Peyton Manning’s calls of “Omaha” at the line of scrimmage became popular towards the end of his career. We’ve understood the call and why he does it, but The Sheriff himself gave an explanation at the Adobe Summit in March.
Peyton Manning finally reveals what ‘Omaha’ meant
Manning’s signature call at the line of scrimmage had a big impact on the field.
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
“Omaha was just a indicator word,” Manning said to the crowd. “It was a trigger word that meant we had changed the play, there was low time on the clock, and that ball needed to be snapped right now to kind of let my offensive lineman know that ‘Hey, we’d gone to Plan B, there’s low time on the clock.’ It’s a rhythmic three-syllable word, ‘O-ma-ha, set hut.’”
It was also a fitting conclusion to his retirement presser back in March of 2016.
Manning actually didn’t like that everything he said could be picked up. He told the audience that opposing defenses they’d play the following week could hear the calls and point them out on the field from the previous week.
He joked that there was one regret that he had while playing. “One time I should have gotten under center and gone, ‘Blue 20, blue 20, Jim Nantz is a no good you-know-what,’ and then they would have turned those microphones down.”
Manning said he also used to get suggestions and requests for alternate words. One person even tried to get Manning to promote his website for him.
The city loves him, too. “I’m a big deal in Omaha, Nebraska, now. I went there a couple of years ago, I got a key to the city.”
“I always got Omaha if I need a place to live,” Manning said.
Perhaps he should have been yelling out a more luxurious town to retire in, if that’s the case.
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