McDaniels likes what he sees in Broncos camp

[broncofaninfla]

McDaniels likes what he sees in Broncos camp

By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post
Posted: 04/17/2009 02:23:50 PM MDT
Updated: 04/17/2009 02:32:43 PM MDT





Heavy, wet snow didn't keep the Broncos from starting their first offseason minicamp Friday morning.
Though the weather forced Josh McDaniels to move his first official practice as the team's head coach to the indoor practice facility, McDaniels said he was pleased with what he saw.
"It was nice to get out there and put things together as a team for the first time," McDaniels said. "Run around and see what it's going to look like this fall."
McDaniels said new quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Chris Simms each played well in their first formal day of the quarterback competition.
"It's real. Today both of them did good things," McDaniels said. "Both made some mistakes that we'll correct this afternoon. Both are very capable."
But McDaniels said quarterback isn't the only open position. He said players are competing for jobs on defense, too, particularly at linebacker and on the defensive line.
"The biggest thing is they are learning a new system, so no one really knows exactly what to do on every call," McDaniels said. "What we did today was we rotated periods. Somebody started in the first period, and somebody started in the second period."
McDaniels met with reporters for about 20 minutes, with the majority of the questions focusing on football. It was a nice change, McDaniels said.
"It's exciting. This is what we're here for. We're looking forward to improving every day in the spring," McDaniels said. "We've got a lot of practices we're allowed to have in the spring. We're going to take full advantage of every one of them to get to where we need to get it to by the end of June so we can come into training camp and be ready to go."
Lindsay H. Jones:
303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com (ljones@denverpost.com)

[Nomad]

He and Xan signed Brandon Gorin today to backup Harris!

[TXBRONC]

He and Xan signed Brandon Gorin today to backup Harris!

I've never heard of him. What team was he on last year?

[Nomad]

I've never heard of him. What team was he on last year?


Honestly I never heard of him. I read the news at pft at the time! Anyway, this is what I found!!


http://www.nfl.com/players/brandongorin/profile?id=GOR424345

[broken12]

well has no choice but to like it......he made the bed now its time for him to sleep in it!!

[honz]

well has no choice but to like it......he made the bed now its time for him to sleep in it!!
What if things go well? Will he be macking on 2 naked hotties in said bed?

[broncfn90]

he will say he likes it now... but in a day or so he will start trading people

[Shazam!]

...and if Denver is a Playoff team in January you'll be kissing his ass.

[TXBRONC]

What if things go well? Will he be macking on 2 naked hotties in said bed?

He wouldn't need to do that, his wife is hot.

[TXBRONC]

...and if Denver is a Playoff team in January you'll be kissing his ass.

And if they're not?

[AlWilsonizKING]

And if they're not?

It'll be the same as the past 10 years under Shannahan...heads held like :tsk:


PEACE!!!

[Northman]

What if things go well? Will he be macking on 2 naked hotties in said bed?

No shit.

If it said Jay Cutler was doing the same stuff and he said he liked it you wouldnt hear the nutjobs crying about it. :rolleyes:

[slim]

well has no choice but to like it......he made the bed now its time for him to sleep in it!!

Nice try...you were so close.

[Lonestar]

...and if Denver is a Playoff team in January you'll be kissing his ass.


actually if we just become more consistent I'll be happy no more blow outs.. with us looking like the Buffalo's against the Sooners..

[DenBronx]

actually if we just become more consistent I'll be happy no more blow outs.. with us looking like the Buffalo's against the Sooners..

those blowouts sucked gonads. if he can at least keep it a game even if we lose i'll be happy. i'm not expecting much at all next year but i do want to see strides and see us staying competitive throughout the game.

