When it comes to football last names, Peyton Manning’s son, Marshall, has a great one. But when Marshall lines up for his flag football games, in what Peyton calls a “very sophisticated offense,” Marshall instead puts Josh Allen’s name on his back.
Peyton Manning begrudgingly told the story Monday on ESPN’s Manning Cast, where he and brother Eli Manning bounce from goofy sibling banter to the deep expertise that comes from 541 combined NFL games and four Super Bowl wins.
Allen was a guest during the third quarter of the Kansas City-New York Giants game. Kansas City edged out a 20-17 win, but that’s really secondary. The true competition Monday night was between the Bills quarterback and the Hall of Famer for the love of Peyton’s 10-year-old son.
It happened by way of a birthday gift that backfired in multiple ways. First, Peyton said Marshall is “the biggest Josh Allen fan,” so when Allen sent a signed, game-worn jersey, Peyton realized all following birthday gifts will be disappointing. Then, Marshall insisted it on wearing it for games, which was the dagger.
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“My son’s name is Manning. It’s my name. It’s my dad’s name. … Instead, what does he put? J. Allen,” Peyton said.
“Please tell him that’s not a nice way to treat his father.”
Allen was asked last week if he would ever go on the broadcast. There’s a precedent for current players jumping on. Tom Brady was on last week. Russell Wilson, Rob Gronkowski and Matthew Stafford have all been guests. Allen said he’d “definitely go on” if asked, but he wasn’t necessarily expecting a call.
“I think most of the current players, though, are kind of longtime vets that have been in this league for a while,” Allen said. “I don't know if I have the insight they're looking for. Let's just say I wouldn't give them any sound bites or clips.”
Here’s the thing: When you follow Marshawn Lynch, who last week did three shots ahead of the game and rolled in with a “What’s up, big dawgs?” and rode off in a cloud of FCC fines, you’re already playing from behind. So Allen applied the same lesson he’s learned in games: He tried not to force it.
Wearing a hoodie (as opposed to a quarter-zip) and a Bills hat, and sitting with a Labatt Blue neon light over one shoulder and bubble hockey over the other, Allen was authentically himself. He wasn’t much spicier than the whole piece of grilled chicken that Peyton Manning inhaled during halftime with no silverware and little to no breathing in between bites.
But he surely hit bingo on expected talking points during his appearance. He got asked about Halloween costumes, table smashing and crushing beers. He talked about stacking wins and playing in a week-to-week league. He corrected Eli Manning on his weight (“240, easy”). And he, of course, ended it all with a “Go Bills.”
Allen’s one nugget of information was when asked about playing against the elements in Buffalo: “I know our new stadium is probably not going to be a dome, so I’m gonna have to be playing in those elements for a long time.”
For the most part, though, Allen let the Manning brothers run the show. Maybe he was once again learning by osmosis – they of course brought up that Allen attended the Manning Passing Academy, the only surprise being it wasn’t mentioned earlier on the broadcast. Allen’s followed the pair in other ways. His stats are nowhere near Peyton’s or Eli’s, but Allen has been doing a few more commercials this year. It’s been illuminating in a sense.
“I have a lot of respect for actors and actresses and what they do, because I don't think it's for me,” he told The Buffalo News earlier this year.
Now, acting isn’t exactly the same as commentating, but still, it doesn’t seem Allen went particularly out of his way to tell others around Orchard Park to tune in for the big production.
“Is he on tonight? Yeah, well maybe I'll try and turn it on,” coach Sean McDermott said. “Knowing Josh’s sense of humor and the Manning brothers’ sense of humor, it'll be good TV for everyone out there, all the viewing folk out there.”
Those who tuned in got to hear Peyton praise Allen and Patrick Mahomes, but while balancing that with a critique based off a party earlier this year.
“It wasn't cool that you drank all the beers at our party,” Peyton said. “I had to make like three beer runs. I didn’t want to disappoint the two best quarterbacks in the league. I wanted to make sure they were happy.”
“We had a bunch of Blue Lights,” Allen answered, a nod to his beer of choice, Labatt. “I had to take them down. And actually, there’s a funny story about (Kansas City backup quarterback) Chad Henne.
“He came up to me and introduced himself as Pat’s quarterback coach. And a couple of beers later, I didn’t know really who he was, and he was extremely mad when I found out it was Chad, and I didn’t know it was Chad. So I went up to him when we played in Kansas City, (and said) ‘What’s up, coach? How you doing?’ Just poking some fun at him.”
A few minutes later, after Allen bravely revealed a character flaw on live TV (he doesn’t like Halloween), he gave his analysis of some costumes. Allen said Eli Manning’s Mario costume had a “Davis Webb mustache.” Eli, who overlapped with Webb on the Giants, agreed, before unexpectedly annihilating the Bills practice squad quarterback.
“Davis has got a mullet now and a mustache. He’s kinda surrendered on the personal appearance deal,” Eli Manning said in his most Eli Manning voice.
Eli also asked Allen about former-quarterback-now-tight-end Dawson Knox’s two-point conversion pass against the Titans. At first, it was nearly identical to Allen’s postgame answer, down to his impression of Knox. Until, however, he added an important detail.
“He gave me the old Eli Manning bird,” Allen said, acknowledging Knox’s gesture to Allen as he heaved the ball.
What matters now is if Allen can break the ancient (five-appearance sample size) Manning Cast curse. It helps that while battling any greater forces, it’s the 1-6 Jaguars that Allen will face on the field. If he wins that and then can keep stacking wins, as the Bills like to do, he’s got another goal in mind.
Toward the end of Allen’s appearance, Eli Manning asked what it would take for Allen to jump through a table, and if perhaps it could just happen if a fan “asked very nicely.”
“I mean, I've done it for less,” Allen said. “But I think my standards are a little higher now. It's got to be a Super Bowl appearance, Super Bowl win. I think as long as we get to that parade, maybe off the top rope of whatever bus I’m on.”
Now that would be must-see TV for all the viewing folk out there.
