Miller, Brady Help Manning Deliver MVP-Caliber ESPYs Hosting Job
LOS ANGELES (CBS4) - Peyton Manning has been out of the spotlight for a while, but on Wednesday night the former Broncos quarterback hosted of the annual ESPY Awards and put his comedic skills on full display.
In Manning's opening monologue he poked fun at many of the world's top athletes, but he was also not afraid to make a bit of fun of himself.
When he said he was impressed by tennis star Serena Williams' win in the Australian Open "while she was carrying a child," he followed it with:
"I mean that's even more impressive than two years ago when the Denver Broncos defense won the Super Bowl while carrying me."
He then pointed out his former teammate Von Miller in the audience, and said "Thanks again, pal. I owe you."
About an hour and a half into the show the New England Patriots were honored with the Best Game award for their shocking comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl.
Afterwards, Manning took a seat next to Von Miller in the crowd and asked him for his thoughts.
"I didn't even watch (the Super Bowl)," Miller said. "Did you?"
PHOTO GALLERY: Current (& Former) Broncos At The ESPYs
Manning, who of course battled the Patriots numerous times throughout his NFL career, rolled his eyes, sighed, and said he did. He then showed a hilarious skit in which he pretended to watch the game at home with friends.
In "Peyton Manning's Super Bowl Party" Manning tells his buddies on the couch he's "just looking for some clean, competitive football."
"I don't even have a dog in this fight," Manning says with his dry delivery as highlights from the early parts of the game are shown. But then he reveals he's wearing a Falcons T-shirt as he unzips his sweatshirt.
When the last Falcons touchdown is shown, Manning makes a reference to his Broncos win in Super Bowl 50.
"You know it's tough winning a Super Bowl in the twilight of your career. Only the greats can pull it off," he said.
But it becomes pretty obvious in the skit that Manning wants a Patriots loss. Badly. And as the Patriots start their epic comeback he tries to:
- Change the channel to House Hunters International
- Set off the fire alarm with a lighter
- Vaccuum
Finally, Manning gets so mad about the Patriots that he launches a football at the TV and smashes it.
In another funny skit during the broadcast, Manning moves into a retirement home and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's pretend grandmother "Ruth" becomes his nemesis. Brady makes a cameo appearance via Skype and the two former rivals exchange greetings.
"Grandma, I used to play football with Peyton," Brady says.
Ruth then says "Ooh, isn't that wonderful" and asks Peyton "Did you win five Super Bowls, too?" much to his chagrin.
In addition to Miller, Manning's former Broncos teammates Derek Wolfe and Brandon Marshall also attended Wednesday's awards ceremony.
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