ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Manning wants to clear up a couple of things about his recent visit to Tuscaloosa, Ala., that raised eyebrows at NFL headquarters and the hackles of some Tennessee fans. The five-time MVP said hes always been driven to improve, a quality thats even more essential at age 38, and thats why he met with Alabama coach Nick Saban a couple of weeks ago. Saban shared defensive tips with Manning, who gave him pointers on the hurry-up offence that has befuddled the Crimson Tide. Saban said Denver offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase also visited his staff that week. NFL rules prohibit players and their coaches from meeting before the start of off-season workout programs, and thats why the NFL said it would look into the matter. Following the Broncos first organized workout Monday, however, Manning insisted that he and Gase didnt break any rules because they didnt meet with each other in Tuscaloosa. "Yeah, that didnt happen. We know what the rules were. Like I said, I was there on an independent project, and Adam was as well," Manning said. Saban has also said that Manning and Gase didnt meet with his coaches at the same time. Gase and Saban go way back: Gase got his start in coaching under Saban in the 1990s at Michigan State and followed him to LSU as a graduate assistant. As for fans from the quarterbacks alma mater who might be upset that he met with a rival coach from another SEC team, Manning said he still bleeds orange. "Obviously, I have been to Tennessee doing the same thing for the past 16 years. Ill do that, going to make it 17 years in a row, going back to Knoxville. Hopefully that covers me as far as being loyal to my university," Manning said. "Most of the other places, I go just one time. So Ive got 17 years at one place, so I think its pretty clear where my loyalties lie. "The projects I did this year were to help the Denver Broncos and to help me. That still is what my job is, to make myself a better player." The NFL rule prohibiting players and coaches from meeting before the start of the voluntary off-season workouts, the first two weeks of which are limited to strength and conditioning work and rehabilitation, were installed with the latest collective bargaining agreement a few years ago. Its designed to prevent players from feeling pressured to meet with coaching staffs during whats supposed to be their free time in the off-season. Players and coaches often get together in casual settings and NFL coaches often meet with college coaches. Mannings appetite for improvement is what led to his trip this off-season to Alabama. He also visited Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. "Theres different things that Ive done throughout my career in the off-season that Ive sought out someone to talk to, something to study to try to make myself a better quarterback," he said. "I believe in this league you either get better or you get worse -- you dont stay the same. I know that has gotten a lot of attention, but that is something Ive done throughout my career. "I certainly know the rules, but I know theres no rule that says a player cant get better -- at least I havent read that one. Thats what I was trying to do and I believe that is important, especially as you get older, in the off-season to try to seek out some things to try to make yourself a better player." Seeing the leagues only five-time MVP trying to improve impressed new defensive end DeMarcus Ware, who was lured to Denver by a three-year, $30 million offer from general manager John Elway and the chance to play with Manning, whos intent on getting back to the Super Bowl this season following the Broncos 43-8 loss to Seattle in February. "Sometimes it doesnt matter about accolades, it doesnt matter if you were MVP or not, its what can I do to really get better for next season?" Ware said. "Peytons one of those types of guys that puts in that effort, not just on the field but off the field, trying to figure out, What can I do to get better? Because he has a bad taste in his mouth from the last season and he doesnt want it to happen again." Best Cheap Fake Shoes . Julien coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11 and is the longest serving coach in consecutive seasons in the teams history. Claude is one of the top coaches in the NHL and has consistently shown a passion for winning, general manager Peter Chiarelli said Sunday in announcing the signing. Authentic Shoes For Cheap .6 seconds left to give the Toronto Raptors a 92-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game Wednesday night. http://www.cheapshoes.us.org/. Hamels threw seven sharp innings to earn his 100th career victory, Domonic Brown had a career-best five RBIs and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-1 on Saturday night to end a four-game losing streak. Cheap Shoes Online Free Delivery . The biggest shock of this seasons competition was on when Watford took a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes at Etihad Stadium, only for a remarkable Aguero-led comeback by City in the final half-hour. The Argentina striker produced clinical finishes in the 60th and 79th minutes to level the score before Aleksandar Kolarov put City in front in the 87th. Wholesale Shoes China Free Shipping . -- First baseman Carlos Pena and outfielder Brennan Boesch have signed minor league deals with the Los Angeles Angels.MONTREAL -- A big, noisy dome packed with 50,229 Montreal Expos fans seemed to suit Toronto Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow. The right-hander threw 5.2 scoreless innings and Melky Cabrera hit a two-run home run to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday and a sweep of their two-game pre-season series at Olympic Stadium. Four Blue Jays pitchers held New York to only two hits in a promising outing in their final exhibition game ahead of opening day next week in Tampa. "It was a lot of fun," said Morrow. "Both games were really exciting. "The crowd was into it the whole time. They did a good job of putting on these games. It was a tune-up start. There were things Ive been working on up to this point, but I tried to put it all together today." Moises Sierra was on third with two out in the eighth when Cabrera pounded an offering from lefty Adam Kolarek over the left-field wall to break a scoreless tie. Toronto (16-13 in pre-season play) had beaten the Mets 5-4 on Ricardo Nanitas ninth-inning single before 46,121 on Friday night. The Mets ended their pre-season at 14-16. New York right-fielder Curtis Granderson was impressed with the atmosphere, especially for a pre-season game. "It was loud," he said. "The Canadian fans came out in droves. "It was amazing to see all the different jerseys out there. That means baseball is alive and well in Montreal. People were looking forward, and they enjoyed these two games here. It was great. It was cool to see and to get a chance to be a part of." The games were organized mainly to show the world that Montreal wants major league baseball back. The fans response was overwhelming, with a total of 96,350 attending the two games, mostly chanting "Lets go Expos" and "We want baseball." It wasnt as joyous for one unidentified fan who suffered serious injuries Friday night when he fell from the outfield bleachers onto the stadiums concrete floor. Police ruled it an accident. Morrow, who struck out eight, is looking to rebound from an injury-plagued 2013 campaign in which he went 2-3 in only 54.dddddddddddd1 innings. The year before, he was a 10-game winner with a 2.96 earned-run average. "Ive got a bit of a chip on my shoulder as far as that goes," said Morrow. "You dont want to be labelled as somebody injury-prone. My goal is to make every start this year. I had a positive spring, so Im feeling good about it." Aaron Loup and Steve Delabar each got a pair of outs before Aaron Sanchez closed the game out with two solid innings. Sanchez is slated to be returned to the minors, but loved the experience of doing well in a packed house. "It was crazy," said Sanchez. "This is everything Ive worked for. It gives you a little taste of it and it makes you want to come back." Manager John Gibbons is hoping his club can answer its critics with a strong season after a disappointing 2013. "We think were ready,"he said. "The guys showed up with a little different focus because of what happened last year. But last year we were getting tugged in every which direction. The media coverage was out of control. We had so many new players and everybody wanted a piece of them. Then we had the (World Baseball Classic) and that was a bit of a distraction. "This team was put together to win something and we didnt do that last year, but we all have confidence in this ball club." The Mets Daisuke Matsusaka didnt allow a run in five innings, also striking out eight but conceding five hits. The event was organized by concert promoter Evenko and the Montreal Baseball Project, headed by former Expos outfielder Warren Cromartie. John McHale Jr., an MLB vice-president whose father was the Expos original president, was impressed with the turnout. Montreal saw its team move to Washington in 2004 largely due to lack of fans. "This market had likely lost the intense enthusiasm it once had for major league baseball, so I think this requires us to recalibrate our estimation of how popular our sport might be," said McHale Jr., who added he had met with Cromartie. "Theyre in an unpredictable process with no certainty of success," he said. ' ' '