Official Training Camp Update Thread [Archive]

Denver Native (Carol)

07-31-2009, 11:40 AM

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_12965526

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall was present and accounted for when the Broncos took the field at 8:45 a.m. today at Dove Valley for their first full-squad practice of training camp, but defensive players Champ Bailey, Renaldo Hill and Marcus Thomas did not take the field. That threesome was placed on the active physically-unable-to-perform list on Thursday.

Players had to pass a physical and a conditioning test on Thursday in order to be able to practice today. Players on the active PUP list can be removed from it at any time.

Bailey had surgery on his elbow after last season, but participated in all the team's minicamps this spring. He told The Denver Post earlier this week that he felt "100 percent" going into camp.

Also missing were the Broncos two first-round draft picks, Knowshon Moreno, a running back selected with the No. 12 overall pick, and outside linebacker Robert Ayers, the No. 18 choice. Neither has reached an contract agreement in time to participate in the morning workout. The two rookies cannot be on the Dove Valley grounds until they reach an agreement.

There is hope for Ayers to sign a five-year contract today as No. 17 pick, Josh Freeman, reached an agreement with Tampa Bay. Moreno, however, has been working out at the University of Georgia, an indication he's not close to finalizing a deal.

Bailey, Hill and Thomas are at the facility and were running sprints prior to the morning practice.

Marshall practiced on Monday along with the quarterbacks and rookies, but sat out practices on Tuesday and Wednesday with soreness, according to coach Josh McDaniels. The team did not hold an official practice on Thursday.

Tned

07-31-2009, 11:57 AM

Champ wasn't on the field for the morning workout.

Italianmobstr7

07-31-2009, 12:04 PM

Champ wasn't on the field for the morning workout.

He's on the PUP list. He won't be practicing until he's off that list. Same with Marcus Thomas.

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:08 PM

Kenny Peterson says it was a more physical camp, especially the conditioning test, which was three 50 yard shuttles that they had to do under a certain time limit, and each position had a different time limit. He said some struggled.

He said he didn't really get why they had to do the conditioning test, but it's ok.

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:11 PM

He's on the PUP list. He won't be practicing until he's off that list. Same with Marcus Thomas.

I thought that they could practice while on the active PUP, but after re-reading the rules, they can attend meetings, but not practice.

haroldthebarrel

07-31-2009, 12:15 PM

I am copying this thread from footballguys for those who want to follow nfl, our team, and others from twitter.

Also make sure you follow:
YahooSportsNFL
Michaelombardi
SI_RossTucker
SI_PeterKing
fbg_dodds
joe_bryant
nflcommish
LATimesFarmer
RosenhausSports

Also Im there (SigmundBloom) and of course TheAudible, CecilLammey, Wood83, HermanKickology, fbgchase, JeffTeferTiller, JeffHaseley, JPasquino, Thegutcheck (Waldman), memphisfoundry, maurile - sorry If I'm forgetting any staffers

beat writers off the top of my head:

Dolphins - ArmandoSalguero, OmarKelly, EdgarThompson
Jets - TheJetsStream, ManishMehta1
Patriots - MikeReiss, ProjoPatsBlog
Colts - JohnOehser
Browns - TheOBR
Ravens - JamisonHensley, Duffstar
Raiders - listed above
Broncos - fs3142
Eagles - Geoffmosher, MovingtheChains
Cowboys - CalvinWatkins, TMacMahon
Giants - TheBlueScreen, NJ_Giants
Redskins - RedskinsInsider
Bears - BradBiggs, BearReport
Packers - TomPelissero, Greg_A_Bedard, RobDemovsky, MikeVandermause, PeteDougherty
Vikings - skjensen, JuddZulgad, chipscoggins, vikingupdate, rickalonzo
Panthers - DarinGantt
Falcons - DOrlandoAJC
Saints - jeffduncantp
49ers - MattMaiocco
Rams - Miklasz
Seahawks - Dannyoneil

I am already checking out frank Schwab and Sigmund Bloom who both twits(is this a word) from the training camp.

underrated29

07-31-2009, 12:17 PM

I am already checking out frank Schwab and Sigmund Bloom who both twits(is this a word) from the training camp.

Blimey!

Those twits.

haroldthebarrel

07-31-2009, 12:20 PM

Blimey!

Those twits.

well seriously. is it correct to use the verb "twits" for those who write on "twitter"?
To twit sounds vulgar, perhaps I am thinking of ****, isnt that a bad word?
yeah it is.. You cannot use an a instead of an I:)

OldschoolFreak

07-31-2009, 12:20 PM

tweet.

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:25 PM

Guys are eating lunch now, will then do a film session, and then do the evening practice at 5:30.

OldschoolFreak

07-31-2009, 12:26 PM

Guys are eating lunch now, will then do a film session, and then do the evening practice at 5:30.

Are you there Tned?

Or just following the tweets?

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:29 PM

Tweets and listening to AM 1510 (sorry, I forgot to post the link) http://milehighsports.com/Article.asp?id=1307313

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:29 PM

When the 1510 guys asked Kenny Peterson about the line and defense, they said he just started shaking his head and said "that was last year". So, clearly, Peterson expects them to be better this year.

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:36 PM

Interesting, they said (I missed some of Peterson's interview, because their stream keeps dropping). Peterson said that some of the people went to the offseason work outs and worked hard, because they were told that if they didn't pass the conditioning test, they would not be allowed to participate in practices.

When he was asked if anyone failed it, he sidestepped the question by saying "some guys struggled."

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:40 PM

McDaniels wouldn't go into details of why Champ, Hill and Thomas weren't practicing, but the 1510 guys said that the rumors are that Champ failed that conditioning test.

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:42 PM

According to Frank Schwab of the Colorado Springs Gazzette:

Marshall got cheers with every catch.

Royal and Alphonso Smith were the only players returning punts.

Torrain was the star of the morning practice (this seems to be a consensus between various reporting, tweets, radio, forums, etc.).

Also, the 1510 guys said there seems to be a concerted effort by the Broncos not to respond to questions about the injuries to Hill, Bailey and Thomas.

claymore

07-31-2009, 12:43 PM

McDaniels wouldn't go into details of why Champ, Hill and Thomas weren't practicing, but the 1510 guys said that the rumors are that Champ failed that conditioning test.

That will take some of the swelling in his head down.

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:46 PM

Vic Lombardi said Jabar Gaffney made some good catches in traffic and good take Marshall's spot if he can't/won't go.

Also, he also is stating that Champ failed the conditioning test.

Tned

07-31-2009, 12:59 PM

According to Denver Broncos official blog:

Tim Crowder, Elvis Dumervil, Spencer Larsen, Jarvis Moss and Darrell Reid practiced with the linebackers.

Josh Barrett practiced with the cornerbacks.

Starting defense in 11 on 11 drills: Kenny Peterson, Ronald Fields and Ryan McBean on the front line, Darrell Reid, D.J. Williams, Andra Davis and Elvis Dumervil at linebacker and Alphonso Smith, Andre’ Goodman, Brian Dawkins and Darcel McBath in the secondary.

McBath was in for Hill who is out.

The offense is what you would expect, but with ex-pat Gaffney being the third wideout rather than Stokely.

You can read it all here: http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/training-camp-day-1-am-blog/

titan

07-31-2009, 01:03 PM

good 1st practice report up on bronco website

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/training-camp-day-1-am-blog/

excerpts:

# Alphonso Smith busted through the field goal blocking unit and batted away a Matt Prater attempt, and it looked like the rookie could’ve returned it for a touchdown had the whistle not blown. Including that block, Prater was 7-of-8 during the kicking drill.
# During 11-on-11s, Chris Baker got past his man and bumped into fellow rookie Tom Brandstater while he wasn’t looking for the sack. There’s no tackling the quarterbacks, but the sack still drew some “ooohs” from the crowd because of its potential impact had it been in a live game.

Tned

07-31-2009, 01:12 PM

According to Josina Anderson:

Josh McDaniels said Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers are missing an opportunity to make a bigger role for themselves.

Tned

07-31-2009, 01:25 PM

Josina Anderson adds that she think McDaniels got an introduction today as to how good Marshall really is.

McDaniels post practice interview is up on DenverBroncos.com http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=349&videoID=3353&type=broncosTV&year=&month=

Denver Native (Carol)

07-31-2009, 01:33 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/training-camp-day-1-am-blog/

Check one more thing off the list on the road to the 2009 season — training camp is here. And the mass of fans lining the far hill of the Broncos practice fields almost an hour and a half before practice kicked off was a little taste of the excitement surrounding Day One.

As players came onto the field — dressed in full pads and uniform, including pants — some took a knee as soon as they hit the grass, pausing to take a moment before the unofficial start of another season.

It was perfect weather for the first day of practice — sunny with a little bit of shade. So without further adieu, here are some quick hits from the first practice session of the team’s 2009 training camp.

ROLL CALL: Champ Bailey, Renaldo Hill and Marcus Thomas did not practice on Friday.

“As soon as they’re ready to practice physically, they’ll be out here,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. “It’s the same with all three of them — just making sure we take the right precautions with those three players.”

POSITIONING: Among the hybrid players practicing with linebackers today — Tim Crowder, Elvis Dumervil, Spencer Larsen, Jarvis Moss and Darrell Reid.

# When the team went 11-on-11, the first unit defense sported Kenny Peterson, Ronald Fields and Ryan McBean on the front line, Darrell Reid, D.J. Williams, Andra Davis and Elvis Dumervil at linebacker and Alphonso Smith, Andre’ Goodman, Brian Dawkins and Darcel McBath in the secondary. Occasionally that lineup changed slightly, with Tim Crowder seeing some time at outside linebacker, Jack Williams seeing some time at cornerback and Vernon Fox once lining up alongside Dawkins at safety.

# The first unit offense consisted of Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall at receiver, Daniel Graham at tight end, Kyle Orton at quarterback, Correll Buckhalter at running back and last year’s starting offensive line — Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Casey Wiegmann, Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris. Ryan Torain, LaMont Jordan and Peyton Hillis also got some reps at running back.

# During one-on-ones between wide receivers and defensive backs, Josh Barrett practiced with the cornerbacks. He continued to line up at safety in other drills.

DRILLS: Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer continued to preach “catch it inside the 10″ to his players. The unit worked on downing punts inside the 20-yard line, and his rule is not to let the ball bounce if it’s inside the 10.

# Defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely told his unit that there will be plenty of water breaks between drills, but no water in the middle of them. That way players pay more attention to their teammates in front of them, so they can watch, listen and learn from their mistakes. Nunnely also gave the linemen pointers on how to push away a blocker, shouting, “Open the door!” to remind them to extend their arms.

# Tight ends and offensive linemen worked on a 2-on-2 drill that involved a tight end and a lineman blocking one defender, then one of the blockers would break off and take on another defender who blitzed late.

