Thanks to the wonders of technology, I was able to watch the show on DVR, and I mean, it wasn’t like Eli was the funniest host the show has ever seen, but it was definitely one of the better episodes of the season (for whatever that’s worth).  He was relatively loose and self-effacing, and pulled off quite a few genuine laughs throughout the night … particularly once he managed to relax and slow down a little bit. It certainly wasn’t the train wreck I was expecting it could turn into, and once again Eli did alright following in the footsteps of his older brother.

One of the better moments came during a fake motion capture session at EA Sports for their Madden franchise, where Manning is asked to perform a touchdown celebration for the game. Eli responds with a series of bizarre maneuvers, ranging from hugging himself to drinking water to girlishly throwing a grenade – the last of which was hilarious in its execution. Ultimately, Eli decides on his ideal signature celebration: making a sandwich, dropping it on the ground and looking around sheepishly before picking it up and eating it.

Well, someone over at EA Sports apparently enjoyed getting the SNL treatment, and decided to animate Eli’s sandwich celebration for real, posting it to Youtube on Tuesday. And aside from the fact that he’s wearing a Patriots uniform, it’s pretty excellent:

SNL writer Sarah Schneider was apparently thrilled at the tribute to her sketch. We can only hope that the gang at EA Sports actually includes this celebration in the game, if only as an easter egg of some sort.

WATCH THE SNL MOTION CAPTURE SKETCH, PLUS A BONUS SNL DIGITAL SHORT AFTER THE JUMP

For my money, the funniest bit of the night was (as expected) a pre-taped SNL Digital Short featuring Eli as the ambassador for the “Little Brothers” program, which offers to help younger siblings overcome adversity … “especially when that adversity is an older sibling”:

As a younger sibling myself, this somehow delighted me to no end.

An early version of the now-classic Eli Manning face

This Manning home video - in all its 80′s VHS glory – has been on YouTube since 2009, but we hadn’t seen it until recently, and it’s a pretty fantastic slice of football history.

Watch young Eli Manning playing a game of pick-up football at his home in New Orleans, with his family looking on. It appears to be a birthday party of some sort, with Eli and his friends participating in one of the least-organized games you’ll ever see. Father Archie is the cameraman, brother Peyton is the ref, and mother Olivia is barely paying attention as Eli refuses to play two-hand touch, and cheats his way around the football field.

But it’s worth noting the two-time Super Bowl MVP’s preternatural leadership qualities on display at an early age (he’s clearly the one in charge out there), as well as the play where Eli goes down on the concrete part of the driveway, and simply brushes himself off as he gets back up and resumes playing. And then there’s the now-infamous Eli Manning face, as seen in the banner pic above. Some things never change.

Eventually, Archie steps in at all-time QB to bring some sanity to the proceedings (with Peyton taking over camera duties), delivering a touchdown strike to Eli before the video cuts out. But not before we get a small taste of what life growing up in the Manning household was like.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

(Photo: Getty Images via SI.com)

The run that Eli Manning and the New York Giants put together this post-season was nothing short of remarkable, and after earning his second Super Bowl MVP, Manning has officially entered the pantheon of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks. For Giants fans, Manning’s success is vindication for the now-legendary 2004 draft day trade that brought Eli to New York instead of guys like Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers … it’s like we’ve watched him grow up before our very eyes and finally become the franchise quarterback we always hoped he could be.

But even the most pro-Eli fans in the world would admit to periods of doubt while watching Manning struggle through his early growing pains. The most memorable example was after his fourth NFL start as a rookie against the fearsome Baltimore Ravens, when Ray Lewis and Ed Reed turned young Eli into a quivering mess on the field, going 4 of 18 for 27 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions: a 0.0 passer rating. Many people thought it would be the end of little brother, but he ended up bouncing back the following week in a showdown against Big Ben, earning is teammates respect, and leading the Giants on what would become the first of many 4th quarter comebacks in the final game of the season against Dallas. There was something about this kid, after all.

Former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi – the man who pulled the trigger on that fateful draft day trade – saw something special in Eli all the way back in 2002, when he was just a junior at Ole Miss. That November, Accorsi went to Oxford, Missisippi to watch Manning take on Jason Campbell and the heavily favored Auburn Tigers … and what he saw on that day changed Giants franchise history forever.

