Peyton Manning learns that even the master pitchman can sometimes be the butt of the joke
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Peyton Manning is as prolific a pitchman as he is a passer, and he can't even avoid all the commercials he stars in.
"I change the channel immediately," Manning said. "And if other teammates are in the room, I run out of the room. I don't even want to hear the abuse coming my way. I don't watch a ton of TV, so I don't see a lot of it. But that's what I do, I change the channel. Nobody should be caught watching themselves on a commercial."
Even when his mug isn't on the TV, Manning receives pot shots.
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One of Manning's latest endorsements is for Nationwide Insurance, and in the commercial he delivers a series of seven-syllable sing-songs to the company's "Nationwide is on your side" jingle.
He hollers out "50-Omaha-set-hut!" on the football field. Then in the cold tub mutters "Losing feeling in my toes." As he's driving, he sings, "Nothing beats that new car smell." Then, in a kitchen he bites into a sandwich after admiringly singing, "Chicken 'parm,' you taste so good."
That last ditty caught up to him recently.
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"We had some chicken parmesan in the lunch room the other day and he was loading it up and I said, 'Hey, what is that?'" Denver Broncos teammate Mitch Unrein recounted Wednesday.
"Oh, it's chicken 'parm,'" Manning replied.
"I was like, 'Oh, does it taste so good?" Unrein cracked.
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All Manning could do was join in the laughter.
"It was a layup," Manning said. "I just served it right up to him."
And yes, it did taste good.
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"It was not bad," Manning said.
Not many teammates have the guts to razz Manning.
"I didn't know what was going to happen when I started giving him a hard time about it, "Unrein said. "But he was a good sport about it."
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It takes some serious panache to poke fun at the five-time MVP, and Unrein certainly has that. After all, he's the most surprising member of the touchdown-catch club in Manning's career
Denver's fourth-year defensive tackle lined up at fullback on Dec. 2, 2012, slipped into the left flat on first-and-goal from the 1 and hauled in Manning's floater to help the Broncos beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23.
"Everyone can (roast him), but it takes a certain amount of guts to do it," Unrein said. "And I was feeling lucky that day. ... It kind of just came to me and I decided to give him a hard time."
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Manning was asked if he told Unrein he won't be catching any more touchdown passes from him as a result of being a wise guy.
"Yeah, he said he doesn't have any more room in his trophy case to put the ball," Manning said. "So, I don't think he can have another."
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Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton