Can Eli Manning Be An 'Elite' Saturday Night Live' Host?

By: The Football Girl | Posted: May 04, 2012

On the spectrum of buzz for New York quarterbacks, Eli Manning almost always falls a distant third.  If you have visited Manhattan in the past two months, you know it has turned into the land of Tebow billboards. His star power is one of life’s undeniable truths. And Mark Sanchez with his inability to get over the hump of average ability to date Kate Upton and others from the younger sect occupies the silver slot of quarterback conversation.  Then there’s Eli.  The guy who has led the Giants to two Super Bowls wins. Remember him?

Tomorrow night when takes the stage at 30 Rock for his first stint as Saturday Night Live host, Eli and only Eli will be the star. 

He had a glimpse of the feeling in the weeks following his Super Bowl win.  Talk of his place among not only the best Mannings, but all NFL quarterbacks was rampant.  But then the Tebow Train rolled into town and the Eli conversation vanished into thin air.  It’s like at the Combine when John Elway is in the midst of holding his press conference on Podium A , but then Andrew Luck simultaneously begins his on Podium B. Goodbye Elway.

Luckily for Eli, Mad TV has been cancelled and as far as I know, there’s no 24/7 "Timmy TV" channel (yet). Tomorrow night is all about the original “other” Manning.

Just how will Eli fare?  Once the shy boy who seemed like his vocabulary consisted of little more than two words, “aw” and “shucks,” Eli has certainly come into his own in recent years.  Since his last major choke-job in 2010 - which consisted of blowing a sizeable lead against the Eagles in and showing up to an empty postgame press conference (minus some dude with a back) – Eli has played football, and conducted media interviews with flair.   His most MVP moment came last year when he declared himself an “elite” quarterback, even though history didn’t support it.  Commentators and fans mocked him. But guess what? He just turned into an elite quarterback.  Just like that. 

There is no doubt Eli has the tools for a successful SNL hosting turn tomorrow night.  Of course the comparisons to Peyton will be come hard.  (How annoying to have a brother SO good at football and SO good at sketch comedy.)  But just like he has on the football field, there is no reason Eli cannot escape Peyton’s shadow off it.

Although it would be mighty helpful if Eli declared himself an elite host first. 

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