[Quesadilla Joe]

Osweiler: Nothing better than being Peyton's No. 2

So, he's taken advantage of his apprenticeship by watching Manning's every move, scribbling copious notes and mimicking his mentor's notorious work ethic and preparation.

''There's no greater blueprint,'' said Osweiler, who also hopes to pick up some pointers from another pre-eminent passer this offseason in Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, who waited in the wings for three years behind Brett Favre.

Osweiler said he's thrilled to be in Manning's shadow and insists he'll gladly bide his time while learning as much as he can from one of the game's greats.

As Manning's backup, Osweiler only gets a handful of throws each week at practice, but he does get to pick the perfectionist's brain while Caleb Hanie runs the scout team. Osweiler doesn't just stay on the sideline, either; he stands behind the offense ''so I can try to see what Peyton's seeing and I use that as a mental rep and put myself through the play.''

Manning has also taken time to tutor Osweiler, who's almost 15 years his junior.

''I've always tried to choose the right time to ask it because he's very busy with very important things, but he's been more than happy to help me out,'' Osweiler said. ''There's even times where in a meeting he'll pause the tape and be like, 'Hey, Brock,' and get my attention and point something out to me. And that's obviously not something that a lot of quarterbacks do, if any. And for him to take the time and do that is pretty special.''

Broncos boss John Elway loved Osweiler's size, strength and spunk and used a second-round pick on him last April after the tall passer threw for 4,036 yards and 26 touchdowns in his one season as the Sun Devils' starter in 2011.

Had he stayed in school for his senior season, Osweiler, who turned 22 last month, might have been a top-10 pick in this upcoming draft, which is light on marquee quarterbacks.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/manning...2914--nfl.html