# On one field, receivers, running backs and offensive linemen worked with Kyle Orton on screen passes. Some were quick bubble screens to receivers and the unit practiced blocking upfield. Others were typical screen passes to running backs and the back followed his blockers away from imaginary defenders.

PLAYMAKERS: Brandon Marshall put on a show for the fans in attendance Friday morning. He consistently drew applause from the crowd, once hauling in a catch by reaching an arm out in the opposite direction he was running to pull in the pass. On another occasion he caught a deep ball and proceeded to high-five a young fan walking on the sideline.

# Orton showed some of his chemistry with former Chicago teammate Brandon Lloyd, connecting on a tight pass near the sideline. Lloyd tiptoed the line, drawing cheers from nearby fans.

# Alphonso Smith busted through the field goal blocking unit and batted away a Matt Prater attempt, and it looked like the rookie could’ve returned it for a touchdown had the whistle not blown. Including that block, Prater was 7-of-8 during the kicking drill.

# During 11-on-11s, Chris Baker got past his man and bumped into fellow rookie Tom Brandstater while he wasn’t looking for the sack. There’s no tackling the quarterbacks, but the sack still drew some “ooohs” from the crowd because of its potential impact had it been in a live game.

# In contact drills between the offensive and defensive lines focused on running plays, Torain broke through on a few different runs, often sprinting toward the end zone and leaving defenders behind. That drew plenty of cheers from the fans.

# In one-on-one drills between receivers and cornerbacks, Goodman lined up against Royal with Chris Simms at quarterback. Royal ran a quick inside slant and looked like he would come away with the ball, but Goodman closed quickly and caused an incompletion. In the same drill, Joshua Bell had a few breakups, including an impressive one against rookie Kenny McKinley.

QUICK HITS: Music made its glorious return to practices at Dove Valley, and the playlist remained eclectic. When U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” blasted through the speakers as the team began to warm up, the crowd gave a loud applause to start the first day of training camp. Young Jeezy’s “Put On” brought a little dancing from Marshall during warm-ups, and Rick James’ “Super Freak” gives you an idea of just how diverse the selection was.
# Tony Scheffler jogged onto the field sporting a new look — a virtually shaved head. Now the player who leads all NFL tight ends in yards per catch since 2006 is even more aerodynamic.

# General Manager Brian Xanders was on the sideline for Friday’s practice, spending a chunk of it toward the beginning talking with NFL Network and CBS Sports analyst Charley Casserly about the team.

# Some military service members arrived toward the beginning of practice, walking the sideline to find a seat. A few people in the crowd began to applaud and soon the entire hill was clapping and thanking them for their service.

There is another practice session this evening at 5:30 p.m. MDT.

Pictures to come…

-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com

underrated29

07-31-2009, 01:41 PM

According to Josina Anderson:

Same thing for him with scheffy.

to bad he wouldnt have done that with Jay.

topscribe

07-31-2009, 01:47 PM

Denver Broncos Training Camp Report - 7/31 AM Practice

by John Bena (aka TheSportsGuru) on Jul 31, 2009 10:54 AM MST in 2009 Season Preview

The first full team workout is in the books and if I wasn't excited before -
which I was - I am definitely excited now. Yes, it is only one practice. What
can you learn in a couple of hours?? Everything and nothing.

There will be some video of Kyle Orton to come, as well as a bevy of photos I
took. Until then, here are my thoughts as I wrote them down during the
morning's workouts.

The first thing to get out of the way - who was here and who wasn't. We
know 5 players weren't on the field for various reasons. Knowshon Moreno
and Robert Ayers are still working on their contracts. Champ Bailey, Renaldo
Hill and Marcus Thomas are on the PUP list. I did see Champ and Thomas
coming from the workout facility, so they are here and accounted for. As for
everyone else, all were dressed and all practiced, including Brandon Marshall,
who looked great. More on that later.

Due to the agreement between MHR and Broncos Forums, you can read the
rest of the report by going here:

http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/7/31/970862/denver-broncos-training-camp

P.S. Join me in catching up on all the news on Mile High Report (http://www.milehighreport.com/). http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh256/AZDynamics/Smilies/thdrink.gif

-----

Tned

07-31-2009, 01:52 PM

Another gem from JosinaAnderson (http://twitter.com/JosinaAnderson):

Today DE Jarvis Moss made it known that the McDaniels/Nolan regime is better for him to roam and use athleticism more.

Traveler

07-31-2009, 01:57 PM

This exerpt from Montrose's report....

And those who didn’t impress me:

Jarvis Moss – It’s not going to work guys. Richard Quinn and Tony Scheffler ate his lunch all day.

topscribe

07-31-2009, 01:58 PM

This exerpt from Montrose's report....

And those who didn’t impress me:

Jarvis Moss – It’s not going to work guys. Richard Quinn and Tony Scheffler ate his lunch all day.

Damn shame. Looks like a 1st round draft choice shot to hell . . . :tsk:

-----

Tned

07-31-2009, 02:05 PM

This exerpt from Montrose's report....

And those who didn’t impress me:

Jarvis Moss – It’s not going to work guys. Richard Quinn and Tony Scheffler ate his lunch all day.

Maybe that's why he skpped out on the interview with the AM 1510 guys.

underrated29

07-31-2009, 02:08 PM

T post the whole thing...(traveler that is)

I know Kay- is working on getting his up, but lets see what montrose and socal got.

Tned

07-31-2009, 02:12 PM

The DP reports that there were 1657 fans at TC today.

Tned

07-31-2009, 02:28 PM

A couple camp reports here, along with some pics. http://coloradosportsdesk.com/wp/archives/2009/07/denver-broncos-training-camp-day-1-morning-practice/

They say that Orton looked sharp, Simms didn't.

The Broncos lined up in the Wildcat once, defense stuffed it.

Traveler

07-31-2009, 02:28 PM

T post the whole thing...(traveler that is)

I know Kay- is working on getting his up, but lets see what montrose and socal got.

Wish I could. Not sure if they have some kind of deal with TJ & the Mane as in the past. Don't want to steal their thunder since they are putting out these reports.

Tned

07-31-2009, 02:50 PM

A tweet from Eddie Royal:

Great morning practice! QBs lookin' good, B-Marsh lookin' good too

Denver Native (Carol)

07-31-2009, 03:06 PM

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_12966694

Camp facts: The Broncos practiced from 8:45 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. this morning. They will practice again from 5:30-7:30 at their Dove Valley facility. There will be no Saturday morning practice. The next practice will be from 2:30-4:30 Saturday afternoon. Parking and admission for all training-camp workouts are free.

Highlight: It has to be the play of receiver Brandon Marshall and running back Ryan Torain, who both missed the entire offseason recovering from surgeries. Marshall began camp with the second-string offense, as Jabar Gaffney lined up opposite Eddie Royal with the first team. Marshall hooked up with Chris Simms on a 15-yard square in, then mixed in with the first team to catch a few passes from Kyle Orton. Marshall showed no ill-effects from his March 31 hip surgery. Torain also had several nice runs in his first meaningful playing time since tearing up his left knee against Cleveland last year.

Lowlight: Showing signs of mental fatigue near the end of their first camp practice, the Broncos almost had a punt blocked; then a field goal attempt by Matt Prater was blocked by Joshua Bell. "You can't ever let up and you can't ever say, 'Well, I can relax,' said coach Josh McDaniels. "You have a lot of jobs when you're on a football team. Your job is more than, say, 'All I have to do is play linebacker.'

Quote: "We're not allowed to talk about it."

— Renaldo Hill, Marcus Thomas and Champ Bailey, all giving the same answer when asked why they weren't participating in the training camp workout today. The three had just walked from the training room to inside the team's headquarters at the end of practice. McDaniels only said it was for a physical reason without specifying.

The point after:

Nothing fascinates like the unknown. The first day brought a relatively large, first-day gathering of 1,657 fans. "A little better than it has been," Broncos' front-office executive Joe Ellis said about the morning attendance. "I think there's a lot of interest in everything that's new and exciting." Long-time camp attendees may have noticed an increase in individual fundamentals. The way McDaniels builds his practices is to first have players work on individual fundamentals. The individuals then gather to work on those fundamentals as a position group. Then the position groups gather into team situations. Mike Shanahan's camp had a little less individual work and more group work.

Denver Native (Carol)

07-31-2009, 03:25 PM

http://www.fm1043thefan.com/Channels/doveValleyReport/Story.aspx?ID=1121005

The Josh McDaniels era has begun...

Under the loud tunes of U2...Poison....and Ozzie the team warmed
up and then it was business as usual. Very tight and well timed individual
sessions for all the various parts of the defense, offense and special teams.

Some highlights included running back Ryan Torain breaking off two long
runs during scrimmage...Brandon Marshall wowing the crowd with a great
over the middle catch and run and the three no-shows Champ Bailey, Renaldo
Hill and Marcus Thomas put on the active physically-unable-to-perform list
(PUP). McDaniels would not comment on Champs' elbow issues (off season
surgery) and would only say that all three will be back when they're ready.

Today's second practice will be from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

Denver Native (Carol)

07-31-2009, 03:49 PM

McDaniels and Dawkins

http://www.denverbroncos.com/

pnbronco

07-31-2009, 04:04 PM

I have to say I really enjoyed it this morning. The first thing I noticed was that we could walk in head straight to the hill to sit and watch. I got there after the gates were open so I didn't have to wait but in the past we had to walk around the artificial field and then wait till security would let you walk back towards the hill to sit on. In the past it always felt you were cattle and I didn't feel that way at all today.

The team was really working on fundamentals and there was a lot of interaction going on with each group working on those skills. I got there about 8:30 and they were already doing drill with individual groups. Plus when they ended several groups got back together and worked on a few more things. The overall felling I got was we are going to work hard as a group.

Marshall and Torain looked good, they kept getting my attention with their drills. I'm also impressed with Dawkins, he is fast and he would run up to the RB or WR and chest butt them, like I could of really taken you down and you know it.

I had a great time. For anyone thinking about going, know that you can only take in a point and shoot camera. They will make you take anything other than that back to the car. The treatment of the fans was a lot more gentle than the past. Like I said there were set rules of where you could be and when it was time to leave they did say the guys need to get moving, but I didn't feel like a cow and I have for the last several years.

underrated29

07-31-2009, 04:10 PM

pnbronco

07-31-2009, 04:14 PM

Can you walk around to follow the plays or specific players, or must you just sit and stay where you are?

You have to sit in one place. So your best bet is to try to be in the middle to see as much as you can.

Tned

07-31-2009, 05:09 PM

I've heard several player interviews from today where the players said they liked practicing in pads, that it was more like real football and a chance to go full speed, which you can't do out of pads.

Denver Native (Carol)

07-31-2009, 05:43 PM

http://photos.denverpost.com/photoprojects/galleries/video.html?bcpid=1504364485&bclid=1419798684&bctid=31410721001

T.K.O.

