ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --It takes some guts to prank a 6-foot-7, 330-pound offensive lineman.
But that's exactly what Peyton Manning helped orchestrate when a group of Broncos attended a Colorado Rockies game Tuesday night.
Orlando Franklin thought he was conducting a routine interview on ROOT Sports. What he didn't notice were 30-some teammates pointing their cell phones in his direction, recording as Eric Decker snuck up behind him.
Then came a whipped-cream pie to Franklin's face.
"I was just standing there and all of a sudden I saw Decker run by with a plate full of whipped cream," Joel Dreessen laughed. "Obviously I saw Orlando getting interviewed and then I saw what was going on. I kind of stood up on a chair to get a better view of things."
As for Franklin, he took it like a champ -- but made sure to grab Decker and wipe some whipped cream on him after the prank.
"I feel like Peyton and Decker, they got me real well last night," he smiled. "I'm definitely looking forward to revenge at this point."
It's not the first prank of the offseason -- Manning already got Decker during some offseason workouts at Duke University, when he hit him with a (fake) $3,000 invoice.
And it's not unusual for the locker room, as Manning also has a habit of changing the language on teammates' phones.
"Well, he's pretty much got everybody on the offense," Franklin said when asked if players will try to prank Manning back. "I think a lot of guys are going to jump at that opportunity. So we've just got to plan something out real well for him and get him when it counts."
All the fun and games off the field are manifesting into production on the field.
Von Miller said earlier this offseason that he believes the Broncos "have one of the best locker rooms in the National Football League."
"I think what you're seeing is everybody trusts each other more because we have more of a relationship," Dreessen said. "Everybody is not brand new. That's exactly it. We have a year under our belts and we know each other better, so that working chemistry is going a lot smoother."
"The football stuff is going outstanding. Like I said, we're just more comfortable with each other."