When NBC announced about three weeks ago that Eli Manning would host "Saturday Night Live" on May 5, the pressure was on the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback. He was set to become the 11th professional football player to host the show and the fifth quarterback to do so. He was also to be judged against the last quarterback to host the show, his brother Peyton.
Manning broke a leg Saturday night -- relax, Jerry Reese, it's an acting term. He had the crowd at 30 Rock breaking into hysterics with a performance that rivaled Peyton's. Here's a look at three of the top skits of the night:
Manning has been criticized for being a quiet player on the field and an awkward player off the field. 'SNL' plays into this joke in a skit portraying an EA Sports motion-capture studio. When Manning is asked to create a touchdown celebration for virtual use, he starts with a basic celebration, putting his hands in the air. This is reminiscent of the image Sports Illustrated placed on the cover of the Giants Super Bowl XLII commemorative issue. Manning is then stood up by the likes of creative NFL stars Tim Tebow, Victor Cruz, Ray Lewis and Troy Polamalu. Manning comes up with a variety of awkward touchdown celebrations that are scoffed at by the EA developers.
Peyton's performance is probably most known for his “United Way" digital short. Eli responds with his own Digital Short entitled "Little Brothers." Manning acts as the defender of little brothers against older brothers that bully them. "Because we all know that big brothers can be read d---heads,” he says.
It is fitting that the NFL's most awkward Pro Bowler embraced society's most awkward topic: Sexting. In this scene, Manning is called to the stand in court to explain his alias during a murder. Manning uses his past text messages and web search history to claim his innocence. Message to all single men: Do not take flirting advice from Chad Kevin Jeremy, Manning's character in the skit.
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