Lonestar
08-07-2010, 02:39 PM
With broken hand, Moss is latest Bronco out
Kuper also injured as casualties mount
By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post
POSTED: 08/07/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
UPDATED: 08/07/2010 09:03:03 AM MDT
Denver Broncos LB, Jarvis Moss, right, on the the field during practice Friday morning. (Andy Cross | The Denver Post)
If there is such thing as football karma, it seems the Broncos might be suffering from a bad case of it.
When the team's top two tailbacks, Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, left the field within minutes of each other during camp's first practice, it seemed the team was merely unlucky.
By Friday morning, when outside linebacker Jarvis Moss left practice after breaking a bone in his left hand and right guard Chris Kuper limped to the locker room with a right ankle injury, it was hard not to wonder if the Broncos had done something to seriously anger the football gods.
How else can you possibly explain the uncanny streak of injuries at Dove Valley since the team opened training camp on Sunday?
"It's
DUMERVIL HURT
Graphic: A torn pectoral, and how to fix it.
Slide show: Linebacker Elvis Dumervil.
Video: Denver Post columnist Woody Paige comments on Broncos' injury situation.
Blog: Dumervil out until at least November.
just a freak thing that happens," veteran cornerback Champ Bailey said. "We've got to live with it."
Thirteen players, including starters Moreno, Elvis Dumervil, D.J. Williams and Brian Dawkins, have missed at least one practice with some sort of medical issue, and two players (Kenny McKinley and Josh Barrett) have already suffered season-ending injuries.
That training room tally doesn't even include star left tackle Ryan Clady, injured playing basketball in April, and linebacker and special-teams star Darrell Reid, who are still recovering from offseason knee surgeries.
"It's just a work day, man. Just bumps and bruises. We've got enough time for most everyone to recover," said nose tackle Ronald Fields, who missed two practices with a strained muscle in his torso. "I mean, it's training camp. This stuff happens every year. You just got to hope you don't have too many bad injuries."
Moss is expected to miss at least two weeks of practice time, but he should be able to play while wearing a cast when he returns later this month. Kuper's ankle injury isn't believed to be serious, though he will likely miss some practice time.
The Broncos were among the healthiest teams in the league through
Post Poll -- Losing Dumervil
With the loss of sack-master Elvis Dumervil — possibly for the season — what do you think the Broncos' 2010 record will be?
0-5 victories. Broncos will struggle to win many games.
6-8 victories. Injuries will make for a mediocre season.
9-11 victories. Broncos will find a way to battle for a playoff spot.
12-16 victories. Broncos will shock NFL and emerge as elite team.
training camp in 2009 and the first part of the regular season, a factor that surely contributed to their 6-0 start.
Little changed to the offseason program or the structure of training camp this year, yet it seems at times like the team needs to set up a triage unit on the sidelines.
"I've been on teams where we've been decimated early, and I've been on teams, similar to last year, where we really don't have many problems," McDaniels said, at a loss to explain his team's current injury bug. "We didn't change our conditioning program from one year to the next, we didn't change the way we got ready for practice, we didn't change our stretching routines or anything like that. I think those are freak things that happen, and our
ALL THINGS BRONCOS BLOG
The Denver Post's NFL reporters post analysis, notes and minutiae on this blog devoted to the Denver Broncos.
job is to manage them as best we can and handle them and move forward."
Players start each practice by walking through several formations, and then spend at least 20 minutes in a warm-up and stretching period led by strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten, who has been with the Broncos for 16 years. Most practices end with a series of wind sprints followed by more stretching. In between, the players go through individual and position drills, one-on-one drills versus an opposing position group and numerous sessions of full-squad team work.
McDaniels has his players wearing full pads and engaging in more full-contact practices than his predecessor, Mike Shanahan, did, although contact practices in camp are not uncommon throughout the NFL.
Bailey said the Broncos' current rash of injuries has nothing to do with players' conditioning coming into camp or the level of intensity of practices.
"It doesn't matter, some of the injuries are not even related to hitting," Bailey said "It's a contact sport. Every time you line up you've got a chance of getting hurt."
Still, McDaniels opted to back off the intensity of Friday evening's practice by taking players out of pads. The team previously had a light walkthrough Wednesday evening. The Broncos canceled their morning practice today, which was scheduled to be another low-intensity walkthrough in advance of the open practice at Invesco this evening.
"Ultimately, we have to be able to push through some of this stuff," McDaniels said. "Obviously we're not going to put players out here that we would risk injuring further, and we'll try to monitor and manage everybody as best we can so we're ready to go for September, while still trying to get better out here."
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com or twitter.com/postbroncos
Broncos suffer series of bad breaks
The Broncos must be running out of space inside the training room, with each day of camp bringing more and more injuries. Coach Josh McDaniels' policy is not to discuss specific injuries. NFL reporter Lindsay H. Jones gives a rundown on the walking wounded:
Knowshon Moreno
The Broncos' starting running back suffered a slight tear in his hamstring during a 7-on-7 drill in the first practice of camp. He is expected to miss several more weeks, but the team is hopeful he will be able to see some preseason action and be ready for the start of the regular season.