07-31-2009, 06:04 PM

the best thing ive seen in photos and video about camp is the big smile on marshalls face !
makes me believe there is hope he'll be a happy bronco !:D

Denver Native (Carol)

07-31-2009, 06:11 PM

the best thing ive seen in photos and video about camp is the big smile on marshalls face !
makes me believe there is hope he'll be a happy bronco !:D

On FM104.3thefan not long ago, Sandy Clough said that regardless of how Brandon looked when talking to the media different times before training camp, he was like a little kid on the field today, dancing to the music, laughing, etc. with his teammates. And Clough also said that he heard (did not say from who), that a month ago, Brandon was told that if he showed up early with the Rookies, etc., that he would not have to practice those few days.

jrelway

07-31-2009, 06:42 PM

the best thing ive seen in photos and video about camp is the big smile on marshalls face !
makes me believe there is hope he'll be a happy bronco !:D

yes sir!

EMB6903

07-31-2009, 06:52 PM

yet again... Brandon Marshall is the one that stands out during training camp..

I cant wait to see him in a Mcdaniels offensive scheme... If everything goes well on that august court date I think regardless of whose throwing him the ball I see this being the biggest year of his career.

Denver Native (Carol)

07-31-2009, 06:53 PM

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12967944?source=rss

As he ran down the sideline a few feet from the crowd, Brandon Marshall was well-positioned to hear the cheers.

The Broncos' star receiver had just made a nice catch on a well-thrown ball by quarterback Kyle Orton and Marshall was carrying out the play down field.

This was his first, full-squad practice with the Broncos since he underwent hip surgery on March 31, yet there was no limp, no detectable signs of rust.

"You could tell by watching him, he obviously has been working hard to try and get back where he was at last year," said Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler.

The crowd applauded a bit louder with every stride Marshall took. The fans know Marshall has said he wants to be traded. But they were letting him know they'd like him to stay.

The play over, Marshall started back to the huddle when he became happy Brandon again. He turned, went up to a young boy who had stood up from the crowd, and slapped him a high five.

It was one of several catches Marshall made today in the Broncos' first day of training camp.

"He came out and looked real good," said receiver Brandon Stokley. "He ran good routes; he looked precise."

Following practice, Marshall entered the locker room without comment. But he was smiling as he walked by. Away from the field, Marshall is unhappy with his contract to the point he skipped a mandatory offseason minicamp in mid-June. He's back now.

Was Broncos coach Josh McDaniels pleasantly surprised by how Marshall performed on the first day of training camp?

"Excited about it; I wouldn't say pleasantly surprised," McDaniels said. "I know he's a good football player. I'm excited about watching him fit into our system and making plays."

T.K.O.

07-31-2009, 07:01 PM

Marshall impresses in return to Broncos practice
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on July 31, 2009 7:49 PM ET
It looks like Brandon Marshall isn't going to suffer from one of those mysterious training camp injuries that often sideline disgruntled players.

Marshall returned to the field for a full practice Friday, his first since undergoing hip surgery on March 31.

Multiple Denver outlets commented that Marshall showed no rust and didn't limp after missing most of the offseason following hip surgery.

Josh McDaniels was asked if he was surprised how good Marshall looked.

"Excited about it; I wouldn't say pleasantly surprised," McDaniels said. "I know he's a good football player. I'm excited about watching him fit into our system and making plays."

The contract year receiver didn't speak to reporters and its believed he still wants to be traded.

It seems unlikely Marshall will get traded, but his only chance for it would be to show suitors that he's fully healthy during the preseason.

And if he stays in Denver, the only way to increase his market value is to put up big numbers, just like he has the last two seasons.

Tned

07-31-2009, 07:28 PM

According to Frank Scwhab of the springs gazzete, Brandon Marshall is not participating in the evening practice. Everyone else that was in the morning practice is on the field this evening.

jrelway

07-31-2009, 08:53 PM

anyone still have that one pic of brandon marshall grabbing the ball over dre bly in last years training camp? it looked like shrek eating a midget.

Tned

07-31-2009, 09:08 PM

According to Frank Scwhab of the springs gazzete, Brandon Marshall is not participating in the evening practice. Everyone else that was in the morning practice is on the field this evening.

Another Schwab Tweet:

@fs3142 (http://twitter.com/fs3142) Afternoon practice is done. Just saw Champ Bailey, Renaldo Hill and Marcus Thomas doing a conditioning test. No word on if they passed.

pnbronco

07-31-2009, 10:51 PM

Another hard work out. You could hear the pads hitting and they were running hard tonight. A couple of things that stood out. First Kenny McKinley stood out in catching about everything that was thrown his way. Peyton Hillis is looking good too. The other thing I noticed was that McDaniels was working out with the WR and he was running backwards like a linebacker. He was so hands on with these guys. I could also see him joking and with Stokley and Peterson.

I know that Stokley's my guy, but he is like a deer out there, I really did enjoy watching him practice today. More music tonight and they had a full work out. I remember last year it was almost always special teams in the afternoon. The more I see the more I like. The body language I'm seeing is more energy, more working together and they seem to be enjoying themselves, even though they are working really hard.

atwater27

07-31-2009, 11:17 PM

Glad to hear Torrain is proving the haters wrong so far. Here is to Ryan not only making the team, but winning the starting spot.

broncofaninfla

08-01-2009, 11:43 AM

I'm pulling for Ryan "Tha pain train" Torain!

EMB6903

08-01-2009, 12:59 PM

Are Mcdaniels practices pads in the morning and evening?

Denver Native (Carol)

08-01-2009, 02:58 PM

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_12971103

As the Kyle Orton Era officially got underway in Denver on Friday with the first full practice of the 2009 season, it would be easy to measure the quarterback's progress merely by counting completed passes.

But it might be just as important to count the pages of detailed notations in Orton's personal notebooks, taken over the course of nearly four months since he arrived in Denver.

"He's always writing in his notebook. He's got books in there, at least it looks like it to me," backup quarterback Chris Simms said. "He's very meticulous with his notes. He's a smart guy, there's no doubt about that."

For whatever physical prowess Orton needs — and coach Josh McDaniels is confident the quarterback has it — to successfully run the Broncos' offense, how much Orton understands is even more important now as the team starts installing much of the playbook during training camp.

"Obviously it's a big mental year for me learning a new system, so I don't have the ability to relax," Orton said. "I have to stay up on it the entire time."

That's why Orton stayed in Denver during much of the summer, sacrificing much of the "off" in offseason to spend days at Dove Valley with Simms and whatever coaches and teammates might be hanging around.

"That's where you learn the most about guys and where you build the relationships that carry over to the practice field," veteran receiver Brandon Stokley said. "When a lot of guys are back home, we're out running routes, out working out together.

"That's where you build that camaraderie with your quarterback and get on the same page so that when you start training camp, you're not starting from square one."

Orton spent the first three months of his tenure in Denver, from the time he was traded to the Broncos from the Bears on April 2 through the middle of the mandatory minicamp in June, in a battle with Simms to be the replacement for Jay Cutler.

McDaniels named Orton the starter June 12, giving Orton the rest of the summer to establish himself as the offensive leader in the huddle and in the locker room. It is admittedly an unfamiliar position for Orton, who engaged in heated quarterback battles in training camp during his four seasons in Chicago.

Orton said the early vote of confidence from McDaniels has only helped in his preparation for training camp and the season.

"No question," Orton said. "You always want to be that face in the huddle, that guy that, when things aren't going good and you hit some adversity in camp, which you always do, you want to be that guy to step up and be the calming factor in the huddle and get guys going back on the right track."

The work from the extra summer sessions was starting to show in Orton's performance Friday. He appeared more crisp, his throws more accurate, than in the team's final minicamp in June.

"He's a leader. He definitely knows what he's doing," center Casey Wiegmann said, adding that Orton and Simms are both "leaps and bounds" ahead of where he was during the spring minicamps. "They put in their time in the meetings and behind the scenes, doing whatever it took."

Stokley said Orton's passes have been impressive.

"He surprised me the first time I saw him throw the ball. He really throws a really good ball," Stokley said. "A nice spiral. Receivers don't like the ball too hard or too soft, just a nice speed, that's a good, catchable ball."

McDaniels was more cautious with his praise after the first day, but said he is content with Orton's progress.

"The command of the offense and the understanding of what we are doing is great," McDaniels said of Orton and Simms. "I don't mean that they are all the way where we want them to be ultimately, but I think when they get in the huddle they know exactly what I am asking them to do."

Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com

Tned

08-01-2009, 03:23 PM

The Mile High Report (http://www.milehighreport.com/) is reporting that Marshall is back on the field.

Tned

08-01-2009, 03:26 PM

According to the Denver Post:

Veteran defensive players Champ Bailey, Marcus Thomas and Renaldo Hill made their 2009 practice debut Saturday afternoon.

nevcraw

08-01-2009, 04:00 PM

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_12973928

Veteran defensive players Champ Bailey, Marcus Thomas and Renaldo Hill made their 2009 practice debut this afternoon.

The three players had started training camp on the active-physically unable to perform list and missed both two-hour practices Friday. The trio was seen running sprints — and being timed — by the team's training staff Friday night. Bailey, the team's star left cornerback, and Hill, a safety, are projected starters in the secondary, while Thomas is competing for time on the defensive line.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall is also back on the practice field, and smiling, after taking the Friday evening session off. He has written "Beast Ego" in black marker on the back of his white Broncos-issued shirt he is wearing under his shoulder pads and jersey.

With the return of Bailey, Hill and Thomas, the only notable players missing from the practice field are first-round draft picks Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers, who both remain unsigned.

__________________________________________________ ___________________

How about writing "Best Teammate" or "Beast Blocker" or "Beast TD Grabber"
nobody doubts your ego.. ..child..

Tned

08-01-2009, 05:02 PM

This is funny, it's a Vic Lombardi Tweet:

@VicLombardi (http://twitter.com/VicLombardi) anybody get the plate on that truck? Peyton Hillis just steamrolled Tim Crowder

Tned

08-01-2009, 05:03 PM

Frank Schwab on the same hit:

@fs3142 Crowd still buzzing over huge hit by Hillis against Crowder. Hillis looks good.

broncofaninfla

08-01-2009, 05:27 PM

I have a man crush on Hillis

Tned

08-01-2009, 05:32 PM

Another schwab tweet says that the Broncos lined up in the Wildcat (should be Wildhog) offense again today, with Orton motioning wide and Buckhalter getting the snap.

Tned

08-01-2009, 05:43 PM

Vic Lombardi reports that a D-linemen was taken off the field on a stretcher due to a knee injury.

Requiem / The Dagda

08-01-2009, 05:48 PM

My money is on Rulon Davis, he has had his leg ran over before.

