For years now, NFL fans have been trying to figure out the true meaning of “Omaha,” the call Peyton Manning makes at the line of scrimmage before seemingly every single play.
Well thanks to a longtime Manning teammate, we might finally have our answer. According to Reggie Wayne, now an analyst on NFL Network, “Omaha” flips the called play from one side to the other.
“‘Omaha’ means … he’s going the other way,” Wayne said. “That’s what it means. If it’s a run to the right — if it’s dive right, ‘Omaha’ is gonna be dive left.”
After Wayne’s big revelation, the other analysts in the studio semi-flipped out that the Manning loyalist had revealed his former quarterback’s big secret, but Wayne assured them not to worry.
“I can promise you this,” the former receiver said. “Omaha is not going to be the same thing today.”
But hold on! Former NFL quarterback David Carr (who never played with Peyton, but did play with Eli Manning) said on Twitter on Sunday that Wayne was bluffing.
Don't let Reggie lie to you. 😂 #notwhatomahameans https://t.co/kF7fhA9SY9
— David Carr (@DCarr8) January 24, 2016
This only gets more confusing.
Omaha first came to prominence in the 2014 playoffs, when Manning yelled it dozens of times per game at the line of scrimmage.
ICYMI: How many times did Peyton Manning yell Omaha on Sunday?
WATCH: http://t.co/2vaAjPx4gG #NFLPlayoffs
— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2014
Here’s how Peyton described the meaning of the play back then:
“I know a lot of people ask what Omaha means,” he said ahead of the Broncos’ AFC championship game against the Patriots. “Omaha is a run play, but it could be a pass play or a play-action pass depending on a couple things: when, which way we’re going, the quarter and the jerseys that we’re wearing. So it varies, really, play to play. So, that’s — there’s your answer to that one.”
“Omaha” returned to the national spotlight last weekend when Manning led the Broncos over the Steelers in the AFC divisional round.
SB Nation has its own theory of what “Omaha” means, suggesting it’s a cue that the play clock is running down. This is of course very different from Wayne’s explanation. The former receiver could be lying to protect his former quarterback or Manning could change the meaning of “Omaha” from time to time.
It seems we’ll never know for sure the true meaning of “Omaha,” at least until Peyton devotes a chapter to it in his memoir.
Manning’s Broncos play the Patriots in the AFC Championship on Sunday afternoon.
