Bob Cook

When they both were young, Peyton Manning used to pin brother Eli and punch him in the chest until he rattled off the names of college football teams. That's why when Eli gets sacked he shouts, "Maryland Terrapins! Georgia Bulldogs! Florida Gators!"

Peyton says he was trying to teach his brother toughness under pressure.

So you might think Eli finally took that lesson to heart now that he's played a big part in helping the New York Giants play well at the end of the regular season, and lead his team to a first-round playoff victory on the road at Tampa Bay.

Alas, Eli, for whatever he does, will never be Peyton. He won't play as well as Peyton, he won't win as much as Peyton, he won't be an endorsement machine like Peyton, he won't be able to chicken-dance at the line of scrimmage like Peyton. Eli isn't a sad case like famous Presidential shallow ends of the gene pool like Billy Carter or Roger Clinton. But Eli will be lucky if he gets to be as notable as Jeb Bush.

It's the curse of being a younger brother. Your older sibling, unless he's a big loser, is blazing the trail, and all you can hope to do is stay on it. Eli's case isn't helped by the particularly wide trail Peyton has blazed in 10 seasons as the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback.

Peyton came to Indianapolis as a No. 1 pick, a savior, someone who seemed happy to be in the NFL even it was for a small-market franchise with a reputation of being poorly run with an apathetic fan base. Eli came to New York as a No. 1 pick, though not quite a savior, after his family and advisors schemed behind the scenes to get him away from San Diego, which actually took him first. Eli then became someone who wasn't sufficiently happy to be in the NFL, unless it was for a big-market franchise with a reputation for being well-run for the benefit of a passionate fan base.

For his first yardstick, Peyton had Ryan Leaf, notable as one of the biggest busts in NFL history. Leaf flamed out of San Diego in a few short years. For his first yardstick, Eli had Philip Rivers, the guy who was traded for him. Rivers has led San Diego to 25 wins in the last two seasons, including a league-best 14 last year.

N.Y. Giants 21, Dallas 17 Giants stun Cowboys, reach title game  |  Video Opinion: N.Y. punches Dallas 'in the mouth' Celizic: Rushing attacks key in title game Phillips let team fall apart  |  Flutie Curse lives! Manning, defense help Giant's avoid 3-peat Tearful T.O. defends Romo after loss  |    Video Opinion: Romo left to explain trip over offseason Where’s Jessica Simpson? Not in Dallas   Sound off: Discuss the game Team pages:  Cowboys  |  Giants

Whenever Peyton struggles and loses games, it was because his teammates stunk. When Eli struggles and loses games, it was because he stunk. For a while, Peyton had a reputation of choking in the big games, a label he finally overcame with his first Super Bowl win. Eli has a reputation of choking long before big games ever becomes an issue, a label he hopes to overcome after getting his first playoff victory.

Peyton is one of sport's most desired personalities, with scores of well-performed commercials to his credit that seem to flow naturally from his celebrity and personality, as well as a prominent appearance last year on Saturday Night Live. Eli is one of sport's lesser-desired personalities, with a watch commercial that flows unnaturally from his lack of celebrity and personality ("Eli Manning is unstoppable." Didn't Ronde Barber say the exact opposite before the wild-card game?), as well as a prominent appearance last year on DrunkAthlete.com.

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