Eli and Peyton Manning have continued their brotherly rivalry after retirement through the Pro Bowl Games. Since 2022, the duo has each had the opportunity to coach the respective conferences they played in throughout their careers. Eli coaches the NFC, while Peyton coaches the AFC. And in the three years they’ve competed, Eli has won every single tournament against Peyton.
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So, what’s the secret? Well, on the most recent ManningCast, Eli revealed exactly that.
It turns out that a big reason for the younger Manning’s success is Micah Parsons, who’s been on his NFC team every single year since Manning started coaching. According to him, Parsons takes the event quite seriously, while others initially did not.
“When we had a Pro Bowl doing flag football, and everybody didn’t quite know what was going on, I was having our first team meeting, trying to get the guys dialed in. Selling them on, ‘Hey, we gotta study the playbook, know what we’re doing.’ No one’s listening,” Eli recalled on MNF on ESPN.
It’s the exact mood most would expect from any Pro Bowl roster. Most players just show up, collect a paycheck, and try to avoid injuries. Even with the NFL incentivizing the winners with a reward, it’s still not enough to spark some players’ interest.
Although with Parsons, Eli says he took the Pro Bowl very seriously, which, in turn, motivated others.
“Micah Parsons stood up, stopped, and said, ‘Hey! We’re playing to win this thing! If we’re here, let’s work, let’s win this thing. We gotta ball out, let’s go do it,’” Eli further recalled. “Everybody listened and started taking notes in the meeting. So, if he didn’t have that quote, Peyton, I wouldn’t be 3-0 against you, probably. So, I owe a lot to Micah Parsons.”
It’s a good thing Parsons did what he did, because the Pro Bowl games have been quite tight over the years since the Mannings took over. In 2022, the NFC won 35-33, then again in ‘23, 64-59. This past year, we saw the highest-scoring game in Pro Bowl history, but the NFC still won 76-63.
That said, Parsons has always been a serious guy when it comes to just about anything. Shane Gillis, the Mannings’ guest for the cast, shared a funny story about the time he met the edge rusher at Saquon Barkley’s Super Bowl party earlier this year. Keep in mind, Parsons was still with the Dallas Cowboys at the time, and Gillis was decked out in full Philadelphia Eagles gear when he approached the now-Packer.
“I walked up to Micah Parsons, and I was like, ‘Micah! I went to Trinity High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. I know you’re from Harrisburg.’ He was like, ‘Who is this guy?’ Also, I’m 15 years older than him,” Gillis shared.
Parsons did not vibe with Gillis, and the conversation quickly ended after that. He’s just a stoic guy who takes things seriously, despite how silly he may appear on his podcast at times.
All in all, they were funny and interesting stories that both Manning and Gillis shared. They really paint a picture of who Parsons is behind closed doors. He sounds like an intense dude who loves football and wants to compete at the highest level. It’s the type of personality that every football fan appreciates.
