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The Top 10 Manning Cast Guests from Eli and Peyton Manning’s First Season
The Manning Cast’s first season is now complete. ESPN2’s groundbreaking alternate Monday Night Football broadcast, presented by former NFL quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, concluded its inaugural season with the first-ever Monday night Wild Card game.
Now, we’ll take a look back at the previous season and rate the top ten Manning Cast guests from the show’s first season.
List of Manning Cast Guests
No one knew what to expect when Peyton Manning’s production business, Omaha Productions, announced a partnership with ESPN for a new sort of football broadcast.
What happened next was a thrilling, hilarious, embarrassing, interesting, and even vulgar new football-watching experience.
The show revolved around Peyton and Eli’s brotherly relationship.
The guests, on the other hand, were the ones who genuinely made the venture memorable.
Some guests were fine, some were less than good, and a few were just outstanding.
Here is a list of everyone who appeared on the Manning Cast this season:
WEEK GAME GUESTS
- Las Vegas Raiders 33, Baltimore Ravens 27 in Week 1
- Russell Wilson, Charles Barkley, Ray Lewis, and Travis Kelce
- Green Bay Packers 35, Detroit Lions 17 in Week 2
- Pat McAfee, Brett Favre, Rob Gronkowski, Patrick Willis
- Dallas Cowboys 41, Philadelphia Eagles 21 in Week 3
- Chris Long, Matthew Stafford, LeBron James, Nick Saban
- New Orleans Saints 13, Seattle Seahawks 10 in Week 7
- Drew Brees, Marshawn Lynch, Tom Brady, Sue Bird
- Kansas City Chiefs 20, New York Giants 17 in Week 8
- Michael Strahan, Josh Allen, and Michael Irvin
- San Francisco 49ers 31, Los Angeles Rams 10 in Week 10
- Phil Mickelson, Draymond Green, and Philip Rivers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30, New York Giants in Week 11 10 Julian Edelman, Bill Parcells, Kevin Hart, Condoleeza Rice
- New England Patriots 14, Buffalo Bills 10 in Week 13
- Aqib Talib, Joe Buck, and David Letterman
- Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Cleveland Browns 14 in Week 17
- Aaron Rodgers, Bill Cowher, Roger Goodell, Snoop Dogg
- Round of the Wild Card
- The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals 34-11.
- Russell Wilson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald
In season one of the Manning Cast, the visitors were veritable who’s who of NFL players, ex-players, and celebrity admirers.
However, some stood out above the others, so here are the top ten Manning Cast guests for the 2021 season.
Barkley, Charles
The Manning Cast is, at its core, two ex-athletes discussing football in a way that has never been done before.
While the Manning Cast concept is original, the idea that an ex-player can alter a television format via sheer force of personality and talking about the game in ways fans have never heard before isn’t.
Sir Charles Barkley performed something similar during NBA pregame programs.
So, who better kick off the first Manning Cast?
Rebound’s Round Mound did not disappoint either.
Barkley, dressed in a Carl Nassib Raiders shirt, was the ideal choice to launch a daring new concept.
Barkley came in with a bang, bragging about his NFL gambling, berating his high school football coaches, and mocking modern-day NBA players for complaining about infractions.
The Manning Cast was officially launched.
Michael Strahan
What distinguishes someone as one of the best Manning Cast guests? Many of the top visitors this season had two things in common: A) they had a previous relationship with Peyton and/or Eli
B) they had television/broadcast expertise.
Michael Strahan meets both of those requirements.
Strahan was an NFL great during the same era as Peyton Manning, and he played alongside Eli Manning.
Listening to the three of them converse was like sitting in a bar with three of the most fun, knowledgeable mates you could ask for.
The segment’s running highlight was Strahan and Eli voicing their rage at how far their beloved New York Giants have gone.
Aaron Rodgers
During his Manning Cast appearance, Aaron Rodgers gave everything we’ve come to expect from him over the last year.
The contentious quarterback shared a charming narrative about how he and Pat McAfee became friends, discussed football with the Mannings on a level that no mortal person can comprehend, and drove the internet into a frenzy by pointing to Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” on his bookcase.
Whether you like or dislike Rodgers, it’s difficult to turn away when he’s on TV.
The Mannings did an excellent job of capturing the energy.
Phil Mickelson
Pat McAfee tweeted during Phil Mickelson’s participation that the golfer “understands the job” of participating on the Manning Cast.
