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Super Bowl XLVIII: Peyton Manning once used Pete Carroll's team to work out

Peyton Manning's relationship with everyone involved in Super Bowl XLVIII has been or will be put under the microscope this week. When asked about his thoughts on Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Manning shared an anecdote about one of the greatest compliments he's ever received.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Peyton Manning's relationship with everyone involved in Super Bowl XLVIII has been or will be put under the microscope this week. When asked about his thoughts on Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Manning shared an anecdote about one of the greatest compliments he's ever received.

"I've known Pete Carroll, he was the head coach of the Patriots my first two seasons with the Colts they were in our division. I knew Pete when he was at Southern Cal. One time I was in Los Angeles during the summer in June and I had some kind of commitment there.

I needed to throw, I needed to work out, so I called over to Southern Cal's football offices, got a hold of Coach Carroll, and asked if his receivers and quarterbacks were throwing that day, could I come over and join the throwing session because I was getting ready for training camp. He gave me the time and I got over there at three o'clock and I really just wanted to join right in, throw whatever routes Southern Cal was throwing. Coach Carroll had eight receivers, four tight ends, four running backs all stretched, lathered up ready to go when I got there.

"I said, 'Alright, what routes you y'all wanna run? He said, 'No, Coach Carroll said we're gonna throw whatever routes you wanna run, this is gonna be your workout."

Manning's reception of the gesture included seeing it as deeply generous. He smiled. "That's about as good a treatment as you can get."

"Of course, my allegiances are always to the University of Tennessee. But on that day, Southern Cal helped me out. Coach Carroll is an outstanding coach."