Tned

08-01-2009, 06:13 PM

More on that hit earlier by Hillis:

@TheAudible (http://twitter.com/TheAudible) Peyton Hillis knocked Tim Crowder on his ass. He was down for about 2 minutes after a vicious hit!

atwater27

08-01-2009, 06:16 PM

HIllis and Torrain.... 2 reasons we should not have picked a runner in the 1st.

Tned

08-01-2009, 06:17 PM

It was Nic Clemons

fs3142 (http://twitter.com/fs3142) DE Nic Clemons carted off with apparent left knee injury, looked serious. Hurts line depth

Requiem / The Dagda

08-01-2009, 06:18 PM

Nic Clemons, was the DL carted off.

Watchthemiddle

08-01-2009, 06:18 PM

HIllis and Torrain.... 2 reasons we should not have picked a runner in the 1st.

6 Rb's injured last year throughout the season...6 reasons WHY we picked a runner in the 1st.

Tned

08-01-2009, 06:20 PM

A couple TheAudible (http://twitter.com/TheAudible) tweets:

Buckhalter lining up out wide and in the slot, lots of receptions in his future for the Broncos

Josh Barrett and Brandon Marshall jawing at each other after JB basically hip tossed Marshall in 1-on-1 drills

Requiem / The Dagda

08-01-2009, 06:23 PM

Buckhalter will be a nice mismatch in wide sets and out of the backfield. I'm just glad with Moreno, Buck and Jordan that we have three capable receivers out of the backfield. Hillis as well and Branson would be a hell of an option too if he makes the team.

atwater27

08-01-2009, 06:24 PM

6 Rb's injured last year throughout the season...6 reasons WHY we picked a runner in the 1st.

I can only think of one reason we wasted the pick on a position of low need. The same reason we wasted another 1st rounder on a nickel back.

Frikking new hires.

Requiem / The Dagda

08-01-2009, 06:26 PM

RB wasn't a position of low need, and Alphonso Smith isn't going to be exclusively a nickelback.

atwater27

08-01-2009, 06:29 PM

RB wasn't a position of low need, and Alphonso Smith isn't going to be exclusively a nickelback.

We'll see.

Tned

08-01-2009, 06:31 PM

It appears conditioning was the problem with Champ:

@fs3142 (http://twitter.com/fs3142) Champ Bailey said he lobbied a bit to practice Fri but knew where McD was coming from. Said it was conditioning

Requiem / The Dagda

08-01-2009, 06:32 PM

We'll see.

He'll be playing special teams on returns and in the coverage units as well, if he helps improve those areas -- I think it'll be a direction towards a sound investment. With the age of Bailey and Goodman, along with Smith's physical and mental abilities -- I have a hard time believing that his pro career with our franchise won't be a good one. He's a hell of a ball player.

Watchthemiddle

08-01-2009, 06:33 PM

It appears conditioning was the problem with Champ:

That just goes to show you that this regime means business. Champ would have gotten away with that last year or years before. SUperstar or not, everyone is treated the same.

atwater27

08-01-2009, 06:36 PM

He'll be playing special teams on returns and in the coverage units as well, if he helps improve those areas -- I think it'll be a direction towards a sound investment. With the age of Bailey and Goodman, along with Smith's physical and mental abilities -- I have a hard time believing that his pro career with our franchise won't be a good one. He's a hell of a ball player.

I hope you are right. I'll bake the crow McPie myself.

Tned

08-01-2009, 06:49 PM

Wonder what this is?

JosinaAnderson: Will have more stunning revelations on another topic, as well Moss later today. Hope Moss changes his mind.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-01-2009, 06:51 PM

http://blogs.denverpost.com/broncos/2009/08/01/torain-will-make-things-interesting/

There always seemed to be a moment in training camp each and every summer when Mike Shanahan would compare somebody’s run to Terrell Davis, usually offering something like; “the players told me they haven’t seen a cut like that since T.D….”

Often it was just because of Shanahan’s inclination to get very excited about certain players at times before then growing just as pessimistic about the player weeks later. Or often he was simply trying to publicly explain how the team would run the ball with the backs on hand without a draft pick or significant free agent signee in the group.

Certainly a tough ride at times for those involved. Selvin Young once wore the label, as did, as has Ryan Torain.

Young is gone and Torain has been fairly cursed over the last two years having had surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury in his foot, a fractured elbow and a torn left anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

The result is Torain has basically played one half of football in his NFL career — a first half in Cleveland with 12 carries and 68 yards before suffering his knee injury — since being selected in the 2008 draft.

But while most of the talk about the Broncos running game has centered around the still-unsigned Knowshon Moreno — and make no mistake there will be some pressure all around to eventually use a back taken 12th overall in the draft — it’s clear Torain will put up a fight for carries.

Especially on early downs where Torain is a little bigger and a little more decisive — judging from looking at Moreno’s games in college — between the tackles. Moreno catches the ball well and has been an effective blocker in college so could play on third-down quickly once he signs if he can be consistent in blitz pickups.

Could be a nice mix if Torain can keep his early momentum, stay healthy and stay on the field.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-01-2009, 06:54 PM

Wonder what this is?

http://www.kdvr.com/sports/football/broncos/kdvr-jarvis-moss-080109,0,5420154.story

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Denver Broncos defensive lineman/outside linebacker Jarvis Moss was not in attendance at the team's practice Saturday. A team source with knowledge of the circumstances surrounding his absence talked with FOX31 Sports and provided an explanation.

He told Josina Anderson, "I was told Jarvis went to (Josh) McDaniels and met one-on-one with the coach and said he does not want to do this anymore. He feels he might be done with football and he's thinking about retirement."

This information has to come to a blow to an organization which drafted Moss with its 17th overall pick in the 2007 draft.

Upon learning this information, FOX 31 Sports attended practice Saturday and confirmed Moss was not there.

Broncos' General Manager Brian Xanders was approached to respond to the information but told FOX 31 Sports, "no comment."

Another source, who has since spoken to Moss on the phone, told Anderson that after their conversation they are now concerned for Moss' overall well being. The source said, "He told me he would talk to me in two hours. That this is his life and he's just got to figure things out."

Moss participated in the team's practices on Friday. After the morning session Moss said, "It's a brand new start for me. I'm going to continue to work hard, pray, and everything will take care of itself."

The source also told Anderson that it's their thought Moss is having a hard time adapting to his new role in the new defensive scheme. He plays a combination of linebacker and defensive end in the 3-4 defense.

In two seasons with the Broncos, Moss has played in 18 games, recording 24 tackles and 3.5 sacks. His rookie season was cut short after suffering a broken shin.

Tned

08-01-2009, 07:11 PM

Based on the Denver Post write up, it appears that Josh Barrett continues to work CB, since he and Marshall were battling throughout practice.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-01-2009, 07:16 PM

Under video & audio - http://www.denverbroncos.com/ - after practice today

pnbronco

08-01-2009, 07:30 PM

Are Mcdaniels practices pads in the morning and evening?

So far they have been. Bad news Nic Clemons was carted off the field, he was trying to walk but then they brought out the cart. Got there late today, but more of the same, lots of drills hard work outs. McKinley looked good again and so did Matthe Willis, he had a hard time yesterday, but looked much better today. Marshal didn't look as crisp to me today as yesterday and the O in general was not on what little I saw. In the 2 minute drill they got intercepted every time. Got to go and feed the hubby...

Tned

08-01-2009, 07:38 PM

Vic Lombardi is reporting that a reliable source says Moss has quit the team.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-01-2009, 07:42 PM

http://blogs.denverpost.com/broncos/2009/08/01/moss-taking-some-time-away-from-broncos/

Broncos defensive end Jarvis Moss was not at Saturday afternoon’s practice and was not in the team’s Dove Valley complex for afternoon meetings.

Moss was excused by Broncos coach Josh McDaniels for what the head coach termed “a very personal reason” and McDaniels gave no timetable for Moss’ return to the team.

A teammate of Moss’, who asked not to be identified Saturday simply said Moss “wasn’t very happy” without further description. Moss was the Broncos first-round draft pick in the 2007 draft — the 16th pick overall — and is in the process of switching positions from defensive end to outside linebacker.

Moss has participated in all of the team’s offseason workouts and was at the team’s complex Thursday and Friday as the team began training camp.

spikerman

08-01-2009, 08:36 PM

Sorry it it's already been posted. I thought it was relevant

Broncos' 2007 pick Moss may be considering retirement
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/01/2009 06:52:34 PM MDT
Updated: 08/01/2009 07:02:08 PM MDT

Jarvis Moss (Denver Post file photo)Jarvis Moss, the Broncos' first-round draft pick just two years ago, left training camp Saturday to contemplate whether he wants to continue playing, several team sources confirmed.

"He was excused for a very personal reason," said Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. "I am going to respect that, and I hope everybody else does, too."

Moss has struggled almost from the time the Broncos selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2007 draft and gave him a five-year, $14.95 million contract with an $8.06 million guarantee.

If Moss retires, there's a chance he could have to refund nearly $4.8 million of his guarantee back to the Broncos.

A defensive end out of Florida who made his mark by chasing down Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith in the 2006 season NCAA title game, Moss has just 2-1/2 sacks in his two NFL seasons.

His rookie season was cut short after playing in just six games because of a fractured right fibula.

Considered too light at roughly 250 pounds to excel as an NFL defensive end, Moss was moved to outside linebacker after new coach Josh McDaniels switched the defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 alignment.

Moss was well down on the depth chart Friday when he participated in the Broncos' first two training camp sessions.

Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_12975188

Denver Native (Carol)

08-01-2009, 08:49 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/day-2-blog/

After getting through two practices on the opening day of training camp, the team had just a single session on Saturday.

Here are some quick hits from the day.

ROLL CALL: Absent from yesterday evening’s practice, Champ Bailey, Renaldo Hill, Brandon Marshall and Marcus Thomas all participated in Saturday’s session.

# Later in practice, play was stopped during an 11-on-11 drill and Nic Clemons was carted off the field.

# Vernon Fox missed the session today, which Head Coach Josh McDaniels explained afterwards.

“Vernon Fox has a slight deal where he is a little sore, and he will be out until he can come back. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later.”

POSITIONING: A few new faces cracked the first-unit defense when the group lined up in what appeared to be a nickel package. Only Ryan McBean and Kenny Peterson were on the line, while Darrell Reid, Wesley Woodyard, D.J. Williams and Elvis Dumervil were at linebacker. Cornerbacks Andre’ Goodman, Jack Williams and Alphonso Smith joined safeties Brian Dawkins and Darcel McBath in the secondary.

# Correll Buckhalter, Peyton Hillis, LaMont Jordan and Ryan Torain continued to split carries with the first unit offense. The starters at the receiver and tight end positions rotated depending on the formation. Jabar Gaffney and Eddie Royal were in on most every play, while Marshall and Brandon Stokley played with the unit at different times. The same goes for Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler, who each saw their share of reps with the first unit.

