In the forward to Ralph Vacchiano’s book, Ernie Accorsi, the former Giants general manager shares some advice that his lifelong friend and Colts scout Milt Davis gave him about evaluating quarterbacks.

“Ernie, listen to me. You evaluate the great quarterbacks on one element alone: Can they take their team down the field, with the championship on the line, and into the end zone? That’s how you evaluate a great quarterback.”

In “Eli Manning, The Making of a Quarterback,” Vacchiano takes us on the journey that led Accorsi and Manning to the Lombardi trophy last season. He takes us behind the scenes to how the team came to make Eli Manning their franchise quarterback. We follow Archie Manning, too nervous to watch Eli perform at the combine, choosing to drive his car aimlessly around the parking lot instead.

Vacchiano takes us back to Ole Miss, to draft day, to the tough seasons before the championship when so many doubted Eli would ever be the player that Accorsi believed he was. The book details how so many in the front office, including Wellington Mara, were not convinced Manning was the right player. We get a better understanding of the true relationship between Eli, his brother Peyton, and his father Archie. We learn that Eli formed a strong friendship with Plaxico Burress and how he dealt with criticism from all sides, including former teammate Tiki Barber.

The book is a great, brisk read and I recommend it to anyone who witnessed the culmination of Eli Manning’s hard work, as well as the trust, and belief that Accorsi had in him.