that the veteran scout helped bring in players like Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and the entire offensive line that protected Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII.

Thanks in large part of Walsh’s scouting, the Giants were able to bring down the goliath Brady twice. But how would history have played out had they just listened to him in the first place?

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Ernie Accorsi: Bill Russell, not Tom Brady, is the true GOAT

Former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi believes NBA legend Bill Russell is the true GOAT, not Tom Brady.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady may have just won his seventh Super Bowl and fifth Super Bowl MVP, but is he the greatest winner of all time when it comes to team sports?

In this era of short-sightedness and ignorance when it comes to history, many believe that he is. Sure, he’s the GOAT when it comes to winning in the NFL, but in the realm of team sports there are others whom Brady is still looking up at.

One player in particular that comes to mind is former New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, who won 10 World Series championships as a player and three more as a coach. Berra played from 1946-1963 and won three American League MVP awards but never won the MVP of the Series, which was established in 1955.

Another player whom Brady lags behind is Joe DiMaggio, who won nine World Series titles with the Yankees. Brady is also looking up at many of the great Yankees, Boston Celtics and Montreal Canadiens players of the 1950s and ’60s, many of whom own more than seven titles.

Former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi believes former Celtics center Bill Russell is the greatest winning player in the history of team sports. Russell led the Celts to 11 NBA championships, a mark equaled only by the great Henri Richard, who won 11 Stanley Cups with the Canadiens.

“I still say Russell is the pinnacle, but Tom’s right there,” Accorsi recently told the Boston Globe. “We react to every little thing today in the sports world, but what just happened with Tom and the Bucs will stand the test of history. This is not going to go away. When I came into the NFL 50 years ago, if you told me some quarterback was going to win seven Super Bowls, I would have said that was not possible.

“I do think Tom belongs in the conversation. He’s taught the Bucs how to win, and that’s the most underrated aspect of sports. It’s something you can’t define. Brady walked into their room and brought instant respect. Then you have to prove yourself, and he did it every day. It’s authentic. He’s going to go down in history. But in this argument, I still say it’s Russell.”

Accorsi has an inside advantage. Brady to him was an adversary, one who his former Giants defeated both times they faced him in the Super Bowl.

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Ernie Accorsi: Giants GM Dave Gettleman ‘a tremendous evaluator of talent’

Ernie Accorsi believes New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman is a tremendous evaluator of talent and the right man for the job.

Retired New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi knows a little something about how to find talent. In fact, he’s so revered throughout the league that’s he’s often brought in to help teams make player and personnel decisions.

Needless to say, Accorsi’s opinions carry weight. And while some may not want to hear it, that’s good news for the Giants organization as it currently sits, because he believes Dave Gettleman is the right man for the job in East Rutherford.

“Dave Gettleman was a big factor [in our free agency success in the 2000s],” Accorsi told the New York Post. “He was a tremendous evaluator of talent. I always said about Dave, ‘He could find players.’ If I really liked a player, I always ran it by Dave.”

The real question is whether or not Accorsi believes Gettleman still has it. And here’s a hint: he does.

“I really do, yeah. I really do [believe he’s the right man for the job],” Accorsi said.

Gettleman has become something of a black sheep in New York, drawing ire from media and fans alike for some of his curious decisions. A prime example is the acquisition of defensive lineman Leonard Williams from the New York Jets prior to him becoming a free agent.

While the Williams trade looks like a bit of a snafu, many of Gettleman’s other criticized decisions have proven to be the right ones. The trades of Odell Beckham Jr., Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison, the addition of Markus Golden and others have all panned out despite the doubt that was originally expressed.

Still, 2020 will be a make or break season for Gettleman, but Accorsi maintains that he’ll get the job done.

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Ernie Accorsi endorses Daniel Jones as Giants quarterback

The man responsible for bringing Eli Manning to East Rutherford, Ernie Accorsi, has endorsed Daniel Jones as New York Giants quarterback.

It was just a week ago when the New York Giants said goodbye to one of, if not the most memorable players in franchise history as part of Eli Manning’s retirement press conference. Manning, of course, concluded a 16-year career last week where he played with only Big Blue.

Among the attendees at the press conference was former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi.

Accorsi was the man who pulled off the trade to bring Manning to East rutherford in 2004. Accorsi, who is permanently tied to Manning, is now endorsing Daniel Jones as the quarterback of the future in a recent interview with the New York Post.

“I like all the physical attributes,” Accorsi said. “I loved his poise, I like his arm, love his accuracy, I loved his composure in the pocket, his ability to run, his size, his competitiveness, his toughness — he took some tremendous shots this year.

“There’s nothing I don’t like. And he seems to have — ultimately to be a great one, you have to be a good teammate, and he seems, just watching the games, teammates respond to him.”

Jones took over for Manning after two weeks this past season and while it was difficult to watch the Giants bench Manning, it was beneficial to see Jones get a good amount of game experience in his rookie year.

Jones did attend Manning’s retirement press conference and that was the first time Jones and Accorsi met. If the Giants can get anything close to the career that Manning had out of Jones, Big Blue will have a consistent quarterback for the near future.

Accorsi’s word certainly carries some weight around New York after delivering Giants fans Eli Manning, and his endorsement of Jones is something that should get Giants fans excited.

