Broncos rookie WR Thomas in line to play vs. Seahawks

[DenBronx]

Rookie first-round draft pick Demaryius Thomas appears ready to make his debut for the Broncos Sunday against the Seahawks.

The rookie wide receiver missed all of the team's four preseason games and last week's season opener at Jacksonville with a foot injury.

He practiced fully, with no setbacks, this week.

"I think he's had two good days of practice," coach Josh McDaniels said this morning. "As long as everything goes the way we hope it goes today, I think he'll be ready to roll."

Thomas had surgery in February to repair a broken bone in his left foot. He was healthy at the start of training camp in August but suffered a setback at the open scrimmage at Invesco Field on Aug. 7.

Thomas has participated in every practice of the regular season but he was a game-day inactive last week in Jacksonville.

"We look forward to him playing on Sunday," McDaniels said.

If Thomas plays, the Broncos could leave Matt Willis off the active game-day roster.



Read more: Broncos rookie WR Thomas in line to play vs. Seahawks - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_16102714#ixzz0zoJNq1i9

[robert ethan]

The BayBay is finally home from the hospital.:welcome:

[BroncoBJ]

My guess is he'll get hurt walking to the stadium on Sunday Morning and will be inactive again. :fight:

[JaxBroncoGirl]

Well I hope he is 100% (cannot wait to see him play). Just please no one get hurt............:welcome:

[rcsodak]

not willis!
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[rcsodak]

WHATCHOO TALKIN 'BOUT!?
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[broncofaninfla]

I hope he doesn't get hurt and we get a glimpse of the talent we desperatly need at WR

[SOCALORADO.]

I am really gonna be pissed if this guy re-injures his foot.
Even if DEN wins the game.
They really need to make damn sure hes 100% ready.

[Dzone]

^I totally agree..the foot has to be the easiest bodypart to re-injure over and over and over...The dude looked awesome the few days he was able to run

[BORDERLINE]

you got to be kidding me right???? 2 good days of practice and it's a go???? I Have a bad feeling about this....about a month ago we where talking about a loose screw in his foot....we'll see this weekend i guess

[Northman]

Everyone calm down. McD knows what he is doing.....

[Buff]

The BayBay is finally home from the hospital.:welcome:

:uh:

:smash:

[Day1BroncoFan]

:uh:

:smash:

Buzz killer!

[DenBronx]

Someone came down hard in the endzone and cleated his foot. You know, the one he had surgery on? I think it was mostly precautionary for the last couple of weeks. If our trainers think he's ready to go and so does he I think he will be fine.

As long as no one falls on his foot. :laugh:

[Edmonton Bronco Fan]

Looking forward to seeing what he can do.

(Kicks ass on Madden 11, that's fo sho)

[dogfish]

stay safe, kid!

[bcbronc]

can't wait to see what the kid can do.

[WARHORSE]

When this kid and Decker get up to speed as the year goes on, it will present a real challenge for opposing defenses if we sub strategically.


I would say go into a hurry up offense for a number of plays, then sub out Gaff, Lloyd and Royal for Thomas, Decker and Willis, and then move back into a hurryup.


I would think this could be a very effective way to put pressure on opposing secondaries.:coffee:

[robert ethan]

Definitely the plethora of receivers on the team is a matchup nightmare for the oppostion. They can't really game plan around two or three guys. Royal, Gaffney, Lloyd, Thomas, Decker, and Willis are all different types of pass catchers.

[horsepig]

I can't wait to the big guy play. I just hope Orton doesn't just zero in on one guy for most of the game, as he's been prone to do.

[JagFan1985]

I really hope Thomas works out. I feel bad for how many horrible moves the Broncos have made on draft day the last two years.

[robert ethan]

I really hope Thomas works out. I feel bad for how many horrible moves the Broncos have made on draft day the last two years.

I'm sure he will work out fine. A broken foot, or any broken bone for that matter, is not considered a chronic injury. Otherwise, BayBay has all the tools, and most importantly, a great head on his shoulders.

It's pretty early to make sweeping statements about McDaniels two drafts. The fact that this year's draftees pushed a few of last year's off the roster can be looked at two ways. Were Smith, Olson, and Brandstater, bad picks, or were the players from this draft who beat them out in camp good picks?

[broncosinindy]

I really hope Thomas works out. I feel bad for how many horrible moves the Broncos have made on draft day the last two years.

Besides ALphonso smith i fail to see where we have drafted badly.

