Stokley Happy To Be Playing With Manning Again

DENVER (CBS4) - After playing four years with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, wide receiver Brandon Stokley came to Denver and played three seasons for the Broncos. He left for Seattle in 2010 and also did a stint with the New York Giants. But Stokley is back with the Broncos and happy to be playing with Manning again.

Stokley was the special guest on Xfinity Monday Live! He still resided in Denver after leaving the Broncos and plans on staying here after his career is over.

Stokley told CBS4's Vic Lombardi he wasn't at all surprised the Broncos drafted Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler in the second round of this year's NFL Draft.

"If you have a chance to get a good player, you go ahead and grab him. You're always looking forward to the future," Stokley said. "Peyton is not going to be here forever, so you want to have that backup plan."

Manning signed a five-year deal, but it remains to be seen if he plans on playing all five of those years.

"I would never doubt anything with that guy," Stokley said. "He's very open with the young quarterbacks and helping those guys out. Peyton works really hard and a lot of guys can't keep up with him."

Stokley said if a quarterback wants to learn from Manning, his arms are open and he's willing to teach.

Players have been working out at the Broncos' facility, but Monday was the first day that coaches were allowed to attend. Stokley said the workouts were a little bit more up-tempo.

"It was good to get the group together with the coaches, kind of going through what a like a normal practice would be," he said. "It was fun; it was good to have everybody out there and kind of seeing what the football team is going to look like."

Stokley said it felt great practicing with Manning again.

"To be back in the huddle with him, on the line of scrimmage, it kind of brought back some old memories of the Indianapolis days. I felt really good."

Just like Manning, the veteran wide receiver says he tries to help out the younger players.

"With some of the terminology that's carried over from Indianapolis; anything I can do to help those guys out, I'm willing to do," Stokley said.

Stokley coaches his sons' football teams and his father was also a football coach. He said he's always wanted to coach but now he's been having second thoughts because of his family.

"The more I've been around it, the more I see those guys work and how many hours they put in," he said. "I want to spend time with my kids ... if you want to move up in the coaching ranks you have to move, and I want (Denver) to be my home. I don't want to move my kids around. I want to see my kids grow up."

Watch more of the video with Stokley in the Xfinity Monday Live! section.

- By Matthew J. Buettner, CBSDenver.com