Last night, I decided to give the Manningcast a chance. I’m glad I did.
Marshawn Lynch, the first guest of the night, stole the show.
Lynch launched his appearance (there was a Pac-man machine in the background) by explaining that he had taken three shots of Hennessy (one for him, one for Peyton, and one for Eli) before the segment began. It was no surprise, then, that Marshawn casually dropped three “S” bombs during the segment.
Those drew no reactions or apologies from the Mannings during Marshawn’s appearance, which included a couple of commercial breaks during which Lynch could have been asked to clean it up and/or dropped prematurely. Only after Marshawn’s on-the-way-out-the-door “what the f--k?” during a confusing play by Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith did Peyton, after Lynch exited, apologize for the language.
It was a half-hearted apology, and for good reason. When you book Marshawn Lynch for a live TV appearance, you assume the risk that Lynch will talk like a real person. And real people, for the most part, drop “S” and “F” bombs.
Tom Brady visited for the second quarter, with his hat on backward (it’s apparently a midlife crisis thing, because he’s doing it all the time). He was entertaining, taking funny shots at defensive players and otherwise offering some insights about the game. But Lynch was a tough act to follow.
It was also tough to follow the game while listening to the discussion. I switched to the main broadcast for the second half. What I’ll do going forward is watch the live game, record the Manningcast, and then watch/listen to it the next morning. There’s too much good stuff happening to not watch it, and it’s so good that it actually takes away from the experience of watching the game.