[Den21vsBal19]

those blowouts sucked gonads. if he can at least keep it a game even if we lose i'll be happy. i'm not expecting much at all next year but i do want to see strides and see us staying competitive throughout the game.
Amen to that....................I want to see some spirit & orginisation out there, two things that at times have been sorely lacking in all three phases of the game, but especially on D :salute:

[BroncoJoe]

So what if he's the second- youngest head coach — and by only a couple of months at that. It doesn't mean Josh McDaniels hasn't been dreaming of a day like Friday for years.

McDaniels, 32, led his first full-team practice as an NFL head coach Friday morning when the Broncos opened their first minicamp. The spring blizzard forced the practice to the team's indoor practice facility.

"I've been here for 90-some days, and to get out on the field and actually run a practice with the offense and defense and special teams, it was exciting," McDaniels said. "I've been waiting a long time for this. It's something I've been wanting to do."

McDaniels, who spent the last eight years in various assistant roles in New England — most recently as offensive coordinator — admitted it felt different to oversee the entire squad, though he said he spent most of his time working with the quarterbacks and passing game coordinator Mike McCoy.

"You're kind of on top of everything. You have to be. And you're making sure everything is running smoothly," he said.

The first practice included seven-on-seven passing drills, with each new quarterback — Kyle Orton and Chris Simms — taking repetitions. The two are engaged in what Mc- Daniels described as "real" competition to be the team's starter.

"Both are very capable. They both did a good job of throwing themselves into the system and the book," McDaniels said. "You know they're doing everything they can every day, morning, noon and night to try to get themselves ready to go. I think they showed well for themselves today."

Running backs.

When it comes to tailbacks, the 2009 minicamp started much like the 2008 season ended. That is, with as many players in the training room as on the field.

Only Correll Buckhalter, Lamont Jordan and Peyton Hillis participated in practice Friday. J.J. Arrington, Selvin Young and Ryan Torain all are still recovering from injuries.

"They split everything today in the one-back sets," Mc- Daniels said, adding that Hillis also worked as a fullback.

Short-handed at linebacker.

Veteran linebackers D.J. Williams and Boss Bailey are not participating in the minicamp while they recover from surgeries. Williams had surgery on his shoulder after the 2008 season, while Bailey had microfracture surgery on his knee last fall.

The absence of Williams and Bailey could help explain why McDaniels couldn't — or didn't want to — identify which players were with the starting unit Friday.

"Most of them are learning. The biggest thing is they are learning a new system, so no one really knows exactly what to do on every call," McDan- iels said. "What we did today was we rotated periods. Somebody started in the first period, somebody started in the second period. If we were to say right now, I would be wrong."

Chicago celebrity.

Former Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler seems to be enjoying his newfound celebrity in Chicago.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Cutler, who was traded to the Bears two weeks ago, will throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field before today's game between the Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Cutler will also sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.

Vance arrested.

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Vance Johnson was arrested on violations stemming from two separate court cases.

Court officials say Johnson was arrested Thursday in Fort Collins for failure to appear when he was late showing up for a hearing in Larimer County District Court. Records in that case are sealed and the allegations against him are unknown.

After Johnson was in custody, authorities discovered an arrest warrant from Garfield County alleging he failed to give his estranged wife $36,500 in a divorce case.

He was released on bail. No phone listing could be found for Johnson, and no attorney was listed on the court records available to the public.

Johnson played for the Broncos from 1987 to 1992. His arrest was first reported on the website of The Coloradoan newspaper.

New coach.

Former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer will be the quarterbacks coach at Sandpoint High School, in the scenic Idaho resort town where he lives.

Head coach Mike Mitchell said the 34-year-old Plummer will be paid as a normal assistant high school coach, and joked that it probably won't be what Plummer earned in his playing days.

Plummer played for the Arizona Cardinals and the Broncos before retiring in 2006. He threw for more than 29,000 yards, 161 touchdowns and 161 interceptions in his decade- long pro career.

Plummer is a Boise native and retired to Sandpoint, an outdoor mecca in the Rocky Mountains. His brother, Eric, already lived in Sandpoint.

Footnotes.

