GIANTS 101

Originally named a second alternate to the 2013 Pro Bowl, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning didn't anticipate going to Hawaii in January and hadn't thrown a football since the season ended. But due to injuries to both Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Manning has been bumped up and named to his third Pro Bowl.

"It was a good surprise," Manning said told Giants.com. "It’s a fun time. You have a few teammates with Chris Snee, Victor Cruz, Jason Pierre-Paul and my brother [Peyton] will be there. It’s definitely something I’m looking forward to."

The thought of throwing to Cruz in the Pro Bowl is also one that intrigues Manning. Given their history and familiarity, he feels it will be a great advantage to them both.

"I think that will be good to have," Manning said. "You know his timing; you know his body language, those types of things. That will definitely be an advantage, hopefully when I’m in the game he’ll be in there as well. Hopefully, we can hook up a few times and get some completions."

After an impressive 2011 campaign, Manning came back down to earth a bit in 2012. Although many of his struggles from this past season can be contributed to injuries (Hakeem Nicks, Domneik Hixon, Martellus Bennett, Ahmad Bradshaw, Andre Brown, etc.), there's no denying he wasn't playing at the same level. He completed only 59.9% of his passes for 3,948 yards and 26 touchdowns. His lowest totals since 2007 and 2008 respectively.

The Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 27th at 2:00 PM local time and aired on NBC.

Also…

• Be sure to like Giants 101 on Facebook, follow Giants 101 on Twitter & +1 Giants 101 on Google+

Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Football, Jason Pierre-Paul, New York, New York Giants, NFL, Robert Griffin III

Related Videos

Returning Soon!!!!

Related posts

• New York Giants’ Eli Manning to Replace Aaron Rodgers in 2013 Pro Bowl
• New York Giants’ Victor Cruz, Jason Pierre-Paul and Chris Snee Voted to 2013 Pro Bowl
• New York Giants’ Chris Snee Will Hold Off on Surgery, Play in 2013 Pro Bowl