Morneo is producing he was the leader in rushing for rookies last yaer. I dont neccesarily think its morneos fault he isnt a superstar. The only problem i have with hjmj as of yet is his durability.


Robert Ayers was quiet for a rookie. But so far this year has come on extremely strong. Had three sacks in the preseason. and has one already one the year, is a well rounded player that can get to the qb from the strong side look out for this D when Dumervil next year.

JD Walton with a little Expirence under his belt will be a good to above average center.

Perrish Cox looks extremely promeising.Same thing with Syd

Mcbath as a rookie showed promise but has been injured so far this season. I think he would be pushing for time in Nickel and Dime situations if he was healthy.

Beadles has struggled but i think he has played almost every spot on the line except Center . which i believe will make him a better player down the road.

Alot of the players that we have cut are late round guys. who have a hard time making most rosters to begin with

[Dzone]

If D. Thomas plays like he is capable, then we have some of the best WRs in the league. The awesome part is that we are fine without Brandon Marshall, who was a beast.
If Perrish Cox continues to rise, then the alphonso smith blunder isnt so painful, except for the fact that it cost us a 14th overall pick. Ouch

[wbmustang]

I may get killed for this but our receivers looked a lot more explosive w/o Marshall and we haven't even seen DT yet. I have read numerous articles about how it just won't be one receiver to pick up the production we lost we Marshall. We are more of a threat with the receivers we have now. People may not feel we have the talent but I think are receiver corp in general is a sleeper and people will see how good they are.

Now if only the defense can get back to what they are good at and stop the pass geesh.

[Lonestar]

IMO you do not have to have a mega star to win consistently. Think of all the money we saved on an 11.1 YPC and almost no TDs in marshall.

We certainly have saved in POTENTIAL suspension time.

I suspect that DT will make a lot of fans say marshall who?
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[Denver Native (Carol)]

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_16106969?source=rss

This week, let the focus shift to the Broncos' other first-round draft pick's playing status.

Coach Josh McDaniels said Friday that wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the No. 22 overall pick and the team's first selection, is on track to make his debut Sunday against the Seahawks.

Thomas missed all of the team's preseason games and last week's opener at Jacksonville while recovering from a foot injury.

Thomas practiced fully and without incident all week and was listed as "probable" on the injury report.

"As long as everything goes the way we hope it goes, I think he'll be ready to roll," McDaniels said.

Thomas smiled when informed a short time later about McDaniels' comments.

"That sounds right," Thomas said.

Thomas had surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot in February and missed the Broncos' spring practices while recovering from the surgery. He was healthy at the start of training camp in August but suffered a setback Aug. 7 when he landed awkwardly while making a touchdown catch in the open scrimmage at Invesco Field at Mile High. He was inactive last week at Jacksonville.

Receiver Matt Willis likely would be the player who sits out Sunday if Thomas is indeed cleared to play.

Injury updates.

The injury woes continue for the offensive line.

The team announced that starting right tackle Ryan Harris will miss his second straight game with an ankle injury. Rookie Zane Beadles again will start in Harris' place.

Starting right guard Chris Kuper is listed as questionable after injuring his left knee and ankle late in the third quarter against Jacksonville last Sunday. Kuper remained in that game but did not practice all week.

McDaniels said Kuper would be a game-time decision.

If Kuper does not play, veteran Russ Hochstein will start at right guard. Hochstein started 10 games for the Broncos last year, mostly at left guard.

Fresh start.

Denver's new running back Laurence Maroney, who arrived here via a trade with New England on Tuesday, said Friday that he's just happy to have a "clean slate" with a new team.

"I'm not going to say I needed it, but it is always helpful to have a fresh start, a clean slate and start over from the beginning," Maroney said Friday in his first interview at Dove Valley. "All I want to do is come out here and help and do anything possible to help the team win."

His on-field contributions will have to wait at least another week. Maroney is still recovering from a thigh injury that kept him out of the Patriots' opener last week. He will likely be the team's No. 3 back behind Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter.

"It's one of them things with 'Buck' and 'Know,' I'm not coming in there trying to take anybody's plays away or anybody's shine. I just want to come in and fit in," Maroney said.

Footnotes.

Defensive end Ryan McBean was fined $5,000 for the first of his two face-mask penalties last week against Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew. The penalties gave the Jaguars 30 yards on Jacksonville's game-winning drive. . . . Linebacker Wesley Woodyard (hamstring) and nose tackle Jamal Williams returned to practice Friday. Woodyard is listed as questionable for Sunday's game, while Williams, whose absence Thursday was not injury-related, was not on the final injury report.