DRILLS: Dawkins let out a giant shout and gave Bailey a powerful high-five before the first drill of the day began. Then the defensive backs proceeded to essentially stand still, working on getting the right play call and calling audibles. It was just a little taste of the intensity Dawkins brings to the field even during drills.

# Brett Kern and Britton Colquitt practiced holding by taking a knee and catching the snap from a JUGS machine before placing it down for Matt Prater.

# During one drill, tight ends worked on blocking one-on-one with linebackers. Two battles stood out — when Tony Scheffler took on Darrell Reid, the blocking was so vigorous that Reid’s helmet came off. Then when Richard Quinn took on Mario Haggan, he locked up the linebacker and blocked him all the way out of bounds, drawing loud praise from tight ends coach Clancy Barone.

# In a full-speed, full-contact, one-on-one drill, several collisions drew “ooohs” from the crowd, including Hillis against Tim Crowder and Graham against Andra Davis. Josh Barrett’s battles with Marshall might have been the most physical, resulting in what looked like a ripped shirt or two.

“We were both going out there, trying to get the best of one another,” Barrett said, noting that he couldn’t judge who won the matchups. “I’ll give it to him if he thinks he won. I know he didn’t score.”

PLAYMAKERS: Dawkins had a near interception during 7-on-7s, bobbling the ball before it fell to the turf. He then dropped to the ground and immediately did 10 pushups, drawing cheers from the crowd.

# During 11-on-11 drills, Kyle Orton launched a pass downfield to a streaking Marshall, who looked like he had a leaping grab. Bailey had other plans, however, bolting in seemingly out of nowhere to break up the reception.

“I saw him looking and looking and waiting for everybody to clear,” Bailey said of Orton. “I don’t think he saw me … so I just made him throw that ball, and he did.”

# Prater showed off some of his power while Lonie Paxton and the punters worked on the snap and hold before field goals. Prater only had to kick it through an extra set of uprights brought onto the field a short distance away, but the far uprights were 53 yards downfield. He cleared the far field goal posts by at least 10 yards on one attempt, booting it over the back wall into the staff parking lot. On another attempt he hit the very top of the right upright.

# In one-on-ones between defensive backs and wide receivers, Orton threw a strike to Eddie Royal, who jumped up and grabbed a nice catch over the back of Andre’ Goodman. Later in practice, however, during a two-minute drill, Goodman snared an interception from Orton to put an end to a drive by the first-unit offense.

# Rulon Davis batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.

QUICK HITS: It was a good day to be a fan at Dove Valley today. The only shade on the field during the 90-plus degree practice was on the hill where the fans sat.

# Though it wasn’t used on Saturday, a scoreboard has been installed on the side of the building at Dove Valley, facing the practice fields.

# Rookies Blake Schlueter and Tom Brandstater botched a snap, which resulted in a fumble. The ball on the ground meant both players had to take a lap around the field. They weren’t alone, however, because a few minutes later coaches didn’t like the play of the defense and sent the entire unit on a lap around the field.

# It’s worth noting that an interesting rule has been mandated during offense vs. defense drills. When the ball hits the ground, no matter the situation, both units have to treat it as a fumble. The rule came into play a few times on Saturday, including on a dropped interception that was picked back up by another defender and taken back the other way.

DAILY JUKEBOX: As the team was filtering outside and fans were lining the hill alongside the far field, “Apache” by the Sugar Hill Gang pumped through the speakers. It was a fun start to a hot day of practice that featured yet another eclectic mix of music. A few other choice grooves:

# Jay-Z “Oh My God”
# Bruce Springsteen “The Rising”
# Snoop Dogg “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”
# Rolling Stones “Start Me Up”
# Outkast “Hey Ya”

Below are pictures from the session. The team will be back on the field for a morning practice at 8:45 MDT Sunday morning. (can be seen on above link)

Denver Native (Carol)

08-01-2009, 10:05 PM

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9186

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Head Coach Josh McDaniels and Champ Bailey spoke with the media following the morning practice of the first day of training camp.

Here are the transcripts of their interviews.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On evaluating the second day of practice
"(There was) improvement in some areas, and (we) certainly made our share of mistakes this afternoon. (There is) a lot to coach off of and try to fix and get better going forward."

On RB Peyton Hillis' involvement in the offense
"He will play as much as he deserves to play. He can play as a fullback in a two-back offense. Obviously, he can catch the ball very well out of the backfield. He is getting plenty of opportunity right now to run in our one-back sets, which he will continue to get that opportunity. He has done some really positive things, but like everybody, there are definitely some things that he needs to fix and improve upon. Peyton is a very valuable player, I think. (He is) versatile and creates some matchup problems for defenses if we can use him right."

On CB Champ Bailey's first practice
"It was exciting to get them all out there. You didn't really notice Champ, which is pretty typical, because he always does his job really well and you don't throw much over there. That is a great thing to have out there on the left side of our defense. He challenged the receivers today and was very aggressive. Like I said, you can feel his impact when he is out there on the field."

On why the defense had to run a lap during the 11-on-11 session
"They didn't have enough guys in the huddle on the show-team card."

On if he is going to run if the Broncos lose at INVESCO Field at Mile High this year
"No, we are not. I hope we don't lose at home."

On why OLB/DE Jarvis Moss did not practice
"He was excused for a very personal reason. I am going to respect that and I hope everybody else does, too."

On if New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick ever made him run during practice
"I don't remember if he did or not, but I know I got yelled at plenty."

On S Vernon Fox's absence during practice
"Vernon Fox has a slight deal where he is a little sore, and he will be out until he can come back. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later."

On details regarding DL Nic Clemons' condition after coming off the field early
"I don't want to say anything now. You saw him get carried off there or helped off. Until (the trainers) have an opportunity to really look at him and see what is going on, we won't really know much, but hopefully it is not too serious."

On his Twitter policy for the Broncos' players
"I don't really have a Twitter policy. I don't know what it means. I don't know what it is. I don't know that 'MyFace,' 'Spacebook' or 'Facebook' stuff. I don't really know what that is either. The league talks to (the players) about just trying to protect your career, family and all that stuff, so hopefully, they are doing the right things by what the league asks us to do."

On if social networking will be discussed in meetings
"No, we don't have any electronics in the meetings other than the clicker that the coaches hold."

On the status of OLB/DE Robert Ayers and RB Knowshon Moreno
"Same thing-keep your fingers crossed. Like I said, I am hoping the next time that I hear about them, it will mean that they are coming in and they are ready to go. That will be exciting when that actually does happen. It is getting into day three here coming up tomorrow. Obviously, we are eager to get them in here, and I am sure they are eager to get here."

On how often he likes to have drills finish by bringing the ball carrier to the ground
"We don't do them too many times, but I think early in camp it is good to do that because you certainly do not want to go into your first game not having tackled somebody or been tackled. You see people on the ground anyway in drills, whether it be by accident or a guy actually kind of comes free and knocks somebody to the ground. I think it is good for them to feel the contact and then also to start working on their techniques and fundamentals because tackling sounds like a simple thing, but it really is not when you have got big men running with full speed. You have got to wrap your arms and do a lot of little things to get him down.

"You have got to weigh it, you are right. There are pros and cons to doing it too much, but we are going to try to hit the right mix hopefully."

On if he thought QB Kyle Orton struggled with long pass attempts
"No. When you are throwing long balls, you try to make them work and make them go. We had a couple chances there, but some days you are going to come up with them and some days you are not. I certainly would not categorize anybody as struggling with the long-ball."

On when he expects OLB/DE Jarvis Moss to return
"I don't know that. Like I said, it is a personal reason. He certainly has... He has been excused by myself. Whenever Jarvis is back and gone through that situation, then I am sure he will be here."

CHAMP BAILEY

On why he missed practice Friday
"Coach (Josh McDaniels) and (Strength and Conditioning Coach) Rich (Tuten) and everybody felt like we weren't ready to get out there. So, you know, obviously we just used precaution and got ready-used the day to kind of condition a little bit and get in shape a little better and then get out there."

On if missing practice bothered him
"No. No. It bothered me a little, but I'm all for the right thing because in the end, as long as I'm there Sept. 13 (regular-season opener), that's all that matters."

On if he feels good physically
"Yeah. I feel good. I've got to work myself back into it. Obviously, it's one thing to sit here and run all day, but you've got to get in football shape."

On if the hardest part is getting used to bursts of speed
"Definitely. After being out for a little while, not being around football since OTAs, it's going to take a little while to get back used to it."

On if he baited QB Kyle Orton when he broke up a deep pass intended for WR Brandon Marshall
"Oh yeah, definitely. I saw him looking and looking and waiting for everybody to clear. I don't think he saw me or he thought he could make it. So I just made him throw that ball, and he did."

On if he is concerned with the age within the secondary
"No. No. That means we're really smart and really experienced."

On if he likes the secondary additions
"Yeah. We've got guys that are smart and make plays. That's all we need."

On what he thinks of all the new faces in the huddle
"It's interesting. I haven't been on a team with this much turnover, so I'm still getting to know everybody. That's a good thing about being back out here-I can get to know these guys on the field."

On if he expected S Brian Dawkins to come to the team and be a leader right away
"Yeah, I definitely expected it. You know, I've been around him before-being at Pro Bowls-and he's always stepped right into that leadership role. I appreciate that from a guy that's been around the block a few times. He's very experienced. We wouldn't expect anything less from him."

On if, as a leader, it was difficult to sit out Friday
"Yeah, a little. It's frustrating. One thing I want to do is always practice. I don't want to just be a guy off to the side. I've had my share of days doing that. I want to be out here practicing."

On if he tried to persuade Head Coach Josh McDaniels to let him practice Friday
"A little. But I know where he's coming from, so I respect that."

On how he can avoid suffering a groin injury like he did last season
"Well, just little things, treatment and exercise, stretching. Just little things like that. You can't get out here worrying about it. You've got to do the things when you walk off the field."

Denver Native (Carol)

08-01-2009, 10:57 PM

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9187

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- It's only day two of season two for Peyton Hillis.

It's only been a handful of training camp practices, but the versatile fullback is already making a name for himself out on the practice field.

"He has done some really positive things," Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. "Peyton is a very valuable player. (He is) versatile and creates some matchup problems for defenses if we can use him right."

Fresh off a rookie campaign in which he averaged five yards per carry and tied for the team lead with six touchdowns, the second-year back has showcased his skill set during the team's first three practices.

He's lined up at fullback in two-back offensive sets. He's been given a host of carries with the first unit out of one-back sets. He's demonstrated his ability to be a receiving threat out of the backfield.

And clearly, he's proven he can deliver a hit. Just ask teammate Tim Crowder.

During an early round of full-speed, full-contact one-on-one drills on Saturday afternoon, Hillis was matched up with Crowder. He proceeded to run right into the 6-foot-4 outside linebacker/defensive end, causing for a thunderous collision. Crowder brought Hillis to the ground on the play, but he needed a few moments to gather himself after Hillis' jolting hit.

