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Denver Native (Carol)
06-11-2010, 02:56 PM
http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/mini-camp-underway/

The final Broncos camp until training camp got underway on Friday under overcast skies and cooler temperatures. As the session wore on, more and more playmakers entered the fray in an action-packed practice.

LINEUP
# In the first 7-on-7 drill of the day, Kyle Orton stepped up under center for the first reps, followed by Tim Tebow and then Brady Quinn. That same rotation held true during a 7-on-7 red zone drill later in practice, but during several 11-on-11 drills, the order was Orton, Quinn then Tebow.
# A few new defenders saw repetitions with the first unit defense on Friday. Jarvis Moss and college free agent Kevin Alexander lined up at the outside linebacker spots with D.J. Williams and Mario Haggan inside, and Perrish Cox occasionally lined up outside at cornerback opposite Andre’ Goodman or Champ Bailey during certain drills.

The rest of the defensive lineup featured Justin Bannan, Jamal Williams and Ryan McBean on the line and Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill at safety.

# During 7-on-7s, the first offensive group included Jabar Gaffney, Demaryius Thomas and Eddie Royal at receiver, Daniel Graham at tight end, Knowshon Moreno at running back and Orton at quarterback.
# The first unit offensive line featured Tyler Polumbus at left tackle, Zane Beadles at left guard, J.D. Walton at center, Chris Kuper at right guard and Ryan Harris at right tackle. During the team’s final two-minute drill at the end of practice, D’Anthony Batiste took over at right tackle while the rest of the first-unit line remained intact.
# Kenny McKinley, Royal and Cox were the three returners during a punt drill.

PLAYMAKERS
# Fresh out of the gate it looked like the defense was in for another big day at practice. On Quinn’s first pass in 11-on-11s, he launched the ball downfield for McKinley. The pass sailed just past the receiver’s outstretched arms, however, and Alphonso Smith was there to haul in an over-the-shoulder interception.

When Tebow stepped under center, his first pass was picked off by Darcel McBath. “That’s two today!” shouted defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale. But the offense got back on track, and the next play was a quick screen pass from Tebow to Moreno for a big gain.
# Orton’s second pass of 7-on-7s was a completion to a diving Matthew Willis, which drew cheers from the offense and coaching staff. When Quinn stepped under center, he fired what amounted to a jump ball to Thomas, who went up and got it over Tony Carter. On the next play, he found Moreno for a completion out of the backfield, and the running back put a move on Alexander in open space that left the rookie linebacker lying on the ground.
# Later in the drill, Orton floated a pass over Bailey to Gaffney, who sprinted the rest of the way for a touchdown. The veteran cornerback had his revenge two plays later, however, picking off a pass from Tebow.
# In 7-on-7 drills in the red zone, Orton stepped under center first and immediately found a wide-open Moreno for a touchdown. As the defense talked about what went wrong, Moreno handed the ball to Executive Director of Media Relations Patrick Smyth, who was watching along with the media on the sideline, and the running back and Gaffney proceeded to perform an elaborate celebration.
# Running backs out of the backfield were a popular target on Friday, as Quinn lofted a pass over three defenders to Correll Buckhalter for what appeared to be a touchdown. The defense claimed Buckhalter was bobbling the pass as he ran out of bounds, and Martindale took it upon himself to call the pass incomplete.
# On one play in the red zone, Orton found McKinley for a quick completion. After the play was over, Head Coach Josh McDaniels motioned for Orton to be “a little more patient” and wait for a certain route that was about to come open in the end zone. On the following play, Orton was flushed out of the pocket and rolled to his right. Meanwhile, Willis saw the play unfolding, broke off his route and sprinted to his right in the back of the end zone. Orton found the receiver for a touchdown, much to the delight of the rest of the offense.
# In the same red-zone drill, Tebow couldn’t find an open receiver so he took off running downfield for a touchdown. The defense razzed him a little from the sideline for not throwing the ball, but McDaniels said the play was allowed to continue.
# After Thomas leaped to haul in a back-shoulder pass from Orton in front of Goodman, Martindale instructed the defense to keep an eye on him. “We’ve got to cover their new toy,” he said of the 6-foot-3 rookie, prompting a smile from McDaniels. “Cover that tight end wearing 88.”
# On the last play of 7-on-7s, Quinn nearly found Moreno out of the backfield for yet another touchdown, but Dawkins dove, and with his arms fully extended he broke up the pass. Needless to say, the incompletion brought plenty of cheers from the defensive sideline.

QUICK HITS
# Eric Decker once again caught passes from strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten off to the side for the first half of practice.
# After the session, Thomas was talking with someone at midfield. It was hard to tell who at first, but it became clear — Rod Smith was back at Dove Valley, handing out a few pointers to the rookie wideout.

# During 7-on-7s, Moss and Haggan did their best to distract Tebow. As the rookie quarterback scanned the field, both players continued to shout, “Hey Tebow! Hey Tebow! Hey Tebow!”
# Practice closed with a two-minute drill led by Orton, which was capped off by a Matt Prater field goal.
# When the team worked on punt returns, the coaches threw in a few fake punt formations to see if the return team would be ready. Doesn’t look like the team is in any hurry to have a repeat of the Washington game from last season.
# The defensive line worked with coach Wayne Nunnely on reading and reacting to screen passes. The defensive line coach pointed to Jamal Williams as an example of how to do it — the 348-pound lineman returned an interception for a touchdown early in his career.

Below are photos from this morning’s practice courtesy of Kyle Sonneman. (on link)

Denver Native (Carol)
06-11-2010, 03:45 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_15277709

For the first day of mandatory minicamp today, the Broncos made some depth-chart changes.

Zane Beadles, the second-round pick from Utah who had been working at right tackle, has shifted to first-string left guard. The move was made with the limited return of right tackle Ryan Harris from toe surgery. Harris still is taking only a few snaps and in his stead, veteran D'Anthony Batiste has been taking first-team, right tackle reps.

The changes have pushed second-year guard Seth Olsen, a fourth-round pick in 2009 from Iowa, to second team.

On defense, projected starting outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers aren't with the first team. Dumervil isn't practicing live in hopes of getting a multiyear contract. He is expected to sign his $3.168 million tender by Monday.

Ayers, the Broncos' No. 18 overall draft pick in 2009 and a rookie disappointment, has been demoted. Jarvis Moss, the Broncos' first-round pick in 2007 who has been a three-year disappointment, and undrafted rookie Kevin Alexander have been working with the first team.

BroncoWave
06-11-2010, 04:16 PM
Notable to me is that Tebow got the second team reps for the 7 on 7s and that DT is already at first team WR. I like both of those things!

Denver Native (Carol)
06-11-2010, 04:56 PM
I loved it that Rod was there giving Thomas pointers :salute:

ikillz0mbies
06-11-2010, 05:24 PM
I don't like the fact that Ayers has been demoted.....hopefully he can make an impact this year....

Denver Native (Carol)
06-11-2010, 07:06 PM
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=10177

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow spoke with the media following the team's minicamp practice at Dove Valley on Friday.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

Opening comment
"It's really the same as the OTAs, you know. We haven't really changed anything. Our schedule is really the same that it's been in the last two weeks. Not going to go two-a-days or anything like that. I feel like at this point, we've got a lot accomplished, a lot of things done and just want to try to finish up with three good days."

On the quarterback competition
"I think it's an open competition everywhere on our team. We tell them all that they're going to earn their own role by what they do on the field and certainly, that applies to each spot. The quarterbacks are competing hard and I've mentioned it that a number of times - Kyle's certainly got a great grasp on what we're doing and he's performing very well right now in the spring and the two younger guys are trying to push, but we'll see. We've got a lot of practices left."

On the quarterbacks playing with different groups
"We really don't divide them up by first-team, second-team. It's more by play. We kind of log the plays that they've run before or if we'd like to see them make an adjustment on a play that they did run earlier - last week, whatever it may be - and see if they can make the improvement. Each one of them has been in there with the first group. The centers are swapping in and out, different sets of linemen, different sets of receivers, so we're really not moving them in and out with teams as much as we're looking at it and saying, 'We'd like to have him get this play and so on and so forth.'"

On Broncos LB Elvis Dumervil's contract negotiations
"Continuing to hopefully make progress, (Broncos General Manager) Brian (Xanders) and (Dumervil's agent) Gary (Wichard) have really been doing most of that and just want to continue to push to try to get everything done that we want to get done, which is to have him here for a long time. There's no negative to him at all. We're going to try to do the best we can to make sure he's here as long as we can keep him."

