It was the 3rd of February 2008. Two teams that were powerful in their own right were facing off in Super Bowl XLII. One team, coming into the game with an 18-0 record, faced off against the other team, an underdog that had reached the game after battling all odds. What followed was a battle like that of David and Goliath, resulting in 60 minutes of pure entertainment. While Tom Brady‘s New England Patriots held onto the game for some time, ultimately, it was Eli Manning‘s throw that got the New York Giants a definitive touchdown in the final few seconds. It was this massive upset that sowed the seeds of the on-field rivalry between Eli Manning and Tom Brady.

The two later met once again in another intense game in Super Bowl XLVI. This time again, it was Eli Manning who bested Brady in the fourth quarter to help the Giants lift their second Super Bowl in 5 years. Causing yet another massive upset. It was after this season that people started to liken Eli to Tom’s father because of how he seemed to be Brady’s kryptonite. And a recent Instagram post by the NFL showed that it is a phrase that people like to use even today.

Giving an update from the Fanatics Fest event, the biggest event of sports and collectibles, the NFL shared an interesting video. In the video were Eli Manning and Tom Brady. Both, playing a game of catch while onlookers took a moment to watch them. Gosh! How much we missed watching these two throw. The NFL also put up a caption, saying, “Just a casual game of catch between former Super Bowl opponents.” Giving a sweet reference to their encounters. And as predicted, this video of them playing ball got the ‘father-son’ debate started, with many also wondering what DJ Khaled was doing in the background.

While the two were very intense and ardent rivals on the field, their off-field relationship is quite different. It is one of trolling each other and just having friendly banter, either online or if they come face to face. One such time was when Tom Brady had posted a photo of himself and a fish that he had caught. Reacting to it was Manning, who never shied away from using his wit. He wrote, “Cute Minnow, Tom.” But Tom was never one to back off either. Replying to a now-deleted tweet from Eli, saying, “You use a helmet to catch that one too?“. Calling back to the infamous ‘helmet catch’ by David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII.

Fans echo the Eli-Tom-father-son talk

As the NFL posted the video of Manning and Brady playing a game of catch, the internet couldn’t control itself. With every Eli Manning and Tom Brady fan coming to the forefront and commenting about the ‘father-son’ bond that the two are sharing.

One user came and wrote what would be the most clichéd comment. “Just a dad and his son playing catch,” he said. 

Another user wrote, “Eli playing catch with his son lol.” Surely, they’re never going to let Brady forget the two Super Bowls he lost. And definitely not going to stop calling Tom as Eli’s son. Even though technically Tom is older than Eli.

Another person commented on the bond that these two share. Only in a whole other context. “Some good father-son bonding,” he wrote. Referring to how fathers usually bond with their children by playing a game of catch.

As fans comment on this phrase and go after the two in a friendly manner, it makes sense. After all, it was Eli Manning who was instrumental in the New York Giants winning both times. Especially at a time when Brady and the Patriots were dominating everyone and almost had a perfect season. In many ways, Eli was the only one who made the invincible Tom Brady look like a human. Like Kryptonite did to Superman.