Often portrayed as the antithesis of a stage dad, Archie Manning is not immune to the bee sting of criticism when it comes to his son Eli, especially when that criticism is delivered by FOX broadcasters Troy Aikman and Joe Buck.
Speaking by phone the day after watching the Fox telecast of the New York Giants’ 24-20 upset of the New England Patriots, Archie called Aikman one of the game’s all-time greats and agreed with the three-time Super Bowl winner’s take on the current state of the position.
But the Manning patriarch didn’t agree with what he heard from the former Dallas Cowboys star about Eli’s throws. “I don’t always listen to Troy and Joe,” Archie said. “They’re kind of hard on Eli. Joe’s always been really tough on Eli, and it seems this year Troy is too. But that’s OK. Sometimes I just mute them.”
Archie isn’t the first Manning to take aim at Buck’s analysis of Eli’s play. In a 2009 NBC interview with Bob Costas, Peyton Manning told of the time he stood on top of his bed watching his kid brother engineer a late drive “and Joe Buck is just ripping Eli, just because that’s what he seems to enjoy doing.
“So I’m yelling at Joe Buck, ‘Just call the play-by-play Joe! Let Aikman do the commentary.’”