An era is over for the New York Giants. The head coach-quarterback duo of Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning that won two Super Bowls is no more. Coughlin is no longer coaching — nor is he in a front office after his stint in Jacksonville — Manning is now retired, as he announced on Friday.

However, if Coughlin were to return to coaching, he knows who his quarterback would be. He would pick Manning over anybody to win a big game.

“If there’s gonna be a big game,” Coughlin said in Manning's retirement press conference, via the New York Post, “I want him to be my quarterback, ’cause how he performs in the big ones is amazing to me. Always was. I was proud and honored to be his coach.”

Manning and Coughlin brought the Giants back to relevancy. Though the now-retired passer won as many regular season games as he lost, he is also one of the rare quarterbacks to win two Super Bowls. He did so both against the New England Patriots and won Super Bowl MVP in both.

Though perhaps not a lock for the Hall of Fame, Manning should find himself in Canton eventually. He finished his career in the top-10 of most important passing statistics, won two Super Bowls, and set multiple records for career starts.

Manning wasn't the best. He made mistakes that earned him his fair share of critics. However, he stepped up when the Giants and Coughlin needed him most. For that, he will be remembered as one of the best Giants ever.