Peyton Manning on Patriots: "I know it's bugged. I know it's got a hot mic in there."
1. ESPN will most likely ask Peyton Manning to say he was kidding, but if you watched last night’s alternate MNF broadcast live, you know he wasn’t kidding.
During Week 2 of the Peyton and Eli Manning Show during Monday Night Football, the former Colts quarterback revealed that he avoided talking near his locker when playing the Patriots because he thought there were recording devices planted nearby.
“Every time I played against New England,” said Peyton, “I used to go and talk to my receivers in the showers in the far corner. I’m like, 'Don't talk about a play next to my locker because I know it's bugged. I know it's got a hot mic in there.' We were in the shower. Very strange to see seven guys hanging out back there in the shower, but take all precautions.”
Former Steelers offensive lineman Ramon Foster seemed to back Manning’s claim.
ESPN wanted buzz from the Mannings for its ESPN2 alternative telecast, and now it has buzz.
Other highlights from Peyton and Eli included a great interview with Rob Gronkowski, who revealed he doesn’t watch film, doesn’t watch much football and wants to be in more commercials than any athlete ever.
Gronk also didn’t seem to have much interest in the Lions-Packers game.
Monday Night Mannings closed out late in the fourth quarter with Pat McAfee sharing a story about Peyton having the magic touch at roulette.
As I wrote last week, the Peyton and Eli Show is perfect for Monday nights when you don’t care much about the matchup. Last night proved that again.
2. Bad job by me not including this in yesterday's Traina Thoughts. I didn't see it until the afternoon, but it's still worth your time, especially after Aaron Rodgers's performance last night.
On Sunday, CBS's NFL Today crew went all in on Aaron Rodgers. It was rare to see every cast member on a network pregame show knock one of the best players in the league in such a straightforward way.
Is the CBS crew who Rodgers was referring to in his postgame comments last night after he threw four touchdown passes and completed 22 of 27 passes in Green Bay's 35–17 win?
3. Just another stellar week of the single best segment on all of sports TV, Bad Beats.
4. Marlins right fielder Jesús Sánchez pulled off the rare barehanded catch last night.
5. Here is the newly released trailer for the Kurt Warner biopic, American Underdog, starring Zachary Levy as Warner and Dennis Quaid as Dick Vermeil.
6. This week’s SI Media Podcast dropped early. A brand-new episode with Jimmy Kimmel, who is an executive producer on ESPN's latest 30 for 30 documentary, Once Upon a Time in Queens, is now available for your listening pleasure.
Jimmy’s Cousin Sal is also a producer on the doc and joins the podcast to discuss the best nostalgic moments from the film, why they wanted to tell the story of the 1986 Mets and which former players stood out for their performances in the show.
Kimmel also talks about his time on Fox's NFL pregame show, how much Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long hated him and almost getting voted off the NFL on Fox. Other topics discussed include why the 1980s were the best decade, what Kimmel’s mentality is doing a late-night show during the age of streaming, the one guest he’d like to have on his show, his reaction to going viral and which question he hates being asked.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy September 21. How amazing is this video?
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.