Eli takes opposite approach to Big Ben, 'excited' to work with rookie QB
Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger have plenty in common, but how the veteran quarterbacks reacted to their respective teams using mid-round draft picks on their potential successors doesn't fall into that category.
"There are no more surprises anymore in the draft," Manning told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post on Monday. "That's just part of the business. Not surprised, I guess."
The New York Giants used a fourth-round pick on Kyle Lauletta, who will have a chance to eventually take over for Manning as the starting quarterback. The Pittsburgh Steelers took Mason Rudolph one round earlier with a similar line of thinking.
Manning and Roethlisberger both entered the league as first-round picks in 2004 and have spent their entire careers with one organization. Both own a pair of Super Bowl rings and both are in the latter stages of their careers.
"I know he's very talented," Manning said of Lauletta. "Just excited to get him in the facility, get him on the practice field and work with him."
Manning's response starkly contrasted that of his Steelers counterpart, who openly criticized the Rudolph pick and indicated he has no intention of helping the former Oklahoma State star.
"If he asks me a question, I might just have to point to the playbook," Roethlisberger said of Rudolph.
Related: Retirement-teasing Big Ben can't complain about Rudolph selection
As for Manning, the 37-year-old admitted he watched the draft this year with more intrigue than normal about how the team would utilize its picks. He endured a turbulent 2017 campaign, but the selection of running back Saquon Barkley instead of a quarterback second overall suggests the Giants are confident he has multiple strong seasons left in his arm.
"I didn't know how it was going to play out," Manning said. "I knew it was a possibility, but it wasn't going to affect my outlook on what my job is or is going forward. I have a job to play and at this point every year it's year-to-year. You have to prove that you deserve to be here and that's what I'm trying to do."