GLENDALE, Ariz. — On the field, Peyton Manning is one of the NFL’s cooler heads.
He was anything but calm as he watched kid brother Eli lead the New York Giants to a 17-14 victory over heavily favored New England in the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
As the amazing upset unfolded on the field below him, television cameras caught Peyton Manning pumping his fist and acting like a fan in a sports bar.
“You sort of play the game as you are up there watching, but you are pulling so hard for Eli,” Peyton Manning said. “I was pumped, and I got a lot of messages telling me to calm down because I was excited and pumped after the big plays he was making.”
One year ago in Miami, Peyton Manning was the MVP of Indianapolis’ Super Bowl victory over Chicago. Twelve months later it was Eli’s turn after he completed 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, including the decisive 13-yarder to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds to play.
“Being in the league 10 years, you certainly don’t take it for granted,” Peyton Manning said. “I am really proud and happy for my brother.
“This has been Eli’s year. I am proud to have been here tonight. I am proud to be his brother and I love him very much.”
NO FUN IN THE SUN: With rain in the forecast, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ordered University of Phoenix Stadium’s retractable roof closed Sunday. It’s the 13th time the Super Bowl has been played indoors. Last year, Indianapolis and Chicago played in a downpour in South Florida’s Dolphin Stadium.
SHOCKEY SHOWS: New York tight end Jeremy Shockey, who broke his leg on Dec. 16, appeared on crutches on the Giants’ sideline. Shockey posed for pictures with a local police officer and chatted with inactive teammates Jerome Collins and Sinorice Moss during pregame warmups.
INSPIRING WORDS: Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, who lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq and has been an inspirational figure for the team this season, addressed the Giants at their headquarters hotel in Chandler on Saturday night.
Gadson spoke of “pride, poise, team and belief in each other,” according to Pat Hanlon, a team spokesman. Gadson played football at Army, where he was a teammate of New York receivers coach Mike Sullivan.
EXTRA POINTS: The Giants become the eighth NFL franchise to win three or more Super Bowls. … New York joins the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers as the only teams to win three playoff road games and then win the Super Bowl.
The Giants won their final 11 games away from the Meadowlands in 11 different venues. … Eli Manning is the 27th quarterback to win a Super Bowl — and the first wearing No. 10. … Manning is the second quarterback in Super Bowl history to throw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. The other? Joe Montana, who did it to lead San Francisco to a 20-16 victory over Cincinnati in the 1989 Super Bowl. … The three fourth-quarter lead changes were the most in the final quarter of a Super Bowl.
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