From Accorsi’s summary:

Throws the ball, takes the hit, gets right back up… Has courage and poise. In my opinion, most of all, he has that quality you can’t define. Call it magic. As [former Baltimore Colts defensive back] Bobby Boyd told me once about Unitas, “Two things set him apart: his left testicle and his right testicle.”…

Read Accorsi’s entire scouting report from the game below, as re-printed from Tom Callahan’s book The GM: The Inside Story of a Dream Job and the Nightmares That Go With It.

Manning's poise under fire helped lift NY past the 49ers for the NFC Championship (Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images via NBCSports.com)

With the benefit of hindsight, and after watching Eli pull out comeback after comeback for his team as a pro, Accorsi’s assessment of Manning from almost ten years ago is insanely accurate and prescient. The traits he identified during one college game – courage, poise, toughness and that indefinable “magic” – are exactly what have allowed Eli to succeed in the NFL, almost down to the play (like the streaking pass down the left sideline, dropped perfectly over the shoulder of his receiver … sound familiar?).

It’s a report that will go down in Giants lore as a treasured historical document, to be marveled at by generations of football fans to come. And it makes Accorsi look like a freakin’ genius.

READ THE FULL SCOUTING REPORT AFTER THE JUMP

Nov 2, 2002 – Ole Miss vs Auburn

Wears left knee brace… During pregame warmup, didn’t look like he had a rocket arm… As game progressed, I saw excellent arm strength under pressure and the ability to get velocity on the ball on most throws. Good deep ball range. Good touch. Good vision and poise.

Sees the field… In shotgun on most plays and his only running option is a draw… his offensive line is poor. Red-shirt freshman left tackle. Eli doesn’t trust his protection. Can’t. No way he can take any form of a deep drop and look downfield. With no running game (10 yards rushing the first half) and no real top receivers, he’s stuck with the three-step drops and waiting til the last second to see if a receiver can get free. No tight end either. No flaring back. So he’s taking some big hits. Taking them well. Carried an overmatched team entirely on his shoulders. I imagine, except for Vanderbilt, his team is overmatched in every SEC game… He’s big, never gets rattled. Rallied his team from a 14-3 halftime deficit basically all by himself. Led them on two successive third quarter drives to go ahead, 17-16. The first touchdown, a 40-yard streak down the left sideline, he dropped the ball over the receiver’s right shoulder. Called the next touchdown pass himself, checking off to a 12-yard slant… Makes a lot of decisions on play calls at the line of scrimmage, but they ask too much of him. They don’t just let him play. This is a guy you should just let play… When he’s inaccurate, he’s usually high, but rarely off target to either side… Plays smart and with complete confidence. Doesn’t scold his teammates, but lets them know when they line up wrong or run the wrong pattern… Threw three interceptions. Two were his fault. Trying to force something both times. He could have run on one of them, a fourth down play. He has a lot to learn.

Summary: I think he’s the complete package. He’s not going to be a fast runner, but a little like Joe Montana, he has enough athletic ability to get out of trouble. Remember how Archie ran? In that department, Eli doesn’t have the best genes, although I never timed mom Olivia in the 40. But he has a feel for the pocket. Feels the rush.

Throws the ball, takes the hit, gets right back up… Has courage and poise. In my opinion, most of all, he has that quality you can’t define. Call it magic. As [former Baltimore Colts defensive back] Bobby Boyd told me once about Unitas, “Two things set him apart: his left testicle and his right testicle.”… Peyton had much better talent around him at Tennessee. But I honestly give this guy a chance to be better than his brother. Eli doesn’t get much help from the coaching staff. If he comes out early, we should move up to take him. These guys are rare, you know.

Ernie Accorsi

(Photo: Getty Images via ShutdownCorner)

• Eli Manning has silenced his critics by winning his second Super Bowl MVP, but Shutdown Corner makes the case that Justin Tuck deserved the award too, based on the pressure he applied on Tom Brady all day, including the 1st quarter safety
• Wes Welker’s dropped pass with just 3:46 left in the game is being singled out as the reason the Patriots lost the game, and based on their reaction yesterday, it’s safe to say some of his teammates probably agree

(via Gifninja.com)

• Gisele Bundchen was also not happy with the Patriots receivers after the game, pointing out that “My husband cannot (bleeping) throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time!”
• Steelers James Harrison and Ryan Clark took a couple shots at the Patriots via Twitter after their loss, with Harrison going so far as to say “Cheaters never win!!!”
• It was quick, so you might have missed it, but M.I.A. apparently flipped America the bird during the halftime show (VIDEO HERE)
• Somebody bet $1,000 that the first score of the game would be a safety.  That person is now $50k richer
• In case it was too noisy at your SB party to watch all the much-hyped commercials, here are all the Super Bowl Ads for your viewing pleasure
• And unless you live in North Platte, Nebraska, you probably didn’t know that Will Ferrell appeared in a SB commercial for Old Milwaukee
• Giants rookie LB Greg Jones proposed to his long-time girlfriend on the field immediately following the game, with confetti still falling around them

