It’s no secret that Bill Belichick is considered one of the best NFL coaches of all time. This could be backed up by his incredible success in the NFL playoffs, helping the New England Patriots win six Super Bowls during his coaching career. He wasn’t perfect, however.
While enjoying some time on the “ManningCast” show, Belichick was reminded of a particular team that was a thorn in his side more than once: the New York Giants.
Eli Manning Playfully Goads Bill Belichick
Belichick was a frequent guest on the show, as he took this season off from coaching before accepting the head coaching position for the University of North Carolina’s football team. Both Peyton and Eli donned cut-off hoodies, an iconic look of the coach, as they thanked him for all he did for their show toward the end of the Los Angles Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings Wild Card game.
Peyton Manning mentioned how he enjoyed working with Bill over playing him, which gave his younger brother Eli a chance to throw a quick jab at the former Patriots coach.
“Thank you so much for joining us this year, we had a blast,” Peyton said. “It was more fun being your teammate than having to go against you. I know that much for sure.”
“Peyt, you kinda speak for yourself there. I kinda liked playing against Bill sometimes,” Eli said.
Peyton Manning to Bill Belichick: "It was more fun being your teammate than having to go against you. I know that much for sure."
Eli Manning: "Peyt, you kinda speak for yourself there. I kinda liked playing against Bill sometimes."
And UNC content followed. #NFL #ManningCast https://t.co/73xlAa95Zp pic.twitter.com/wqYRfBrQoI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 14, 2025
This lead to some laughs from all three of them, but what exactly was the context of this comment from Eli?
Eli Manning played for the Giants for 16 seasons starting in 2004 and concluding his career in 2019. During this time, the younger Manning brother won two Super Bowls for the team. Both of these wins came against the Patriots and Belichick.
His first victory in Super Bowl XLII featured the Giants as massive underdogs against an undefeated Patriots team. It is still regarded as one of sports’ best upsets, with the Giants winning 17-14. The former Giant won Super Bowl MVP in that game as well as in Super Bowl XLVI.
Eli ended up 3-2 versus Belichick in his career, while his brother Peyton managed a 9-15 record against him. Despite the reminder of what could have been eight Super Bowl wins for Belichick as a head coach, this trio had great chemistry all year long during the fourrth season of “ManningCast.”
It does go to wonder what could have been if a certain quarterback from Ole Miss had stayed a San Diego Charger back in the 2004 NFL Draft.
