| Peyton Manning makes sure all his New Year's resolutions are noted. (US Presswire) |
Most people make a mental note of New Year's resolutions to themselves, then move on, usually to forget them and return to their old habits by February.
Most people are not Broncos QB Peyton Manning. Not only does Manning write down his resolutions on a note card, he keeps them in his files.
"Ever since I was a kid, my dad (retired Saints/Oilers/Vikings QB Archie Manning) has been telling us to write them down," Manning said.
Manning isn't sure how many of the resolution notecards he has left; he reckons he lost some of them in his move from Indianapolis to Denver. But even making note of them is testament enough to his near-compulsive attention to detail.
MANNING ON MIKE McCOY -- 'HE'S READY': Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy will interview for multiple head coaching jobs this weekend, and Manning believes the 40-year-old assistant coach is ready for the top job somewhere after nine seasons on the Panthers' staff and the last four with the Broncos.
"I think he's ready. I think he's paid his dues," Manning said. "Mike's a good leader. He's had some good coaches who've been mentors to him, some different coaches he's worked with in his years in the NFL and he's incorporated their leadership philosophies with his philosophy."
Perhaps most impressive to Manning was how McCoy matched his relentless work ethic.
"Mike's been incredibly supportive and patient with me in putting together this sort of hybrid offense," Manning said. "He's a worker. We spent a lot of hours together, early mornings, late nights, trying to get a plan in place for what type of offense we were gonna be.
"There's no substitute for work ethic, and Mike certainly has that."
The Bills, Cardinals, Eagles and Bears have already requested permission to interview McCoy over the weekend while the Broncos have their bye. McCoy interviewed twice with the Dolphins last year and declined chances to speak with the Jaguars and Raiders during the coach hiring process 12 months ago.
BACK TO BASICS: The three practices this week are shorter than usual -- about 75 minutes per day -- and are not structured as a typical in-season practice would be. Instead, the Broncos will use these sessions to focus on lingering trouble spots.
"A little self-scouting, scouting ourselves, what we did wrong, what we've got to get better on," said DT Kevin Vickerson. "The coaches have been giving us a good slice of humble pie, keeping us working and keeping our mind set on our goal."
The Broncos will practice through Friday and hold a team weightlifting session Saturday morning before breaking for the weekend. Most players asked said they intend to watch the Bengals-Texans and Colts-Ravens wild-card games -- many with notepads so they can scout their potential opponents.
The Broncos also began watching film on all three potential divisional-round foes -- Baltimore, Cincinnati and Indianapolis -- on Wednesday.
"A lot of guys have already started. It's already loaded on the iPads (used for playbooks) and on the TVs here. Some guys are probably in the meeting room right now watching it," S David Bruton said.
NOTES: LT Ryan Clady was not on hand for the first periods of practice. The Broncos are expected to use this week to provide respites for some of their veteran players who are slightly banged up … KR/PR Trindon Holliday worked on the side of the practice field with a team trainer. Holliday missed last Sunday's win over Kansas City because of a sprained ankle. … The long-range forecast for Jan. 12 calls for a high of 25 degrees, with temperatures dropping into the upper teens after sunset late in the game.