Denver Native (Carol)
06-19-2010, 08:13 PM
http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/winning-the-job/
Over the weekend, Head Coach Josh McDaniels pegged Britton Colquitt as the leader in the battle to be the Broncos’ punter. On Tuesday, the team gave Colquitt’s chances to be its Week 1 punter a boost when it waived his competition, fellow second-year punter A.J. Trapasso.
But the former college free agent out of Tennessee knows he still has work left to do. Colquitt said being the lone punter on the roster just pushes him to keep getting better.
“It gives me confidence to know that they trust me enough to go into camp with just me,” Colquitt said Thursday. “It shows that they feel like I could be the guy, and I just have to continue to prove that.”
Colquitt battled with veteran Brett Kern in training camp last season and later spent Week 17 on the team’s active roster. With a full season to get acclimated to the challenges of the pro game that also included a stint on Miami’s practice squad, Colquitt hopes to prove he’s ready to take the next step.
With more than a month to go until training camp, Colquitt has worked himself into a favorable position. But come the end of July, Colquitt knows he will have to pick right back up where he left off.
During the team’s upcoming break, Colquitt said he will train in his hometown of Knoxville, Tenn., where he’ll get a chance to work with his former Volunteer longsnapper Morgan Cox, who was recently signed by Baltimore. The 25-year old also hopes to spend some time practicing with his brother Dustin, a veteran punter for Kansas City.
The punter said many of his teammates have stopped him to offer congratulations in recent days. More importantly, several of the team’s veterans have reminded him of an important NFL maxim: no roster spot is safe or guaranteed.
“A few guys have pulled me aside and said, ‘Hey man, don’t let up. Just because they’ve picked you to be the guy right now doesn’t mean you can let up,’” Colquitt said. “It’s still an everyday grind.”
Over the weekend, Head Coach Josh McDaniels pegged Britton Colquitt as the leader in the battle to be the Broncos’ punter. On Tuesday, the team gave Colquitt’s chances to be its Week 1 punter a boost when it waived his competition, fellow second-year punter A.J. Trapasso.
But the former college free agent out of Tennessee knows he still has work left to do. Colquitt said being the lone punter on the roster just pushes him to keep getting better.
“It gives me confidence to know that they trust me enough to go into camp with just me,” Colquitt said Thursday. “It shows that they feel like I could be the guy, and I just have to continue to prove that.”
Colquitt battled with veteran Brett Kern in training camp last season and later spent Week 17 on the team’s active roster. With a full season to get acclimated to the challenges of the pro game that also included a stint on Miami’s practice squad, Colquitt hopes to prove he’s ready to take the next step.
With more than a month to go until training camp, Colquitt has worked himself into a favorable position. But come the end of July, Colquitt knows he will have to pick right back up where he left off.
During the team’s upcoming break, Colquitt said he will train in his hometown of Knoxville, Tenn., where he’ll get a chance to work with his former Volunteer longsnapper Morgan Cox, who was recently signed by Baltimore. The 25-year old also hopes to spend some time practicing with his brother Dustin, a veteran punter for Kansas City.
The punter said many of his teammates have stopped him to offer congratulations in recent days. More importantly, several of the team’s veterans have reminded him of an important NFL maxim: no roster spot is safe or guaranteed.
“A few guys have pulled me aside and said, ‘Hey man, don’t let up. Just because they’ve picked you to be the guy right now doesn’t mean you can let up,’” Colquitt said. “It’s still an everyday grind.”