“Besides My Brother…”: Eli Manning Reveals the One Player That Scared Him the Most

Former Giants’ quarterback and 2-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning is living a busy retirement life. Apart from his many business ventures, he is also the host of his very own TV show, ‘The Eli Manning Show’. And during a shoot with fellow show host Jimmy Fallon, Manning revealed a very interesting and intriguing piece of information. When playing for the Giants, the player he feared the most was, apparently, Ray Lewis, then Baltimore Ravens’ line-backer.

During the show, Manning shares a story that he has shared before, while on ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage, back in September. During the show, he revealed how Ray Lewis scared him so much, that he essentially let him call the plays. And he said the same to Jimmy Fallon as well.

“Besides my brother, taking him out of the equation because I am scared of him. He picked on me a lot. But when I was playing, I think it was Ray Lewis, middle linebacker. Like I’m looking at him, he’s looking at me.”

Also Read: 33 Months After Retirement, NFL Legend Eli Manning Drops Hint at Next Career Move That Will Keep Him Very Involved in the NFL

The first game I’m in there, and I’m like ‘all right you know 52 is the mike’ and he’s looking. He goes ‘no, I’m not the mike. He’s the mike’. I’m like, ‘okay, Ray said he’s the mike’ I’m like ’56 is the mic,” Manning added.

Former Giants’ Eli Manning reveals he used to fear former Ravens’ Ray Lewis

Ray Lewis was a first-round, 26th overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 1996. His 17 seasons with the Ravens saw him play 249 games, in which he had 1,902 tackles, 43.5 sacks and 33 interceptions. He has also played in 13 Pro Bowls, and has 2 Super Bowl Rings. The longest-serving player with the Ravens, he is considered one of the best linebackers and defensive players in the history of the NFL. On all accounts, it seems Manning was right to be scared of him.

Eli Manning played for the Giants from 2004 to 2019, as a quarterback. In 236 regular season games, he managed to throw 4,895 passes for 57,023 yards and 366 touchdowns. His rivalry with the then New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a legend in itself, as the two constantly tried to outmatch each other. Manning’s 2 Super Bowl victories, in fact, came after beating Brady and the Patriots. He retired in 2019 and has now set up a post-retirement career that is exciting both for him and for the fans.

Watch This Story: Eli Manning shifts focus from American football to European one for budding athletes at home