Peyton Manning does not come across as a big trash talker, but he apparently is not afraid to deliver a strong line when the time calls for it.
Jon Gruden was hosting former Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan for an episode of Gruden’s QB Class on Barstool Sports. The former longtime NFL head coach was telling Henigan that he has to be great against the blitz. He used a Manning story to make his point.
According to Gruden, he once sent an all-out blitz against Manning. That left no help in the secondary, and Manning beat Gruden’s defense for a touchdown. Manning apparently saw the defensive play cal as an insult.

“When they start all-out blitzing us, that’d be the last time they do it,” Gruden told Henigan. “I did it to Peyton Manning. Now we called an all-out blitz against Peyton Manning. He saw it. He flashed a hand signal — touchdown. You know what he did after he did it? He ran right by my sideline, he says, ‘are you out of your f—ing mind?’ I swear he did that.”
Jon Gruden recalling an epic line Peyton Manning once delivered to him https://t.co/npWmffncfX
— Larry Brown Sports (@larrybrownsport) April 15, 2025
Man, that is a great story. It shows how competitive Manning is, and also what a great storyteller Gruden is.
The entire episode of Gruden with Henigan was fantastic. Football fans will love it. Gruden has also held sessions with Will Howard and Riley Leonard.