On the Broncos' written correspondence with Dumervil
"There's the normal policy and procedure with the CBA. We're certainly not unique in that at all. There are so many teams that have done that. We'd like to have all our players under contract in training camp. There's certainly no message sent with that at all. Hopefully, like I said, we're working with Gary to get something done. It has nothing to do with (sending a message). We'd like to have everybody under contract at training camp. It's simple."

On whether the team could lower their offer to Dumervil as time goes on
"I'm not going to get into this. We have plenty of time here in the next couple days. I'm sure everything is going to play out fine."

On how the progression of the quarterbacks group since the first OTA
"Kyle has certainly had 100-some practices and multiple games in this offense and certainly that shows in his play, and the other two, like I said, are learning every day and trying to get better and fix things that aren't right. Very similar to what Kyle went through last year, (former Broncos QB) Chris (Simms) was doing the same thing last year at this time, same thing with (former Broncos QB) Tom (Brandstater). It's just a normal progression. Everything isn't going to come easily and we're going to make a lot of mistakes at this time of year. There are plenty of things every day that still, the first time that they're actually running those things in a setting where a lot of things happen on a play. The only thing that really you can measure right now is that Kyle certainly has a better grasp on everything than the other two do."

On Broncos LB Jarvis Moss
"Jarvis has done a great job. He's done a great job, he's done everything we've asked of him. He's done extra in the weight room and he's really put forth great effort in the classroom, on the field, over there in the weight room - the lifting, the running sessions. He's a selfless guy that is just trying to do everything he can to help us win. I don't think Jarvis is going to settle for anything less than trying to create a big role on our team. That's what we hope he does and he's really worked well and we're really pleased with the work that he's put in so far. He's earned a lot of reps for himself which is great.

On Broncos LB Jarvis Moss' transition to outside linebacker
"Well, like I said, it's a transition for everybody. He's said that he's felt more comfortable this year than he was last year and I'm sure that's true of a lot of guys there at that position. He can do a lot of things, you know. He obviously has the ability to rush the passer off the corner. He's communicating - I think the players and him feel more comfortable communicating the defense (to each other) and it shows. It shows with their play."

On the status of TE Marquez Branson
"He's rehabbing. He will be on the field as soon as he can participate. "

On the status of LB Darrell Reid
"He is in there working every day. Again, that probably won't be something to be resolved as far as us knowing the timetable. He is working every day and getting better, and as soon as he is capable he will be out there too. He may be one of the few that goes into training camp and doesn't really participate right away based on where he is at right now."

On his assessment of QB Tim Tebow's throwing motion
"He has certainly made some progress with what we are asking of him, and we are not asking him to change and be like everybody else. There's a few things we work on with all the quarterbacks to try and get them to do a few things better and he is really working hard at trying to make that a part of his game. He's made progress in a lot of areas, but again there's a lot of things going on out there right now and he needs to learn from his mistakes and improve. There are a lot of areas that that needs to happen in. We will see how everything works out, but we are happy to have him on our football team and he is going to compete to try and contribute in some way. We will see how it all shakes out."

On the progress of WR Demaryius Thomas
"It was a typical rookie day. He made some big plays - made some really nice catches. Then, you know, had a couple of drops. He kind of slapped his helmet after the play is over like 'I can't believe I just did that.' We are lucky to have him out there working with the group. He is out there with a bunch of guys, so he hears the communication from different quarterbacks and different receivers. I think he has certainly shown the ability to make a difference. We will see if we can get him to do the right thing at the right time and hope for the best. He has made progress every day, and I think he is now getting the rust off of him. He has actually run against competition and caught the football after running the right route - reading coverage and all that stuff. He's going to be what we thought he was."

On whether OL Zane Beadles is seeing more time at the guard position
"We've kind of distributed his reps in a couple of different areas. We feel like he has definitely had more work at tackle and we want everyone to compete and earn their own role. He has shown the ability to be able to handle the process and has been able to process the information well. At some point, we will make a determination at where we think he has to stay at some point, so we can focus on him improving and competing for a position."

On how much he expects DL Jamal Williams to contribute
"I think he can be a real big contributor for us. I think he is in good condition. Coming off of an injury like he did with his triceps, he is still moving around well. He is a vocal presence that plays with a lot of confidence. You can tell he's got a lot of confidence in the meeting room. He communicates with his teammates. They kind of trust him, and he is starting to rub off on some of those younger players who are behind him. We are going to let him contribute every way he possibly can because we know he can still play at a very high level, and he thinks that too."

Kyle Orton

On today's practice
"It went well. I think these last two weeks, really, we've just kept on making improvement as an offense and really the communication and the execution is the best that it's ever been. Hopefully, we can keep on doing that and have two more solid days and hopefully be where we want to be, going into August."

On the quarterback competition
"I'm just focused on myself and just keeping on playing the way I am. I'm really happy with the way I'm playing and just really have more confidence right now than I've ever had."

On where his confidence comes from
"The way the entire offense has been playing gives me a lot of confidence. I'm giving the receivers a lot of chances to make plays and they've been doing it on a consistent basis. When the results are there, you just get a lot of confidence out of that."

On improvement from last year
"It's just night and day. There's really just no comparison between myself and anyone else who's been in this offense for two years."

On Broncos WR Brandon Lloyd
"I was with Brandon in Chicago for a year. Before he got injured that year, he was one of the best receivers and I really have a lot of confidence in Brandon. He's an explosive receiver, he's a guy that can make plays when he's covered and he's just an explosive guy. I think he's really coming into his own on this team. The guys have confidence in him, I have confidence in him and he's really had a heck of a spring."

On whether he has more of a comfort level with the wide receivers this year
"I think I have a (high) comfort level with all these guys. All these guys really run great routes - (WR) Jabar (Gaffney) runs great routes, is always where you want him to be. (WR) Eddie (Royal) is the same way, B-Lloyd (Brandon Lloyd) is the same way and our running backs are doing a great job, our tight ends, everybody really. I just hope we continue this enthusiasm and all of this effort that we're putting into it and carry it into August."

TIM TEBOW

On Denver's first game being in Jacksonville, Fla.
"I thought it was definitely a little bit ironic and interesting, but I guess you have to approach it like any other game now."

On what to expect in his first game
"I don't really know what to expect. I have a long way before then, so I have a long time before I have to start worrying about that game."

On whether he sees any improvement at this time
"I think I am consistently improving. I have a long way to go. I have a lot of mistakes and a lot of things I have to correct."

On whether there is one part of his game he is working on more than others right now
"I guess just the reads and protections and everything. I need to work on it all, though."

On how quick the defensive backs are in the NFL
"Well, they are definitely small. I played against a lot of quick guys in college, you know. Here, they are just top of the line. More than that though they are all smart and intelligent and know when to break. They can read your routes and that makes them faster."

broncobryce
06-11-2010, 07:44 PM
I wouldn't look too deep into Ayers being 'demoted'. I think McD wants to see what Jarvis Moss and the undrafted guy can do. Jarvis may not be on the team come start of the season.

topscribe
06-11-2010, 08:14 PM
I don't like the fact that Ayers has been demoted.....hopefully he can make an impact this year....

Actually, I'm wondering whether I shouldn't like it. Is it disappointment in Ayers,
or is Moss finally realizing his potential? There is an awful lot of raw talent at
that position . . .

-----

Lonestar
06-11-2010, 08:37 PM
I think ayers is just being given some OFF time. Moss well not sure. Like BRice will be around.
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OldschoolFreak
06-11-2010, 08:55 PM
God I would love it if Moss stepped up to be a contributor this year...

dogfish
06-11-2010, 09:05 PM
coachspeak is 97% bullshit-- you have to sift through it pretty carefully to find anything. . . here are a few of the things i got. . .



On how the progression of the quarterbacks group since the first OTA
"Kyle has certainly had 100-some practices and multiple games in this offense and certainly that shows in his play, and the other two, like I said, are learning every day and trying to get better and fix things that aren't right. Very similar to what Kyle went through last year, (former Broncos QB) Chris (Simms) was doing the same thing last year at this time, same thing with (former Broncos QB) Tom (Brandstater). It's just a normal progression. Everything isn't going to come easily and we're going to make a lot of mistakes at this time of year. There are plenty of things every day that still, the first time that they're actually running those things in a setting where a lot of things happen on a play. The only thing that really you can measure right now is that Kyle certainly has a better grasp on everything than the other two do."

so much for the junk a few people were trying to tell me about quinn having "just as much experience in this system as orton". . .


