Peyton Manning Shows Comic Touch, Acting Prowess In TV Ads

Writer Believes Manning's Comic Technique Is Far Superior To Other Athlete Pitchmen

While Colts QB Peyton Manning may seem to appear in "every other ad during football season," he is "not overexposed nearly enough," according to CBS' "Late Night" writer Bill Scheft in a special to SI. Viewers stop and "shush the room" for a Manning commercial, then the "game returns, and we go back to hoping he gets sacked." Manning can "win over his loudest haters with 30 seconds of bemused idiot-box philosophy." CBS' David Letterman said Manning "transforms himself so easily and readily from quarterback superstar to likable, condescending TV stooge." Scheft notes Manning is "not the first athlete to deliver a laugh on cue on behalf of a brand," but his comic technique is "galaxies ahead of other jock pitchmen." Manning is the "anti-shill," and is a "singular marketing tool who never seems to be hawking a product." Scheft: "For the life of me, most times I cannot remember who Manning is doing the commercials for." Manning "takes it seriously that he's playing a character who takes himself seriously," yet each of his commercials is "relentlessly minimal." He also "distances himself from himself" and his roots (SI, 1/26 issue).