Peyton Manning fooled Cowboys defense AND Broncos offense on rushing touchdown (GIF)

While everyone on the Dallas Cowboys defense piled on Knowshon Moreno on this second quarter play, Peyton Manning faked out everyone by moseying in for his first rushing touchdown in five years. And even his own Broncos teammates didn't know Manning had planned to scamper left for the score.

After the game, the Denver Broncos tweeted that Manning didn't even tell his own team that he was going to take it in himself on this third-and-goal jaunt so his offense would sell the running back up-the-middle play better.

Manning said he was the only one that knew he'd keep the ball on his TD run so that everyone else would sell the RB run better.
— Denver Broncos (@DenverBroncos) October 7, 2013

Manning already had three TD passes in the first half and — after his unmolested run faked out everyone from the cameraman to his own team — the Broncos quarterback even did a little fist pump as he crossed the goal line.

Omaha!

Giants counting on Manning to close gap in NFC East — Peyton Manning that is

If the New York Giants have any chance of salvaging this season, it sounds like the team believes it will have to pin their slim hopes on the broad shoulders of a Manning or two.

If there was ever a good time for Giants quarterback Eli Manning to cash in on a family favor — it couldn't have come at a better time than this weekend.

As the Oh-and-four Giants regroup after Sunday's  31-7 shellacking at the hands of the Chiefs, salvation might come in the form of a quarterback from another team —namely Eli's big brother Peyton.

The division-leading Cowboys play Peyton's Broncos on Sunday and it sounded like Eli is already counting on that game as a win for his big brother and his seemingly unstoppable offense.

"Dallas is going to Denver this week, so we feel we’ve got to get a win here and hopefully we’ll get a win and we can be one game back," said the optimistic Eli on Monday.

The game is actually being played in Dallas, but Eli's point is taken.

Luckily for the pathetic Giants, every other team in the NFC East are almost as bad. The Cowboys are on top with a 2-2 record and the Eagles and Redskins each have one victory. Even with a four game losing streak to start the season, the Giants are only two games back.

The Giants have an opportunity to close the gap on Sunday. Don't discount what a little brotherly love can do.

Tabloid's back page mocks Eli Manning after tough loss to brother Peyton

The back page of today's N.Y. Daily News with the headline "MOMMY" says it all about Eli Manning's third loss to big brother Peyton ... and it can't comforting to either one.

Sunday afternoon’s showdown with the dominant Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium was supposed to be one last chance for Eli to beat Big Bro in a regular season game, and maybe lead to one more match-up in the same place at this year's Super Bowl.  

But the idea of the Manning Bowl IV was a moot point for the Giants quarterback after an embarrassing 41-23 loss to the Broncos in front of mom and dad in the stands.

And a kiss and a Band-Aid won't make this loss feel any better.

Never mind that Eli got another noogie from Peyton and fell to 0-3 against Big Bro. The Giants are going to have to convince everyone that they’re a better team than their record shows, and that these two season-opening losses could have been wins.

Eli Manning has 'anointed' portrait of himself hanging in home

Who knew humble old Eli Manning was hiding a little bit of A-Rod narcissism inside?

The New York Giants quarterback — known for his Aw shucks personality — is also a serious art collector who keeps a portrait of himself titled "Annointed" hanging in his vast collection of works.

“He would appear to be anointed, in the parlance of our Protestant religious fables and myths,” said Mississippi-born artist and family friend William Dunlap, who painted  the portrait and misspelled the word — with an extra “n”— in gold leaf.

“It wasn’t intentional,” Dunlap said of the spelling fumble. “There’s no secret message there.”

Dunlap, 69, said the painting’s title refers to Manning’s bloodlines — father Archie quarterbacked the Saints for a decade, and future Hall of Fame brother Peyton is Denver’s leader on the field.

“Annointed” was shipped to New Jersey, where Manning lives during football season, Dunlap said.

While not nearly as vain as the Yankee third baseman's infamous Centaur self-portrait rumored to be hanging over his bed, Annointed hangs prominently in Manning's Hoboken abode.

