It’s not often that a single word can be associated so strongly with an individual, but the Sheriff is special like that. Years after his retirement, Peyton Manning finally revealed the meaning of his “Omaha” audible.
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Later this week in Canton, Peyton Manning will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hundreds of Gold Jackets will be in attendance, as the world of Football pays its respects to a legendary career, which encompassed 18 years, during which he earned an NFL record 5 MVPs, 2 Super Bowls, and 14 pro-Bowl selections.
In his final 4 years, which he spent with the Denver Broncos, Manning became famous for frequently shouting “Omaha!” pre-snap. NFL fans never knew the origin of the audible, but whenever we hear that word all we can picture is Peyton in a bright orange uniform.
Peyton Manning Explains the “Omaha” Audible, Says It Has Nothing To Do With Warren Buffet
Appearing on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take”, the Sheriff had a lot to say about his catchphrase. “It’s just kind of a rhythmic, three-syllable word that usually meant … it was like an alert. ‘Hey there’s just two or three seconds on the clock and I need it snapped now,’” he explained.
“I think Warren Buffet thought it was named after him. It was not,” he said, pointing to the fact that the billionaire investor was actually born in Omaha, Nebraska.
“It was no real rhyme or reason, but now I walk through an airport and a guy just yells, ‘Omaha!’ I just turn around and wave and keep walking.I don’t even get called by my name anymore. I just get called ‘Omaha.’”
“It’s funny. ‘Omaha’ has kind of been out there for a while. [Tom] Brady used to say it in New England. Eli [Manning] said it with the Giants. It’s kind of a term that has been out there. Nobody really claims who started it. Was it in the [Bill Parcells] era that somehow got to New England with Brady and then got to the Giants? Whatever it was, it was out there.”
“When I got to Denver, we started saying it there, and that was right when they turned those NFL sideline microphones up louder where you, the viewer at home, can hear everything that’s being said. And all of a sudden, ‘Omaha’ kind of got attributed to me because we were going no-huddle. We were changing the play a lot.”
“Next thing you know, I’m getting the key to the city of Omaha. I’m getting stuff delivered to my house. It ended up being a pretty good word to pick.”
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