The Only Person That's Been Able To Convince Eli To Throw A Football Since He Retired Was Larry Fitzgerald (Of Course), Because They Are Both Old
[Post] - “I said, ‘I’m not throwing, Larry, I haven’t thrown in seven months,’ ’’ Manning said of his conversation with Fitzgerald. “He was like, ‘C’mon, you can do it one time.’ ’’
The two friends met at the field and threw and ran about 40 routes.
“I think we both looked old,’’ Manning said, laughing. “It worked out. I can’t throw it that far and Larry can’t run that far. Pretty good timing, my deep ball and his 4.9 speed worked pretty well together.’’
I'm not exaggerating when I say I'd do anything to watch this go down and also get a route or two in with Eli here. It's been said before but Larry Fitzgerald has to be the most liked athlete that's been a star ever. Nobody hates Larry Fitzgerald. The dude just played for the Cardinals, helped make them competitive for a few years and is still grinding away next to DeAndre Hopkins. But really this should be about Kyler Murray giving Eli a thank you card for getting Fitz some reps. Remember, Fitz said he'd only retire if the Cardinals win the Super Bowl:
And then on the other side Eli is so lovable. Sure, I say this as a Giants fan and Eli being one of my all-time favorite athletes. But how can you hate this dude unless you're a Pats/Cowboys/Eagles fan? The man is made to make these dad jokes about being old and Larry running a 4.9 40. You know he was loving life out there too. But the real story is apparently, Eli is about to be the greatest tennis player of all time:
“I never played tennis in my life,’’ Manning said. “I’ve hit a tennis ball, maybe picked it up and messing around but I’ve never played a competitive match of tennis before until two months ago.’’
“I’m not bad,’’ he said. “I’ve beat some guys. I’m not a superstar. My technique’s not there, but if you ask me to hit it over the net, yes, I can hit it over the net. Still trying to figure out topspin and certain shots and the serve and whatnot. I’m making improvements.’’
Federer and Djokovic better keep their head on a swivel. I need Eli to play in some celebrity tennis tournament. I'd tune in. as much as I love the guy. the Eli face in tennis would be top-1. Just completely baffled when a shot goes into the net. Need to see him swinging a racket trying to get some topspin. I'm not even a tennis fan but I'd watch this quicker than anything.
All said though, I just miss Eli. I know Danny Jones is the JV version of him, but I miss that goofy motherfucker out there every Sunday. You knew he was going to show up each game and sure, you didn't know what version you were going to get. Maybe he'd throw a left handed pass for no reason. Maybe he'd throw a dime to Mario Manningham on the sidelines. But he was always there.
And shout out Fitz for still playing. That can't fly under the radar. Just a couple old dudes playing catch, what's better than that?