Eli Manning: The Making of a Quarterback

A well written book for football fans. Finally, Ernie Accorsi is vindicated! This book explains to the football nation exactly what goes into the drafting of a college standout. Cudos to Ralph Vacchiano for telling the truth about a previously maligned draft deal.

This is a must read book. Unlike the usual dry sports book, this book embraced the drama and passion of Elis story like a classical novel. It exposed the depth and weight of the pressure he endured so vividly and thoroughly that you can feel his burden, his pain and his frustration. It has brought to light the truth of Elis proffessional journey and the arduous and overwhelming odds thrown at him. It will make you reevaluate this amazing young man and realize he is rightfully deserving of our respect and admiration and it will also give you a deeper appreciation and understanding of the demands put on a Quarterback and his foundational role on the team. It is a book that gives the reader a story of courage, hope and perseverance that extends not only to the sports fan but to anyone that delights in stories of the triumph of the heart and spirit of a hero.

Ralph Vacchiano, the respected sports writer for the NY Daily News, offers up a poignant behind the scenes look at the career of Eli Manning. His book follows Elis remarkable career from Ole Miss to the San Diego Chargers (where he spent all of 45 minutes) before finally landing in New York with the Giants. Amid unbelievable scrutiny and criticism, Eli perseveres in the face of adversity to lead his team to a stunning win in Super Bowl XLII. The inside scoop on the famous Draft Day 2004 trade that brought Eli to New York alone is worth the price of admission. Quite simply, a must read for all Giants fans.

like it

What sticks out above everything else in this very well-researched account of Eli Manning, is Vacchianos startling ability to draw the reader in emotionally. In particular - Vacchianos gripping account of that famous final drive in the Super Bowl against the undefeated New England Patriots. Having watched - glued to the screen, waiting for Manning to implode, and yet he didnt - that gut-scrambling final 2-plus minutes, I can say it was some of the very best drama football has produced. What is remarkable is that Vacchiano, through his writing, matches the virtuoso moment. The fact that readers were already well aware of the outcome, makes this an even more astonishing feat of writing. I ripped through those last 40 pages, even though I knew what the end result was... The tendency in books like this is for the writer to gush over the subject...accolade after accolade. Vacchiano steers away from the expected. At times, its a harsh, clinical evaluation of the subject. Vacchiano, as every reporter writing a book should do (but few accomplish), taps on a wealth of resources. Former Giants Ernie Accorsi writes the forward and is quoted throughout...but there are also dozens of others involved. This is not only a must-but for Giants fans, but for fans of solid writing (ahh, that drama!) as well. A stirring achievement by one of the best football beat writers in America.

For anyone who is a football fan, and especially a Giants fan this is a must buy book. This book gives an excellent recount of Elis first 4 years of his career and does an excellent job of showing just how much an NFL QB goes through. This is an excellently written book with good inside detail from ex NFL QBs and coaches. Im not much of a book person and could not put the book down.

First published in 1949, Joseph Campbell wrote a definitive book about the role and nature of heroes in mythology throughout human history, Hero of 1000 faces. According to Campbell, A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. After watching Eli play over the last 3.5 years, it is clear that by any definition Campbell has come up with, Eli Manning is an archetypical hero. OK, maybe Im exaggerating, but his accomplishment during the superbowl run was incredible by any definition. Vacchianos book basically reviews the key points in this heros development--and these points are important for all of us to review to see how we can do better too. Theres not a whole lot in this book that hasnt already been covered in the media, so if youve been keeping close tabs on the Giants over the years, you may not learn much. However, its never a waste of time seeing again how its done. Kudos to Vacchiano for reviewing the subject in an eminently readable form. Kudos mostly though to Eli for making the book possible!