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John Mara, Eli Manning thank Ernie Accorsi for 2004 draft day trade

John Mara and Eli Manning each thanked retired New York Giants GM Ernie Accorsi for his 2004 draft day trade that landed Eli in blue.

Eli Manning thanked just about everyone in the New York Giants’ sphere at his retirement press conference on Friday, but he wouldn’t have been a Giant had it not been for the diligence of then-general manager Ernie Accorsi.

“To Ernie Accorsi, 16 years ago, Ernie made the trade that made me a Giant for life. Thank you so much,” Manning said.

Accorsi had the fourth pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and wanted Eli in the worst way. Unfortunately, the San Diego Chargers had the first pick and selected Manning, even though they knew he had no intention of playing for them.

Accorsi took North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers with the fourth pick and then went to work with Chargers general manager A.J. Smith to hammer out a deal for Manning.

“I certainly remember the days leading up to the 2004 NFL Draft, when I was constantly in and out of Ernie Accorsi’s office,” said Giants CEO John Mara. “We were on the phone, hoping we could pull off that trade with San Diego and what a trade it turned out to be, probably the best trade in franchise history.

“Eli became the face of the franchise, Super Bowl MVP and as fine a representative as this team has ever had. Ernie, who is here today, I want to thank you for having the foresight and patience and guts to pull off that trade and help build those Super Bowl teams.”

The final deal ended up being Manning for the rights to Philip Rivers, a 2004 third round pick (No. 65 – K Nate Kaeding), a 2005 first-round pick (No. 12 – OLB Shawne Merriman) and a 2005 fifth-round pick (No. 144 – TE Jerome Collins). The 2005 fifth-round pick ended up in the hands of the Rams.

It seemed a high price to pay at the time, but over time the Giants believe they got the better end of the deal. Rivers is on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well, but never got the Chargers to the Super Bowl.

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Ernie Accorsi would like to see Eli Manning retire a Giant

Former New York Giants GM Ernie Accorsi wants to see Eli Manning retire as a member of the team and not wear another uniform.

Last week, the New York Giants faithful got an opportunity to say goodbye to Eli Manning and gave him a standing ovation as he took what appears to be his last snap as the Giants’ quarterback.

But, like most competitors, Manning wants to go out on his own terms and if this wasn’t how he envisioned his exit from the game, he could opt to continue his career elsewhere should the opportunity arise.

Ernie Accorsi, the former Giants general manager who brought Manning to New York in the famous draft day gambit back in 2004, would like nothing more than to see Eli finish his career with the Giants.

Speaking on a local radio program on Wednesday, Accorsi, a former Baltimore Colts general manager, recalled the sad ending of one of his heroes, Johnny Unitas, who ended his career with the San Diego Chargers.

“It broke my heart to see John Unitas in a San Diego Charger uniform,” Accorsi tolf WFAN after being asked about Manning’s future, but said he wouldn’t be surprised if Eli did move on to a new destination much his brother Peyton did.

“The one thing … about these guys that are able to be successful at the highest level, particularly a quarterback in football, is that whole makeup that they have. Sure, they have talent, and sure, they have ability, but that makeup that is the difference maker between the good ones and the great ones that win championships, all that, that doesn’t go away because Father Time catches up with you. You still have that, and you still do believe that.”

That being said, Eli would not be doing this for the money. He’s already the richest NFL player ever. Then there would have to be the right situation and team for him to land with. At the moment, his options seem very limited. The consensus is he’ll likely retire.

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Watching Eli Manning say goodbye brought ex-Giants GM Ernie Accorsi to tears

Former New York Giants GM Ernie Accorsi watched Eli Manning say goodbye in Week 15 and did so with welling eyes.

The man who made Eli Manning a New York Giant wanted to see the player who defined his tenure as general manager go out a winner.

Last Sunday, former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi decided to watch Manning start his final home game in blue from his couch. He had a good feeling that the future Pro Football Hall of Famer would put in a solid farewell performance against the below average Miami Dolphins defense.

“First of all, I don’t know what’s going to happen but I wanted him so badly to finish with a good game,” Accorsi said, via the New York Post. “You know me and sports history. To me, it’s always Ted Williams, hit a home run and goodbye. You always want to see something like that for a player who’s meant so much to his franchise.’”

Manning completed 20 of 28 passes for 283 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. When the Giants decided to stop the game to give the fans an opportunity to give Eli his due late in the game, even the stoic Accorsi felt some emotion.

“It’s funny,” Accorsi said. “Everybody stereotypes you. I’m an Italian but I’m not an emotional guy. I don’t cry at funerals. I don’t cry. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel terrible about things but I’m not a crier, never have been. But I have to say I welled up when they cheered him off the field. I just felt so good he was able to get that, if that was his last game, that he was able to finish his career, at home at least, that way. Winning the game, which means the most to him anyway.

“I felt pretty nostalgic. This guy deserved that, because he had really been quite a soldier here.

“This guy shows up, controversial trade, goes to work, doesn’t ever embarrass the organization, shows up, plays every game, wins two championships, gets benched twice and never changes, never does anything to react to that and now he can walk away with class. What more can you ask when you go out and draft a player?”

It’s all over for both Manning and Accorsi here with the Giants and that is unfortunate. The Giants won’t be in such steady hands going forward unless the owners change their ways and start modernizing the way they do business.

The Giants are truly at the end of an era with a lot of unknowns in front of them and a fan base that is getting antsy after six losing seasons over the last seven years.

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