In his college days, the former Arkansas Razorback said he would have had little remorse for Crowder, a former Texas Longhorn. But now, the circumstances have changed.

"You've always got to apologize and say you're sorry because he is one of your teammates, and he's going to help you win," Hillis said.

Hillis said he hopes to continue to showcase his physicality and toughness to the coaching staff throughout camp.

"I think everybody tends to shy away from (hitting) as much as they can, but when it comes down to it you're just a certain kind of person," Hillis said. "And that certain type of person for me is to just be physical."

Hillis said he isn't quite sure what his final role will be in McDaniels' offensive system, but the multi-dimensional back is prepared to take advantage of every rep he takes during camp. He plans on making his mark in blocking and pass protection situations, as well as in the receiving game.

He didn't deny his desire to see an extended role carrying the ball, but he also conceded that being a complete player is first and foremost.

"Everybody likes to carry the ball," he said. "The center likes carrying the ball. It's just how it is. But this game is not just about carrying the ball … The longer I want to stay here, the more versatile I have to be."

TRIO RETURNS

After missing the team's first two practices, Champ Bailey, Renaldo Hill and Marcus Thomas all made their training camp debuts on Saturday.

Frustrated that he wasn't on the field on Friday, Bailey was more than pleased to be back in the thick of football-related activities.

"One thing I want to do is always practice," Bailey said. "I don't want to just be a guy off to the side. I've had my share of days doing that. I want to be out here practicing."

From an individual standpoint, Bailey used his first training camp session at Dove Valley to get back into football shape. In the huddle, he also had another assignment.

"I haven't been on a team with this much turnover, so I'm still getting to know everybody," Bailey said. "That's a good thing about being back out here. I can get to know these guys on the field."

After a day of conditioning, Thomas was also happy to be roaming the field with his teammates. He used his first day of camp to find his groove on the defensive line.

Thomas admitted that he felt tired after today's session, but it was a welcome feeling after his absence from Friday's session.

"I was out there looking from the windows, trying to watch everybody," Thomas said. "I wanted to be out there real bad. Now I'm out here, so I've just got to take it from here."

READY TO GO

Bailey wasted little time making his presence known. Thrust into the spotlight, the 11- year veteran made sure to show his teammates -- and the host of fans surrounding the playing field -- that he was back at the forefront of the team's secondary. During 11-on-11 drills, Bailey was matched up in coverage with Brandon Marshall. On one play, Marshall appeared to have Bailey beaten downfield, prompting Kyle Orton to throw Marshall a deep strike toward the end zone.

However, the eight-time Pro Bowler quickly recovered and broke up the play, drawing a strong reaction from the surrounding enthusiasts.

Bailey said he tried to bait Orton into thinking Marshall was open on that play -- a plan that worked to perfection.

"I saw (Orton) looking and looking and waiting for everybody to clear," Bailey said. "I don't think he saw me or he thought he could make it. So I just made him throw that ball, and he did."

McDaniels said it was comforting to know that No. 24 was back in the fold on the left side of the defense.

"He challenged the receivers today and was very aggressive," he said. "You can feel his impact when he is out there on the field."

For more on Day 2 of training camp, check out the Broncos TV feature here, or watch above. For pictures of the day, check out the photo gallery here. The team will be back on the field for two sessions tomorrow at 8:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. MDT.

broncsfan4lfe

08-01-2009, 11:16 PM

Observations and Photo's from Colorado Sports Desk http://coloradosportsdesk.com/wp/archives/2009/08/denver-broncos-training-camp-day-2-saturday-practice/

Lonestar

08-01-2009, 11:40 PM

Hillis is an animal.. if they do not find him alot in games it will be a crying shame..

rcsodak

08-02-2009, 02:18 AM

This exerpt from Montrose's report....

And those who didn’t impress me:

Jarvis Moss – It’s not going to work guys. Richard Quinn and Tony Scheffler ate his lunch all day.

In fairness to Moss, how often has he been asked to cover TE's? Look at his height!

Besides, McD already SAID that they wouldn't be relying on LB's to cover TE's.

Traveler

08-02-2009, 07:15 AM

In fairness to Moss, how often has he been asked to cover TE's? Look at his height!

Besides, McD already SAID that they wouldn't be relying on LB's to cover TE's.

I just hope that he sorts out whatever issues he's having. Seems like a good kid. Just lost in the new scheme of things.

Tned

08-02-2009, 09:54 AM

I just hope that he sorts out whatever issues he's having. Seems like a good kid. Just lost in the new scheme of things.

And, not only will it ruin his chances of making the Broncos squad, it will force him to pay back millions which he may not even have anymore, and even if he isn't a fit here, he could be on another team.

Tned

08-02-2009, 10:15 AM

On the Fan, they are describing Hillis' hit on Crowder yesterday, they say Crowder was likely out for a couple minutes. They were one on one, so Hillis could have juked or tried to go around him, but just lowered his shoulder and barreled over him.

The also said that McDaniesl already said Royal surprised him, and they think he probably has been completely surprised by what he has seen in Hillis during the OTA's, and the TC so far. They think with his draft position, and him being a FB, McDaniels probably didn't seriously consider him a choice.

They are postulating on whether or not McDaniels would have made so many RB moves, or even drafted Moreno, if he had realized what he had in some of the existing players.

Tned

08-02-2009, 10:19 AM

Tned

08-02-2009, 10:42 AM

The guys on the FAN are saying that Gaffney will start in the slot over Stokely (time will tell) and that in this offense the slot will see a lot of balls.

Tned

08-02-2009, 11:23 AM

Either the newness has worn off or security is cracking down on sideline reporting (Broncos' training camp rules don't allow twittering or other live reporting from camp for fans or reporters), because the near real time news has dried up already.

EMB6903

08-02-2009, 11:26 AM

I'd assume Royal will be in the slot in 3 reciever sets

Tned

08-02-2009, 11:28 AM

Per Frank Schwab:

@fs3142 (http://twitter.com/fs3142) Brandon Marshall limped off the field to the locker room. Appeared to be favoring his left leg a bit

Tned

08-02-2009, 11:29 AM

I'd assume Royal will be in the slot in 3 reciever sets

You would think, but the way they were talking, Gaffney would be in the slot with Eddie on the outside.

Tned

08-02-2009, 11:32 AM

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 11:40 AM

For those attending this afternoon's practice, I heard on FM1043.the fan a few minutes ago that the time has been moved UP 45 minutes.

Tned

08-02-2009, 11:47 AM

Per Vic Lombardi:

@VicLombardi BMarshall just walked off the field with a trainer...I'm told it's nothing serious

Tned

08-02-2009, 12:03 PM

A couple more Vic Lombardi tweets:

@VicLombardi Fans cheering on the boys as they suffer thru wind sprints...like a scene from The Gladiator..minus the lions of course

@VicLombardi Peyton Hillis is SHINING in this camp...just took off on a sweet screen play

Tned

08-02-2009, 12:23 PM

Moss to return on Monday:

@JosinaAnderson (http://twitter.com/JosinaAnderson) Marcus Thomas just told the media that he talked to Jarvis Moss, and as of now Moss says he'll be back tomm.

topscribe

08-02-2009, 12:29 PM

There seems to be a theme here. The guys on the fan were saying much the same. While the NE/McD scheme doesn't rely heavily on the deep ball, when they do throw it, Orton simply doesn't have the arm. They were talking about a play yesterday where Marshall had Champ beat, but because Orton's ball was lobbed in and hung up in the air, Champ was able to recover and knock it away.

This is from Frank Schwab on today's camp:

Maybe it's a matter of mechanics because Orton has been measured to throw
the ball 74 yards. It might be that he is trying to put too much air under it,
trying to make it "catchable" or something. If it is, the coaches can probably
address it. But I don't think the "arm" is the problem.

-----

Tned

08-02-2009, 12:46 PM

Maybe it's a matter of mechanics because Orton has been measured to throw
the ball 74 yards. It might be that he is trying to put too much air under it,
trying to make it "catchable" or something. If it is, the coaches can probably
address it. But I don't think the "arm" is the problem.

-----

Maybe, the guys I have heard on the Denver radio stations have said that Simms has a much stronger arm than Orton. That Orton both struggles with the deep ball and throwing across his body, while he is accurate on other throws.

Time will tell.

topscribe

08-02-2009, 01:03 PM

Maybe, the guys I have heard on the Denver radio stations have said that Simms has a much stronger arm than Orton. That Orton both struggles with the deep ball and throwing across his body, while he is accurate on other throws.

Time will tell.

Yes, I've heard that, too. However, I wonder how much of that is perceived
through a coach's eyes. I may be wrong, but I get the impression Orton doesn't
use all his strength to throw the ball when he doesn't have to. Receivers have
said Orton throws a very "catchable" ball, yet I have seen him throw lasers
when threading needles. To say Simms has a "much" stronger arm may be
placing Simms in Favre's category, and I doubt that is the case.

There was the instance earlier in OTAs where Orton put the ball 55 yards in
the air and actually overthrew Fast Eddie. And in one of Orton's highlights,
he threw a TD pass that technically was about a 46-yard pass, but when the
triangle was calculated, involving throwing across the field as well as down
the field, the ball was actually about 52 yards in the air, IIRC, and it came
down perfectly into Hester's arms, which he caught in full stride. It was a
rainbow, but in that case it had to be because Hester was actually covered,
and Orton had to put it over two defenders to get it there.

So I think I'll just wait and see how they coach it with him.

Nonetheless, I realize this isn't a discussion thread, so I apologize for
hijacking it with this. Now, back to tweeting. :whistle:

-----

Tned

08-02-2009, 01:07 PM

McDaniels said that Clemons injury isn't serious, and he could return to practice.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 02:02 PM

Moss to return on Monday:

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_12978786

Broncos defensive lineman Marcus Thomas told reporters after today's morning practice that he had spoken to Jarvis Moss, and Moss said he would be rejoining the team Monday.

Thomas is Moss' closest friend on the team, and the two have been teammates since early in their college careers at the University of Florida. Both were drafted by the Broncos in 2007.

Moss did not show up for training camp Saturday and has been excused from practice while he contemplates his future in football. Teammates said Saturday and today that Moss has been quite unhappy.

Coach Josh McDaniels refused to discuss Moss' situation.

"Like I said, it's a personal situation and I'm going to respect that, so I'm not going to talk about Jarvis," McDaniels said. "So when he gets here, when he's back, hopefully we'll move forward.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 02:03 PM

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_12978783

Broncos receiver limped away from the practice field and into the locker room this morning. It appeared Marshall was favoring his left hip. Dr. Marc Philippon of Vail operated on Marshall's hip on March 31.

Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner, who also had hip surgery performed by Dr. Philippon, said full recovery time is six to 12 months.