But Manning's tastes are more than pedestrian — his Big Blue Period collection includes abstract impressionist Ida Kohlmeyer, and Theora Hamblett, a Mississippi artist whose work has hung in the Museum of Modern Art and in the home of Nelson Rockefeller.

According to The New York Post, the Renaissance Man's (he also acts) art collection also includes a depiction of the Williams Brothers Store — a Mississippi market opened in 1907 by Manning’s great-grandfather and great-great-uncle. The allegorical image includes six hounds, five of them meant to represent members of the Manning clan — parents Archie and Olivia, and brothers Cooper, Peyton and Eli, Dunlap said.

On Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Eli's Giants will square off against Peyton and the Broncos in Manning Bowl III — in what can now only be called a dogfight.

LA Kiss offer Tim Tebow contract to play Arena Football

It sounds like Tim Tebow can say au revoir to Canada  — if he wants to. The Wildcat quarterback officially has an offer to play football and it isn't north of the border.

That is if Gene Simmons of the legendary band KISS can lure the Broncos, Jets and Patriots castoff to Los Angeles.

Simmons, the co-owner of the arena football team called the LA KISS, has offered Tebow a three-year contract to play for the team. Simmons says the contract would give Tebow the opportunity to "earn millions." The KISS begin their first season of play in March 2014.

"Acquiring Tebow would not only be a great investment for the team, but his exciting style of play would definitely send shockwaves through the league," Simmons said in a statement. "We're excited for the opportunity to see him with an LA KISS uniform on, and for the LA KISS fans to be rockin' their Tebow shirts and jerseys."

Simmons —no slouch at promotion — is probably the first person to call Tebow's style of play "exciting," but the KISS feel that Tebow could be a Kurt Warner-type success story.

"Similar to how Kurt Warner blossomed in the NFL after becoming one of the greatest quarterbacks in AFL history, we feel our league is the best place for Tim to refine his skills and gain valuable repetitions. We have tremendous faith in Tim's ability to succeed in the AFL," KISS co-owner Brett Bouchy said.

KISS' offer isn't the first time Tebow's been offered an indoor football contract. The Omaha Beef offered Tebow a contract in April, that same month, Tebow also got an offer from the Lingerie Football League to be the LFL's "National Quarterback Coach."

Tebow might want to learn the words to "God Gave Rock n Roll to You" as soon as possible.

Giants to try out Brandon Jacobs and Willis McGahee

It seems you can go home again. Words former New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs has wanted to hear ever since being released by Big Blue after the 2011 season.

Now — after the Giants starting running back  David Wilson played so badly Sunday night he was benched — the Giants will work out free-agent running backs Jacobs and Willis McGahee on Tuesday, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The Giants had planned to work out McGahee since Friday, according to the source.

Former New York Jets running back Joe McKnight also will work out for the Giants on Tuesday, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The bruising Jacobs, 31, spent his first seven seasons with the Giants before struggling through an injury-plagued season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. San Francisco waived Jacobs in December after the outspoken veteran was suspended for the final three regular-season games reportedly because he used social media to complain about a lack of playing time.

McGahee, who will turn 32 next month, was released by the Denver Broncos in June following a productive 2012 season that was cut short by a significant knee injury. Despite not participating in Denver's voluntary offseason workouts, McGahee insisted that he had no physical restrictions when he was released.

Jacobs rushed for 56 touchdowns in his seven seasons with the Giants and was a key contributor on New York's two Super Bowl-winning teams under coach Tom Coughlin. 

Eli Manning says Peyton made it `look easy' against Ravens

After Peyton Manning joined Sid Luckman, Adrian Burk, George Blanda, YA Tittle and Joe Kapp as the only NFL quarterbacks to throw seven touchdowns in a single game, Eli Manning chimed in on his big brother's remarkable feat.

The New York Giants quarterback downplayed Thursday night's brilliant performance by Peyton as only a younger sibling could.

“Yeah, he did okay,” Eli Manning deadpanned to the Giants website. “He did alright. He makes it look easy. I don’t appreciate that. I know it definitely is harder than what it looked like, especially that second half. But he played pretty outstanding. It was fun to watch.”

