WARHORSE
06-19-2008, 04:04 AM
Ryan Clady-Starting LT Denver Broncos
So far, the advertising has been truthful. No. 1 draft choice Ryan Clady has been impressive during the Broncos' offseason mini-camps.
How impressive?
"I'd like to reserve comment," Broncos offensive line coach Rick Dennison said. "I'm still waiting on him to see what he does."
He would like to reserve comment. All right, everybody, on cue: Duh! This is the Broncos' offensive line we're talking about. Those guys reserve more comments than tee times. For the most part, they speak only when they're spoken to. Right. By their wives, maybe.
So, Tom Nalen, what do you think of . . . Tom? Tom?
Ben Hamilton, what about the rookie?
"Whatever Ryan says. He speaks for me."
For the record, Clady isn't big on sound bites, either. Nice kid, real nice, but softspoken. In other words, a perfect match for the Broncos' offensive line.
"He's the type of guy who handles himself just like offensive linemen normally handle themselves," Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan said. "Very quiet, very composed, doesn't say a whole lot. He's a guy who'll be accepted right away."
The first true test on the field will have to wait for training camp in July, when the pads come on. For now, Clady is focusing on fitting in, learning the playbook and being accepted by his teammates. And how do you do that? By talking more softly than you walk.
"You can't be opening your mouth too much as a rookie," Clady said. "The vets get on you a little faster if you do that."
In other words, since Clady isn't about to say it himself, he gets it. He isn't just a premier prospect whose quickness and agility belie his nearly 320 pounds. He knows the drill. He came equipped with size, speed and savvy, the likes of which you don't always see in a rookie.
According to the NFL's sacred scriptures, there's an initiation process that every rookie must endure. He has to check his attitude at the door. He has to do a lot of listening and very little talking. He has to sing his college fight song at training camp. He has to carry the veterans' helmets off the practice field.
Not that Clady will have to do any of that stuff. No, he'll have to do even more. He is, after all, joining the offensive line, the most tightly knit unit on the Broncos. And he was, after all, the 12th pick in the draft, a far cry from the other projected starters, none of whom went higher than the fourth round.
"When you're No. 12, the microscope is on you," Broncos right guard Montrae Holland said.
The microscope is on you, all right. And the dinner tabs. Clady can count on picking up a few of those this season. That, too, is part of the rite of initiation, particularly when you're about to pocket $11 million before playing a down in the NFL.
That's the number, give or take a Mercedes or two, that Clady figures to receive as a signing bonus. To put that figure in perspective, consider this: It's almost as much as the $12 million-plus that Nalen, a five-time Pro Bowler and certain Ring of Famer, has received in bonus money in his career.
And so it is that Clady's favorite words this season figure to be "Yes, sir" and "Check, please."
"Tommy (Nalen) surely will make him pay for a big dinner," Shanahan said. "I guarantee you it's going to cost him."
"I told him not to worry about it, that we'll take care of his money," Holland said. "I'm going to have to get with Tom and see what we've got in store for him. The kid is going to get it in the end, let's put it like that."
That's down the road, but his earliest experiences at Dove Valley have been all good. The veterans getting on a rookie's case and treating him like one of their own is a sure sign they like him. Oh, and one more thing. It's a dead giveaway that the kid can play.
"He sure looks the part," Broncos free safety John Lynch said. "I know we haven't put pads on, but he looks like a guy who could go to 10 Pro Bowls. He's got very good feet. That jumps out at you right away. And he's strong. I know from personal experience that, once he gets his hands on you, he's a strong guy."
Lynch isn't alone in his appraisal. Several veterans, on the record and off, have let it be known how impressed they are with Clady. One said he believes Clady can be a future all-pro. Sure, it's too early to be talking that kind of talk. Then again, sometimes you know right away with rookies.
Sometimes you can sense if they're comfortable on the field, where the pace is faster than anything they've experienced in college. And, by the same token, you can sense if they're overwhelmed, too.
Even first-rounders can fall into the latter category. Two cases in point: Ted Gregory, the Broncos' first-rounder in 1988, and Marcus Nash, the No. 1 in 1998. It was a matter of weeks, not months, when the veterans began wondering whether they could handle the physical challenge of life in the NFL. Sure enough, neither made the grade.
Clady, though, has shown every sign that he can be a special player, one capable of anchoring the left side of the line for the next decade.
"You never know, until they get in there and you actually see them practice, how they handle things mentally and physically," Shanahan said. "But he's done everything we've asked him to do and then some."
Said Holland: "I think the Broncos have a lot of good years ahead of them with him in there. He's 300-and-some pounds and he's moving like a guy 280 or 275. You get a kid like that who can learn to pick up the offense, you've got yourself a winner."
This much we already know: Playing in Denver will give Clady every chance to make it big. Having played at Boise State, he likes the low-key life. Every time he looks at the mountains, he's thankful he didn't get drafted by a major-market team.
"Definitely, it's a good match for me," Clady said. "It fits my personality, real mellow. It's a little slower than L.A. or New York." And it has cheaper restaurants, too. That's a good thing when you have several overgrown men to feed.