On Broncos LB Jarvis Moss:

"Jarvis has done a great job. He's done a great job, he's done everything we've asked of him. He's done extra in the weight room and he's really put forth great effort in the classroom, on the field, over there in the weight room - the lifting, the running sessions. He's a selfless guy that is just trying to do everything he can to help us win. I don't think Jarvis is going to settle for anything less than trying to create a big role on our team. That's what we hope he does and he's really worked well and we're really pleased with the work that he's put in so far. He's earned a lot of reps for himself which is great.

so, we know he's working hard-- when he gets cut, i guess we can safely assume he just wasn't any good. . . :heh:

seriously. . . i wasn't thrilled that we traded up, but he was definitely a guy that i liked out of that class. . . when he broke his leg his rookie year, i said it could realistically be two-three years before we were likely to get much out of him, and i defended him long past when most people had given up. . . i've pretty much given up now too, though. . .

it would be beyond awesome to finally get some return on the investment, and some use out of all that ability. . . i'm very wary, though. . . i can't help but think that the odds of mcD talking up moss because he doesn't have doom right now and ayers isn't impressing are considerably higher than the odds of moss actually breaking through at this late date. . . call me a cynic. . .


On the status of LB Darrell Reid:

"He is in there working every day. Again, that probably won't be something to be resolved as far as us knowing the timetable. He is working every day and getting better, and as soon as he is capable he will be out there too. He may be one of the few that goes into training camp and doesn't really participate right away based on where he is at right now."

doesn't sound like good news. . . hate to say it, but until i hear that his knee is healthy, i'm not counting on getting anything from him this year. . . if ayers can't step it up big time, i'm afraid we may have zero pass rush beyond what doom can generate on his own. . .


On how much he expects DL Jamal Williams to contribute:

"I think he can be a real big contributor for us. I think he is in good condition. Coming off of an injury like he did with his triceps, he is still moving around well. He is a vocal presence that plays with a lot of confidence. You can tell he's got a lot of confidence in the meeting room. He communicates with his teammates. They kind of trust him, and he is starting to rub off on some of those younger players who are behind him. We are going to let him contribute every way he possibly can because we know he can still play at a very high level, and he thinks that too."

man, what a great pickup. . . low risk, high reward. . . we'll see how much he has left, but it's great just to have a legit, accomplished pro on the line. . . just his presence and his attitude should be extremely welcome-- adding JWall to dawkins should give us a different mentality. . .

Lonestar
06-11-2010, 09:18 PM
coachspeak is 97% bullshit-- you have to sift through it pretty carefully to find anything. . . here are a few of the things i got. . .





so much for the junk a few people were trying to tell me about quinn having "just as much experience in this system as orton". . .
he does have the time in college but then we also know that the speed of the game is a tad different


On Broncos LB Jarvis Moss:


so, we know he's working hard-- when he gets cut, i guess we can safely assume he just wasn't any good. . . :heh:

seriously. . . i wasn't thrilled that we traded up, but he was definitely a guy that i liked out of that class. . . when he broke his leg his rookie year, i said it could realistically be two-three years before we were likely to get much out of him, and i defended him long past when most people had given up. . . i've pretty much given up now too, though. . .

it would be beyond awesome to finally get some return on the investment, and some use out of all that ability. . . i'm very wary, though. . . i can't help but think that the odds of mcD talking up moss because he doesn't have doom right now and ayers isn't impressing are considerably higher than the odds of moss actually breaking through at this late date. . . call me a cynic. . .
same here would love to see him step and earn some of that #1 money but I'm hoping they are playing him to get max trade value out of him.:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:


On the status of LB Darrell Reid:


doesn't sound like good news. . . hate to say it, but until i hear that his knee is healthy, i'm not counting on getting anything from him this year. . . if ayers can't step it up big time, i'm afraid we may have zero pass rush beyond what doom can generate on his own. . .


he is toast

On how much he expects DL Jamal Williams to contribute:


man, what a great pickup. . . low risk, high reward. . . we'll see how much he has left, but it's great just to have a legit, accomplished pro on the line. . . just his presence and his attitude should be extremely welcome-- adding JWall to dawkins should give us a different mentality. . .

as for JWill looking forward to another great year with a true NT/DT that we have not had since the orange crush was last here.

dogfish
06-11-2010, 09:29 PM
as for JWill looking forward to another great year with a true NT/DT that we have not had since the orange crush was last here.

overall, he's the best pure D-lineman we've had here since neil smith. . . i know he's old, but guys like ted washington and pat williams have shown that monster DTs can be effective late into their careers. . . even if jamal is limited, i can't see any defense with him at its center getting pushed around in the run game the way we did late last year. . .

Lonestar
06-11-2010, 09:33 PM
overall, he's the best pure D-lineman we've had here since neil smith. . . i know he's old, but guys like ted washington and pat williams have shown that monster DTs can be effective late into their careers. . . even if jamal is limited, i can't see any defense with him at its center getting pushed around in the run game the way we did late last year. . .

yes neil was pretty good but almost over the hill when he got here. would have given my left nut for him in his prime, but frankly mikey never spent the effort, time, or (good) money on D that he did on O.

TXBRONC
06-11-2010, 11:24 PM
overall, he's the best pure D-lineman we've had here since neil smith. . . i know he's old, but guys like ted washington and pat williams have shown that monster DTs can be effective late into their careers. . . even if jamal is limited, i can't see any defense with him at its center getting pushed around in the run game the way we did late last year. . .

I don't doubt that if J. Williams is healthy then he will certainly bolster the defensive line. But at 34 years of age I am concerned about what he has left in the tank and I wonder if his body will hold up. Hopefully with rotation that they plan use Williams will stay relatively fresh for the entire season.

gobroncsnv
06-12-2010, 12:13 AM
My main concern for JW is getting off the field before the start of the next play, when we're doing a line change. Leave enough in the tank for that, big fella!

atwater27
06-12-2010, 12:23 AM
overall, he's the best pure D-lineman we've had here since neil smith. . . i know he's old, but guys like ted washington and pat williams have shown that monster DTs can be effective late into their careers. . . even if jamal is limited, i can't see any defense with him at its center getting pushed around in the run game the way we did late last year. . .

Trevor Pryce Dawg.

dogfish
06-12-2010, 01:20 AM
Trevor Pryce Dawg.

nope. . . jamal williams, dawg-- he's better than pryce. . . different type of player, but i'd much rather have a guy who's intrinsically motivated as well as being good. . . i used to be a huge fan of pryce, but he started dogging it his last few years here. . . he wasn't a grinder, and he wasn't a leader-- JWall is both. . .

Lonestar
06-12-2010, 01:28 AM
nope. . . jamal williams, dawg-- he's better than pryce. . . different type of player, but i'd much rather have a guy who's intrinsically motivated as well as being good. . . i used to be a huge fan of pryce, but he started dogging it his last few years here. . . he wasn't a grinder, and he wasn't a leader-- JWall is both. . .

price was spending to much time in the recording business he bought with his huge contract to busy to worry about football until called out by both mikey and Rod several times.

He got a fat contract and did not have to work for his money.

Funny how that happens to some.

TXBRONC
06-12-2010, 07:22 AM
My main concern for JW is getting off the field before the start of the next play, when we're doing a line change. Leave enough in the tank for that, big fella!

This isn't Sam Adams we're talking about. :D

broncofaninfla
06-12-2010, 07:50 AM
God I would love it if Moss stepped up to be a contributor this year...

I would as well and hopefully it happens but last year at this stage Tim Crowder was getting beefed up and running with the first team and we all know what happened to him. I hope Moss and Ayers come through just hate it takes mind games to get them there.

atwater27
06-12-2010, 11:40 AM
y'all are crazy. Pryce is the best D-lineman we have had since Neil Smith. Maybe if Jamal was in his prime, he would be better than Pryce in his prime, but he is just a stop gap, ancient has been on our team. Not saying he doesn't have a year or 2 of inspired play left in him. But that doesn't exactly excite me for our future.

Lonestar
06-12-2010, 11:50 AM
y'all are crazy. Pryce is the best D-lineman we have had since Neil Smith..

Perhaps he was before he got his fat contract after that he showed up only after being called out for his lousy play.

In fact he is the poster child for incentive based contracts.

Great potential but unmotivated.

BTW he was all there was on the Dline for years what does that say about commitment to Defense. Atleast now we SEEM to have someone that aknowledge there is three parts to a TEAM all of which needs good to great players and coaching.

