Peyton Manning Even Audibles Comedy

Great anecdote in Peter King’s newest Monday Morning Quarterback article today about when Peyton Manning hosted Saturday Night Live.

Not that this will come as a surprise, but he exhibited commitment, attention to detail, and incredible field awareness that even led to a pitch-perfect audible.

Shocking, right?

Monday Morning Quarterback, 11/9 — (Peter King, SI.com)

Most who know Manning talk about his competitiveness. Tony Dungy said he thought when Manning agreed to host Saturday Night Live after the Colts won the Super Bowl, he wouldn’t take it as an all-expense-paid vacation week in New York. It’d be a work week. “He’d want to be the best host they ever had,” said Dungy.

“The first day, Monday, you could tell how much it mattered to him,” said Seth Meyers, a nine-year vet on the show. “He came in with a big binder with color-coded tabs, and he’d take notes on everything. Even though we’d pass out script changes as the week went on, he’d be taking notes about all the changes.”

One of Manning’s skits was a faux NFL/United Way commercial. Manning and a bunch of 8- to 13-year-old kids lined up for a pickup game on a Manhattan field, Manning being the NFL hero, the kids being the starstruck kids. Manning played the game like they were NFL players, whipping the ball like Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne were his wideouts. When an 11-ish-year-old boy got nailed in the back with a pass, Manning looked totally disgusted and stared the kid down. “All right, back in here, let’s go … except you. I can’t even look at you. Go sit in the port-o-let for 20 minutes. Stay in there!”

The kid went into the portable toilet on the side of the field, then peeked out. Manning yelled, “WHY IS THAT DOOR OPEN! Close the door!”

The cast on hand couldn’t believe it. The portable toilet wasn’t even a part of the skit. Manning changed the play at the thespian line of scrimmage. “Totally unscripted,” Meyers said. “Hilarious. It was an excellent example of how he sees the field. Off the top of his head, he just improvised.”

Improvise. Now there’s a word you’d better know if you play receiver for the Colts.

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* – Peyton Manning photo credit: RichyRocks.com

Tags: monday morning quarterback, peter king, peyton manning, satuday night live, SI.com

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