[threat matrix]

The NY fans are going to eat Eli Manning alive if he doesn't come to play after this..

[jocon307]

This is a great post, thanks. I didn't really understand it until I read the whole article.

It really seems to me that Pat Tillman has not died in vain. His death seems to me to have affected many, many people very, very much. And invoked in all a new appreciation of duty, and courage, and honor.

Amazing.

[maro]

I don't know why Eli Manning is "selfish" for wanting to play for whomever he wants to play for. That's the same freedom you and I enjoy. This whole draft thing is inherently anti-competitive and weird. Imagine if coming out of college one company "drafted" you, meaning you couldn't look for a job with any other company.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Sheesh. What does everyone have against a guy that doesn't want to be hit on every play? No one seems to be still calling John Elway a whiner or a crybaby...

[JZoback]

Unless he was drafted to play football in Afghanistan, there was no downside.

Great line!

[threat matrix]

[Cable225]

Obviously, there isn't any comparision between serving your country and playing football.

However, the draft is held in New York. The crowd wasn't booing Eli, they were booing the Chargers for not trading the pick to the the Giants.

[Enterprise]

I think for a long time now, a lot of us will view the NFL with Tillman in the background. Whenever I see any more commercials with the struttin, tough talking, smackdown, "This a man's game," linebacker - I will think of Tillman. And I'll wonder, Tillman served his country, I served my country, and a whole LOT of MEN and WOMEN served this country, but how 'bout the tough talking, smackdown, football player, is he man enough to serve, like Tillman? Oherwise, I don't want to hear about tough. Just shut up and play.

[freebilly]

Tillman’s tragic death negates any argument defending Manning’s refusal to play for the Chargers.

BS.

I respect and admire Pat Tillman. For him to do what he did was an incredible act of selflessness and character. But let's get one thing straight: Eli Manning does not have to play for San Diego because Tillman, or anyone else, joined the service and got killed defending his country.

Some of you making the "Eli Manning is a punk" type assertions need to look at yourselves. Why don't you quit your jobs, sell your homes and cars, give your money to the poor, and go off to the mission fields or the battlefields?

"Well, you don't understand my situation!" you say. "I have obligations and responsibilities and...." So did Pat Tillman. So does Eli Manning.

Our admiration of Pat Tillman doesn't give us the right to whine in public about what others need to do with their lives. Our admiration of Pat Tillman should wake us to what WE need to do with ours....

[Chu Gary]

Is this maroon John Harris always on drugs, or just when it involves white people making some choices and a lot of money?

New Yorkers will forget about this controversy by the time June arrives. The Giants and their fans will regard Eli Manning as the future of the franchise and no grudges will be held except perhaps in San Diego and by John Harris.

[Libertarian4Bush]

but... but... I thought only Eagles fans booed! (sarcasm)

[Mind-numbed Robot]

His father was drafted by the Saints and, as a result, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever almost got killed instead of achieving the greatness he could have with a better team. Dad probably offered some advice on tis.

[LisaMalia]

Pat Tillman was a hero. The rest mentioned in the article aren't even worthy of a comment.

[WestTexasWend]

Actually, the guy most like Tillman in this draft may be B.J. Symons...great numbers, great heart, great love for the game wherever it's played, and tough (8 games on a torn ACL), but undersized and a product of "the system". So he may not get a sniff. Would have been fun to see him go against Manning and Rivers again in the pros...this time with an offensive line and a defense.

With all the trophys given these days, surely the NCAA/NFL can manage the Tillman Cup. And it should be based soley on exceptional individual achievement...not team record or logo.

[raynearhood]

Check this post out to see another honorable man in the entertainment industry. With everything about Tillman, I just had to post something else about a man who sacrificed alot for his country.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1124094/posts

[TankerKC]

Didn't John Elway do something similar--refusing to play for the Colts and getting traded to the Broncos? Now Elway is a football "hero". This kid picked a bad time to play business as usual.

[Archangelsk]

So what everyone is saying here is that the 'Prime Meat' of the NFL, NBA and MLB should - enmass - postpone, defer, or quit their respective lucrative careers and join the service of their choice for the next three to four years?

Yeah, as if that would ever happen. Everyone should get a grip and quit being so naive and sensitive.

[lady lawyer]

Anybody who compares Manning's decision not to put his body on the line for some football team to Tillman's decision to put his body on the line for his country has lost all sense of perspective. This is a silly article.

[Doohickey]

And why are they giving Manning a hard time? John Elway did the same thing to the Baltimore Colts, except he refused to sign AFTER he was drafted and he's a hero.

I've never been a fan of either Denver or Baltimore/Indianapolis, but I've always thought less of Elway for doing that.

[WKB]

PING

[Jhensy]

I think the Giants did great. Everyone seems shocked that they actually had to give up something to get the one of the highest rated QBs in history. A 1, a 3, and a 5? I'll live.

Eli's gonna do just fine at the Meadowlands. If the Giants kept Rivers, these same haters would be screaming about his baby-arming passing style, and the overall theme would be HOW COULD THE GIANTS LET ELI GET AWAY OVER THE MATTER OF A DRAFT PICK OR TWO? ACCORSI MUST GO!