Correll Buckhalter
The Broncos' No. 2 tailback left the field just minutes after Moreno did Sunday morning with a back injury. He is scheduled to visit a specialist, who will help Buckhalter and the team determine when he will be cleared to return to practice.
D.J. Williams
The team's starting inside linebacker has missed all but a couple of practices with an undisclosed ailment. Williams has dealt with shoulder and knee injuries since 2008. McDaniels has repeatedly declined to comment on Williams' absence or provide a timeline for his return.
Elvis Dumervil
Starting outside linebacker and top pass rusher Dumervil tore his right pectoral muscle in a one-on-one pass rush drill Wednesday evening. The injury will need to be surgically repaired, and Dumervil is expected to miss at least four months, if not the entire season.
Jarvis Moss
Dumervil's expected replacement broke a bone in his left hand during practice Friday morning. He will likely miss two weeks of training camp, although he will eventually be able to practice and play with a club-like cast on his hand.
Chris Kuper
The starting right guard injured his right ankle during a team drill Friday morning, and he will likely miss at least several practices.
Chris Baker
The second-year nose tackle left the first practice early and has yet to return to the field because of an undisclosed injury.
Brian Dawkins
The veteran safety missed four consecutive practices, though he does not appear to be suffering from a single specific injury. He returned to practice Friday evening. He would not specify what kept him out.
LenDale White
The newly signed running back walked off the field early on Friday morning, though he did not seem to suffer a serious injury. He was held out of the evening practice.
Dustin Fry
The third-string center walked off the field Wednesday and has yet to return.
Kenny McKinley
The second-year wide receiver was placed on injured reserve Thursday because of a knee injury. McKinley had knee surgery in the offseason.
Josh Barrett
The Broncos expected to place Barrett on the injured reserve, and he was scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery next week, but the Patriots claimed him off waivers Friday afternoon.
Brandon Lloyd The receiver spent several minutes at Friday's morning practice working out a kink in his right hamstring. He started the evening practice but was unable to finish the session.
Quarterback watch
Stokley again proves he masters tip drill
Kyle Orton: Throw of the day came much like one in the regular-season opener last season in Cincinnati, when a long throw was tipped up by cornerback Alphonso Smith and snared by Brandon Stokley in team drills.
Brady Quinn: Best play came on a ball deep down the middle that rookie Demaryius Thomas leaped to snatch away from cornerback Tony Carter.
Tim Tebow: Got limited reps again and saw a couple throws batted away from receivers by defensive backs.
Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos2009/ci_15700822?source=rss
Kuper also injured as casualties mount
By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post
POSTED: 08/07/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
UPDATED: 08/07/2010 09:03:03 AM MDT
Denver Broncos LB, Jarvis Moss, right, on the the field during practice Friday morning. (Andy Cross | The Denver Post)
If there is such thing as football karma, it seems the Broncos might be suffering from a bad case of it.
When the team's top two tailbacks, Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, left the field within minutes of each other during camp's first practice, it seemed the team was merely unlucky.
By Friday morning, when outside linebacker Jarvis Moss left practice after breaking a bone in his left hand and right guard Chris Kuper limped to the locker room with a right ankle injury, it was hard not to wonder if the Broncos had done something to seriously anger the football gods.
How else can you possibly explain the uncanny streak of injuries at Dove Valley since the team opened training camp on Sunday?
"It's
DUMERVIL HURT
Graphic: A torn pectoral, and how to fix it.
Slide show: Linebacker Elvis Dumervil.
Video: Denver Post columnist Woody Paige comments on Broncos' injury situation.
Blog: Dumervil out until at least November.
just a freak thing that happens," veteran cornerback Champ Bailey said. "We've got to live with it."
Thirteen players, including starters Moreno, Elvis Dumervil, D.J. Williams and Brian Dawkins, have missed at least one practice with some sort of medical issue, and two players (Kenny McKinley and Josh Barrett) have already suffered season-ending injuries.
That training room tally doesn't even include star left tackle Ryan Clady, injured playing basketball in April, and linebacker and special-teams star Darrell Reid, who are still recovering from offseason knee surgeries.
"It's just a work day, man. Just bumps and bruises. We've got enough time for most everyone to recover," said nose tackle Ronald Fields, who missed two practices with a strained muscle in his torso. "I mean, it's training camp. This stuff happens every year. You just got to hope you don't have too many bad injuries."
Moss is expected to miss at least two weeks of practice time, but he should be able to play while wearing a cast when he returns later this month. Kuper's ankle injury isn't believed to be serious, though he will likely miss some practice time.
The Broncos were among the healthiest teams in the league through
Post Poll -- Losing Dumervil
With the loss of sack-master Elvis Dumervil — possibly for the season — what do you think the Broncos' 2010 record will be?
0-5 victories. Broncos will struggle to win many games.
6-8 victories. Injuries will make for a mediocre season.
9-11 victories. Broncos will find a way to battle for a playoff spot.
