Peyton Manning Once Held A Walkthrough In A Forest Because He Was Paranoid The Patriots Would Steal His Game Plan



Part of the mystique surrounding the Patriots dynasty was the countless conspiracy theories about the Patriots finding ways to beat their opponents before they even step out on the football field. Bill Belichick has been living rent free in the opposition for two decades, and with each accusation, the legend grows. The fear reached every corner of the league including Peyton Manning, who was so fearful of the Patriots getting his game plan he went to the woods for his pregame walkthroughs.

Manning’s former Broncos offensive lineman Orlando Franklin spoke about Manning’s paranoia when it came to going over the game plan.

“He was a stickler on that. He didn’t want anybody to see any plays so everything we did was really top secret,” Franklin said. Franklin said Manning was so fearful, he conducted a walkthrough in the middle of a forest prior to playing the New England Patriots.

“We went and got on the buses and pulled up to the forest. Got out of the buses and walked for about five minutes and then we get in the middle of this forest and that’s where we did the walkthrough.”

At the end of the game, Manning’s suspicions did not matter. This all took place prior to the legendary comeback game where thousands of fans made one of the most regretful decisions when they fled Gillette Stadium at halftime after the Broncos took a 24-0 lead into halftime. Tom Brady would lead the Patriots to an epic comeback, scoring the next 28 points in a row, and in overtime. New England won the toss, and surprised everyone when they elected to kick.