News » meet this weekend when the Denver Broncos visit the winless

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - 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 Larry Johnson Jersey . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports. Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys China . 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Derrick Thomas Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner.LISBON, Portugal -- Cristiano Ronaldo sat out Portugals exhibition match against Greece on Saturday and his flair was sorely missed as the two World Cup-bound teams produced a tedious 0-0 draw. The muted game at the National Stadium in Lisbon did little to brighten the hopes of the two European teams ahead of the tournament in Brazil that begins June 12. The under-strength Portuguese lacked a spark that could have translated their sporadic forward moves into goals. As well as Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who is recuperating from a series of leg injuries and sore muscles, Portugal felt the absence of playmaker Joao Moutinho in midfield and Pepe in the central defence. Greece, though initially fielding its strongest team, looked ordinary and rarely got out of first gear. "One situation we have to be prepared for is not having our regular players available," Portugal coach Paulo Bento said. "Wee paid the price of our lack of effectiveness in attack.dddddddddddd" Portugal will start the World Cup in Group G with Germany, Ghana and the United States. Greece is in Group C with Colombia, Japan and Ivory Coast. With Nani busy on the right flank as the Manchester United player tried to make his mark after an injury-hit league season, Portugals best chances came in the first 10 minutes as Greek goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis tipped over a Bruno Alves header and dived low to his right to deny Ricardo Costa. A series of second-half substitutions sapped the games fluency. The Portuguese dominated possession but couldnt break down the solid Greek defence. Hugo Almeida found Nani unmarked on the right of the Greek penalty area in the 67th but the winger took too long to set up his shot. In the final minutes, Giorgos Karagounis slammed a close-range shot against goalkeeper Betos legs. 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