Peyton Manning on how to call an audible in life

Peyton Manning is famous for his audible call, "Omaha."

• What you may not realize, he says, is that every audible is practiced.

Why it matters: How Manning makes a decision to change a play on the field is a lesson that applies off the gridiron, he told state lawmakers at a gathering Wednesday hosted by the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures summit in Indianapolis.

What he's saying: "Winging it is not good in any field I can promise you, especially not on the football field," the former Denver Broncos quarterback said.

How it works: "Guts, instinct and courage are part of making change, calling an audible," he said. "But I really think… it's what I would just call dogged preparation, just having a plan for what might be coming down the road."

The bottom line: "These past few years we've been dealing with what I would call the greatest blitz of all time with this pandemic. It has forced all of us to audible, it has forced all of us to communicate," he continued.

• "So I think there's a good lesson in that: To take the time to communicate and talk about what is our next plan … and I think it goes back to the preparation."