The older Manning threw a franchise-record seven touchdowns in the Denver Broncos’ 49-27 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in Denver. He became the first quarterback to do so since former Vikings’ Kapp accomplished the feat in 1969.

He completed 27 of 42 passes for 462 with the seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

Still, Eli has a pair of Super Bowl rings — as opposed to Peyton's one — to help keep things into perspective.  The brothers will face each other in the third Manning Bowl at MetLife Stadium next Sunday.

Mike Pereira explains the Ravens pre-game pat down before Broncos matchup

Cameras caught referees checking random Ravens and their uniforms as they left the locker room (Video on Deadspin) before Thursday's opening game against the Broncos at Mile High. For anyone wondering what that whole TSA-style security procedure was about, it's standard practice by the NFL.

The whole pat down procedure was explained via Twitter by Mike Pereira. The Rules Analyst for FOX Sports said officials check both teams — to make sure players haven't added illegal substances like silicone or grease to their uniforms — but the Ravens were the ones caught by TV cameras.

The penalty for lubing up — confiscation of the slippery jersey.

The next time they play against Peyton Manning, the Ravens defense won't have to be patted down for any sort of pass protection.

Officials are checking random uniforms for any illegal substances
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) September 6, 2013

They check random players on both teams before the game and at halftime.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) September 6, 2013

This has been standard practice for years in the NFL
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) September 6, 2013

Pro-pot group posts billboard outside Broncos' stadium urging NFL to let players toke up

One day before the Denver Broncos will host the Baltimore Ravens and kick off the 2013 NFL season, a pro-pot group has put up a billboard outside Sports Authority Field at Mile High urging the league to rethink its policy on allowing players to smoke weed.

The 48-foot-wide billboard tells the NFL to “stop driving players to drink,” while noting that voters in Colorado and Washington have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. "A safer choice is now legal (here),” the billboard states.

Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, says the group has also launched a Change.org petition to try and convince NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to update the league’s policy.

"For years, the NFL has been punishing players for using marijuana despite the fact that it is far less harmful than alcohol, a substance widely embraced by the league," Tvert said in a statement. "The league would never punish a player simply for having a couple beers, so why does it penalize them for using a substance that is less toxic, less addictive, and less likely to contribute to violence.

"The NFL's harsh marijuana penalties do nothing to promote the health and safety of the players," Tvert said. "If anything, they put players in danger by steering them toward using alcohol and away from making the safer choice to use marijuana instead. We hope Commissioner Goodell will explain why the NFL is willing to promote the use of alcohol among its players and fans, but unwilling to recognize that a safer alternative is now legal here."

Shortly after Colorado and Washington legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults, the NFL issued a statement making clear that the league did not plan to soften its stance against the drug.

"The NFL's policy is collectively bargained and will continue to apply in the same manner it has for decades," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told USA Today last November. "Marijuana remains prohibited under the NFL substance abuse program."

First photos of Eli and Abby Manning's newest little Giant

A day after DIRECTV debuted Eli and Peyton Manning's rap video commercial, the New York Giants quarterback and his wife Abby had their new baby daughter's first photos published.

Eli — more than anyone —knows being the younger sibling to a star isn't easy, so when Abby took little Lucy Thomas Manning for a stroll around their Hoboken, N.J. neighborhood with her older sister Ava Frances on Tuesday, the six-week-old "rookie" followed her rappin' dad's lead and just studied the first-born, according to The New York Post.

Abby wore workout shorts and sneakers for her day out with their little girls and the public’s first look at well-behaved newborn, who reportedly didn’t utter a single shout-out from her stroller.

The 32-year-old Eli and his college-sweetheart wife welcomed Lucy to the world on June 17. Three-year-old Ava Frances was born in March 2010.

In an interview with Parents magazine last year, Eli said raising children brings a lot more surprises than any football game — even the Super Bowl.

“In terms of the Super Bowl, I know what to expect,” he said. “With parenting, this has been a brand-new experience. It’s life-changing. Every day, you learn something new.”

