“OMAHA!” and the mystery of the combination of colors and numbers in NFL audibles

Quarterbacks use color and number cadences to communicate plays quickly and easily. Those cadences can have specific meanings or be just a play on words that helps the team get in sync.

Typically, they use a color and a number. Jim Carrey’s ‘Blue42′ in ‘Ace Ventura’ is a famous, Hollywood example of the play-calling.

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The practice was invented in 1890, when a QB at the University of Washington used numbers to communicate plays for the first time. As defenses became more sophisticated, the signals became more complicated to maintain the offensive advantage.

Bizarrely, the most iconic of these play calls features no color nor number. NFL fans will recall the famous “OHAMA!” call used by Peyton Manning throughout his illustrious career. On one occasion, Manning revealed that “Omaha” was the name of a stuffed giraffe that he’d cherished as a child. The call became so famous that, despite having no real connection, the city of Omaha in Nebraska granted Manning keys to the city.

During his career, the quarterback received many offers to change the word for a brand or product name. Speaking after retirement Manning explained: “I can’t tell you how many solicitations I used to get for alternate words... People would write me letters.”

But Manning’s is far from the only famous example of NFL play-calling. There’s Aaron Rodgers’ “Green 19″, Tom Brady’s “Green 10″, Brett Favre’s “Blue 58″ or Philip Rivers’ “180″, each of which follows the color-number format. However there’s plenty that don’t, like Dak Prescott and his “Here we ego!” or Matthew Stafford and his “Turbo-set.”

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