Emmanuel Sanders spent the first four seasons of his career catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger. It's only taken him a few months with Peyton Manning to identify a key difference between the two star quarterbacks.
"(From) a mental standpoint, I don't care to really say this, but I feel Peyton is a far better leader," told KKFM in Denver. "In terms of staying after practice, catching balls, wanting guys to get on the same page with him and things of that sort.
"This is the first time that I had a quarterback that stays every single day after practice, no matter what his accolades," he went on. "From NFL MVP, Super Bowl rings. He keeps guys like me and (Cody) Latimer after practice and we're out there 15, 20 minutes. And he's not one of those guys you gotta go chase down, he's gonna be right at the same spot ready to work, every single day.
"And I just feel like that's the difference from a mental standpoint of the both. But both of them are winners. And Ben, his playing style is a lot different. Ben, with the system that he's in Pittsburgh, he takes advantage of it."
Sanders clearly appears to be conflicted about his time with Roethlisberger.
"I've got so much love for Big Ben, he's helped me out tremendously in so many ways," he said. "On and off the field, he's made me a better player. But at the same time, I'm not gonna lie, I'm happy to be a part of this organization. I'm happy to have Peyton Manning as my quarterback."
What wide receiver wouldn't be? Then again, Sanders was pretty lucky to have Roethlisberger, too.
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