Quarterback Club: Rodgers Starts Sixth Season With State Farm; Gatorade Debuts Cam Ad

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and LB Clay Matthews appear in a new State Farm ad with a "host of fictional teammates in what is supposed to be the Packers' locker room," according to Jason Wilde of ESPN.com. The ad "opens with Rodgers and Matthews firing up their team with a joint pregame speech." Rodgers is in his sixth season working with State Farm, and during a recent appearance on ESPN Radio Wisconsin 540, he said that he "actually uses two of the products he endorses." Rodgers: "I drive a Ford truck; I have State Farm insurance" (ESPN.com, 9/8). In Green Bay, Kendra Meinert writes the ad is "sure to create a real buzz" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 9/9).

I'M GONNA LET IT SHINE: In Charlotte, Katherine Peralta noted Gatorade released a new ad featuring Panthers QB Cam Newton prior to Thursday's season-opener against the Broncos that "harkens back [to] images" of Super Bowl 50. The ad starts with the postgame press conference "from which Newton notoriously walked away after less than 3 minutes in front of media." It then "shows Newton cradling his young son, Chosen, and rewatching" a play from Super Bowl 50. The ad, which is set to "This Little Light of Mine," takes a "much more upbeat tone after that, showing Newton hitting the weight room, running across a practice field, going through team drills, signing autographs and finally joyfully running into a packed stadium in full white uniform" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 9/8).

DIFFERENT KIND OF SKILL SET: Retired Broncos QB Peyton Manning on Thursday morning "did some promotional work" for DirecTV, as he "tested his skills at negotiating household chores at the 'Peyton Manning Retirement Combine' set up at the kickoff festival." The DirecTV booth let fans "run an obstacle course of chores, including laundry and mowing the yard" (DENVER POST, 9/9). Meanwhile, Manning's continued commercial appearances even in retirement caught the attention of two late-night talk-show hosts. NBC's Jimmy Fallon noted Trevor Siemian replaced Manning in the Broncos' lineup Thursday night, and he said, "Before kickoff, Peyton put his arm around Trevor's shoulder, he looked into his eyes and he said, ‘You know, starting today, you can get two medium Papa John's pizzas for six bucks’” ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 9/9). ABC's Jimmy Kimmel said, "Peyton retired at the end of last season so he could spend more time grocery shopping with Lionel Richie” ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC, 9/9).