I like whre we are today laying the groundwork for longtime winning. Not just peaking for one or two great seasons.
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atwater27
06-12-2010, 01:38 PM
Pryce got injured and was never the same. You call it lazy.

Lonestar
06-12-2010, 01:46 PM
Pryce got injured and was never the same. You call it lazy.

H admitted in an intrview his obsession with the recording business that he bought with his money that he lost focus.

Allso if it was an injury only Rid and nikey would not have had to call him out and his game would not have improved the next games he played in.
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Tned
06-12-2010, 01:51 PM
Pryce got injured and was never the same. You call it lazy.

I get the sense that a lot of people make judgements based purely on stat lines and unfortunately didn't get to watch many games.

In the case of Pryce, ANYONE who actually watched the games knows that he was double teamed on every play, was constantly held (a handful of the holds would actually be called) and was the ONLY player on the line that other teams had to focus on and game plan for.

The degree of glass three quarters empty, negative BS is incredible. Even more so because it is complete and utter BS in terms of accuracy.

dogfish
06-12-2010, 03:28 PM
I get the sense that a lot of people make judgements based purely on stat lines and unfortunately didn't get to watch many games.

In the case of Pryce, ANYONE who actually watched the games knows that he was double teamed on every play, was constantly held (a handful of the holds would actually be called) and was the ONLY player on the line that other teams had to focus on and game plan for.

The degree of glass three quarters empty, negative BS is incredible. Even more so because it is complete and utter BS in terms of accuracy.

enh. . . i think you know by now that i'm not at all one of those fans we have around here that takes such delight in demonizing former broncos. . . negative comments are justified in some cases, though-- dale carter, darryl gardener, simeon rice, etc. . . i wasn't that impressed with pryce his last few years here, and it wasn't an injury-- he was FINE once he got to baltimore. . .

he basically admitted in a few interviews that he was tired of being the guy getting double teamed, and that he was happy to go soewmere else, let other players be the focus of the defense, and let somebody else fight the double teams. . .

the guy was extremely talented, and did give us some great years, but like i said in my previous post-- the dude isn't a grinder or a leader, and you need him to be when you pay him as much as we did. . .

and atty, i am talking about in their prime-- obviously neither of them is near the player now that he was 5-6 years ago. . . hell, for that matter, neither was neil smith when we got him. . . getting a second functional veteran nosetackle to rotate was a big pickup for us, though-- there aren't many of those guys available at all, and if you need one you pretty much have to pick from whoever's out there. . .

i know JWall probably won't give us more than 20-some snaps per game, but i'll be really surprised if he can't still hold the point effectively. . . dude is still huge, massively strong, and exactly the kind of grtty guy you want in the trenches. . .

Lonestar
06-12-2010, 04:09 PM
I get the sense that a lot of people make judgements based purely on stat lines and unfortunately didn't get to watch many games.

In the case of Pryce, ANYONE who actually watched the games knows that he was double teamed on every play, was constantly held (a handful of the holds would actually be called) and was the ONLY player on the line that other teams had to focus on and game plan for.

The degree of glass three quarters empty, negative BS is incredible. Even more so because it is complete and utter BS in terms of accuracy.

Pray tell then why was Rod and mikey on seceral iccasions after games calling him out publicy.

I watched the games all of them during his. Tenure in DEN as I had sunday ticket then.

I saw in some of those games he was indeed doubled and tripled. But after those games where he did not show up and Was called out the next few games he was his old self again.

His production pre contract was much better than post FAT contract.

He was cut because he was due. IIRC 9 million and refused to redo the contract while we we're in CAP hell.

And while he was the DLIND thise years all that does is show that mikey had little if any concern to find him help. Especially via viable DRAFT choices. I'm sure that someone of your interney savy can find the articles written about these team meeting call outs by both mike and Rod. I know that there used to be a Broncos.com video on one of them. Not sure if the mikey stuff has been purged or not.

Based on stats not on your life. Remember it vividly.
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broncobryce
06-12-2010, 04:23 PM
I do remember him complaining of his role in the defense. He was supposed to take the double teams an let others make the plays IIRC. He did not like that.

Denver Native (Carol)
06-12-2010, 04:39 PM
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=10178

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Demaryius Thomas and Head Coach Josh McDaniels spoke with the press after Saturday's minicamp practice.

Below are the transcripts of their media sessions.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On naming the starting quarterback before training camp
"(Kyle Orton) is the starter. He is the starter, no doubt."

On whether LB Robert Ayers is being punished.
"I'm not going to talk about it."

On what a quarterback competition means to him
"If somebody beats out the starter, they become the starter. It's pretty simple."

On if there is a timetable for resolving the quarterback competition
"It needs to be resolved whenever it's clear - there's nothing to be resolved really. We've got a guy who's going to go into camp as the starter, no question about it and he deserves it and if somebody comes in there and plays better than he does then that player will play."

On the possibility of using other quarterbacks in special packages or formations
"If we felt like that was something that we could do well and it was something that our guys could actually function in and it'd help us win games, we might try it. We doodled around with it a little bit here. There are no guarantees or no plans to play multiple people unless it's the right thing to do. At this point, until we get in pads and see how that all sorts out, I don't think you can really (do that)"

On how the quarterbacks compare to one another
"I would say, again, we talked about gaps and all the rest of that and it's clear, I think, that Kyle is definitely ahead, there's no question. He's playing that way and the other two guys - I don't know if it matters if it's close or not but they're going to keep pushing him and working hard to try to improve their game so that they can make it close."

On how close the competition is
"I think we had three guys out there that practiced pretty well today."

On Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas
"He's doing great. In terms of trying to get better at the things that he has struggled with or made an error with - he has really worked hard to try to fix those. He's had a great attitude and approach. He hasn't made the same error a lot. You know, he's dropped a couple balls - I think that everyone has seen this guy make tremendous catches and then there's been some other ones that he's dropped. I think that comes with playing and knocking off some of the rust and you know, it's only his fourth or fifth practice where he's been out there against NFL caliber defensive backs. Like I said, he'll only get better every day and today was better than yesterday."

On whether it's easier for rookie offensive linemen to adjust to the offense than other positions
"I wouldn't say it's easy. I think it's tough at every position to learn how to do what we're asking you to do - whether it be on offense or defense or in the kicking game. I think those guys are learning a lot. We're putting a lot of situations in front of them that are very difficult. They're reacting well to them. I think we have a lot of young linemen, all on the offensive side of the ball and they're certainly being challenged and they're making progress. They're fixing the things that we didn't do well. I mean, two weeks ago, we had some practices that I would consider bad, because it was the first time that we'd seen a lot of the stuff. Then they saw more of it yesterday and today and it looks like we know exactly where to go, who to block, how to sort things out, who to communicate with and I think they're really picking that up. Really, the most difficult thing for a young lineman is his ability to work with the other group of four because what he's doing is obviously affected clearly by what the other four are doing and vice-versa so you've got to be on the same page. It can't just be, 'How well did he practice today?' It's really the line practices well or it doesn't and I think they're doing better each day."

On the changes to the offensive line due to injuries
"I think that when the players change, certainly how you feel about communicating, how the call is given to you, how you receive it from somebody else... There's certainly some of that. It's not a whole lot different from a quarterback playing with a wide receiver and then all of a sudden another one comes back from an injury and now he hasn't necessarily ran the same routes. We've got to work those guys in, you know, in training camp and I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for us to get that communication to where we want it to be before September."

On wide receivers that have stood out
"Obviously (Brandon) Lloyd has done very well in the spring. He hasn't been out here the last couple of days but he's done well. (Kenny) McKinley, (Matthew) Willis - they've certainly done a lot of good things. I think everybody saw Matt make a really nice play at the end of practice and that has been coming. I think Eddie (Royal), his role, in terms of playing in the slot is now, I would say, significant and he has a smile on his face and he knows what he's doing and he feels great about being in there. I think everybody has a good feeling about that. And then, we have some younger players and they're really trying to integrate in there but those guys have all really performed at a higher level than they did last year. Some at a different position, some not. I think the biggest key for us is how it's going to sort out in training camp because you can't keep eight receivers on your roster - we all know that. Some of them had good springs last year and they've got to take that performance and really show it in training camp and throughout the preseason when they have the opportunities but each one of them has really stood out and we're expecting it to be really competitive in training camp because it's been that way all spring."