Eli = Elite (Photo: NY Giants Facebook)

The New York Giants are Super Bowl Champions once again, and Eli Manning has won his second Super Bowl MVP award after defeating the New England Patriots 21-17 in Indianapolis tonight. With the win, Eli officially steps out of the shadow of his brother Peyton, and cements himself in the annals of NFL history as one of the game’s greatest quarterbacks.

The biggest play of the game came in the fourth quarter, as the Giants attempted to drive the field for the game-winning score. Manning hit Mario Manningham for this incredible 38-yard sideline catch:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

As remarkable as Manningham’s catch was, Manning’s throw was equally as brilliant, delivering the ball on a rope in a very tight space where only Manningham could snare it. And the play will undoubtedly go down in Giants history as one of the greatest plays of all time.

Ahmad Bradshaw finished off the drive with a bizarre game-winning 6-yard touchdown run with just over a minute to go. New York was trying to run out some more clock before scoring the go-ahead points and giving the ball back to Tom Brady, but the Patriots called the patented “Red Sea” defense and left Bradshaw untouched … leading to perhaps the most awkward touchdown in Super Bowl history:

(via Reddit/r/nygiants)

The Giants defense was able to hold off a last-minute drive by Brady, which ended with a failed hail mary as the clock struck zero. And suddenly – after winning his second championship and defeating Bill Belichick head-to-head for the second consecutive time on the game’s biggest stage - Tom Coughlin has to be in the conversation as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.

This week 14 block effectively saved the Giants season (Photo: NYPost.com)

There are thousands of fan-made highlights packages to be found on YouTube, but this one of the New York Football Giants 2011-12 regular season stands out from the pack for its incredible editing, high quality footage, and of course, the tasteful use of  ”Run This Town” by Jay-Z (feat. Rihanna) as the backing music.

And even though the Giants barely squeaked into the playoffs as a Wild Card after finishing 9-7, with guys like Eli, Cruuuuuuz, and JPP having breakout seasons, there were still plenty of explosive and memorable plays from this year’s campaign … even before they were able to put it all together just in time for a stunning playoff run.

So if you’re a Giants fan looking for something to keep you fired up during the off-week before Super Bowl XLVI, you’ve come to the right place.

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

Manning took the belt from Rodgers on Sunday! (Photo via tinypic.com)

In Sunday’s big matchup, the New York Giants soundly defeated the defending champion Packers 37-20 in Green Bay yesterday, and will head to San Francisco on Sunday for a re-match of their week 10 loss … not to mention the fabled 2002 wild card comeback and 1990 NFC Championship game.

With the win, Eli Manning may have finally cemented himself as an “elite” quarterback (whatever that means), improving to 6-3 all-time in the post-season after throwing for 330 yards and 3 TDs and outperforming his more-heralded counterpart, Aaron Rodgers (264 yards, 2 TDs). Giants WR Hakeem Nicks was once again the best receiver on the field, pulling in 7 catches for 165 yards and two TDs. The Giants defense once again came to play, harassing Rodgers for four sacks and causing three turnovers and ending the Packers 15-1 season unceremoniously.

And now, here’s your game recap in photos and GIFs (CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE):

Win or lose, this guy's Lambeau field hat is amazing (Photo via Reddit.com/r/nfl)

Nicks struck the first big blow for NY with a 66-yard score in the 1st quarter (photo: Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

In the second quarter, it looked as though the Giants got hosed by the refs, who somehow ruled Greg Jennings down on a fumble when video evidence clearly showed otherwise :

Hell, even Mike Pereira thought it was a fumble (Image via Sportsgrid.com)

Just before halftime, the Giants went for it all with a 37-yard hail mary to Hakeem Nicks

Nicks did his best David Tyree in using his helmet to reel in the pass (Photo: Getty Images)

Osi Umenyiora was called for an inexplicable roughing the passer on this one (Image via tinypic.com)

Rodgers was not helped out by his receivers, who dropped EIGHT passes on the day (Photo: JSonline.com)

Jermichael Finley can't reel in a 4th quarter pass (Via sbnation.com)

Michael Boley does Rodgers' Discount Double-Check belt celebration following a sack (Image via LarryBrownSports.com)

Donald Driver realizes the season - and possibly his career in Green Bay - is over (Photo: Sportsgrid.com)

JPP taunts Rodgers late in the game (Photo via Reddit.com/r/nfl)

(Photo: Nick Laham/Getty Images via Yahoo.com)

With second-year sensation Victor Cruz (and his salsa dance) getting all the press for the New York WRs dring the build up to this week’s Giants-Falcons Wild Card match-up, it was Hakeem Nicks who turned in the play of the day in leading the Giants to an impressive 24-2 playoff win.

