The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... Nick Saban told the Denver Post on Friday night he never met with Manning and offensive coordinator Adam Gase together two weeks ago, strengthening the Broncos' case that no NFL rules were broken. "I'm like shocked that anybody would think someone did anything wrong on their part," Saban said by phone Friday night. "I never met with Adam. When I talked with him I talked about his family. Peyton, we talked an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. Adam had been talking to our assistant coaches. I never talked with Adam about football."

Diehards Line: Asked specifically if Manning and Gase were in a meeting at the same time, Saban said, "Only to say hello and b.s. with each other. ..." The NFL is investigating whether Manning and Gase violated a rule in the collective bargaining agreement during a visit to the University of Alabama. The NFL forbids players from having individual meetings with coaches before teams begin their offseason workout programs. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Post on Friday that the "we are looking into" the matter. The Broncos start offseason practices Monday. ... As the Post suggests, because Manning's idea of vacation is talking football, it's unclear whether the union would even pursue a complaint. In the past week alone, Manning has visited Oklahoma State's and Oklahoma's football offices.