Rookie hopes to impress in Arizona

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Rookie Brock Osweiler gets one more shot at winning the job as Peyton Manning's backup, and he's going to get that opportunity in familiar surroundings.

The 6-foot-8 quarterback who left Arizona State after his junior season will split snaps with Caleb Hanie and perhaps Adam Weber when the Denver Broncos visit the Arizona Cardinals tonight.

Osweiler appeared to be ahead of Hanie two weeks ago but he's been unable to move the Broncos' backups in games against Seattle and San Francisco.

"I don't know if I've ever experienced, I think that was four quarters of football without even crossing the 50-yard line," Osweiler said. "So that's something we worked extremely hard at this week as an offense to clean up, as a second and third unit. Hopefully (tonight) we can show that."

In his last two games, Osweiler has presided over an offense that gained an average of just 7 yards per possession and resulted in eight punts and a turnover on downs.

Still, Osweiler said he's making big strides in his comprehension of the Broncos' multifaceted offense.

"Shoot, looking back all the way to rookie minicamp, I felt like I was drowning," he said. "I looked at that playbook and really had no idea where to begin. And now I'm at a point where I'm fairly comfortable with the offense and I'm understanding what Coach (Mike) McCoy and the rest of the staff is trying to do as an offensive unit. Things are getting better every day."