Lazerus: Eli content in Peyton’s shadow

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New York Giants' Eli Manning during a news conference, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Giants will face the New England Patriots in the NFL football Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Updated: March 3, 2012 11:35AM

INDIANAPOLIS — Eli Manning took several of his offensive teammates out for a steak dinner at St. Elmo on Monday night. He said not a single fan came up to him and asked him about big brother Peyton.

Hope he enjoyed it.

Because the rest of the week has been and will continue to be as much about the Manning brother who’s not playing in Super Bowl XLVI as the one who is.

For those of us little brothers out there who always felt overshadowed by our spotlight-stealing older siblings, well, just imagine being Eli Manning right now.

Here he is at the pinnacle of his career. He’s never been more respected and he’s never been better. He threw for nearly 5,000 yards this season. Dramatically cut back on his interceptions. Broke the record for fourth-quarter touchdown passes with 15 — a record that had previously been shared by Peyton. Outplayed presumptive MVP Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Overcame the ferocious 49ers front four in San Francisco. Has won five elimination games in a row. Is back in the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons.

And all anybody wants to talk about? All together now, Jan Bradys of the world: 

Peyton, Peyton, Peyton!

During Media Day on Tuesday, Eli fielded Peyton-related questions in waves, as new throngs of reporters routinely rotated his way. He was asked about Peyton’s neck, about Peyton’s future with the Colts, about Peyton’s legacy, about being Peyton’s little brother, even about whether he still had bunkbeds back home for the two of them.

And what was the biggest national news story of the day on Tuesday? The circus-like day on which the spotlight shines brightest on the stars of the two Super Bowl teams?

Peyton did some interviews. And in those interviews? He said he didn’t want to be a Super Bowl week distraction.

“It’s not the way it should be,” Peyton told ESPN. “I really don’t think it will be as the week goes on.”

Yeah. Good luck with that.

Now, while Peyton’s not exactly helping matters, it’s an inevitable storyline — Peyton’s little brother, playing Peyton’s biggest rival, in the House that Peyton Built. At the end of the most miserable year of Peyton’s career.

It’s like catnip to those of us in the media. We can’t resist. We bat it around and obsess over it and think about it everywhere we go. We ask Eli about it. We ask Tom Brady about it. We ask front-office types and coaches about it. We ask fans about it. We ask Peyton about it.

And so Eli flies under the radar — well, as far under the radar as a Super Bowl MVP who plays the highest-profile position in the nation’s biggest media market can fly. He doesn’t get the attention. He doesn’t get the fawning. He doesn’t get the storyline.

But like any good little brother, Eli doesn’t really seem to care. He’s used to it by now. So he happily answers each question — Peyton has a great attitude, Peyton will get through this, Peyton is going to do everything he can to make sure he gets back to 100 percent. And he eludes any controversy with the same slipperiness with which he eludes pass rushers.

“I’m just happy to be here, Indianapolis is a great town,” he said when asked about playing in his brother’s city. “I’ve watched games in this stadium of Peyton, obviously. But I think the most important thing is the fact that we’re playing for a championship. We’re trying to get a win, and it’d be special to do it in Indianapolis.”

The very next question? Would a second Super Bowl win give Eli bragging rights over Peyton?

Eli sighed, smiled, and pleasantly responded.

“The satisfaction is all in the chance to get a Super Bowl,” he said. “When you’re dealing with this, it’s not about competition with your brother. It’s about what it means for the organization, for the coaches, for all the players on the team. It’s bigger than bragging rights at home.”

It’d be easy for Eli Manning to get tired of all this. Maybe he has. But he’s not showing it. He’s not rattled. Not flustered. Not frustrated. Not exasperated.

That’s just Eli Manning. Whether it’s the first quarter or the fourth quarter, the first Peyton question or the 40th Peyton question, nothing changes — not his expression, not his tone, not his attitude. You wonder if he’s entirely human sometimes.

It’s how he’s gotten this far in the first place, how he went from a borderline bust to a possible bust in Canton. Former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner, who was Manning’s mentor in his rookie season of 2004, was unsure if the top overall pick would ever come close to matching the hype he came into the NFL with. But one thing stuck out.

“Some of those games were some of the ugliest games of quarterbacking I’ve seen in my life,” Warner said on Wednesday. “But one thing I did see, and that you continue to see, is his resolve, his consistency and his character. When he was going through all the boos, and all the talk because he wasn’t playing well, he didn’t change. He was able to handle that. I think that’s his greatest attribute as a quarterback. Being in New York, being in the Manning family, being Peyton’s brother, blah blah blah blah blah — he never let any of that stuff affect the person he is or how he goes about the game. And that’s why I think he’s had so much success, because he’s been able to weather all those storms.”

Works on the field. Works on the podium.

And who knows? If he can beat the Patriots and outduel the great Tom Brady for a second time this Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, maybe he’ll finally stop being Peyton’s little brother. Maybe Peyton will become Eli’s big brother.

But probably not. More likely, one of the first questions will be: “So, have you spoken to Peyton yet?”

Then Eli will smile.

And little brothers everywhere will smile right along with him.