For Marshall, that would optimistically put his return to full health at Sept. 30.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 02:13 PM

Under visual & audio http://www.denverbroncos.com/ This morning's practice

Tned

08-02-2009, 04:11 PM

Bad Intentions

08-02-2009, 04:21 PM

There seems to be a theme here. The guys on the fan were saying much the same. While the NE/McD scheme doesn't rely heavily on the deep ball, when they do throw it, Orton simply doesn't have the arm. They were talking about a play yesterday where Marshall had Champ beat, but because Orton's ball was lobbed in and hung up in the air, Champ was able to recover and knock it away.

This is from Frank Schwab on today's camp:

Simms throws with a lot more velocity but isn't nearly as accurate. Orton struggles with the deep ball. Today he was all over the place. I wondered over and watched Orton throw a few deep balls. Some where too flat (not enough air under them) and some were floated. The flat ones are usually overthrows... 'cept for the ones to Kenny McKinley who can track down anything it seems, and the ones that are floated usually give the DB time to defend them. Day 3 of practice, probably take a few weeks to iron out the kinks and get those throws down, if ever.

Tned

08-02-2009, 04:29 PM

Simms throws with a lot more velocity but isn't nearly as accurate. Orton struggles with the deep ball. Today he was all over the place. I wondered over and watched Orton throw a few deep balls. Some where too flat (not enough air under them) and some were floated. The flat ones are usually overthrows... 'cept for the ones to Kenny McKinley who can track down anything it seems, and the ones that are floated usually give the DB time to defend them. Day 3 of practice, probably take a few weeks to iron out the kinks and get those throws down, if ever.

Some Bear's fans have said that Orton's problem on the deep ball isn't a lack of arm strength, but technique. Meaning he has the arm to throw it deep, but not the accuracy.

From what you describe, maybe that is the case. Since he vascilates between flat overthrows and high floaters, do you think the issue is arm strength or an accuracy/technique problem?

topscribe

08-02-2009, 04:32 PM

Simms throws with a lot more velocity but isn't nearly as accurate. Orton struggles with the deep ball. Today he was all over the place. I wondered over and watched Orton throw a few deep balls. Some where too flat (not enough air under them) and some were floated. The flat ones are usually overthrows... 'cept for the ones to Kenny McKinley who can track down anything it seems, and the ones that are floated usually give the DB time to defend them. Day 3 of practice, probably take a few weeks to iron out the kinks and get those throws down, if ever.

From the blog on DenverBroncos.com: "In seven-on-seven play, Orton was sharp
on his deep balls, completing four of five stop-and-go routes to ignite the Dove
Valley crowd."

-----

rcsodak

08-02-2009, 04:39 PM

Another report I read said it looked like a hamstring.

A report I read said it was an "act hurt til they give you a new contract or trade you".

Only Bmarsh would be so stupid.

Tned

08-02-2009, 04:58 PM

A report I read said it was an "act hurt til they give you a new contract or trade you".

Only Bmarsh would be so stupid.

So, I take it you don't like him.

Tned

08-02-2009, 05:50 PM

Here is a summary of coach McDaniels comments to the press following the Sunday's morning practice at Dove Valley.

Status of Jarvis Moss:

Will respect his privacy. Move forward one way or another.

On Marshall leaving the field with an apparent injury:

Doesn't know what is wrong with Marshall and "wouldn't tell you if I did", but then laughed. Doesn't know what the actual injury is or what the extent of the injury is.

On the transition of the DE's to outside Linebacker:

They're doing little things better each day, but still areas that they need to improve. Some plays where they are physical, but not technically sound. They are playing hard and trying to learn and are making strides.

Tim Crowder:

No better or worse than others. He is big and thick and can drop into coverage. They are still evaluating whether he can play on the edge.

Alphonso Smith:

Made rookie mistakes, but making plays on the ball. In decent condition. Competing everyday. Always around the ball, making plays.

Nic Clemons injury:

Won't be out here for the next few days, but it's nothing serious.

Tned

08-02-2009, 06:27 PM

Denver Post reports:

Very low-key evening practice. Most players in shorts -- no pads, no helmets. Most rookies in gear for 7-on-7 later in practice.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 07:29 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/training-camp-day-3-am-blog/

The Broncos were back with the early sun, completing the first half of their second two-a-day stint of training camp. Here are some quick hits from the morning session.

ROLL CALL: Carted off the field during Saturday’s practice, Nic Clemons missed the session.

“Nic probably won’t be out here for the next couple of days, but nothing serious, and hopefully he’ll be back here soon,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said.

# Towards the middle of practice, Brandon Marshall went inside, which McDaniels later explained.“I don’t know anything about it yet,” McDaniels said. “We’ll see. He left the field, don’t know to what extent or what it was. We’ll find out when we get in here.”

# After missing Saturday’s session due to soreness, Vernon Fox returned to the field Sunday, wearing the orange jersey designated for players recovering from injuries. He saw plenty of action, including time with the first-team defense in 11-on-11 drills.

# Jarvis Moss was also excused by McDaniels.

POSITIONING: There was plenty of rotation on the defensive side. The first team consisted of Kenny Peterson, Ronald Fields, and Ryan McBean on the line. Elvis Dumervil and Darrell Reid planted themselves at the outside linebacker spots, while Andra Davis and D.J. Williams navigated the inside positions.

The starting secondary was comprised of Andre’ Goodman and Champ Bailey at cornerback, along with Renaldo Hill and Brian Dawkins at safety. Jack Williams, Wesley Woodyard and Alphonso smith were among the players to crack the first team unit on some full-contact plays.

# Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan took most of the carries with the first-unit offense, with Ryan Torain also getting his share. Peyton Hillis often shifted from the fullback/running back spots. In three-receiver sets, Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Royal and Brandon Stokley were the primary targets. Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham were on the line for most of the two-tight end packages, while rookie Richard Quinn also saw time with the primary squad.

DRILLS: Working with trios, defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely drilled his players on rotations in coverage. With one lineman posing as a running back and another as an offensive lineman, the third defender had to fight through the initial block and then cover the running back out of the backfield. “They open the door, something’s up,” Nunnely yelled. “They open the door, something’s up.”

# Secondary coach Ed Donatell worked with the defensive backs on 1-on-1 bump coverage. With one lined up as a receiver, he stressed that the cover man leave enough yards of space to adjust.

# Head Coach Josh McDaniels pulled aside Elvis Dumervil during 1-on-1 drills with the offensive linemen, giving him pointers for putting pressure on the opposing front.”He made some adjustments with his hands,” McDaniels said. “Elvis has got really long arms for a shorter player, and when he gets his hands into the blocker first, it’s hard to control Elvis. He made strides, and every day he comes out and works his butt off to try to improve.”

# The Broncos concluded practice with full 11-on-11 two-minute drills. New threads included Kyle Orton working the no-huddle, D.J. Williams and Jack Williams executing inside blitzes, and Daniel Graham sliding to reach for a first down, before the offense came up for the spike to stop the clock.

PLAYMAKERS: The wide receivers and defensive backs went at it on a series of 1-on-1 encounters.

# Brandon Marshall gave Fox a stiff challenge. Using all of his strength, Marshall impressed Fox enough that when the safety came off the field, he said: “Man, that’s a big dude.”

# The defense had its share of big plays as well in this series, with Dawkins deflecting what appeared to be a sure catch for Matthew Willis. With his back to the ball, Dawkins made a quick-footed move and slapped the ball away with his left hand.

# In seven-on-seven play, Orton was sharp on his deep balls, completing four of five stop-and-go routes to ignite the Dove Valley crowd.

# On the first play of 11-on-11 drills, Gaffney and Orton appeared to connect for a big play down the right sideline. Dawkins again came out of nowhere, batting the ball away. In a case of deja vu from yesterday, he again did 10 push ups for not snaring the interception, drawing even more cheers from the fans.

# Two plays later, Orton and Gaffney attempted to execute some trickery. Gaffney took a handoff right before lateraling back across the field to Orton. Orton fired deep to what appeared to be an open Royal. To the surprise of Royal, Hill streaked across the field and made an outstanding pass breakup.

QUICK HITS: Fans enjoyed another day of picturesque morning weather in Englewood, with temperatures climbing into the mid-80s and plenty of sunshine.

# At the conclusion of stretches, the entire team circled around Director of Special Services Fred Fleming, singing him Happy Birthday.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 07:34 PM

Under video & audio - http://www.denverbroncos.com/

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 08:26 PM

http://cbs4denver.com/broncos/nfl.denver.broncos.2.1111769.html

The "retirement" of Broncos defensive lineman Jarvis Moss is apparently going to be brief. Marcus Thomas, Moss' teammate with both the Broncos and Florida Gators said Sunday he has spoken with Moss, and that he plans to be back in training camp Monday.

"I think he's going to turn around and come back soon," Thomas said. "He just wanted to prove to everybody that he's good. He's looking up now, so he's going to be back."

Moss, the Broncos 1st round draft pick in 2007 went missing in action on Saturday. Several players told CBS4 Sports Broncos Insiders that Moss had been unhappy and was considering retirement. Moss has been seeing most of his practice action with the third team.

Moss' departure from camp came as a surprise to fellow 2007 draft pick Tim Crowder.

"It's a good friend, but you never know what guys are thinking sometimes," said Crowder. "He was doing a great job. He had a really, really good first day of practice, so that's why it was shocking to everyone."

If Moss chooses to retire rather than return to Dove Valley as expected, he would have to repay the Broncos more $3 million dollars from his signing bonus.

While in college at Florida, Moss almost gave up on football after missing time because of a mysterious pain in his lower abdomen that made it nearly impossible to work out.

Finally, a biopsy revealed an infection on his pelvic bone. After weeks of intravenous antibiotics, he started feeling more like himself. Moss helped the Gators to a national title in 2006, turning in two sacks and forcing a fumble in a win over Ohio State.

"I feel like he's been going through a lot ever since college," Thomas said. "He went through all that adversity and I feel this little bit right here shouldn't affect him."

In his conversation with Moss, Thomas said he just spelled it out for his friend.

"I was putting in his head how he's going to feel in the long run," Thomas said. "Nobody wants to be sitting there watching everybody playing ... He's going to be back. I'm just going to be there to support him no matter what he does, though."

In other Broncos news Sunday, receiver Brandon Marshall left the field midway through the morning practice after suffering an injury. It appeared Marshall may have hurt his hamstring, but the Broncos would not discuss the exact nature of the injury.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 09:20 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/day-3-pm-blog/

The Broncos ended the weekend — and their second two-a-day of training camp — with a light practice on Sunday night. The hour and fifteen minute session consisted mostly of a series of walkthroughs until the final period, when a slew of the club’s rookies — and a few younger veterans such as Josh Barrett, Spencer Larsen, Tim Crowder and Ryan Torain — put on pads and went through 11-on-11s to conclude the nightcap.

