No Love for Eli in Loss

The boos and rude chants came thundering down on Eli Manning from the moment he ran on the field, rising up every time he lined up under center.

San Diego fans got their payback, and it was raucous.

“I knew it was going to be loud,” said Manning, who spurned the Chargers 17 months ago, then lost to them as San Diego defeated the New York Giants, 45-23, on Sunday night.

While the sellout crowd of 65,373 delighted in tormenting Manning, it also exhorted the Chargers and LaDainian Tomlinson, who ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns and threw for another score.

Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes for the Chargers (1-2), who had 485 total yards. Manning threw for a career-high 352 yards and two touchdowns for the Giants (2-1), who gained 424 yards.

A few days before the 2004 draft, Manning’s camp told the Chargers to take someone else with the No. 1 pick, and implied the Mississippi star would sit out if San Diego selected him.

General Manager A.J. Smith took Manning anyway, then traded him to the Giants for quarterback Philip Rivers -- taken at No. 4 -- and a handful of picks.

Charger defenders said all week they were more concerned about getting a win than getting even with Manning.

Yeah, right.

After Manning had to call a timeout early in the second quarter deep in New York territory, the players egged on the crowd. When Donnie Edwards sacked Manning on the next play, fellow linebacker Steve Foley jumped all over Edwards in celebration.

Fans brought signs such as “Hey Eli, Nobody Likes You,” “Drew’s Your Daddy,” and “Daddy’s Little Girl,” a shot at Manning and his father, Archie.

“I saw my name on a few things,” Manning said. “I’m sure they made a good profit on T-shirts and things.”