Manning, Tebow making minicamp headlines

Let the comparisons begin.

While no one — not even the most diehard New York Jet fans — may be holding third-year quarterback Tim Tebow, who’s coming off his first playoff win, to the same expectations as Denver Bronco fans will be holding 15th-year quarterback Peyton Manning, who has nine playoff wins, one fan base may be snickering at the other depending on how things go this season.

After one day of mandatory minicamps for both teams, there has been plenty of news about each signal caller’s progress.

For the few brief days Manning and Tebow coexisted on the same Bronco team, it was expected — though not officially reported — that Tebow would back up Manning. After the first day of the Jets minicamp, it was officially reported that Tebow will begin as a back up to incumbent Jets starter Mark Sanchez.

When asked if Tebow would get any chances to be under center with the first team during the team’s three-day minicamp, Newday’s Kimberley A. Martin reported Jets head coach Rex Ryan said “No, he will be running with the twos.”

According to the Star-Ledger’s Conor Orr, a team spokesman clarified that Tebow may indeed be getting some action with the first team — running the Wildcat formation.

In Denver, Tebow became renowned for his ability to get the most out of his teammates, with stories like his gathering of fellow rookies for impromptu workouts being prevalent.

It appears Peyton Manning might be having a similar impact with his new teammates.

Willis McGahee admitted to Associated Press football writer Arnie Stapleton that he had not been a frequent participant in OTAs (optional team activities) during the course of his 10-year career. This year, he was.

“I’m not going to sit here and lie to you,” McGahee said on Tuesday. “I’ve been (with the team) and participating a lot more than I have in my whole career.”