Weekends look very different these days for Ole Miss and New York Giants legend, Eli Manning.

Now he’s not just passing the football. He’s also passing the ketchup.

And loving every minute of it.

“I am a grilled chicken and steak and burger guy. Keep it simple,” said Manning while huddling up with a select few in downtown West Palm Beach.

Manning was recently in South Florida to tackle a new project off the field leading BBQGuys.com, the top e-commerce platform for all things backyard, in opening its latest Backyard Design Center in the heart of Palm Beach County. He also took some time to sit down with ESPN Boca Raton Bowl’s Paige Kornblue for the Inside the Boca Raton Bowl podcast to discuss the new venture, his remarkable career from college to the pros and specifically his bowl game memories, the state of football today, and life after football.

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE

PAIGE: Thinking back to your bowl game experiences – what was it about the bowl games that you so enjoyed?

MANNING: I think just the excitement around leaving your campus, going to an offsite where you get to stay in a hotel room, get to go to dinner with your teammates, go to the different events the bowl games have and maybe play when no other game is playing at that time, they’re not in your same conference and maybe from a different part of the country. And so it was just an unbelievable environment, the fans that travel to come see and root you on. I had great bowl games at the Independence Bowl, the Music City Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, and enjoyed all of them. It’s just a great part of college football.

 What does it mean to the team to have one more [post-season bowl] game?

I think it’s a big deal to the players. I remember being a freshman and a redshirt freshman. And it’s like, oh, this is great. It’s another month that I get to work and maybe get more reps. And it’s an opportunity to grow some of the young players, get them some reps, knowing they may be the starter the next year, maybe get them in a bowl game. So really my first extensive playing time in college football was in the Music City Bowl, my redshirt freshman year where I got in in the fourth quarter and got to play four or five possessions and throw my first touchdown and do some of those things. So if it weren’t for that bowl game, going into the next year where I was going to be the starter, I probably would have been a little nervous or a little like, you know, not quite knowing that I could play at this level. But to play in that bowl game, get in there, throw some touchdowns, have some experience, have some success. It prepared me for that next season.

In general, what are what are Eli Manning’s thoughts on the state of college?

Well, I think it’s exciting. I think with the bowl championship and everything going on, I think it’s making it exciting and it’s big business and there’s a lot going on. I think, unfortunately, there’s maybe not a whole lot of loyalty to your school. You’re maybe not picking your college based on ‘this is the best fit for me,’ or ‘I really love this offensive coordinator, I love this coach, or I love the teammates at this university, or hey, if I never played it down to football, this is the school I would attend at a high school.’ That’s probably not coming into the decision-making on where you’re going to college as much, which is unfortunate. There’s so much moving around where.. do you have a loyalty when you’re done to a certain university, it’s maybe been lost a little bit, but players, they want to play and now there’s the NIL and a lot of financial decisions are coming into college, but I think the game is still good, the players are getting better, the quality of play has gotten better so that’s the positive part of it.

Do you have a favorite game looking back?

I think too many to pick, but my sophomore year had a big win against Alabama at home, which we had not beaten them in 13 years. Went to LSU at night and won my sophomore year in Baton Rouge, I’m from Louisiana, so that was a big one, and then wins at the Swamp in Florida, at Auburn. So those are all fun wins for me.

PAIGE: This is BBQGuys.com’s third Backyard Design Center, correct?

Yes, the third design center. The first one is in Baton Rouge for Barbecue Guys – they’re headquarters about maybe two years ago, built one in Atlanta now here in West Palm Beach. So it’s a great area to come if you’re into an outdoor space, outdoor living space for your house so you can come in whether it’s your outdoor kitchen or a stand-alone grill or you want tables or heaters or anything. They can come. They can help design it and come here and get some ideas about what you might want to put in your backyard.

Why are you such a fan?

I just think about growing up – so much of our time was spent outside and just have such great family memories, being outside, burgers and hot dogs on the grill with friends and family over and playing sports and basketball and football in the front yard. I think trying to create those same memories with my family and my four kids and I love the opportunities just to be outside and have them running around having a great outdoor space to enjoy those moments.

Which grill do you have?

I have the Blaze Grill so it’s been working for me. Growing up, my mom was the griller. My dad had no idea how to, I don’t even think he knew how to turn on a grill. So my mom was doing all the cooking for us. And so I’ve definitely asked for a few tips from her and some advice on how she cooks some of her delicious recipes.

How has this side of life been for you, kind of stepping off the field and being able to say, with Sundays where you were playing games?

It’s been great and a lot of fun to have a normal weeked. Because my weekends were not normal for a long time… and so just to have, now that we’ve got good weather, still living up in the Northeast to get outside to spend weekends. You know, kids are playing their own games, but we get evenings usually where we can have friends and family over and just enjoy the company of each other in our own space.

