Peyton Manning had his fill of Texans safety D.J. Swearinger on Saturday night.
The Broncos' All-Pro quarterback was flagged with a taunting penalty for racing 30 yards downfield to get in Swearinger's grill following a 29-yard touchdown dart to Emmanuel Sanders in Denver's 18-17 preseason loss to the Texans.
"Fifteen yards with five seconds left in the first half -- it can't hurt you that much, right?" Manning said of the flag, per the Houston Chronicle.
The Broncos were annoyed all week by Swearinger's endless trash-talking during joint practices. The second-year safety then lit Manning's fuse with a hit to the head of wide receiver Wes Welker, who left Saturday's game with his third concussion in two seasons.
Penalized for the illegal hit, Swearinger told reporters: "I led with my shoulder. That's the only thing I could do -- (Welker's) a short guy."
As for Manning's dressing down, Swearinger held back on the details other than to confirm that Peyton delivered some "choice words."
"I wasn't surprised," Swearinger said. "I was just, 'Why, bro?' You know what I'm saying? It's whatever. ... Peyton can say what he want to say. It really doesn't matter. All I care about is the W."
Manning refused to repeat his sermon to Swearinger -- "I can't," he said -- but, according to the quarterback, it hit home.
"He said, 'Thanks. I appreciate it. Good luck to you, as well,'" said Manning.
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