[FantasyTeamInfo]

I don't follow the Broncos closely but I ended up drafting Orton and Royal, Gaffney and this Lloyd guy on a few of my fantasy teams. I need help understanding the pecking order here. If the rookie WR Thomas comes in and plays well tomorrow, which WR would suffer as a result? I picked up Lloyd off the waiver wire because he put up stats in week one but some comments on this site seem to bag on him. Eddie seems like he is due for a rebound season. He's your slot receiver, right? Is Eddie expected to be a big part of the offense this year? Any help people could offer in helping me understand who is important here and who isn't would help greatly. Thanks,

[Buff]

I don't follow the Broncos closely but I ended up drafting Orton and Royal, Gaffney and this Lloyd guy on a few of my fantasy teams. I need help understanding the pecking order here. If the rookie WR Thomas comes in and plays well tomorrow, which WR would suffer as a result? I picked up Lloyd off the waiver wire because he put up stats in week one but some comments on this site seem to bag on him. Eddie seems like he is due for a rebound season. He's your slot receiver, right? Is Eddie expected to be a big part of the offense this year? Any help people could offer in helping me understand who is important here and who isn't would help greatly. Thanks,

As of right now, Lloyd looks to be entrenched as the #1, and Royal is the #1 slot WR. Both players will play key roles as long as they stay healthy. I would expect Thomas to steal reps from Gaffney if he were to come on strong, but Gaffney will always be in the mix because of his versatility and reliability. All of them should expect to see quite a bit of playing time and used somewhat interchangeably, which is good for the Broncos but bad for fantasy owners.

In short, Lloyd and Royal should be the best fantasy producers assuming they are healthy. Royal's injury is something to keep an eye on.

[I Eat Staples]

Everyone calm down. McD knows what he is doing.....

Yes he doesn't.

[I Eat Staples]

I don't follow the Broncos closely but I ended up drafting Orton and Royal, Gaffney and this Lloyd guy on a few of my fantasy teams. I need help understanding the pecking order here. If the rookie WR Thomas comes in and plays well tomorrow, which WR would suffer as a result? I picked up Lloyd off the waiver wire because he put up stats in week one but some comments on this site seem to bag on him. Eddie seems like he is due for a rebound season. He's your slot receiver, right? Is Eddie expected to be a big part of the offense this year? Any help people could offer in helping me understand who is important here and who isn't would help greatly. Thanks,

I'd drop Lloyd, he won't stay consistent. Royal will be involved all year long, he's the best fantasy WR on our team. Gaffney has value only because Orton looks for him so much.

If Thomas develops into a starter this season, Lloyd will take a big hit.

[FantasyTeamInfo]

As of right now, Lloyd looks to be entrenched as the #1, and Royal is the #1 slot WR. Both players will play key roles as long as they stay healthy. I would expect Thomas to steal reps from Gaffney if he were to come on strong, but Gaffney will always be in the mix because of his versatility and reliability. All of them should expect to see quite a bit of playing time and used somewhat interchangeably, which is good for the Broncos but bad for fantasy owners.

In short, Lloyd and Royal should be the best fantasy producers assuming they are healthy. Royal's injury is something to keep an eye on.

Thanks for the info. I figure somebody has to catch the 100 balls that went to Marshall. I was bummed to hear about Royal and his groin. Where can I get info on how he looks in pregame? As of now, I'm starting Royal and Lloyd and Orton.

Do you guys not use the TE or what?

Does Buchhalter stink and will he lose carries to Maroney?

[Buff]

I'd drop Lloyd, he won't stay consistent. Royal will be involved all year long, he's the best fantasy WR on our team. Gaffney has value only because Orton looks for him so much.

If Thomas develops into a starter this season, Lloyd will take a big hit.

This advice is based on your own personal feelings and not really based on what is likely to happen from indicators we've seen from coaches and players this year.

When asked about the playcall to throw to Lloyd in the endzone last week at the end of the game, Orton said he would call the same play because they want to give their best WR (Lloyd) a chance to make a play.

Maybe his play will drop off, but he's going to be given every opportunity to be "the guy."

[bcbronc]

DT could end up being the go-to guy in the redzone though.

[sneakers]

He will stub his toe getting out of bed this morning.