After a defensive struggle in the first half, New York led 10-2 late in the third quarter when Nicks broke the game wide open with this 72-yard catch and run. Watch as Nicks splits no less than FIVE Falcons defenders at midfield and leaves them in the dust for his second touchdown of the game:

Nicks, who would finish with 115 yards receiving to go with his 2 TDs, added insult to injury for the Falcons by doing “The Dirty Bird” as his endzone celebration:

DIRTY BIRD GIF AFTER THE JUMP

(Via SBNation.com)

New York added another passing score to Mario Manningham, giving Eli Manning three TDs (277 yards, 0 INTs) on the day, and Perry Fewell’s defense played stout all afternoon, with Atlanta’s only points coming on an early safety. Now the Giants will head to Green Bay to face the mighty Packers, where they’ll attempt to avenge their 38-35 Week 13 loss and advance to the NFC championship game.

Nicks’ Dirty Bird celebration prompted this Twitter response from the dance’s originator, Jamal Anderson, who remained good-natured about the whole thing:

NO HE DIDN’T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Btw, I’m not mad at Nicks. I Broke out the Dirty Bird in 98, its trending on Twitter in 2012.

This was for all the marbles in the NFC East, with the winner taking the division and the loser going home to face a long off-season, watching the playoffs from the outside looking in. A play-in game, if you will, between bitter division rivals. As regular season match-ups go, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. So we battled our hangovers and made the trip to East Rutherford, where we took a lot of pictures along the way to share with you, our loyal readers.

Despite our sterling reputation as an emerging force in new sports media, we didn’t have any press passes or fancy cameras for this one, so these photos are all from the fan’s perpective … and all of them were taken on an iPhone 4s. We hope you enjoy!

(CLICK ANY PHOTO TO EMBIGGEN):

The new MetLife stadium is quite impressive from the outside (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

(Photo: ArtieFufkin)

The rain couldn't dampen the spirits of Giants fans, who were fired up for this one (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Romo and Co. are greeted warmly by the New York fans (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Oooh ... fireworks! (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE GIANTS/COWBOYS GAME

And the Giants take the field! (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Minutes later, Victor Cruz (left) would sprint toward us down this sideline into the endzone for a 74-yard 1st quarter score (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Cruz, Rolle and Bradshaw would all have big nights for NY (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

The Giants' front four came to play tonight (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Led by JPP and Tuck, who got the crowd involved early (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Romo would get taken down 6 times by the Giants D (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Eli leads the Giants on a scoring drive toward the end of the 1st quarter (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

The Giants offense came out firing on all cylinders (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Eli rolls to his right in the 2nd quarter (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Aaaaand halftime (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Romo finds himself backed up against his own endzone (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Eli surveys the Dallas coverage (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

In the 4th, Eli looks left to Hakeem Nicks ... (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

... who can't reel in the low pass (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Unfortunately for Jerry Jones and Romo, Dallas' rally attempt fell short (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

And the Giants are NFC East Champions! (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

And here's the towel the fans received, and waved tirelessly throughout the game (Photo: ArtieFufkin)

Cromartie searches for his jock on the MetLife Stadium turf (Image via Sportsgrid.com)

We’ve got another late contender for play of the year already today.

With the Giants trailing the Jets 7-3 and looking relatively lifeless heading into the half, facing 3rd and 10 from their own 1 yard line, Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz right around the first down marker … at which point Cruz makes an unbelievable sidestep move to elude two Jets defenders and break free for the 99-yard score.

Watch as Cruz makes Antonio Cromartie look silly after the catch, then uses his speed to do the rest:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

Cruz – one of he breakout offensive stars in the NFL this season – continues to come up with big plays when his team needs him most. The undrafted free agent has already set the new Giants franchise record for receiving yards in a season (1,322), and the play came at a critical point in the game for New York, who desperately need to win today to stay alive in the hunt for the division title.

And now, he’s made NFL history with a record that can never be broken. Merry Christmas, Victor.