On Broncos CB Perrish Cox
"He's a rookie like everybody else who's come in here and he's made his share of mistakes but he's also earned, I think, some of the respect of the veterans there's some trust that I think he's probably earned. We've been putting him in and out - sometimes he's playing off that first group in the secondary and that's been great for him to learn from those guys. At the same time, he's made mistakes that cost us but he doesn't usually make the same mistake multiple times which is very important for a young player to learn. I think he goes about his business every day. He's out there working hard. He's here early and stays late. He's trying to find a role in the kicking game as well as competing at both sides at corner. He hasn't disappointed us in terms of what we thought we were getting."

On Broncos QB Tim Tebow's work ethic
"I obviously knew something about his work ethic but I think it's different when you put them all here. We have a lot of guys competing in some of those situations and he's just trying to compete and get better. I think that's really his focus whether he's running sprints or staying after practice or going out early, whatever it may be. I think that's great for any player to have that. I think we have a lot of players that feel that same way and really try to improve in every area that they can."

On how much of the playbook has been installed so far
"There is very little that we haven't really exposed them to at this point. We've changed, I would say, a significant portion of what we're going to do offensively, defensively this year and they've really been great about picking it up. We threw a lot of things at them. Again, some of the stuff is carryover but there's plenty that was new. I don't think there's really a lot left for us that we left out. I would assume that the first week of training camp and the first 13, 14 practices of training camp will be very similar in terms of the amount of installation and exactly how we kind of went about it during the first 14 practices here."

DEMARYIUS THOMAS

On the ups and downs of being a rookie
"It's going good. It's just little things that I learn from veterans, so I'm pretty sure I'll be fine."

On how he's improving
"I think a lot. It was just some little stuff that I was doing wrong and came out and tried to correct some of it today so I think I'm doing okay."

On whether he's caught up with the playbook
"Yes, I am."

On what has been the most difficult thing to learn
"Probably the playbook - that's mainly it and just coming off the foot injury and trying to get back to 100 percent."

On working with former Broncos WR Rod Smith after practice Friday
"He helped me out a lot, actually. Just some of the stuff that he told me he did and would help me out and I tried it today and it did help."

On what advice Smith gave him
"It was basically getting off the line and getting off press and using my body and using my shoulders - something I never did before."

On what he's learned about NFL defensive backs
"I know they're good and they don't make mistakes."

dogfish
06-12-2010, 05:42 PM
Broncos minicamp observations
By Bill Williamson
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Notes and thoughts from the first day of Denver’s mandatory minicamp:


Tim Tebow had a rough day at camp on Friday, but coach Josh McDaniels still praised his progress.First-round pick Tim Tebow struggled some. He threw two interceptions and was off target at times. Denver coach Josh McDaniels still praised Tebow’s progress in learning the system. However, Tebow showed it could be a lengthy process.

Meanwhile, McDaniels said he hasn’t made up his mind yet, but he is leaning toward keeping two quarterbacks active on the game-day 45-man roster because having more would “put us behind the eight ball at other spots.”

McDaniels said he hasn’t decided who his two quarterbacks would be if he goes that route. Currently, Kyle Orton is the starter, Brady Quinn is the backup and Tebow is third string. Even though Tebow has a long way to go, it would be a surprise if he is a game-day inactive.

Star linebacker Elvis Dumervil downplayed whether he will sign his restricted free-agency tender by Tuesday. Dumervil attended the minicamp, but didn’t do team drills.

“It is what it is,” Dumervil said repeatedly. “We’ll see what happens … Time will tell.”

McDaniels also downplayed it. He said the team sent a letter saying it would reduce Dumervil’s offer if he doesn’t sign his tender by Tuesday. McDaniels said the letter is a formality and he expects the situation to resolve itself.

Denver's other first-round pick, receiver Demaryius Thomas, had an up-and-down day. He made some nice grabs and ran some nice routes. But he also dropped some passes and struggled in some routes. McDaniels deemed it a “typical day” for a rookie. The Broncos expect Thomas, taken at No. 22, to contribute right away.

Linebacker Robert Ayers, a first-round pick in 2009, didn’t do much at all. McDaniels said it was a coaching decision. Ayers needs to bounce back from a weak rookie season.

Tight end Richard Quinn, a second-round pick in 2009, has dropped several balls in practice and he has been slow to develop.

Rookie offensive lineman Zane Beadles worked at left guard after working at tackle earlier in the offseason.

McDaniels praised the conditioning and leadership of veteran defensive tackle Jamal Williams, who signed with Denver after starring in San Diego for several years. McDaniels said he expects a big contribution from Williams.

McDaniels said linebacker Darrell Reid’s rehabilitation from knee surgery could extend into training camp.

_______________________

http://football.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=football&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.profootballtalk.com%2Frumormil l.htm

TXBRONC
06-12-2010, 06:22 PM
Broncos minicamp observations
By Bill Williamson
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Notes and thoughts from the first day of Denver’s mandatory minicamp:


Tim Tebow had a rough day at camp on Friday, but coach Josh McDaniels still praised his progress.First-round pick Tim Tebow struggled some. He threw two interceptions and was off target at times. Denver coach Josh McDaniels still praised Tebow’s progress in learning the system. However, Tebow showed it could be a lengthy process.

Meanwhile, McDaniels said he hasn’t made up his mind yet, but he is leaning toward keeping two quarterbacks active on the game-day 45-man roster because having more would “put us behind the eight ball at other spots.”

McDaniels said he hasn’t decided who his two quarterbacks would be if he goes that route. Currently, Kyle Orton is the starter, Brady Quinn is the backup and Tebow is third string. Even though Tebow has a long way to go, it would be a surprise if he is a game-day inactive.

Star linebacker Elvis Dumervil downplayed whether he will sign his restricted free-agency tender by Tuesday. Dumervil attended the minicamp, but didn’t do team drills.

“It is what it is,” Dumervil said repeatedly. “We’ll see what happens … Time will tell.”

McDaniels also downplayed it. He said the team sent a letter saying it would reduce Dumervil’s offer if he doesn’t sign his tender by Tuesday. McDaniels said the letter is a formality and he expects the situation to resolve itself.

Denver's other first-round pick, receiver Demaryius Thomas, had an up-and-down day. He made some nice grabs and ran some nice routes. But he also dropped some passes and struggled in some routes. McDaniels deemed it a “typical day” for a rookie. The Broncos expect Thomas, taken at No. 22, to contribute right away.

Linebacker Robert Ayers, a first-round pick in 2009, didn’t do much at all. McDaniels said it was a coaching decision. Ayers needs to bounce back from a weak rookie season.

Tight end Richard Quinn, a second-round pick in 2009, has dropped several balls in practice and he has been slow to develop.

Rookie offensive lineman Zane Beadles worked at left guard after working at tackle earlier in the offseason.

McDaniels praised the conditioning and leadership of veteran defensive tackle Jamal Williams, who signed with Denver after starring in San Diego for several years. McDaniels said he expects a big contribution from Williams.

McDaniels said linebacker Darrell Reid’s rehabilitation from knee surgery could extend into training camp.

_______________________

http://football.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=football&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.profootballtalk.com%2Frumormil l.htm


This looks like yesterday's report. Is it? :confused:

BroncoWave
06-12-2010, 06:24 PM
This looks like yesterday's report. Is it? :confused:

Yes, it is.

Lonestar
06-12-2010, 07:23 PM
enh. . . i think you know by now that i'm not at all one of those fans we have around here that takes such delight in demonizing former broncos. . . negative comments are justified in some cases, though-- dale carter, darryl gardener, simeon rice, etc. . . i wasn't that impressed with pryce his last few years here, and it wasn't an injury-- he was FINE once he got to baltimore. . .

he basically admitted in a few interviews that he was tired of being the guy getting double teamed, and that he was happy to go soewmere else, let other players be the focus of the defense, and let somebody else fight the double teams. . .

the guy was extremely talented, and did give us some great years, but like i said in my previous post-- the dude isn't a grinder or a leader, and you need him to be when you pay him as much as we did. . .

and atty, i am talking about in their prime-- obviously neither of them is near the player now that he was 5-6 years ago. . . hell, for that matter, neither was neil smith when we got him. . . getting a second functional veteran nosetackle to rotate was a big pickup for us, though-- there aren't many of those guys available at all, and if you need one you pretty much have to pick from whoever's out there. . .

i know JWall probably won't give us more than 20-some snaps per game, but i'll be really surprised if he can't still hold the point effectively. . . dude is still huge, massively strong, and exactly the kind of grtty guy you want in the trenches. . .

I'd forgotten that interview but remember a intrview that he did aftert going into the recodring business that it was his passion and playing football paid for it.

