On the day after the disaster, Eli Manning did something Monday that he had never during his six-plus seasons as New York's starting quarterback. He asked coach Tom Coughlin if he could address the team in a players-only meeting in the wake of Sunday's shocking 38-31 loss to Philadelphia, a game that the Giants led 31-10 with just 8:17 remaining.
"Everybody appreciates his leadership on the field and the way that he plays, but today he was probably as vocal as he's ever been, and I think everybody appreciated what he did and I think we're looking forward to responding," said center Shaun O'Hara.
Defensive end Justin Tuck, who once spoke to his teammates alongside Manning, said the quarterback's solo act drew cheers.
"He actually got some hand claps because it's so out of character for him," Tuck said. "He wasn't loud and rah rah-ing, but you could just tell by the look on his face ... how much it meant to him. He was definitely serious and everything he was saying was coming from the heart."
Manning, in his typical understated fashion, tried not to make too big a deal about his talk when asked about it by reporters.
"This morning after seeing some guys and talking (to them), I just wanted to have a little team meeting," Manning explained. "I didn't know if anybody else was going to talk, but I wanted to say a few words. I went up to Coach and asked if I could beat (him) to the punch a little bit and address the team before (he) came in. Just talking about the situation we're in and now is the time not to get down and get in a panic."
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