“Brady Used It in New England…”: Peyton Manning Reveals How He Came Up With His Iconic ‘Omaha’ Play Call

It’s been seven years since legendary NFL quarterback Peyton Manning hung up his cleats and helmet. However, not a day goes by when the NFL world doesn’t miss the five-time regular season MVP signal-caller. Manning had an aura on the field which even the NFL GOAT Tom Brady respects. And there was a specific play call that made him so popular in his twilight years. He recently revealed the inspiration behind that famous call.

Back when Peyton Manning yelled ‘Omaha’ forty-four times during a regular season game in 2014, a lot of fans had no clue what a town in Nebraska had to do with a Denver Broncos audible in the National Football League. However, Peyton finally explained the mystery to all the confused NFL viewers over the years.

Why did Peyton Manning yell Omaha?

The former Indianapolis Colts quarterback became wildly popular for shouting Omaha during his play-calling before the linemen snapped the ball for him. So much so that Peyton opened his own production company after retirement and named it Omaha Productions. And this became a thing after he arrived at Broncos Nation in 2012.

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However, in a recent interview on SiriusXM’s ‘Basketball & Beyond’ with Coach K, Manning claimed that Omaha was simply an indicator audible. And that it was someone else who came up with the name.

“Omaha is a word that’s been in a number of NFL offenses through the years. I don’t know who the coach was who started it. But Brady used to say it in New England. Eli used to say it in New York. So Omaha was a word that meant usually you had changed the play, and you just called an audible. And there are just a few seconds left on the play clock. It was an indicator,” Peyton explained.

Manning has become the Sherriff of Omaha

When Tom Brady called Omaha indicator plays under Bill Belichick at Foxborough, there were sadly no high-definition microphones on the sidelines for fans to hear him. However, in 2012, the NFL brought in the idea of lining the stadium with microphones making audibles and sideline discussions crystal clear for the viewers at home. And this made Manning’s Omaha shout-outs a household sighting.

“I’m a big deal in Omaha, Nebraska, right now. I went there a couple of years ago. Got the key to the city. They gave me a bunch of steaks. I am surprised Jerry Jones hasn’t demanded the Cowboys cornerbacks to say a certain sponsor. But it’s a great way to get viral marketing,” Peyton added.

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Peyton’s Omaha Productions have also been quite active, creating the ESPN+ series Peyton’s Places. OP also collaborated with ESPN in 2021 for an alternate broadcast of the Monday Night Football show with brothers Peyton and Eli Manning.