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Most valuable host

Super Bowl hero Eli Manning will star on Saturday Night Live as well as Sunday afternoons

By: Tom Canavan

Posted: 04/22/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

DAVID J. PHILLIP / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES Two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning will get to test his comedic chops on Saturday Night Live in a few weeks when he hosts the May 5 show. Chances are he won�t be hoisting any Emmy awards at the end of the TV season. He has a better shot at lifting another piece of football hardware come the conclusion of the NFL campaign. (CP)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With the exception of a Super Bowl ring ceremony and a trip to White House, Eli Manning has put his second championship season behind him.

It ended Monday when Manning and teammates showed up for voluntary off-season workouts.

It's back to football.

For the two-time Super Bowl MVP, that means looking for a third receiver to replace Mario Manningham, finding a backup running back to replace Brandon Jacobs and thinking about his right tackle, where the job is open with Kareem McKenzie on the free agent market.

It's preparation 101, which is exactly the way Manning is approaching his upcoming appearance May 5 as the host for Saturday Night Live.

In typical Manning fashion, he asked NBC for a game plan before agreeing to become the latest sports celebrity to do the show.

In a wide-ranging locker-room interview on Thursday, Manning said he served as a sounding board for his brother, Peyton, during his free agency, laid low the past two months to rest after a long 2011 season and his goal now is simply to get himself ready for a season in which the Giants will be hunted as the league's defending champions.

"The motivation is always trying to improve, always trying to get better, to become a better player," Manning said. "Sometimes you can't worry about winning a championship the next year. You know how difficult that is. You know a lot things have to happen, but you can't always control that. You can control making sure you are doing everything you can to be prepared, getting your workouts and being in shape doing everything you can to try to stay healthy and help your teammates be mentally ready for the season.

"Right now, we are working hard and getting prepared."

Manning will spent the next two weeks getting ready for 2012, and then he will start preparations for a show that has been hosted by a slew of great athletes, including his brother, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Olympian Michael Phelps, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and NBA superstar LeBron James.

"I am looking forward to it, it will be fun," said Manning, who has no acting experience. "It will be a new experience for me. Right now, I am more anxious than anything to get a feel of what I might be doing. It might be doing something a little bit out of my character or uncomfortable, but I am looking forward to just working hard that week, and having a lot of laughs and being prepared."

Manning has been a fan of the show and watches it when he gets a chance. He knows a few members of the cast, but refused to say who was his favourite.

"I don't want to be picking favourites right now," Manning said. "It's kind of like asking who is your favourite receiver. You can get in trouble answering those questions. Whoever can write the funniest script will be my favourite afterward."

Eli said he would talk to Peyton about being the host for the show.

"Before I made a decision to do this I asked for a complete schedule of what's the most I could possibly do," Manning said. "What is the most they have asked anyone to do? They sent that over and I looked at it and saw I would not miss a workout, or any meetings or team activities here. That is always what my first priority is, that I am here with the players and my teammates.

"And then afterward, I can get into the city and do my preparation there."

Manning even quipped he would be willing to watch videotapes to see what other athletes have done on the show.

"I haven't watched much film on them," Manning said. "Maybe when I get there, I'll have some cutups or some highlight reel I can look at."

Manning talked to Peyton about the show, and he advised his brother when he was making his decision on free agency, eventually picking Denver.

"I talked to him definitely," he said. "We're brothers. I talked to him about some of the places, or coaches or things I knew about certain offences and what not. We had several discussions with him. It's good for him to have someone to talk to and to bounce some ideas off to see if he is thinking correctly.

"I am just happy he will be in uniform next year."

The one topic Eli Manning was reluctant to discuss was Tim Tebow, who was acquired by the Jets. When asked if he was intrigued to see how things worked out, he sidestepped the question.

"Obviously being in the same city you see what is going on and you hear things," he said. "But it obviously is not a big concern for me."

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 22, 2012 A1

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