ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos' other new quarterback is a 6-foot-8 passing project who's the first signal-caller ever drafted with the intention of one day succeeding Peyton Manning.
Brock Osweiler, who bears a striking resemblance to "Twilight" actor Robert Pattinson, wants to look more like Manning. So, he's taking advantage of his apprenticeship. He seems genuinely thrilled to be in Manning's shadow and for however long it takes, gladly biding his time while learning as much as he can from one of the game's all-time greats.
"Well, I'm in a great situation, no doubt about it," Osweiler said. "I think the biggest thing for me is I'm not wasting a day. Watching everything Peyton does, taking as many notes as I possibly can."
A second-round pick who started just one season at Arizona State, Osweiler signed a $3.1 million, four-year contract last month. If all goes well for the Broncos, he'll become eligible for free agency without ever having taken a meaningful snap because Manning's $96 million deal is one year longer than Osweiler's.
"The first thing I really noticed with Peyton is he's the hardest-working person regardless of any profession I've ever been around," Osweiler said. "And the thing about Peyton is he doesn't waste a single minute in a day. He utilizes all of his time from the moment he walks into the building until the time that he leaves."
Although the proof is in the preseason, Osweiler is already making a push at training camp for the No. 2 job ahead of Caleb Hanie and Adam Weber. Some of his throws are so quick, it looks like he's flicking the ball to his receivers. But he remains very much a work in progress. Running the no-huddle offense, Osweiler at times looks a little bit like Manning deciphering a defense and changing a call at the line of scrimmage, although nobody does it quite like Manning.
"That's one thing I've really asked Peyton quite a bit about is stuff to do with coverages, and every time he has an answer," Osweiler said. "And I make a note and at the end of the night, I'm putting all those notes into one kind of main notebook, so one day when Peyton's not around, I can go back and see what he said about this coverage-2 or what he said about this play.
"There are a lot of words in that notebook."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
