Eli Manning is the best big game quarterback, ex-Giants coach says

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With the game on the line and a team needing a big play, there is no one Tom Coughlin would rather have than Eli Manning leading the charge.

Coughlin and Manning won two Super Bowls together, and Manning came up with big plays in clutch moments throughout the Giants' championship runs. 

"He is the greatest — people will argue with me, I get it, but he’s the greatest play — big game, excuse me, big game quarterback that I’ve ever seen," Coughlin said during a recent appearance on Barstool Sports’ "Pardon My Take."

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Former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning hug during the ceremony honoring the team that won the Super Bowl in 2012. (Danielle Parhizkaran/USA Today Sports)

The Giants beat the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14 in the 2008 Super Bowl and then beat the Patriots again in the 2012 Super Bowl by a score of 21-17. 

"I mean, the way he approached things and the fact that he really, really accepted the challenge. He wanted the challenge. He wanted that. I mean, he knew what his comparison was against Tom Brady, for example, and, quite frankly, rightfully so. I mean, they stacked up a bunch of Super Bowls. But in those games, under those games — call it his pedigree, call it what you want — but this guy, you talk about making plays when he had to make them," Coughlin said. 

"Look at the (Mario) Manningham catch in 46, Super Bowl 46, and I used to, well I’m looking at it in my own mind. I don’t realize Eli’s back there maneuvering to get the ball off in that situation, and he made that throw. So, you talk about big play, big game people. Wow, I mean I’m taking him because I’ve seen him do it under any circumstance you can imagine," Coughlin continued. 

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Eli Manning after being named MVP after the Super Bowl in Indianapolis Feb. 5, 2012. (IMAGN)

The Manningham catch is one of Manning’s best plays. Manning threw a sideline pass into a small window to help kickstart the Giants' game-winning drive in the 2012 Super Bowl. 

Manning always had a knack for stepping up in the big moments in tight games.

The four-time Pro Bowler was sensational in his playoff career. In his first Super Bowl run, Manning threw for 854 yards and six touchdowns while leading three game-winning drives en route to his first Super Bowl MVP in 2008.

The most memorable play from Manning’s first Super Bowl run is the David Tyree helmet catch. The Giants were down late in the fourth quarter when Manning improbably escaped a sack and heaved the ball downfield, where Tyree made one of the most memorable catches in Super Bowl history. 

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Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning prepares to throw out the first pitch before a game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.  (Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports)

Manning did it all over again in 2012, throwing for 1,219 yards with nine touchdowns and just one interception while leading two game-winning drives to win his second Super Bowl MVP. 

Manning is up for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this season, and his playoff resume might be the reason he could be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

Coughlin coached the Giants from 2004-2015, leading the Giants to a 192-102 record over 12 seasons. Prior to coaching the Giants, Coughlin spent eight seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, leading them to a 128-68 record.

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