Listen up during this Sunday's Super Bowl, and you just might hear New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning give a shout-out to a certain Nebraska city.
"Omaha! Omaha!"
Manning has a snap count called Omaha that he uses from time to time as he leads the Giants offense. When he calls Omaha, it's a signal to the rest of his offense, although the exact meaning might vary.
Why Omaha?
A World-Herald reporter who was in Indianapolis last week asked Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, but he couldn't place it. "I wish we had a good reason so I could get a kickback or something for it," Gilbride said.
Don Leahy, a longtime leader at the University of Nebraska at Omaha athletic department, has heard Manning's call. He figures it's easy to say, easy to hear and sharp: "Oma-HA!"
Plus, Leahy said, a quarterback needs something short. Los Angeles? Philadelphia? Cincinnati? Too long, he said.
So Omaha? "It's very distinctive," Leahy said.
The call isn't exclusive to Manning. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Super Bowl XLVI's other starting quarterback, has used it before. So has Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
But Manning might be Omaha's biggest fan this season.
Manning's call has been the subject of discussion on Giants message boards. People crack jokes online. ("One of his sponsors is Mutual of Omaha." "Eli is doing his best to increase tourism in Omaha.")
When Manning makes the call, Omaha references get a boost on Twitter. The call even has its own fan page on Facebook.
So while Super Bowl advertisers shell out $3.5 million for 30 seconds of your attention, Manning just might give Omaha a couple of free seconds of fame.
It's not lost on Omaha marketing minds that this would happen during the most-watched television event of the year. This Super Bowl might even be the most-watched show ever if it tops 111 million viewers, as expected.
Doug Parrott, Omaha general manager for the Bailey Lauerman marketing firm, sees a benefit for the city, even in a seemingly random mention.
"I'd much rather he say Omaha than Des Moines."
World-Herald staff writer Dirk Chatelain contributed to this report.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1128, jeff.robb@owh.com
twitter.com/jeffreyrobb
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
