Peyton Manning was rebuffed by Patriots PR, but he was not offended.
The Patriots faced the Bills on “Monday Night Football,” with Peyton and brother Eli on ESPN2’s “Manningcast” simulcast.
Eli teed up his brother, who speaks with quarterbacks ahead of their MNF appearances.
“Peyton, you said you talked to Josh Allen. Did you talk to Mac Jones?” Eli asked, with a twinkle in his eye, knowing the answer.
The elder Manning said he tried to talk to Mac Jones, who respectfully referred him to Patriots PR, who declined the request. But, Peyton said, he wasn’t mad about it.
“I appreciate how they’re handling Mac Jones,” he said. “They are trying to protect him. Give him as few off-the-field distractions as possible. Let him concentrate on playing football.”
Peyton said Jones was the first quarterback this year that he hasn’t spoken to in preparation for their telecast.
“But I appreciate it,” he said. “Bill Polian, when I was a rookie with the Colts, did the same thing. He didn’t let the marketing department talk to me, or the communications department. He said, ‘It’s all football his first season. Don’t bother him.’”
Eli joked: “What about all the commercials?”
Peyton said that he didn’t do any commercials in his rookie year, before firing off a zinger.
“My second year, after throwing 28 interceptions, I felt like ‘Hey, I earned my platform here. I’m gonna start doing them.’”
