ENGLEWOOD, Colo.
Chad Kelly
Jersey . - Only three players drafted in 1998 are still in the NFL, and
two of them — Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson — meet this weekend when the
Denver Broncos visit the winless Oakland Raiders.Woodson famously beat out
Manning for the 1997 Heisman Trophy. A few months later, Manning was the No. 1
overall draft pick and Woodson was fourth.We both have a great deal of respect
for what each other has done in this game, Woodson said Wednesday. And for both
of us to still be playing 17 years later says a lot about both players and what
the game means to us. Hes done some incredible things. Hes still doing
incredible things in this league. ... Its fun to watch him from afar.Up close,
added Woodson, not so much.Manning also praised Woodsons longevity and current
level of play.Charles, to be playing as well as he is as a defensive/secondary
guy is pretty impressive, Manning said. Hes making plays with his cover skills
and kind of his ranging/roving skills, but I see him sticking his nose and
shoulders in there and making tackles like he did when he was 23, 24 years
old.The only other survivor from the class of 98 is sixth-rounder Matt
Hasselbeck.Son of a gun, Woodson said. Where is Matt Hasselbeck?Backing up
Andrew Luck in Indianapolis.Theres only three of us, huh? Well, you know what,
its a blessing to have played this long and to be one of only three from the 98
class, Woodson said. Im proud of that.So is Manning, who nearly teamed up with
Woodson in 2013. Woodson, however, choose Oakland over Denver following his
departure from Green Bay.Since then, the Raiders are 4-20 and the Broncos
21-6.Still, Woodson swears he has no regrets.You cant think like that, he said.
My decision was made to come back and play for the Oakland Raiders and all of my
energy and focus have been on trying to make this team better and trying to help
turn this organization around.Woodson said despite their 0-8 record, the Raiders
remain optimistic.Were not allowing our record to dictate how we come in and
approach the game, he said.Neither are the Broncos (6-2).What I see is how we
played last week, which is not our best, tight end Jacob Tamme said of Denvers
surprisingly decisive loss at New England. We take a long, hard look at it. We
all know that we need to be better and thats what were focused on.The Oakland
Raiders, I get tired of saying it, but the records dont matter, Tamme added. You
look at their front seven on defence, theyre as good as anybody.Tight end Julius
Thomas, who leads the league with 10 TD catches, said the Broncos are a
resilient bunch and were not going to let one night of things not going our way
set us off of what weve been working toward.The Broncos have typically bounced
back from disheartening losses. They havent lost consecutive games with Manning
around since his second and third games in a Broncos uniform in 2012.Can it be a
good thing? Yeah, if you respond, Manning said. Youd like not to get slapped in
the face to get refocused. You would like to be focused every single week. If it
happens, its about trying not to repeat it, trying to improve. And thats what
were trying to do. Were trying to learn from it and be better for it.The Raiders
task isnt just bouncing back from one bad game but a seasons worth of blown
opportunities.Woodson knows just the tonic.A signature moment, he said.A win
over the heavily favoured Broncos this weekend would certainly qualify.Notes: RB
Montee Ball said hes lost 12 pounds and is down to 212 as he works his way back
from a strained groin thats sidelined him for a month. He said he realizes hes
lost his starting job to Ronnie Hillman but vowed hell fight to win it back and
the weight loss will help him hit the holes more decisively.___AP NFL website:
www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow AP Pro Football Writer
Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton
Jake Butt
Jersey . -- Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday.
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http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-Demarcus-Walker-Jerseys/ . Pekovic had an MRI test Tuesday on his right ankle that revealed bursitis,
which is inflammation of the fluid-filled pad that cushions the joint.CHICAGO -
Derrick Rose said everything he wanted to say about his health on the court.Rose
had 24 points and seven assists in his return to the lineup, and the balanced
Chicago Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons 102-91 on Monday night.In the first half,
I thought he set the tone for us, coach Tom Thibodeau said. And certainly the
way he finished was great.Rose was 9 for 20 from the field in a season-high 32
minutes after being sidelined by sprained ankles. The 2011 NBA MVP had missed
four of the previous five games after he was injured in a 114-108 overtime loss
to Cleveland on Oct. 31.Rose departed before the media was allowed in the locker
room, leaving his teammates to discuss his best performance of the young
season.He was confident out there and he was just playing his style of
basketball, which was good for us because hes so fast and hes getting out in
transition, getting guys layups and dunks, said Jimmy Butler, who finished with
19 points. Then hes stepping up and making big shots. Its always a plus to have
him on your team.Pau Gasol had 17 points and 15 rebounds for Chicago, and Joakim
Noah finished with 13 points, 14 boards and six assists. The Bulls outrebounded
the Pistons 49-46 after they had lost the battle on the glass in the previous
six games, rankling the hard-nosed Thibodeau.Josh Smith had 19 points and 11
rebounds for Detroit, which was coming off a 97-96 home loss to Utah on Sunday.
Greg Monroe had 16 points and 10 boards, and reserve D.J. Augustin scored 16.The
second half was a positive for us by and large, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy
said. But when you give away the first half and then play better, but still come
up short, I cant accept it. You have to play to win.Pistons centre Andre
Drummond, who began the game in a jersey that had his name misspelled on the
back, grabbed 12 rebounds, but was 0 for 5 from the field and finished with two
points.The Pistons trailed by as many as 19, but Kyle Singler had a layup and
Augustin made a long jumper to trim Chicagos lead too 90-88 with 2:43 remaining.
Chad Kelly
Broncos Jersey. Gasol responded with a clutch jumper and Smith missed a
3-pointer on the other end for Detroit. Rose then came down and found Butler for
a 3, making it 95-88 with 1:56 left.Rose also hit a key jumper and two foul
shots to help the Bulls hold on down the stretch.Detroit dropped the opener of a
four-game trip to fall to 0-3 on the road this season. Brandon Jennings had 11
points and eight assists, but also committed four turnovers.Its the little
things we have to get better at, Monroe said. We have to pay attention to
details defensively.Rose had his best play of the night in the final seconds of
the first half, when he faked a cross-court pass in midair, and then fired
underneath to Noah for a layup. The flashy move was reminiscent of Roses MVP
season and helped the Bulls to a 60-44 lead at the break.___FOR
STARTERSThibodeau used a starting lineup of Rose and Butler in the backcourt,
Gasol and Mike Dunleavy at forward and Noah at centre for the first time this
season.It was great to have everyone, Gasol said. A full roster available and
healthy. I hope we can keep it that way.TIP-INSPistons: Augustin played almost
21 minutes in his first game in Chicago since he signed a free-agent deal with
the Pistons in July. Augustin averaged 14.9 points in 61 games with the Bulls
after he was cut by Toronto last December. He saved us last year, Thibodeau
said. He had an incredible year. ... F Cartier Martin is out with a mild plantar
fascia strain in his right foot. He has yet to play this season. Hes been
cleared medically for a couple of weeks, so, you know, whenever he can handle
the pain, hell be back playing, Van Gundy said. And I dont know when or if thats
going to happen.Bulls: Reserve F Tony Snell did not play on his 23rd birthday.
... The Bulls have won 16 of their last 17 home games against the Pistons.UP
NEXTPistons: At Washington on Wednesday.Bulls: At Toronto on Thursday.___Jay
Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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