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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- In a season when the New York Giants have had a tough time keeping key players on the field, it's all the more amazing that Eli Manning hasn't missed a game in 10 years. Yes, it has been 10 years now -- 10 years exactly since Nov. 21, 2004, the day a 23-year-old rookie debuted as the Giants' starting quarterback. It hardly matters now that the first game wasn't great (a 14-10 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which Manning was 17-for-37 with one touchdown and two interceptions), or even that his most recent game wasn't great (five interceptions in a 16-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers).  So what if there's been some debate this week about Manning's future, when his past already includes two Super Bowls. And 161 consecutive regular-season starts.
No current player in the NFL has made as many, regardless of position. The other four NFC East teams have gone through 28 quarterbacks in those 10 years, while the Giants have been more than pleased to go with just one. "It was a heck of a move by me, wasn't it?" coach Tom Coughlin quipped Friday, when reminded of the anniversary. The 2004 Giants were 5-4 when Coughlin made the move, sitting down veteran Kurt Warner after the Giants had lost three of four (and Warner had been sacked 24 times in the four games). Manning had played in just two of the first nine games, throwing only nine passes and completing just three of them, but Coughlin understood that it was time to turn the team over to the kid drafted first overall, the kid with the $54.6 million contract and the arm and sense to earn much more. "He is the future of the New York Giants," Coughlin said that week. "It just starts now." "I felt like it was time, for the good of the franchise, to take the franchise quarterback and put him on the field," Coughlin said Friday. "And so we did. It was an experience for Eli [that year], but it was a good move in the long run." It sure was. Manning lost his first six starts, finally winning in the final game of that 2004 season against the Dallas Cowboys, the same team he'll face Sunday night. The Giants went 11-5 the next season, and by 2007 they were Super Bowl champions. They're 88-73 overall since Manning took over, with Manning throwing for a franchise-record 37,840 yards and 247 touchdowns. The numbers are big, but the biggest might well be those 161 consecutive starts at quarterback. Only Brett Favre (297) and Eli's brother Peyton (208) have made more in the entire history of the NFL. "It's a most impressive statistic, to be able to line up and play all those games," Coughlin said. "It's a tribute to his toughness and his will to want to play, his desire to be on the field as captain of the New York Giants and lead his team. I remember one time the speculation was that his shoulder was hurt and he wouldn't be able to play. Well, he didn't throw all week, but he took the field and started the game and threw the ball, and did well. "So it's a great testament to his toughness and desire, and the motivation and inspiration he has to play the game." It's not easy, as Manning knows. Peyton's streak ended because of a neck injury that required surgery and cost him the entire 2011 season. Meanwhile, Eli's own team has been hit by injury after injury this year, the latest a quadriceps problem that will keep right tackle Justin Pugh out of this week's game against the Cowboys. "I don't think other teams have had the major injuries we have," said offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, expected to play Sunday after missing the first 10 games with a toe problem. "Guys get injured everywhere, but they come back." The list of players the Giants have lost for the season goes on and on, but it includes four players who were starters when the season began (wide receiver Victor Cruz, linebacker Jon Beason, and cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Walter Thurmond). Beyond that, running back Rashad Jennings missed four games and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins is about to miss his fourth straight. "It certainly has been a huge, huge disappointment," Coughlin said. "I try not to dwell on it, to be honest. You can't. If you did, you'd be a basket case." Through it all, though, the one position he hasn't had to worry about changing is the most important one on the field, the one the Giants haven't had to think about changing since that day in November, 10 years ago, when Coughlin decided it was time to start Eli Manning. It was a heck of a move.
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