Lucy and Ava are members of football’s most famous family. Dad Eli has led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins, while uncle Peyton — quarterback of the Denver Broncos — won one title with the Colts.

And grandpa Archie played for 14 years in the NFL.

Eli Manning said he doesn’t care that he has girls and no boys.

“I think a lot of guys want a son because of all of the things they do while growing up,” he said. “Having a girl is a blast. I don’t care what happens down the road, as long as the children are healthy.”

One piece of advice. Stick to quarterbacking Lucy, a rap career just seems like a reach. Just sayin'.

Tiki Barber: Eli is better than big brother Peyton

It sounds like the feud between Tiki Barber and Eli Manning has taken an about face and now the former Giants running back is singing the praises of Eli — going as far as to call him a better quarterback than his brother Peyton.

Barber, who co-hosts the Morning Show with Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobsen on the CBS Sports Radio Network, said on Wednesday's show that he thinks Eli is better than Peyton.

"The expectation was that he was never going to be Peyton. I remember having these conversations with people who watched Eli in college, saying, 'He's good, but he's never going to be Peyton, he's not Peyton.' Guess what? I think he's better than Peyton," Barber said. "Because of clutch. What matters in sports? It's winning and losing. You get to the stage and what do you do? Eli's gotten there and he's won."

For the record, Eli's career postseason record is while big brother's is 9-11.

Barber, who played with —and criticized — Eli for three seasons in New York, didn't stop there. He also said Eli could be in the conversation for top-five quarterback of all time if he has a couple more successful seasons.

"For Eli to crack the top five of all time, he's got to have a 2011 [type] season a couple more times and win another Super Bowl and be Super Bowl MVP, and then I think he's in the discussion for the top five [quarterbacks] of all time," Barber said.

It's quite a turn for the Giants' pariah. Barber publicly questioned Manning's leadership abilities back in 2007 — after Barber retired. When Eli responded, the fight was on. 

Barber was quoted as saying that when Eli tried to give motivational pre-game speeches, he sounded "comical." When Manning heard the comments from Barber, he replied that maybe Barber should take a look at himself first, because Barber's pending retirement had served as a distraction all season long.

Manning went on to win the first of his two Super Bowls that season while Barber watched from his couch.

Since then, Manning has gone on to become one of the most-respected elite quarterbacks in the NFL while Tiki has pretty much faded from view and favor with Giants fans.

In 2011, Manning threw 29 touchdown passes on the way to leading the Giants to a Super Bowl win over the Patriots, the second Super Bowl win of Eli's career. Eli's 4,933 passing yards in 2011 is the eighth-highest single-season total in NFL history and is 233 yards more than Peyton's best single-season performance. Something even Barber has to acknowledge.

"As much as you want to try and diminish what he's done, you can't," Barber said of Manning. "Every stat and conversation point supports what he's done."

Manning Bowl III is set for Sept. 15 when they meet at MetLife Stadium and Peyton goes for the sweep.

And, just maybe, there will be a Giants-Broncos matchup in Super Bowl XLVIII in the same place to settle the argument once and for all.

First look at Eli and Peyton's new DirecTV characters

Every year the NFL preseason brings with it high hopes and — in the case of the Manning brothers — low comedy. And tt sure beats Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

This summer is no different reports TMZ,  after Eli and Peyton were spotted in character on a New Orleans film location and the gossip site posted the photographic proof.

According toTMZ:

He's already got 2 ringz ... but this week, Eli Manning threw on 2 Chainz ... and gangster'd himself out (along with his brother Peyton) ... for another DirecTV commercial shoot in New Orleans, and TMZ has the pic. 

With Eli sporting a red Kanye-inspired jacket and a quasi-mullet ... and Peyton sporting a Jew-fro and Birdman shades ... we're guessing the NFL superstars were doing another one of those goofy spots for Sunday Ticket. 

It wouldn't be the first time Saturday Night Live's favorite NFL siblings camped it up together.  Who could forget the gut-busting 'Football Cops."