Some may wonder what playing with legendary quarterback Eli Manning was like, and one of his former New York Giants teammates, Prince Amukamara, answered the question.
During an interview with the Stories Untold podcast, Amukamara opened up about Manning as a teammate. He recalled hearing Manning speak up for the first time, which happened before the Giants' Super Bowl 46 game against the New England Patriots.
Amukamara thinks fans are only just now getting to see what Manning is like. He has started showing more of his personality than ever, thanks to TV jobs and public appearances.
“Everyone is now starting to see the Eli that we saw in the locker room,” he said. “[He's got a] great sense of humor, very personable. He was never a ‘rah-rah' guy.
“The first time I remember hearing him speak was the week before Super Bowl [46]. Eli stood in front of everybody — the GM was up there, scouts, the owner, everybody. ‘Hey, curfew's 11:00 every day,'” Amukama recalled Manning saying.
To be clear, there was usually a curfew the night before a game at 11:00. However, given the stakes of it being a Super Bowl week, Manning wanted to ensure that his teammates knew they were on a “business trip,” not a vacation.
As far as Amukamara knew, Manning's speech worked. The Giants respected the rule, and they were more prepared heading into the game.
Did Eli Manning's speech to the Giants work?
The Giants ended up beating the Patriots for the second time in the Super Bowl in February 2012. Once again, the game came down to late-game Manning heroics.
He delivered, leading the Giants to a fourth Super Bowl win. He won his second Super Bowl MVP for his efforts. His clutch throw to Mario Manningham down the sideline remains iconic.
In 2023, Amukamara joined Manning in retirement, signing a one-day contract to retire with the Giants. He spent the last few years jumping between teams after leaving the Giants after the 2015 season.
Manning and Amukamara were teammates from 2011 to 2015. During his Giants tenure, Amukamara had seven interceptions, including three in 2014, and 42 pass deflections.
