Giants' Manning has silenced his critics

Unstoppable. Eli Manning is ... unstoppable?

Uh, no. Ignore that wristwatch ad. Eli Manning is not unstoppable.

Unflappable?

Yeah. That's better.

Manning has at last become a steady presence as the Giants quarterback, earning either the last laugh -- or at least an early-career smirk -- on the critics, especially those who proliferate in New York.

Winning a Super Bowl, and being that game's MVP, is a pretty good answer to those who might always compare him to big brother Peyton, or who can't get over the 2004 draft day drama.

The criticism came hot and heavy over his first four seasons, and it might have peaked just over a year ago. Manning had three of his four interceptions returned for touchdowns by the visiting Vikings in the Giants' 41-7 home loss in late November. His own general manager, Jerry Reese, called him "skittish."

The Giants rebounded from that loss and earned a wild-card playoff spot ... then not many discouraging words were heard after a storybook 4-0 postseason run that ended with a 17-14 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

"It was just one of those days," Manning said about last year's loss to the Vikings. "They jumped into the lead, we threw a couple of bad ones early, some that were tipped ... just one of those days where you can't catch a break, got behind, then try to force things at the end."

Manning, who earned his first Pro Bowl berth this season, said there wasn't an epiphany after that game, but Vikings coach Brad Childress has seen a difference.

"You've just seen an evolution," Childress said. "Whatever the maturation is as he went through that year, obviously things clicked for him. And typically for a quarterback, it's a return to fundamentals, return to system, just doing the routine things."

Said Manning: "You always have to be confident in your abilities. It's just learning how to approach the game, and the way that you can play this game, and the best way to win. Not turning the ball over, not making the mistakes ... taking your shots at the right time, not just calling your shots because you're trying to force things. Just trying to play smart."

Manning, in his fifth season, is the NFL's 14th-ranked quarterback. He isn't a high-yardage guy like the other NFC Pro Bowl selections, Kurt Warner and Drew Brees; rather, Manning works efficiently (21 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions) in a run-dominated offense. Brandon Jacobs (1,089 yards) and Derrick Ward (948) could be the fourth teammates in NFL history to each rush for 1,000 yards this season. The Giants had to overcome the suspension of troubled receiver Plaxico Burress, who had 70 catches and 12 touchdowns last season, but they are 12-3 and have clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

Manning was the No. 1 overall choice by the Chargers in 2004 but basically forced a trade to the Giants, who gave up three draft picks along with the No. 4 choice in that draft, quarterback Philip Rivers (the NFL's top-rated passer this season, by the way). And Eli will always pale by comparison -- as will almost every other quarterback -- with brother Peyton, the Colts quarterback who is headed toward every NFL career passing record and likely will win his third NFL MVP award this season.

But Eli's aw-shucks personality seemed to enable him to shrug off brickbats through the rough years, and he always got support from coach Tom Coughlin, who was equally lampooned in New York.

"I can remember kneeling on the locker room floor after the [Vikings] game, just telling them we're all in this together," Coughlin said.

Two months later, they were all together for a ticker-tape parade, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on Broadway.

Coughlin is trying to set his team for another strong playoff run. Sunday's game against the Vikings is meaningless for the Giants, who will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs, but he hasn't even told his players whether they will get a rest in a game that has great meaning for the Vikings.

"I'm going in with the mindset that I am [playing]," said Manning, who has started 70 consecutive games. "And if Coach wants to take me out, then that's fine, but I expect to go in."

Staff writer Judd Zulgad contributed to this report.