During the broadcast, it appeared as if his entire aim was to roast Peyton and Eli, and he succeeded.
Whether it was informing the two quarterbacks that the Manning Cast Curse is a real thing or dissecting Eli’s “beautiful little” golf swing, Mickelson demonstrated his crazy, humorous, trash-talking persona that he’s built on social media and throughout The Match.
While the Manning Cast as a whole makes you want to watch football with Peyton and Eli, Mickelson’s visit revealed that there is almost certainly no one on the planet who would be more fun to play 18 with than the six-time Major winner.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the most cheerful, upbeat, and fun person in sports entertainment.
The wrestler/actor/businessman/potential future President of the United States was an excellent guest to spend half an hour with.
He delivered amazing stories about his football days at Miami and made an incredible motivational address to the failing Arizona Cardinals.
Johnson’s explanation of how he acquired the XFL to give more football players an opportunity to reach the one and only dream that didn’t come true in his life: making the NFL, was one of the more uplifting sections of his visit.
Rob Gronkowski
Tight end with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rob Gronkowski has no filters, which makes him ideal for a live TV broadcast and one of the finest Manning Cast guests.
Gronk boasted that he doesn’t practice on Fridays because he is “Red Zone Robby G, baby” and doesn’t need to practice catching touchdowns.
He also admitted to the notoriously studious Peyton and Eli that he doesn’t watch movies.
He merely asks his longtime quarterback, Tom Brady, who he should run by, and then does it.
After getting a talking-to from head coach Bruce Arians, Gronkowski eventually walked back his film comments.
Manning Cast viewers, on the other hand, now know the truth. Gronk takes off.
Gronk makes a catch. Gronk has a goal. Gronk’s spikes It’s as simple as that, and it’s amazing.
Snoop Dogg
As much as you’d like to have a beer or a cocktail with many of the celebs on this list, Snoop Dogg has once again confirmed his longstanding, well-earned reputation as the one person in the world with whom you’d be most likely to share… well… something else.
Snoop D-O-Double G was cool and witty, as well as passionate and knowledgable about football. His involvement with the game dates back a long time.
He also manages a youth football league in the Los Angeles area, which has produced NFL players such as Juju Smith-Schuster.
Also, Snoop giving the buttoned-up Eli Manning a Death Row Records chain for his birthday — “for being so hip hop” — and the producers photoshopping the rapper into a Manning Family photo as the fourth Manning brother were two of the season’s highlights.
Marshawn Lynch
Former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch was one of the best Manning Cast guests because he exemplified a former player who opted to unwind and hang out with the Mannings on a Monday night.
The Beast Quake runner admitted to the Mannings that he had three shots of Hennessy prior to his appearance. “I took one for myself, one for big bruh, and one for tiny bruh,” Lynch explained.
That could explain why he said three “s****” and one “f***” on live television.
It was fantastic.
McAfee, Pat
One of the only things that could improve the Manning Cast (and make it a little less awkward) is if the broadcast had a host to act as a traffic officer and help the show flow a little more smoothly.
Where can you find an ex-NFL player who knows Peyton and Eli and has legitimate hosting credentials?
Pat McAfee steps in.
If the Mannings want to improve the show, the sports talk host would be an excellent addition to the broadcast next season.
McAfee, in his presence, led the conversation when necessary while allowing the brothers to shine.
He also shared his incredible Red 18 story, which enhanced the program.
Let’s hope the Manning Cast of 2022 includes Peyton, Eli, and Pat.
Also, read Giancarlo Stanton, Matthew Christopher Schnell, John Daly’s Married Life:
Tom Brady
The Manning Cast allows NFL fans to spend time conversing with two renowned quarterbacks about life and football.
Three legendary quarterbacks.
Listening in on a conversation between probably the two best signal-callers in NFL history, as well as the only QB to beat the GOAT twice, was a real treat.
It was a football fan’s fantasy to see Brady on the Manning Cast.
The three quarterbacks, who have won 11 Super Bowls between them, chatted football, broke one other’s chops, and appeared to have a fantastic time together.
It was a great delight for fans and the apex of what the Manning Cast can be, which is why Brady was the best Manning Cast guest this season.
If Pat McAfee does not join the Manning brothers on the broadcast next season, perhaps they will add Brady to the broadcast when he eventually retires, just in time for the Manning Cast’s 20th anniversary in 2041.
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