‘Peyton’s Places’ Season 4: Peyton Manning Practices Trick Plays in Omaha Production Series

Peyton Manning is using magic in the latest episode of Peyton’s Places. The NFL Hall of Fame quarterback teamed up with former Denver Broncos wide receiver and Manning’s former teammate Wes Welker to practice the Statue of Liberty Play in New York City. Manning also talks to former NFL long snapper and magician Jon Dorenbos about how magic and trick plays in the NFL are alike. 

Manning also dives into the most notable Statue of Liberty plays in football history. A memorable moment came during the 2007 Fiesta Bowl when Boise State used the play to defeat Oklahoma. In 2016, Jared Zabransky, the quarterback for the Boise State football team during the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, looked back at the game and the Statue of Liberty play in an interview with The Spun.

“The Statue of Liberty, I had a lot of confidence in. We ran that several times –probably close to triple digits—in practice. We ran it against the scout team,” Zabransky said. “We had confidence in that play. It was just a matter of getting everybody lined up and making the snap count with everybody on the line of scrimmage and ensuring the hand-off. The other one, I did not have a lot of confidence in. You know, you’ve got a receiver/running back throwing the ball on fourth down. Although Vinny (Perretta) could spin it pretty well, you never know in situations like that. It’s a run-pass option, but so many things could go wrong. One, he didn’t throw the ball all game and two, that’s not really what he’s there to do. So I did have a little queasy feeling in my stomach before that.”

The play and the win led to Zabransky being the cover of EA Sports’ NCAA Football. “Yea, that was pretty neat, because you play those video games growing up. I remember when EA Sports became very prevalent,” he said. “There were some other games early but that game kind of took over. That was a privilege and an honor. There was that class-action lawsuit recently with all the players. I didn’t file in that. I felt that even though my likeness was used, I felt like I had been compensated. Although I didn’t file, I felt that that was appropriate that the players did file that lawsuit.” Peyton’s Places is produced by Manning’s Omaha Productions, and new episodes stream every Sunday on ESPN+.