12-16 victories. Broncos will shock NFL and emerge as elite team.
training camp in 2009 and the first part of the regular season, a factor that surely contributed to their 6-0 start.
Little changed to the offseason program or the structure of training camp this year, yet it seems at times like the team needs to set up a triage unit on the sidelines.
"I've been on teams where we've been decimated early, and I've been on teams, similar to last year, where we really don't have many problems," McDaniels said, at a loss to explain his team's current injury bug. "We didn't change our conditioning program from one year to the next, we didn't change the way we got ready for practice, we didn't change our stretching routines or anything like that. I think those are freak things that happen, and our
ALL THINGS BRONCOS BLOG
The Denver Post's NFL reporters post analysis, notes and minutiae on this blog devoted to the Denver Broncos.
job is to manage them as best we can and handle them and move forward."
Players start each practice by walking through several formations, and then spend at least 20 minutes in a warm-up and stretching period led by strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten, who has been with the Broncos for 16 years. Most practices end with a series of wind sprints followed by more stretching. In between, the players go through individual and position drills, one-on-one drills versus an opposing position group and numerous sessions of full-squad team work.
McDaniels has his players wearing full pads and engaging in more full-contact practices than his predecessor, Mike Shanahan, did, although contact practices in camp are not uncommon throughout the NFL.
Bailey said the Broncos' current rash of injuries has nothing to do with players' conditioning coming into camp or the level of intensity of practices.
"It doesn't matter, some of the injuries are not even related to hitting," Bailey said "It's a contact sport. Every time you line up you've got a chance of getting hurt."
Still, McDaniels opted to back off the intensity of Friday evening's practice by taking players out of pads. The team previously had a light walkthrough Wednesday evening. The Broncos canceled their morning practice today, which was scheduled to be another low-intensity walkthrough in advance of the open practice at Invesco this evening.
"Ultimately, we have to be able to push through some of this stuff," McDaniels said. "Obviously we're not going to put players out here that we would risk injuring further, and we'll try to monitor and manage everybody as best we can so we're ready to go for September, while still trying to get better out here."
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com or twitter.com/postbroncos
Broncos suffer series of bad breaks
The Broncos must be running out of space inside the training room, with each day of camp bringing more and more injuries. Coach Josh McDaniels' policy is not to discuss specific injuries. NFL reporter Lindsay H. Jones gives a rundown on the walking wounded:
Knowshon Moreno
The Broncos' starting running back suffered a slight tear in his hamstring during a 7-on-7 drill in the first practice of camp. He is expected to miss several more weeks, but the team is hopeful he will be able to see some preseason action and be ready for the start of the regular season.
Correll Buckhalter
The Broncos' No. 2 tailback left the field just minutes after Moreno did Sunday morning with a back injury. He is scheduled to visit a specialist, who will help Buckhalter and the team determine when he will be cleared to return to practice.
D.J. Williams
The team's starting inside linebacker has missed all but a couple of practices with an undisclosed ailment. Williams has dealt with shoulder and knee injuries since 2008. McDaniels has repeatedly declined to comment on Williams' absence or provide a timeline for his return.
Elvis Dumervil
Starting outside linebacker and top pass rusher Dumervil tore his right pectoral muscle in a one-on-one pass rush drill Wednesday evening. The injury will need to be surgically repaired, and Dumervil is expected to miss at least four months, if not the entire season.
Jarvis Moss
Dumervil's expected replacement broke a bone in his left hand during practice Friday morning. He will likely miss two weeks of training camp, although he will eventually be able to practice and play with a club-like cast on his hand.
Chris Kuper
The starting right guard injured his right ankle during a team drill Friday morning, and he will likely miss at least several practices.
Chris Baker
The second-year nose tackle left the first practice early and has yet to return to the field because of an undisclosed injury.
Brian Dawkins
The veteran safety missed four consecutive practices, though he does not appear to be suffering from a single specific injury. He returned to practice Friday evening. He would not specify what kept him out.
LenDale White
The newly signed running back walked off the field early on Friday morning, though he did not seem to suffer a serious injury. He was held out of the evening practice.
Dustin Fry
The third-string center walked off the field Wednesday and has yet to return.
Kenny McKinley
The second-year wide receiver was placed on injured reserve Thursday because of a knee injury. McKinley had knee surgery in the offseason.
Josh Barrett
The Broncos expected to place Barrett on the injured reserve, and he was scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery next week, but the Patriots claimed him off waivers Friday afternoon.
Brandon Lloyd The receiver spent several minutes at Friday's morning practice working out a kink in his right hamstring. He started the evening practice but was unable to finish the session.
Quarterback watch
Stokley again proves he masters tip drill
Kyle Orton: Throw of the day came much like one in the regular-season opener last season in Cincinnati, when a long throw was tipped up by cornerback Alphonso Smith and snared by Brandon Stokley in team drills.
Brady Quinn: Best play came on a ball deep down the middle that rookie Demaryius Thomas leaped to snatch away from cornerback Tony Carter.
Tim Tebow: Got limited reps again and saw a couple throws batted away from receivers by defensive backs.
Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos2009/ci_15700822?source=rss