The Broncos on Friday signed free-agent offensive tackle Brandon Gorin, who is entering his ninth season after previously playing in St. Louis, Arizona, New England and San Diego.

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_12169239

[Superchop 7]

Well Josh, those blinders will be coming off soon enough.....

[honz]

actually if we just become more consistent I'll be happy no more blow outs.. with us looking like the Buffalo's against the Sooners..
I don't expect our record to be great this season...I'd be pretty happy with 8-8 or 9-7...but I do expect us to actually play with heart this year. Watching the Broncos roll over when things don't go their way early in games the last couple years made me want to puke. Our defense usually got the blame for rolling over, but the offense did it as well...like in the SD and NE games last year. No fight. If that changes, I will be willing to give McDaniels a few more years to prove himself no matter what our record is next year.

[turftoad]

...and if Denver is a Playoff team in January you'll be kissing his ass.

Wow, thats a big if.

[Lonestar]

Wow, thats a big if.

Would have been even a bigger IF had the mastermind and jaysus stayed. Since mikey has been clueless about D since jaysus arrived in camp if of course he did before.

[turftoad]

Would have been even a bigger IF had the mastermind and jaysus stayed. Since mikey has been clueless about D since jaysus arrived in camp if of course he did before.

I guess we'll just have to dissagree on this one JR. :salute:

[BeefStew25]

I guess we'll just have to dissagree on this one JR. :salute:

I can't even understand what he posts anymore.

[turftoad]

I can't even understand what he posts anymore.

I think JR is just trying to tell us how much he really missed Shanny and Cutler. :D

[BeefStew25]

I think JR is just trying to tell us how much he really missed Shanny and Cutler. :D

Well he needs to start being concerned with people still with the organization.

[broken12]

if we are close in game and losing 21-17 or 20-14 anything like that I will be furiouse because of the fact the offense was good last year and he would have done what was needed to be done to get to the post season but traded away the engine of the offense

[broken12]

I don't expect our record to be great this season...I'd be pretty happy with 8-8 or 9-7...but I do expect us to actually play with heart this year. Watching the Broncos roll over when things don't go their way early in games the last couple years made me want to puke. Our defense usually got the blame for rolling over, but the offense did it as well...like in the SD and NE games last year. No fight. If that changes, I will be willing to give McDaniels a few more years to prove himself no matter what our record is next year.

really but will bowlen! the dude only got a three yr contract if im not mistaken... So doesnt that come down to winning now!!!

[Krugan]

Well nothing to see here folks, its the same story we have heard every year from a different mouth, all is well and wonderful in orange and blue.

Things look good out there,lots of competition, blah yada splink.

[Ravage!!!]

really but will bowlen! the dude only got a three yr contract if im not mistaken... So doesnt that come down to winning now!!!

Only? How many years did you expect for an owner to give a first year, 32 yr old, coach??

Personally.. I think he's here 2 years. But at the same time... Bowlen has shown that he's pretty patient with coaches. But considering the situations this offseason, that MIGHT make Bowlen take a closer and harder look.

Don't know. But the reality is, our team (especially the defense) is playing like a bottom team. Things really can't worse.....although I do believe the record to be worse this season.

[Lonestar]

Well he needs to start being concerned with people still with the organization.

like who?

everyone save perhaps jaysus has been or will be an upgrade form what we had before..

I like the coaching staff so far. The safeties are at least warm bodies, anyone with a heartbeat ans not costing 5 mil plus is and upgrade over bly..

we may have lost a bit in the scouting area but most of the heavy lifting was done there when the goodmans were fired..



Excpet losing jaysus and I'm not all that sure that was bad long term.. I see upgrades at players brought in.. Getting 3 draft choices for jaysus IMHO is great..

[TXBRONC]

Well he needs to start being concerned with people still with the organization.

Agreed. :salute:

[Nomad]

Well he needs to start being concerned with people still with the organization.

Damn ball boy and water boy, always causing controversy!:tsk: Did I miss anyone??