Peyton Manning Explains Why Mac Jones Didn't Talk to Him Before ManningCast

It wasn't the first time the Patriots have denied Peyton Manning.

To prepare for every ManningCast broadcast, Peyton Manning typically calls the quarterbacks of the teams playing on Monday Night Football. But Patriots rookie Mac Jones proved to be a tough get. 

In the first quarter of Monday's ManningCast, Manning said that he couldn't get the access he wanted because the Patriots are trying to limit distractions for their first-round pick.

“He was very respectful; he said, ‘Peyton, I want to do it, but can you call our PR director Stacey [James], because he kind of has to oversee all things?’" Manning said on the ESPN2 broadcast, per NBC's ProFootballTalk. "I said, ‘No problem.’ I called Stacey; he was very professional. I said, ‘Stacey, I’m talking to Coach Belichick. Can I talk to Mac Jones?’ 

"I gotta tell you, I appreciate how they’re handling Mac Jones. They are trying to protect him, give him as few off-the-field distractions as possible, let him concentrate on playing football."

Manning said that the Colts did a similar thing during in his rookie season after he was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL draft.

"So, yes, I did get denied. It was the first quarterback I haven’t talked to. But I appreciate it. [GM] Bill Polian, as a rookie with me with the Colts, did the same thing. He didn’t let the marketing department talk to me, the community relations department talk to me. He said, ‘Hey, it’s all football this first season. Don’t bother him.’ And I think the Patriots are taking that same approach with Mac Jones, and it’s paying off. It’s working.”

Jones had a historic night in a 14–10 win against the Bills on Monday, throwing for 19 yards on just 2-for-3 passing.