Thank David Cutcliffe for the Peyton Manning approach.
During their Tennessee days together — Cutcliffe, the offensive coordinator, Manning the star quarterback — it was instilled in Manning that practices were to be treated like games.
“That is just kind of something I have kept with me, and that was 20 years ago, in 1994,” Manning said after the Broncos practice Tuesday. “So it was good advice and I think it’s good advice for any young player and any veteran player, as well.
“To me, this is where you become a better football team, out here on the practice field. You don’t just show up on a game and expect to be a good football team.”
Manning is the star, and has been wherever he’s played, but if you ask him, it’s all about collaboration.
It’s about the work ethic.
It’s about treating the field at Dove Valley as though it were a stadium with tens of thousands fans in the stands where every pass, every catch, every tackle counts.
Perhaps that’s why he’s no fan of the fights at practice, which have occurred quite often during the past couple of Broncos camp sessions.
“I don’t like them, to tell you the truth,” Manning said. “You don’t do it during a game. You do it in a game, it usually costs you something important. It costs you a drive, costs you field position, gives them an easy field position.”
The Broncos’ toughness has been questioned even more since last February, when they were mauled by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. But after a pair of fights broke out Tuesday and coach John Fox had to call the team together to try to calm things down, it seemed the Broncos’ desire to increase their toughness had taken a wrong turn.
“I know the coaches are looking for tough guys on their team, but there is a difference between being tough and not being smart,” Manning said. “It is a matter of staying disciplined, staying composed under the intense situations.”
After almost every practice, Manning stays after with wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to help the newcomer get acclimated with the Broncos’ offense. Sanders, who signed with the Broncos as a free agent this offseason, has made it clear he’s eager to learn from the best, and that with Manning, it doesn’t get any better.
“Emmanuel has worked hard,” Manning said. “I do think those guys are studying — Emmanuel, (RB) Montee (Ball), these young backs. I see them studying on their own. And let’s face it, the cerebral part of the game to me is just as important as the physical part of the game.”
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or at twitter.com/nickijhabvala
