Photo via Yahoo Sports

Eli Manning has become the perfect football fan

Eli Manning continues to embrace life following his playing days, balancing family pride and franchise loyalty. The former New York Giants passer recently praised prospective signal-caller Jaxson Dart while speaking warmly about his nephew, Arch Manning.

The younger Manning orchestrated a dramatic fourth-quarter rally for fourth-ranked Texas, overcoming a 23-3 deficit against top-ranked Ohio State with three final-period touchdown drives, prompting Eli to defend him against excessive public scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Eli teamed up with his brother Peyton Manning for their Week 1 alternate broadcast, which lined up appearances from John Elway and actress Kate Hudson. On the field, head coach John Harbaugh guided the Giants to a 28-20 victory against Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys to open the season, a matchup that substantiated the Dallas owner's pregame apprehension regarding his defensive unit.