That and the comment pointed right at the kid by both mike and ROD were huge in truning me around on him and observing why he was noy dominating in some games.

Good post.
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broncobryce
06-12-2010, 08:11 PM
I wonder what's up with the Ayers thing. I thought it was just wanting to see other players but 'I'm not going to talk about it' tells me different. Must have pissed him off somehow.

TXBRONC
06-12-2010, 08:18 PM
I wonder what's up with the Ayers thing. I thought it was just wanting to see other players but 'I'm not going to talk about it' tells me different. Must have pissed him off somehow.

With the things that are being said it's more than just other players gets reps so that he can rest.

Tned
06-12-2010, 08:36 PM
I wonder what's up with the Ayers thing. I thought it was just wanting to see other players but 'I'm not going to talk about it' tells me different. Must have pissed him off somehow.

He was held out of the first two days of practice as a "coach's decisions".

Denver Native (Carol)
06-12-2010, 08:40 PM
He was held out of the first two days of practice as a "coach's decisions".

http://www.gazette.com/sports/ayers-100173-continues-englewood.html

ENGLEWOOD – For the second straight day of the Denver Broncos mandatory minicamp, Robert Ayers watched.

The second-year outside linebacker did not work in on any defensive plays, which was also the case on Friday. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said he wasn’t injured, and the fact that Ayers has been on the sideline indicated he was healthy. Injured Broncos players do not watch practice from the sideline, and Ayers did warm up before practice and do some drills with outside linebackers at the end.

But McDaniels wouldn’t explain why Ayers wasn’t a regular participant in practice. No other player who was healthy was held out of team drills.

“It’s just a coaching decision,” McDaniels said. “It’ll play out.”

McDaniels said Ayers would be at practice Sunday, but wouldn’t say if he would participate.

McDaniels has praised Ayers, a 2009 first-round pick, often this season. He has lauded his more professional approach. McDaniels cut off questions after today’s practice on Ayers and what caused him to be benched for two straight practices.

“I’m not going to talk about it,” McDaniels said. “It’s just a decision we’ve made.”

dogfish
06-12-2010, 08:49 PM
I wonder what's up with the Ayers thing. I thought it was just wanting to see other players but 'I'm not going to talk about it' tells me different. Must have pissed him off somehow.

yea. . . i'm certainly not going to get overly concerned about anything happening in mincamp, but. . . at the same time. . . it's also far from what you'd like to hear, ideally. . .

the fact that he held him out a second day is less than promising. . . just seems odd. . . if he's not injured, mcD obviously has to be pissed at him about something. . . could have missed a meeting, been late to practice, blown assignments and doesn't appear to have full command of the playbook-- who knows, could be anything. . .

in any case, i think we can assume it probably wasn't something good. . . whatever ayers did, i hope JMFMCD gets him back out there soon-- make your point, but the kid needs the reps. . . we need him to contribute this year, especially with haggan moving inside and reid's availability in question. . . this type of stuff is right out of the parcells playbook, and it clearly worked for him-- just the same though, i'd rather not see ayers get demoted to the scout team fullback. . .

broncobryce
06-12-2010, 09:19 PM
yea. . . i'm certainly not going to get overly concerned about anything happening in mincamp, but. . . at the same time. . . it's also far from what you'd like to hear, ideally. . .

the fact that he held him out a second day is less than promising. . . just seems odd. . . if he's not injured, mcD obviously has to be pissed at him about something. . . could have missed a meeting, been late to practice, blown assignments and doesn't appear to have full command of the playbook-- who knows, could be anything. . .

in any case, i think we can assume it probably wasn't something good. . . whatever ayers did, i hope JMFMCD gets him back out there soon-- make your point, but the kid needs the reps. . . we need him to contribute this year, especially with haggan moving inside and reid's availability in question. . . this type of stuff is right out of the parcells playbook, and it clearly worked for him-- just the same though, i'd rather not see ayers get demoted to the scout team fullback. . .

You are spot on with this. He must have been late or said something that pissed McD off.

BroncoWave
06-13-2010, 01:42 PM
Ayers back on the field with the second team today, tweet from Andrew Mason:

Robert Ayers, back on field w/ 2nd team today, didn't go into specifics about his absence but said it was "for a good reason", "at the end it'll make me a better player & person."

"More Ayers: "Every rep you miss is always a loss. You just learn from your mistakes and move forward, and that's what I'm going to do."

Lonestar
06-13-2010, 01:52 PM
Ayers back on the field with the second team today, tweet from Andrew Mason:

Robert Ayers, back on field w/ 2nd team today, didn't go into specifics about his absence but said it was "for a good reason", "at the end it'll make me a better player & person."

"More Ayers: "Every rep you miss is always a loss. You just learn from your mistakes and move forward, and that's what I'm going to do.":salute::salute:

to hear some talk I would have thought he should have been cut from the squad.

Much ado about nothing as usual from the chicken little crowd.

Denver Native (Carol)
06-13-2010, 04:30 PM
http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/final-day-of-minicamp/

On October 31, the Broncos travel across the Atlantic Ocean to take on the San Francisco 49ers in London. During today’s final minicamp practice, they got a taste of what the weather may be like in six months.

Much like yesterday, temperatures were in the 40s with a steady rain falling throughout the session. Dicky Lyons readied himself for the weather by wearing long sleeves, gloves and a hand warmer.

SITUATIONAL FOOTBALL

The last practice of mandatory minicamp was all about situational football, forcing the players to react to specific scenarios they might see in the games. Why practice under the shelter of a practice bubble when you’ll have to play games in the rain?

Mario Haggan saw the weather and joked, “is this situational football, too, coach?” Head Coach Josh McDaniels told him he was right.

Position coaches put each group of players through drills meant to test the team’s ability to play through the muck. The wide receivers practiced changing direction by cutting hard on the wet surface to practice breaking off routes in the end zone. Each player was encouraged to “sell it” on every cut.

The offensive linemen were more mobile than usual in their position drills, honing their agility by pulling and sprinting on the slippery surface.

Running backs, wide receivers, linebackers and safeties went through a special teams exercise where one offensive player received a ball while two defensive players sprinted right at them, making sharp cuts and corraling the returners.

In team drills McDaniels put the club through situations with varying downs and distances all over the field. For example he would call out that a play is 3rd-and-1, 3rd-and-11, 1st-and-goal at the 8-yard-line or 2nd-and-15. The coach let all three quarterbacks run the offense in two minute drills with the team backed up against its own goal line and red zone scenarios with little clock left.

At the end of practice McDaniels enlisted every player on the sideline to simulate crowd noise for Matt Prater field goals. The coach then took a time out to ice the kicker before his first attempt. Prater missed the first field goal, but rebounded by drilling the second and earning the cheers of the raucous crowd.

PLAYMAKERS

# The quarterbacks frequently targeted their tight ends for short passes in the nasty weather. Richard Quinn caught a pass from Kyle Orton early on. Riar Geer leapt over two defensive backs for a touchdown from Tim Tebow in the final play of team drills. Daniel Graham exploited one-on-one matchups with linebackers all practice, catching balls in front of Haggan and D.J. Williams.
# Andre’ Goodman caught the only interception of the day off a tipped pass that fell into his hands after bouncing off of several players.
# Eddie Royal snared a touchdown grab from Orton after bobbling the ball and tip-toeing both feet in bounds. The defense was skeptical but Chris Kuper ruled it a touchdown. Royal also caught a two-point conversion later in practice to add on to Matthew Willis’ score. Afterward Willis carried Royal off the field in celebration. Royal later took advantage of a defensive call for a wide-open catch down the right sideline. Don “Wink” Martindale told his players the offense had “the perfect call” for that play.
# Justin Bannan jabbed his hand in the air in front of a couple passes, deflecting the balls before they could cross the line of scrimmage.
# Perrish Cox rotated in with the first team cornerbacks and denied Jabar Gaffney of a catch on one play. Cox fielded a kickoff and burst through the seam with a confident cut, and returned all but one punt during practice.

QUICK HITS

# Robert Ayers participated in practice today, but Jarvis Moss and rookie Kevin Alexander still worked with the first team defense at outside linebacker.
# The coaching staff gave Willis a long look at wide receiver. The young UCLA product lined up on the outside opposite Gaffney with Royal in the slot on a number of plays, earning targets on deep passes and grabbing a designed receiver screen.
# Prater practiced an onsides kick to the left side of the field in the middle of team drills. He had both Britton Colquitt and A.J. Trapasso hold the ball for him on field goals.
# Nate Jones worked in with the first-team defense as the nickel back when the defense called for extra pass coverage.
# One of Tim Tebow’s reps in the first set of 11-on-11 drills was a designed quarterback draw up the center of the defense.

