FLORHAM PARK, N.J. _ Adam Gase knew of Peyton Manning's maniacal work ethic once the legendary quarterback came to the Broncos in 2012 when Gase was the team's quarterbacks coach.
But rather than shy away from the challenge of coaching one of the NFL's all-time greats, Gase tried to match Manning's dedication. Even though Gase was two years younger than Manning at the time.
"It's one of those things where we met each other, and it was really who was going to be the first one to break," Gase, 40, said Monday at his introductory news conference as the Jets' newly named head coach. "Who was going to outwork who. He appreciates hard work. He appreciates somebody that's going to go nose to nose with him and mentally try to challenge each other."