I think we hit the jackpot.:beer:
But I'll wait till the pads are on........:coffee:
So far, the advertising has been truthful. No. 1 draft choice Ryan Clady has been impressive during the Broncos' offseason mini-camps.
How impressive?
"I'd like to reserve comment," Broncos offensive line coach Rick Dennison said. "I'm still waiting on him to see what he does."
He would like to reserve comment. All right, everybody, on cue: Duh! This is the Broncos' offensive line we're talking about. Those guys reserve more comments than tee times. For the most part, they speak only when they're spoken to. Right. By their wives, maybe.
So, Tom Nalen, what do you think of . . . Tom? Tom?
Ben Hamilton, what about the rookie?
"Whatever Ryan says. He speaks for me."
For the record, Clady isn't big on sound bites, either. Nice kid, real nice, but softspoken. In other words, a perfect match for the Broncos' offensive line.
"He's the type of guy who handles himself just like offensive linemen normally handle themselves," Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan said. "Very quiet, very composed, doesn't say a whole lot. He's a guy who'll be accepted right away."
The first true test on the field will have to wait for training camp in July, when the pads come on. For now, Clady is focusing on fitting in, learning the playbook and being accepted by his teammates. And how do you do that? By talking more softly than you walk.
"You can't be opening your mouth too much as a rookie," Clady said. "The vets get on you a little faster if you do that."
In other words, since Clady isn't about to say it himself, he gets it. He isn't just a premier prospect whose quickness and agility belie his nearly 320 pounds. He knows the drill. He came equipped with size, speed and savvy, the likes of which you don't always see in a rookie.
According to the NFL's sacred scriptures, there's an initiation process that every rookie must endure. He has to check his attitude at the door. He has to do a lot of listening and very little talking. He has to sing his college fight song at training camp. He has to carry the veterans' helmets off the practice field.
Not that Clady will have to do any of that stuff. No, he'll have to do even more. He is, after all, joining the offensive line, the most tightly knit unit on the Broncos. And he was, after all, the 12th pick in the draft, a far cry from the other projected starters, none of whom went higher than the fourth round.
"When you're No. 12, the microscope is on you," Broncos right guard Montrae Holland said.
The microscope is on you, all right. And the dinner tabs. Clady can count on picking up a few of those this season. That, too, is part of the rite of initiation, particularly when you're about to pocket $11 million before playing a down in the NFL.
That's the number, give or take a Mercedes or two, that Clady figures to receive as a signing bonus. To put that figure in perspective, consider this: It's almost as much as the $12 million-plus that Nalen, a five-time Pro Bowler and certain Ring of Famer, has received in bonus money in his career.
And so it is that Clady's favorite words this season figure to be "Yes, sir" and "Check, please."
"Tommy (Nalen) surely will make him pay for a big dinner," Shanahan said. "I guarantee you it's going to cost him."
"I told him not to worry about it, that we'll take care of his money," Holland said. "I'm going to have to get with Tom and see what we've got in store for him. The kid is going to get it in the end, let's put it like that."
That's down the road, but his earliest experiences at Dove Valley have been all good. The veterans getting on a rookie's case and treating him like one of their own is a sure sign they like him. Oh, and one more thing. It's a dead giveaway that the kid can play.
"He sure looks the part," Broncos free safety John Lynch said. "I know we haven't put pads on, but he looks like a guy who could go to 10 Pro Bowls. He's got very good feet. That jumps out at you right away. And he's strong. I know from personal experience that, once he gets his hands on you, he's a strong guy."
Lynch isn't alone in his appraisal. Several veterans, on the record and off, have let it be known how impressed they are with Clady. One said he believes Clady can be a future all-pro. Sure, it's too early to be talking that kind of talk. Then again, sometimes you know right away with rookies.
Sometimes you can sense if they're comfortable on the field, where the pace is faster than anything they've experienced in college. And, by the same token, you can sense if they're overwhelmed, too.
Even first-rounders can fall into the latter category. Two cases in point: Ted Gregory, the Broncos' first-rounder in 1988, and Marcus Nash, the No. 1 in 1998. It was a matter of weeks, not months, when the veterans began wondering whether they could handle the physical challenge of life in the NFL. Sure enough, neither made the grade.
Clady, though, has shown every sign that he can be a special player, one capable of anchoring the left side of the line for the next decade.
"You never know, until they get in there and you actually see them practice, how they handle things mentally and physically," Shanahan said. "But he's done everything we've asked him to do and then some."
Said Holland: "I think the Broncos have a lot of good years ahead of them with him in there. He's 300-and-some pounds and he's moving like a guy 280 or 275. You get a kid like that who can learn to pick up the offense, you've got yourself a winner."
This much we already know: Playing in Denver will give Clady every chance to make it big. Having played at Boise State, he likes the low-key life. Every time he looks at the mountains, he's thankful he didn't get drafted by a major-market team.
"Definitely, it's a good match for me," Clady said. "It fits my personality, real mellow. It's a little slower than L.A. or New York." And it has cheaper restaurants, too. That's a good thing when you have several overgrown men to feed.
I think we hit the jackpot.:beer:
But I'll wait till the pads are on........:coffee: