As part of the Eli Manning-Patrick Willis Day, the two former Rebel All-Americans took part in several activities in Oxford. The pair led the current Ole Miss team down the Walk of Champions before speaking to fans in the Grove and receiving several awards. Before taking part in Grove Bowl pre-game activities. Manning and Willis each met with the media.

Eli Manning:

On walking through the Walk of Champions:

“It was great to get back to the Walk of Champions. It’s been four years since my last time. I kind of took the lead. I know the coach is usually supposed to lead the way, but I figured this might be my only opportunity to lead it off. So I jumped ahead of Coach Nutt and I think he was ok with it. But it was fun and it’s great to be back in Oxford and to get to walk through there. It brought back a lot of old memories. It was great to see all the fans and the same people who supported me when I was here. They’re still supporting me with the Giants. It’s fun to be back here.”

On keeping up with Ole Miss football:

“I still keep up with Ole Miss football as much as I can. I get to come down to one game a year during an off week. I have the whole college package and every Saturday I can usually find it on TV. If not, I find it on the radio and keep up with what’s going on with the program. I am excited about Coach Nutt coming in. I have met with him a few times and talked to him. I think he is a great addition to the Ole Miss family. He’s a guy that understands SEC football and what it takes to win. I think our program is on the rise. We have some great kids and great players. It’s just a matter of time. We are headed in the right direction.”

On what It’s like around New York after winning the Super Bowl:

“It’s been fun around New York and it’s been fun to hear everybody’s story about that game. I saw a great video the other day. It was a five-minute collection of home videos of people’s reaction from that game all put together. On the game-winning touchdown, everybody just started jumping up and screaming. It’s been unbelievable being in New York and hearing everyone’s story about where they were watching the game and some of the funny things that happened around it.”

On what sparked the Super Bowl run:

“I think the thing that helped last year was we never put our heads down. At the beginning of the season we were 0-2, but we never got frustrated and never said we have to make a dramatic change. We just said we have to play better football. We had a little team meeting and that’s what we did. We started making plays and playing better football. We got on a little hot streak winning six in a row and then kind of got off and on a little bit. But at the end of the season we got all our players back. We got Plaxico (Burress) back practicing during the week and we got some rookies that stepped in and filled into their roles. We got Steve Smith back in the offense. We went into the playoffs with everybody healthy and playing our best football. I thought the last game of the season and through the playoffs, that we were playing better football than anybody at the time. We had that confidence and that momentum working for us, which is what helped us make that run through the playoffs”

On his meeting with the players:

“I talked to them today. Coach Nutt asked Patrick (Willis) and me to talk to the players and I wanted to leave a message of accountability. I said you have to be accountable to Ole Miss, accountable to your family and friends, your hometown, to the football program, your teammates and to yourself. A lot of those things include doing your schoolwork, staying out of trouble and being accountable for your actions. It’s a great time in your life. Enjoy it. Enjoy every second of it. The harder you work and the more committed you are to your football team the better this program will be. There is no better thing than having a winning season and wining in the SEC.  I still have fond memories of my senior year, winning six SEC games and playing in an SEC game that counted. We never got to go to the championship, but we were playing LSU for a shot to go to the SEC championship. The atmosphere of that game was incredible. It was a wonderful experience. It takes dedication, work and doing all the right things to get there. I think we have a great coaching staff that has been applied here. It’s just a matter of the guys buying into the system and the effort it takes to give them an opportunity to get to a championship and win games here.”

On his increased celebrity:

“We started workouts last week and the message that I have tried to relate to everyone is that we have to become a better team. Last year we played four good games at the end of the season, but we didn’t have a complete season. We were playing better than anybody at that time, but I want to become a better team for those sixteen regular season games. We got hot, but what if you don’t get hot? We have to be good enough to win games when we are not playing at our best sometimes. I have to improve as a quarterback and as a player. I think everybody has to have that feeling. We have to become a better team. Just because you won a championship last year doesn’t mean you get to take a year off. I want that feeling again. We have to approach this year with the same attitude as last year. We don’t have to talk about anything, make predictions or get into that, but we have to become a better team. That’s our goal and that’s what we are working towards.”

On talking to Brett Favre:

“I talked to him briefly and he congratulated me. Through a quarterback standpoint, Brett has been the guy I’ve looked up to. He’s the ringleader that sets all the rules. You watch him and love the way he plays. I haven’t talked to him since. However, he did get a message to me, congratulating me again and he told me good luck on the Super Bowl. We are going to miss him. The way he played, conducted himself on and off the field, and the energy and enthusiasm he brought to the NFL.”

On dealing with criticism:

“Winning a championship is bigger and more important than to say, ‘I told you so.’ It’s more important to myself, to the organization and to the team. It’s not one person winning a game, but the whole city, a whole organization, teammates and family members. You win a championship, it’s not just you, it’s everybody surrounding you and everybody associated with you and that’s what it is all about. It’s been an unbelievable year. I have enjoyed it so much. You look back on all the things that could have gone differently. You could have lost that game or you could have not made it to the playoffs, but that is what makes you grateful for it and appreciate it even more. You realize how many breaks you have to catch at times and how many things have got to go your way in order to win a championship.”

On being an Ole Miss Rebel:

“I am very proud to be associated with Ole Miss. I had a wonderful time my four-and-a-half years here. The friends I made and the relationships that I have been a part of through my coaches, my teachers, the students and the family of Ole Miss is amazing. It’s a wonderful place and I love coming back here. I spend time here as much as I can. I feel honored to be a part of the family. It’s been a great place for me to attend school and a great place for me to come back afterwards.”

Patrick Willis:

On the Walk of Champions:

“It felt great to do that today. Just walking through there brought back memories. I know it wasn’t that long ago, but it’s memories that you think about when you are at home. On Saturday, after we have finished practicing, you think about how your college team is going to do. That’s all they talk about. Every time there are two SEC teams playing, there’s a bet. It may not be for money, but more like, “Hey, if my team beats your team, you have to buy me dinner for a week.” It’s all fun and games. It brought back memories. Also too, once you drive to the stadium, you don’t get to have all those fans screaming for you outside the parking lot. It’s private. You park your car, go right into the facility and get dressed. You don’t get to hear them until it’s time for the game. It was fun being able to walk down the Walk of Champions today.”

On his memories of coach Nutt:

“Anytime you have a rivalry coach you’ve played against, it’s a strength. Just to see the guys’ body language and their mindset was great. I remember coming back the weekend of my birthday and visiting with the guys to see them work out. It was an entirely different mindset. Just to see those guys excited for no reason means a lot. It means that something different is going to happen. Something is going to change. I remember playing against him and the whole offensive line coming off the ball so ferocious. I was just like, ‘Man, this offense is going to be on our case.’ But the coach can only do so much. The players have to do a whole lot. I really wish them the best. I think they are going to do well.”

On the difference between the college and professional game:

“I went to all my classes. I can’t say I missed one day of classes that wasn’t required for us to be there. For the most part, I can’t say in my four years that I just missed a day in class, was in trouble for missing class or anything like that. It’s different now in the NFL. It’s a job. You’re there at 7:30 in the morning until four or five in the afternoon. There’s no going to class and taking an hour nap before practice. Once you get there, you’re going to work.”