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Giants quarterback Eli Manning hoists the Vince Lombardi Trophy as head coach Tom Coughlin looks on Sunday after the Giants upset the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, 17-14.

RECENT SUPER BOWL MVPs
2008: Eli Manning, Giants
2007: Peyton Manning, Colts
2006: Hines Ward, Steelers
2005: Deion Branch, Patriots
2004: Tom Brady, Patriots
2003: Dexter Jackson, Buccaneers
2002: Tom Brady, Patriots

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Move over, Peyton. Make room in the Manning family trophy case, Archie.

Baby boy Eli is coming home with hardware all his own -- a Super Bowl ring and an MVP trophy to place alongside the ones his big brother brought back only a year ago.

The youngest son of a great quarterback and the baby brother of an even better one came into his own Sunday night, leading the New York Giants 83 yards on a final scoring drive to stun the New England Patriots, 17-14.

"That's a position you want to be in. You want to have the ball in your hands ... down, where you've got to score a touchdown," Manning said after accepting the MVP trophy from Terry Bradshaw, a pretty fair quarterback himself.

"I talked about it before with Peyton," Manning added a few moments later. "You want to be down four (points), where you have to score a touchdown. Because if you're down three, maybe we settle for the field goal."

Just a few weeks after fans and the media wanted to run Manning out of town, the kid will be crowned the king of New York. His stats won't bowl over people back in the Big Apple -- 19 of 34 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and an interception -- but the way he performed on that fateful final drive certainly will.

Earlier in the week, Manning joked about being forced to play "permanent center," while middle brother Peyton was the quarterback and older brother Cooper played receiver in all those backyard games at the Manning home in New Orleans.

"I guess this means I've stepped up," Eli said. "Maybe I can be a receiver now."

"Better than that," Peyton said outside the Giants locker room. "I guess I'll have to let him throw a few now."

Manning was at his best on the final drive. The biggest play was a 32-yard pass to David Tyree after he escaped an apparent sack. Moments later, he found Plaxico Burress for the winning 13-yard touchdown pass.

"He's always being compared to somebody, whether it's his dad or his brother or Phil Simms," said Giants center Shaun O'Hara, recalling Simms' 22-for-25 performance in the 1987 Super Bowl.

This one wasn't about precision, but grit.

"Tonight, I think Eli built himself a platform for others to be compared to him," said O'Hara.