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Let's do it," says Peyton Manning to his brother Eli.



Eli nods.


They approach each other grimly. "OK," says Peyton. "Turn around."


Eli obeys. They stand back to back.


"So who's taller?" Peyton asks. Eli stands on his toes. "Now, don't you do that," says Peyton.


Eli stops. They settle down. It's 6-5 Peyton by half an inch. No question.


"See, I knew I still have you," says the older brother, triumph in his voice.


Some things in the pecking order of brothers never change, even if you are Peyton Manning, maybe the best player in the NFL, and Eli Manning, who should be the No. 1 choice in April's draft. Eli may be the better basketball player and may be able to fling a Nerf Vortex football 15 yards farther. ("I destroyed him," says Eli proudly). But he's still younger and smaller.


Peyton Manning has given younger brother Eli a particularly tough act to follow.
Associated Press


Eli also is the last of the fabulous Manning boys, the final star in the most remarkable family in the history of pro football. We've never seen anything like this: father Archie, second pick in the 1971 draft by the Saints before embarking on a highly lauded and heroic 15-year career; middle son Peyton, the first choice in the 1998 draft and the reigning league co-MVP; and youngest son Eli, the savior of the Ole Miss football program and second-most popular player in school history behind — who else? — his dad. Every one a quarterback — all gifted, intelligent and, dare we say in this era of hard edges and bad-boy personas, nice. Their father could be the best-liked person to ever play the game, and his sons are a mixture of politeness and respect that masks a marked determination that characterizes seemingly everything a Manning undertakes. They get it in a way so many of their peers don't.

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