Below are photos from Sunday’s practice: (on link)

Denver Native (Carol)
06-13-2010, 05:05 PM
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=10180

DenverBroncos.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Daniel Graham, Jarvis Moss and Head Coach Josh McDaniels spoke with the press after the final workout of a three-day minicamp Sunday. (on link)

Below are the transcripts of their media sessions.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On situational drills
"Well, I mean, obviously, since we're on both sides of the situation, both sides aren't going to be exactly happy with the result but I think the thing we were trying to get across today was the awareness of the situation and how to play it the right way. I think I'm very pleased with our communication and the fact that we have 11 players on each side - usually when the situation is being played out - (that) understand what we're trying to get done and how we're trying to win that play. So in that regard, I thought it was very productive and night-and-day from last year at this time. This year, I think our guys really understand where we're going with this stuff and they played it well."

On the team
"I think I'm proud to be their coach. This is a group of players that come to work with a great attitude every day. The reason we say we want high-character players is because you can eliminate distractions that don't allow you to keep your focus on winning football games. I think they're really dedicated to trying to do everything they can to win and that includes not creating anything within our own building that could hurt our opportunity to do that. (I'm) very pleased with the leadership, very pleased with the quality of people we have in there and also very excited about the talent that we have in that locker room."

On the roster makeup
"I just think it's been something that I was fortunate to be around a bunch of teams that were pretty much assembled in a similar way in that regard - I'm not talking about scheme or anything else; I'm just saying that the focus on trying to eliminate distractions that you can control within your own building is something that I think just gives you more time to focus on football. It's hard enough to win in this league as it is and if you put time towards other things other than (winning), you know, you're probably going to fall behind at some point."

On whether CB Perrish Cox would be the No. 1 returner if there was a game tomorrow
"No, Eddie Royal (would be). Perrish was back there today getting a lot of that work. I think Perrish is definitely going to help us - he's got a long way to go to be a dependable returner, I would say at this point. I would say that's true of any rookie in the return game. We talk about ball possession and catching the football and playing the wind and all that stuff. There are a lot of days left for him to improve in that regard before we would stick him out there and trust him with the football at this point but he really works hard every day after practice catching the ball and really has improved since he got here. He's certainly a player who is capable of helping us in the return game significantly but right now, I think Eddie has a strong hold on both of those (jobs)."

On the punting competition
"Again, I think Britton (Colquitt) is ahead. We've done a lot of different situations, we've charted them, we've put them in some tough predicaments and we've monitored their progress. I think both players have really improved a lot in 16 practices and I think, you know, it's always good to have young players pushed. Again, that's a competitive situation, you know, like we have at a lot of places on our football team, and I think that's only making both of them better but at this point, I'd say that Britton has kind of pulled ahead."

On what he expects from the team during the rest of the offseason before training camp starts
"We finish the offseason program here with just two weeks of the offseason program left and then after that they get some time to rest before we come back. You know, they'll all want to try to stay in shape - we don't want to come to training camp in poor shape, in poor condition and they know that. We'll go through the conditioning test and making sure they're doing some things on their own. Some of them may be here certainly, and if they are, they can work out and condition at the facility but we've put in a lot of time and a lot of hard work and after the next two weeks here to finish up the offseason program they've really earned some time, you know, to just kind of relax and get their minds off football for a little bit and then come back refreshed hopefully and ready to go for a long stretch."

On how the defense has changed under defensive coordinator Don 'Wink' Martindale
"It's exciting for us because we have changed some of what is going on with the defense. "Wink's" personality has kind of injected some things into our defense. I think they are excited every day to come in here. I think we have more depth at most positions right now on the defense than I think we did last year. We are deep on the defensive line. We are deep in the secondary. We've got a lot of younger players behind some veteran players that we are not going to be afraid to play at all because we know it's a long season and we need to make sure that we rest those players. Those young players have earned that right. We are excited about that and think that will really help us stay strong defensively throughout the year. There's a lot that's left until training camp. We haven't seen anybody hit anybody or try to win the line scrimmage or try to see how physical we are. We have a feeling we are going to get better in that area. All of us are kind of excited for August 1."

On what is going to be different defensively
"There's going to be some players that move around a little bit more than we did last year. I think we have more versatility with what we've got inside and then some of our linebackers are playing different positions. I think we moved (Mario) Haggan some around the line of scrimmage. Again, he is going to be playing off the ball, and then there will be times when he is on the ball. So, the scheme itself is definitely an added dimension or two in terms of the way we might try to pressure, you know. Some of the base coverages that we are going to play a lot of are different from last year. We are very focused at trying to get good at a good core group of things in both the offense and defense in the spring. I think our players have really focused on trying to master those things and we will feel really good about going into August in terms of their understanding."

On LB Robert Ayers
"Again, he's fine and again, I commend him for the work he has done and the way he has approached this entire offseason. That's something that I think has resolved itself and I think we are all excited to move forward with that - I know Robert is.

On the roles of Ayers and Moss
"They are going to be competing. I mean, we will probably be moving them in and out. We have multiple guys that we can kind of move around at that position. Because of some of the things we will try to do in our nickel and dime and third down packages, we may try to rest a guy here and there so they can play on third down also. It will be interesting to see how they handle it, but I think both of them have improved because of it and we are going to let that play out."

TIGHT END DANIEL GRAHAM

On this season compared to last season
"It's a lot better out there. The young guys are coming along, you know. Some guys feel more comfortable in the whole system and what coach is trying to do with this camp.""

On how he feels camp went this weekend
"We had a good spring camp and (we are) trying not to let all this go to waste right now. We still have a lot to learn and a long way to go. We are just looking forward to the season this year."

On how comfortable he is with the team right now
"It's a lot more comfortable feeling. Guys understand more than we did last year. We are comfortable on both offense and defense. You know, we are just having a lot of fun out here right now."

On his thoughts on Colorado (his alma mater) joining the PAC-10
"I'm excited, because when I retire I can take some trips to the West Coast."

LINEBACKER JARVIS MOSS

On the upcoming season
"I'm looking forward to it. This year, like I said, it's a long ways to go and I'm going to get better from now and to the point when we're kicking the ball off to actually win a game."

On whether he's added muscle weight this offseason
"Yes, when we first started working with (Broncos Strength and Conditioning Coach) Rich (Tuten), I was dropping pounds but I weighed in the other day at around 245."

On whether he plans to add more weight before training camp
"I'm going to try to put on five-to-eight more pounds by the time we report."

On playing linebacker
"I should have been doing this, just being honest. This is what I was supposed to have been doing when I came to the NFL. The more comfortable I get, the more I think about it. When I'm sitting on the couch watching TV - just putting my own little twist and stuff, doing it the coach's way but being comfortable and putting my little twist on it and it's working. It works for me. I'm athletic, I can run, I can move in space and there's nothing that I really can't do at outside linebacker."

On his comfort level at the linebacker position
"It's getting there to that point. I've been rushing my whole life so when it comes that time, the rushing part is down but just covering and understanding the defense, yeah."

dogfish
06-13-2010, 06:20 PM
On the team:

"I think I'm proud to be their coach. This is a group of players that come to work with a great attitude every day. The reason we say we want high-character players is because you can eliminate distractions that don't allow you to keep your focus on winning football games. I think they're really dedicated to trying to do everything they can to win and that includes not creating anything within our own building that could hurt our opportunity to do that. (I'm) very pleased with the leadership, very pleased with the quality of people we have in there and also very excited about the talent that we have in that locker room."

okay, coach, you got the guys you wanted-- now show you can win with them. . . .


sounds like matt willis may have a legit shot to make the team. . .

and i'm not surprised to hear colquitt is leading the punting competition. . . i thought we should have kept him over kern last year, i was disappointed when we didn't. . . hopefully he can stick this time. . .

the fact that moss had to add weight to get to 245 speaks volumes. . .

silkamilkamonico
06-13-2010, 07:30 PM
Meh, I'm not a fan of Ayers. IMO he's a DE trying to play LB. IMHO he just isn't fluid enough with his movement to play LB at a high level in the NFL.

Softskull
06-13-2010, 08:19 PM
:salute::salute:

to hear some talk I would have thought he should have been cut from the squad.

Much ado about nothing as usual from the chicken little crowd.

Well, none of us know what the ado was. That's actually a good thing. McDaniels has learned that you don't need to disipline your players on ESPN. I like it.

