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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