Eli Manning went undercover as “Chad Powers” at a Penn State tryout for a segment on his ESPN+ series, Eli’s Places.
For Saquon Barkley, the bit represented two worlds collided.
The star running back’s former New York Giants teammate went to his alma mater to walk on for the Nittany Lions. Powers didn’t make the cut, mostly because he’s a retired 41-year-old, but also because of a slow 40 time.
Upon seeing the video, Barkley responded “I’m crying” with laughing tear emojis for emphasis.
Manning replied that Chad Powers — any relation to Kenny or Austin? — is “a way of life.”
Manning’s disguise didn’t make him look much younger, but his alter ego was far more braggadocious than the two-time Super Bowl champion ever was.
“You look up ‘arm talent’ in the dictionary, you see a picture of Chad,” Powers, well, Manning said. “Chad Powers, you ain’t seen nothing like him. I’m not just good-looking. I can throw it, baby.”
Barkley didn’t get to see that side of Manning much during their two years as Giants teammates. But the G-Men could use a quarterback like Chad Powers to help sustain their unexpected 2-0 start.