The only reason Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning’s “Omaha” call has become a worldwide fascination is because TV viewers can hear it in the first place.
The NFL requiring quarterbacks to wear microphones has made life difficult for Manning. Now that everyone, including opposing teams like the Seattle Seahawks, can pick up Manning’s key words, it’s become easier to recognize patterns in those calls.
Broncos coach John Fox expressed his frustration with the microphones Monday during Super Bowl media availability.
“Really, we’ve never been real thrilled,” Fox said. “The league kind of us makes us put these microphones on players, so it’s not real fun for us. We have to change a lot, and all those kind of things.
“But I think really, in today’s NFL, offensively, more and more people are doing things at the line of scrimmage, whether it’s audibles — I don’t want to get into too much — but there’s a lot of communication that goes on at the line of scrimmage in today’s NFL, and that’s both offense and defense. Really, even special teams. I mean, you’ll see hand signals, you’ll see different things, even in the kicking game. I think when you give people 18 hours a day to think of stuff, this is what we do.”
Manning and the Broncos likely will need to change the meaning of “Omaha” again this week. The Seahawks have surely been studying the TV tape.
