“Peyton Manning pointed to the sideline and said ‘Get out'”: Pat McAfee recalls hilarious story about HOF’er benching rookie WR Austin Collie

Peyton Manning is one of the greatest QB’s to ever play the game. And he expected the same level of commitment to the game from his teammates.

Peyton Manning had one of the most prolific careers in NFL history. His accumulated list of accolades is lengthy, but includes items like 5x MVP, 7x first team All-Pro, and 14x Pro-Bowler. And perhaps his best quality was his deatil oriented ability to change plays after lining up and calling an audible.

During his time in Indianapolis, Austin Collie was one of Peyton Manning’s favorite targets. During his three seasons with Manning, Collie caught 172 passes for 1,839 yards and 16 touchdowns. But he didn’t enjoy Manning’s confidence early in his career.

Peyton Manning benched Austin Collie for attempting a 1-handed catch.

During an episode of his “The Pat McAfee Show”, former Colts punter Pat McAfee recalled a hilarious story. In which Manning reamed out Collie for trying to catch a pass with one hand when Collie was a rookie in 2009. McAfee said Manning threw a pass to Collie that was slightly off-target, and Collie reached out with one hand to try to catch the ball but was unable to secure it.

“(Collie) put his head down and jogged back to the huddle. And before he got like five feet away from the huddle, Peyton Manning just pointed to the sideline and was like, ‘Get out,’” McAfee recalled. “Austin jogs to the sideline and (then-head coach) Jim Caldwell and the offensive coordinator are like, ‘You’re in.’ So Austin turns around to go back on the field, and Peyton just points at the sideline as if he’s a dad. So he’s benched at this point.”

The Colts won the game, and McAfee said he went up to Collie after the win to ask him why he seemed so bummed out. Collie told him, “I was told if I ever try to catch a football with one hand again, I will never be on the field when Peyton Manning is the quarterback.”

“What a savage of an individual Peyton Manning is,” McAfee said. “He basically told this young rookie wide receiver who had a lot of promise. ‘Hey, I don’t need that garbage with you with one hand. Yeah, I might have missed you a little bit — you dive then. You put two hands on that ball.’”

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