No question family is your priority now. This is a project and business venture you’ve really enjoyed jumping into. Any philanthropy that’s close to your heart – what’s keeping you busy these days?

A lot of giving back to different charities. I’ve lived up in New Jersey for 20 years now. So I have definitely been involved in the community. One is a program called Tackle Kids Cancer, which is through Hackensack Meridian Health, raising funds and research for pediatric cancer. And so that’s been started, which is visiting kids in the hospital, trying to lift their spirits, and has this grown into wanting to do more, wanting to raise more awareness, wanting to figure out better cures and better research to get these kids back to being a kid again and back to their friends and sports and school and family. And so it’s been very rewarding, kind of working with them these last eight years.

Nothing like joint projects with your brother and your other brother and your dad, correct? Together you all do better and have so much fun and we have so much fun watching you. What is that like from your perspective?

It’s always fun. Any chance I get to do something with my family, and especially with my two older brothers. We’re all very, very close. And so whether it’s to be in a commercial together, to support a brand – we always jump at those opportunities just because we all live in different parts of the country, so we don’t always get together at normal times. Sometimes it’s a speech or it’s an endorsement or it’s a commitment that will get us together where we can come in the night before, have dinner and some family bonding time.

What are the lessons for you, Peyton and Cooper that have stuck with you – from your parents, passing on to your kids and to guys you work with at the Academy?

So many lessons that I’ve learned from my parents…on raising kids. I think a lot of people assume that Peyton and I were groomed to be NFL quarterbacks because my dad was one. And nothing could really be further from the truth. I played basketball all through high school, played baseball in high school…didn’t play tackle football until eighth grade. I loved being outdoors. I loved playing sports. I think it helps so much with just dealing with circumstances or dealing with defeat, dealing with success and building great leadership skills, teamwork, the importance of that. With me having four kids, I have three daughters and a little boy, getting them involved in sports just from a confidence and a health standpoint. They’re playing all different sports. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or on purpose, but it’s all sports that I know nothing about. They’re not really playing much basketball anymore. They’re not playing baseball as much. I’ve got lacrosse players, swimmers, and a hockey player. So that’s something I definitely don’t know anything about! But they’re having fun and enjoying it. And I just enjoy being the dad, watching them and supporting them.

How do you look back on your career now, both collegiate and professional?

I remember the fond times and the great friendships and relationships that I’ve made through sports. I was back at Ole Miss earlier this week and, you know, seeing some of the same equipment managers are there and the SID person is still there, so get to see them and hang out. There’s obviously new coaches and new people involved, new players so I try to build a friendship and relationship with them and try to give back to the university. It’s still very, very dear to me, and important to me, and I have great pride in Ole Miss. And then the same with the Giants. I love the Giants organization and the ownership still involved there. But it’s really just about the friendships that I made, whether it’s through the training room and the equipment room to the players and the ownership and people in the front office. A lot of them, they’re lifers – they’re there, they love being there and I consider myself a lifer of my college and my pro team as well.

I think some of that is what we’re trying to push to our kids… with the Little Leagues and different things, what it’s all about, right?

It’s about having fun. It’s about relationships and friendships. And don’t get too far away from there. You can’t have the mindset that your seven-year-old daughter is going to be a professional softball player one day. That’s not the goal right now. It’s just to hopefully throw my kids into a lot of sports. Hopefully, they find something they’re passionate about and that they can do in high school and make great friends with. If they want to do it beyond that, that would be awesome. If they want to work at it and really commit to it, but it’s got to be on their terms.

Quick questions here just to wrap us up. Favorite mentors?

My coaches, David Cutcliffe and Tom Coughlin.

Favorite athletes you’ve interviewed?

I’ll go, hmm, Tim Tebow and Marshawn Lynch.

Favorite things to make on the grill?

I’m a grilled chicken and steak and burger guy. Keep it simple.

Your mom’s your favorite coach on that front?

On the grill, yes.

Who would win in a barbecue cook-off, you or Tom Brady?

Of course, I would win.

You didn’t make it to that roast either, right?

Yeah, he doesn’t know how to roast!

Favorite place to watch a game, couch, backyard, stadium, or behind the O-line?

To watch a game, I like being at games. I like being in the stadium and feeling the crowd and the atmosphere. I still think that’s the best.

Your favorite bowl game?

My favorite bowl game was the Cotton Bowl. My senior year, my last game in college, playing against Oklahoma State, and we got a big win and sent me off into the sunset of, you know, heading to the NFL.

Yeah, great memories….?

No doubt.

What are some takeaways, some thoughts that you’d like to share with young people or those who may need a lift up?

I think just hopefully by your actions after you make it.

The Boca Raton Bowl kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on December 18 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton. Learn more at www.BocaRatonBowl.com