TXBRONC
06-14-2010, 07:20 AM
Well, none of us know what the ado was. That's actually a good thing. McDaniels has learned that you don't need to disipline your players on ESPN. I like it.

I agree I prefer that McDaniels not discipline his players through the media.

TXBRONC
06-14-2010, 07:21 AM
Meh, I'm not a fan of Ayers. IMO he's a DE trying to play LB. IMHO he just isn't fluid enough with his movement to play LB at a high level in the NFL.

Silk do you like anyone on the team? I'm starting worry that maybe you don't even like yourself. :lol: J/K

Lonestar
06-14-2010, 07:27 AM
Well, none of us know what the ado was. That's actually a good thing. McDaniels has learned that you don't need to disipline your players on ESPN. I like it.

With a couple exceptions he has be pretty consistent about NOT commenting.

Even though be pressed by the media.

Sounds like ayers is also smart eoungh not to open mouth and insert foot.

I've liked this pick from day one. Having to many Quality OLB is a good thing to have. One or more could be able to move inside as stellar players there. Or jus be good back ups.

They will have to learn how to play in space. And shed blockers and play deep.

Again having competition is a real good thing.
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silkamilkamonico
06-14-2010, 07:36 AM
Silk do you like anyone on the team? I'm starting worry that maybe you don't even like yourself. :lol: J/K

I like controversey. Sometimes for the sake of controversey only.

As far as my real thoughts on Ayers, I thought he had some glimpses of real playmaking ability last year, but he didn't finish the play. I would have hoped for more of an impact, especially from a rookie LB drafted that high (regardless of him tranistioning from DE to OLB), and he needs to finish some of those plays, and on a more consistent basis. If he can do that this year I think he'd be a real load to deal with.

Honestly, the positive with him (right now) IMHO is he can be a real playmaker. IMHO the negative (right now) is he's too sporadic to really count on anything impactful. If he can be more consistent we have a real player. If not we have a fristrating player. I don't know the specifics on why he was benched, I can only speculate like everyone else, but I do think McDaniels and the coaching staff are a little frustrated with him in terms of effort on an every down capacity. We'll see how it all plays out though.

silkamilkamonico
06-14-2010, 07:41 AM
With a couple exceptions he has be pretty consistent about NOT commenting.


Honestly, I think Mcdaniels is a lot smarter than some of the fans give him credit for. They say he bashes the players through the media and its because of his immaturity, I say he's picked his battles of who he singles out, and used the one instance with Marshall to set an example for everyone else, that that behavior will not be tolerated, regardless of the immediate state that Devner was in, which was not good, reeling from losing 5 out of 7, and needing that win to get in the playoffs.


Some say his ego gets the better of him, I say he's in control of the situation. The opposite of his "ego getting the better of him" is Wade Phillips in Dallas, and we all know how that circus has played out there.

He used that situation as an example with Marshall through the media to show an expectation of his players on his team at any point through the season.

I'm a huge fan of Marshall, and I still loved how he (McDaniels) handled that at the end of the year last year. And like you said, he's been very hush hush, even on a consistent basis, about his players through the media.None of the other players (even the veterans) had any problems with the way McDaniels handled that situation, so I don't see why the fans need to have problems with it.

TXBRONC
06-14-2010, 08:24 AM
I like controversey. Sometimes for the sake of controversey only.

As far as my real thoughts on Ayers, I thought he had some glimpses of real playmaking ability last year, but he didn't finish the play. I would have hoped for more of an impact, especially from a rookie LB drafted that high (regardless of him tranistioning from DE to OLB), and he needs to finish some of those plays, and on a more consistent basis. If he can do that this year I think he'd be a real load to deal with.

Honestly, the positive with him (right now) IMHO is he can be a real playmaker. IMHO the negative (right now) is he's too sporadic to really count on anything impactful. If he can be more consistent we have a real player. If not we have a fristrating player. I don't know the specifics on why he was benched, I can only speculate like everyone else, but I do think McDaniels and the coaching staff are a little frustrated with him in terms of effort on an every down capacity. We'll see how it all plays out though.

I'll give a player some leeway when they are transitioning to a different position. Not everyone can just step in do what Ware did immediately. That being said I do hope we get more out of Ayers this year.

Lonestar
06-14-2010, 09:56 AM
Honestly, I think Mcdaniels is a lot smarter than some of the fans give him credit for. They say he bashes the players through the media and its because of his immaturity, I say he's picked his battles of who he singles out, and used the one instance with Marshall to set an example for everyone else, that that behavior will not be tolerated, regardless of the immediate state that Devner was in, which was not good, reeling from losing 5 out of 7, and needing that win to get in the playoffs.


Some say his ego gets the better of him, I say he's in control of the situation. The opposite of his "ego getting the better of him" is Wade Phillips in Dallas, and we all know how that circus has played out there.

He used that situation as an example with Marshall through the media to show an expectation of his players on his team at any point through the season.

I'm a huge fan of Marshall, and I still loved how he (McDaniels) handled that at the end of the year last year. And like you said, he's been very hush hush, even on a consistent basis, about his players through the media.None of the other players (even the veterans) had any problems with the way McDaniels handled that situation, so I don't see why the fans need to have problems with it.

Smart like a fox. Using the media to fan the flames when he want to get rid of someone.

I think we all know that jay, sheffler and bm we're not going to be long term players in DEN mostly because they were so heavily invested in the previous regime, with any promises made for new contracts etc etc.

Josh made it a go with BM and schef hoping they would invest in the program after jay bailed knowing that he would have to work for his job and that he would not be the diva that he was under mikey. He would not be allowed to have his way on the field with bates callinh "his" plays.

Frankly I think the discipline Josh could have given him would have made him elite not just good.

But he chose to bail on us. Then BM seemed to have a banner year and all was well, until he made the problow and got his 100 catches. Then something changed in his attitude and got in the doghouse. He showed his imaturity once again.

Josh decided it was time to fix or break it and chose to air it out. To see how the twits BM and TS were going to handle being called out.

They chose unwisely and the rest is history.

Smart like a fox.
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claymore
06-14-2010, 10:05 AM
Smart like a fox. Using the media to fan the flames when he want to get rid of someone.

I think we all know that jay, sheffler and bm we're not going to be long term players in DEN mostly because they were so heavily invested in the previous regime, with any promises made for new contracts etc etc.

Josh made it a go with BM and schef hoping they would invest in the program after jay bailed knowing that he would have to work for his job and that he would not be the diva that he was under mikey. He would not be allowed to have his way on the field with bates callinh "his" plays.

Frankly I think the discipline Josh could have given him would have made him elite not just good.

But he chose to bail on us. Then BM seemed to have a banner year and all was well, until he made the problow and got his 100 catches. Then something changed in his attitude and got in the doghouse. He showed his imaturity once again.

Josh decided it was time to fix or break it and chose to air it out. To see how the twits BM and TS were going to handle being called out.

They chose unwisely and the rest is history.

Smart like a fox.
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Worst post ever on the internet. Jeebus, I cant believe you actually believe this shit.

rationalfan
06-14-2010, 11:28 AM
Worst post ever on the internet. Jeebus, I cant believe you actually believe this shit.

hello hyperbole. and, i still think you don't believe 89 percent of the things you post. you simply like igniting arguments. not always a bad thing; rarely a good thing.

topscribe
06-14-2010, 11:34 AM
Worst post ever on the internet. Jeebus, I cant believe you actually believe this shit.

I'm confused, Clay. What is it about JR's post that you find so unbelievable?

-----

claymore
06-14-2010, 11:51 AM
I'm confused, Clay. What is it about JR's post that you find so unbelievable?

-----
He opened and closed the post with "Smart like a fox". So Everything inbetween.

claymore
06-14-2010, 11:54 AM
hello hyperbole. and, i still think you don't believe 89 percent of the things you post. you simply like igniting arguments. not always a bad thing; rarely a good thing.

I would say I dont believe alot of stuff I post. Probably not 89%, but its a relatively high number.

rationalfan
06-14-2010, 12:13 PM
I would say I dont believe alot of stuff I post. Probably not 89%, but its a relatively high number.

nice.

claymore
06-14-2010, 12:32 PM
nice.

Thanks.

Lonestar
06-14-2010, 01:09 PM
hello hyperbole. and, i still think you don't believe 89 percent of the things you post. you simply like igniting arguments. not always a bad thing; rarely a good thing.

Thanks for responding I have him and several others on IGGY.

Tired of the hate that many display even covertly.

Good post.
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