The “Monday Night Football” Mannings announced how to hang out at a bar with Peyton and Eli to watch a game.
If someone got as strong as Peyton when you first met him for a drink, you would be left without the joint shouting, “Omaha! Omaha! ”
At first, Peyton started talking at a million miles a minute, as if he was paid for the word, which could still be a cut of God knows how many millions ESPN deposits him directly to do these Zooms with his jazz . brother for 10 games “MNF”.
It was tough at first. As the show continued, as Peyton and Eli focused more on the intricacies of the game, rather than the Mannings nostalgia show, it improved. We want to hear his football genius. ESPN also noticed.
Halfway through, ESPN senior production vice president Lee Fitting suggested the Mannings focus more on football. Peyton, we were told, was receptive. That was the right call.
Still, it’s the “Monday Night” Mannings, so there’s no preseason. In such events, the impression of the first half is often more important than the second.
The show started slowly, which was largely due to Peyton being trouble-free, looking for big plays instead of pulling out just the 7-yard outings he needed.
He was making a Jon Gruden movie in games. He was confusingly explaining plays on a blackboard, which sure made sense to Peyton’s head, but we all didn’t throw 539 TDs in the NFL. I was trying on badly fitted helmets. He was too stupid.
The Mannings and ESPN agreed that the show did not need a host. It’s not easy to turn a quarterback into a TV show. At first, the show needed someone to calm things down, ask some follow-up questions so I could understand Peyton’s beautiful footballing mind.
It had to be looser. And it did a little more that way when American guest Charles Barkley showed up at the end of the first quarter.
Barkley is probably the best studio analyst ever in part because of his less homogeneous quality: his willingness to say what he really thinks.
Barkley is so honest on air that he is no longer a friend of Michael Jordan after being truthful about Jordan’s failures as Charlotte’s owner. Before Monday Night Manning began, Peyton said he would see flowers when there were weeds.
“I’ll be hard pressed to say anything negative,” Peyton said on Colin Cowherd’s podcast. “I’m going to be a quarterback defender, a player defender.”
Barkley immediately eased the broadcast, starting with Eli asking Barkley if he was trying to make money with the weekend bets. Barkley said he was ahead.
When Peyton doubted Barkley would ever be snatched at home, Barkley fired quickly and played in Philadelphia. Barkley added, while everyone can love Peyton, Eli knows they have snubbed him at home playing in New York.
When Ray Lewis joined the Mannings, they devoted themselves more to talking about football, mocking Eli, remembering that Lewis and the Ravens only played with Eli as a giant rookie.
All night, Eli was colder. His “it’s me” personality is easy to like.
Peyton is the star. He doesn’t seem to trust himself anytime soon, sounding and looking like a script. Spontaneous television cannot be planned. Topics come up and you just say what you think. This is the secret Barkley sauce.
It’s easy when you’re not trying to protect an image. You don’t need to have Barkley’s recreation, but you do need to be willing to share and just talk about what’s to come.
In the third quarter, Manning lamented a “horrible call” from the referees. He told a story of chewing an officer as a player. He felt so bad that he asked the NFL for the boy’s address so he could write him an apology letter. The NFL refused to give it to Manning
“They thought he was going to take care of his house or something,” Manning said.
He added: “The boy thinks I’m an idiot to this day.”
He was quirky and insightful. Pour me another.
In the fourth quarter, Russell Wilson joined the Mannings. This was a clinic where the quarterbacks thought late in the games. It was a lot of fun, even Wilson stayed for overtime.
This is what the show should be. You’re hanging out at a bar and you don’t want to leave.