New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning said Monday he had forewarned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he was taking a knee of the final play Sunday, but said he "had a feeling" they were still coming for him, accusing them of a cheap shot.
Manning made his comments during his weekly appearance with Mike Francesa on WFAN radio in New York.
On the play by Tampa Bay at the end of the game when the Giants were lining up to take a knee:
"I guess certain teams you might say ‘hey watch out for a cheap shot.' That's what we call it. A lot of teams will ask in those situations ‘are you taking a knee' and I will tell them ‘hey we're taking a knee so we're not firing off.' We don't tell our lineman to fire off and hit them on that last play. (Host: So there is an acknowledgment usually at the end of the game, was there that yesterday?) I said it. I said as I walked up, ‘hey we're taking a knee' but obviously they were down and ready and had a feeling they were about to fire off. There's nothing I can really do about it. I have to make sure I get the snap and the only thing I'm worried about right there is securing the ball and making sure we get the win."
If he was more upset that Tampa Bay fired off the ball or that they went low on the Giants offensive linemen:
"I think it's one thing to come off a little bit and another thing to have everybody right there diving in at the offensive linemen's legs. Just a possibility of getting someone hurt and on a play where we're taking a knee to end the game and people are coming, firing in and trying to get a cheap shot and trying to possibly hurt somebody."
Here is one, hopefully final look at the play:
Giants coach Tom Coughlin ripped Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano for this. Eli has chimed in. Schiano has defended it. The NFL chimed in and said, basically, big deal. So, maybe now we can just move on.