As was such for tonight’s practice, this blog will be a bit shorter. Still, here are some quick hits from the evening practice:

# Suited up in pads during 11-on-11s, the defensive unit — for the most part — got the better of the offensive unit, applying pressure to the quarterback, stuffing the run and breaking up passes downfield. But the practice session didn’t end before the offensive unit showed sparks of its own.

# On the final play of scrimmage, Kenny McKinley recorded arguably the highlight of the evening. Taking the snap behind center, Tom Brandstater looked McKinley’s way, firing a pass in the direction of the former South Carolina standout. Able to get a good jump on the ball, Tony Carter batted the pass. However, McKinley kept his eye on the ball, tipped it into the air, and while battling Carter for position, snagged it with his left hand. He turned upfield before being wrapped up by Lee Robinson — drawing a strong reaction from fans lined up on the far sideline.

# After enduring a hot morning practice, a number of players were taken aback by the heat as they walked onto the field for the night session. Perhaps growing accustomed to the mild temperatures of the first few days of camp, a few rookies — such as Stanley Bryant and Britton Colquitt — looked surprised by the heat. Mocking the warm temperatures, Rulon Davis made a joke as he walked onto the field, proclaiming, “It’s nice and cool out today.”

# A special teams walkthrough kicked off Sunday night’s slate, with special teams coordinator Mike Priefer working with his unit on punting plays. While most of the work focused on gunners attempting to get downfield, Priefer showed some fake punts, too. On one play, Spencer Larsen received a handoff. On the next, Larsen took the snap and threw a short pass to a streaking Richard Quinn.

# During offensive walkthroughs, the team threw in a few wrinkles. On one play, LaMont Jordan received a direct snap out of the backfield as Chris Simms went in motion and blocked on the play. A few plays later, Kyle Orton handed off to Eddie Royal on an end around.

DAILY JUKEBOX: There was no music during Sunday evening’s practice session, but players and coaches walked out onto the field to an array of hits. Here are a few:

# Neil Young’s “Keep on Rockin’ In The Free World”
# The Roots’ “The Seed (2.0)”
# John Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good.”

Lastly, I thought I’d share a video from ESPN’s Outside the Lines featuring Coach McDaniels. Enjoy. (Go to link to watch)

The team will be back on the field for another set of practices tomorrow. The first one begins at 8:45 a.m., and the evening session commences at 5:30 p.m. MDT.

Here are some pictures from the session. (on link)

– Zach Eisendrath, DenverBroncos.com

Denver Native (Carol)

08-02-2009, 10:08 PM

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9189

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Head Coach Josh McDaniels spoke with the media following the morning practice on Sunday.

Here is the transcript of his interview.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On if there are any updates on the status of OLB/DE Jarvis Moss
"Nothing. Still is, like I said, a personal situation, and I am going to respect that. I am not going to talk about Jarvis. When he gets here and when he is back, hopefully, we will move forward."

On evaluating the outside linebackers' transition after three days of practice
"They are doing a lot of little things better each day. There are still some things that, obviously, they have got to improve. The biggest thing with that position is you have to do everything and be physical at the same time. There are some plays where they are real physical, but they do not necessarily perform the technique perfectly or vice-versa. Then there are certainly plays where they are looking really good. They are playing hard, trying to learn every single day and they are really making strides in each practice, which is good to see."

On how OLB/DE Tim Crowder fits in at outside linebacker in comparison to other players
"No better or no worse than anybody else that is playing it. He is big, he is thick, he can move and he can drop into some zone coverage, which is about all we are asking those guys to do. He has shown up in the running game some. He has made some plays getting into the pocket in the passing game as a pass rusher. Some of them, like I said, sometimes they are playing linebacker and sometimes they are playing end, and those guys have all played end at one time or another. Now, the linebacker thing, I think, is kind of starting to grow in every single one of them."

On if a 3-4 defense is a better fit for Crowder than a 4-3 scheme
"I don't really know. When we evaluated talent in the spring, we saw him move around, and he can do some things that are valuable at that spot. The way he can move, and hopefully, with his size, he can play on the edge the way we want him to. I don't really know necessarily value one way or another, but he can fit in this defense, and he certainly is going out there every day and working hard."

On what he has observed out of CB Alphonso Smith during camp
"He has made some rookie mistakes like he did in the spring, but he is also making some plays on the ball. He is fixing things. He was here quite a little bit in the summer, and that is quite a credit to him. He is in decent condition, which is always helpful when you are in here in training camp running against each receiver. He is competing every day, he is working on the little things and he has definitely showed up. He is around the ball, he made an interception today and got his hands on a few balls the last couple days. He had a lot of ball production coming out (of college). That is one of the things that we really liked about him, and it is starting to show its face here in training camp."

On the holdup signing OLB/DE Robert Ayers
"We are working at it every day or every hour or every half hour or five minutes. I am trying to get this thing done. It is just a matter that we are working together with them, and they are working together with us. I am not going to get frustrated with the process. We have got a lot of things to work on with the players that are out here. Hopefully, it is done very soon, and when it is done, we look forward to getting him in here and trying to play catch-up."

On OLB/DE Elvis Dumervil making strides
"I think those are the things that he is starting to improve on every day, and that whole group is really-like I said, some of those things they are doing for the first time, and some of them they are really starting to get comfortable with it. He made some adjustments with his hands, and Elvis has got long arms for a shorter player. He has got really long arms. When he gets his hands into the blocker first, it is hard to control Elvis. (He) made strides, and he comes out and he works his butt off to try to improve."

On DL Nic Clemons' status
"No. Nic won't be out here probably for the next few days. (It is) nothing serious, and hopefully, he will be back here soon."

Bad Intentions

08-02-2009, 10:27 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/training-camp-day-3-am-blog/

# On the first play of 11-on-11 drills, Gaffney and Orton appeared to connect for a big play down the right sideline. Dawkins again came out of nowhere, batting the ball away. In a case of deja vu from yesterday, he again did 10 push ups for not snaring the interception, drawing even more cheers from the fans.

# Two plays later, Orton and Gaffney attempted to execute some trickery. Gaffney took a handoff right before lateraling back across the field to Orton. Orton fired deep to what appeared to be an open Royal. To the surprise of Royal, Hill streaked across the field and made an outstanding pass breakup.

This is BS. Here's what happened on the first play from above. Orton was pushed and had to step up in the pocket, instead of taking a sack or just throwing the ball away, he threw it up for grabs. It would have been a coverage sack and there was no way he was going to complete the pass. Terrible decision and a poorly thrown ball to boot. He followed that play up by trying to force a ball into coverage down the other sideline, this time to Scheff. Again, it was almost picked off as there were two defenders (and two receivers) close enough to make a play on the ball.

The second play, a trick play just took a long time to develop. Eddie Royal had 4 or 5 yards on Reynaldo Hill who was in decent position with the deep coverage on the super fast Royal. Anyhow, the throw back from Gaffney to Orton and then the long wind-up and lofty pass from Orton gave Hill enough time to recover and close the gap on those 4 or 5 yards. Still, he merely distracted Royal's concentration as the ball bounced off of Royal's chest/stomach. Royal was mad at himself afterward b/c he knew he should have caught the ball. Hill is a heady safety, a lesser safety would likely have been out of position all together.

Orton's deep balls are still very inconsistent. Some floated, some too direct. He has the arm to throw it and I noted that the throw to Royal on the trick play traveled between 55 and 60 yards downfield.

Lonestar

08-02-2009, 11:11 PM

This is BS. Here's what happened on the first play from above. Orton was pushed and had to step up in the pocket, instead of taking a sack or just throwing the ball away, he threw it up for grabs. It would have been a coverage sack and there was no way he was going to complete the pass. Terrible decision and a poorly thrown ball to boot. He followed that play up by trying to force a ball into coverage down the other sideline, this time to Scheff. Again, it was almost picked off as there were two defenders (and two receivers) close enough to make a play on the ball.

The second play, a trick play just took a long time to develop. Eddie Royal had 4 or 5 yards on Reynaldo Hill who was in decent position with the deep coverage on the super fast Royal. Anyhow, the throw back from Gaffney to Orton and then the long wind-up and lofty pass from Orton gave Hill enough time to recover and close the gap on those 4 or 5 yards. Still, he merely distracted Royal's concentration as the ball bounced off of Royal's chest/stomach. Royal was mad at himself afterward b/c he knew he should have caught the ball. Hill is a heady safety, a lesser safety would likely have been out of position all together.

Orton's deep balls are still very inconsistent. Some floated, some too direct. He has the arm to throw it and I noted that the throw to Royal on the trick play traveled between 55 and 60 yards downfield.

let me guess a cutlet fan..

do you suppose since this is almost the first time they have been throwing to real routes they just might need to work on the timing a bit..

or do you expect them to be in sync on every play from day one..

rcsodak

08-02-2009, 11:13 PM

So, I take it you don't like him.

Tned, I LOVE him when he's on the field, actually PLAYING for the Broncos.

....nuff said?

Bad Intentions

08-03-2009, 12:07 AM

let me guess a cutlet fan..

do you suppose since this is almost the first time they have been throwing to real routes they just might need to work on the timing a bit..

or do you expect them to be in sync on every play from day one..

No actually a diehard Broncos fan. I like Orton. I figure he is going to make mistakes. The point I was making (which apparently you missed) was that Gray was reporting some bogus BS. Kind of disappointing b/c I stood next to him spoke with him for a good bit and told him that I thought he had done a good job the day prior.

So no, I don't expect Orton to not make mistakes. He's said himself that he is learning the offense still. I expect there will be some growing pains. I also expect the Defense to be ahead this time in camp. It will be a few more days before the offense starts to click and things even out. Defense doesn't have to worry about timing like the offense and even though there are a lot of formations, stunts, blitzes, and front changes in the 3-4, it's nothing compared to McD's offense.

Finally, Calm down Alice.

Tned

08-03-2009, 10:04 AM

Moss did not return to practice today -- Marshall is also out.

Tned

08-03-2009, 10:13 AM

MileHighReport is reporting:

@MileHighReport (http://www.twitter.com/milehighreport) 2009 Denver Broncos Training Camp - AM Roll Call - Marshall, Stokley, Woodyard, Moss and Buckhalter out.

Tned

08-03-2009, 10:19 AM

Multiple sources are also saying Brian Dawkins is also out.

Tned

08-03-2009, 10:25 AM

AM 1510 says that Moss 'might' be at the facility working on conditioning.

broncofaninfla

08-03-2009, 10:28 AM

That is a lot of people out. I'm all for a physical camp I just hope it isn't too physical and our teams starts off banged up.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-03-2009, 10:43 AM

That is a lot of people out. I'm all for a physical camp I just hope it isn't too physical and our teams starts off banged up.

Definitely different from last year's camp - last night on all access, Vic Lombardi made the comment that last year, Shanahan had the team wear pads only ONCE during training camp. Many felt that is what contributed to all of the on field injuries last year during the regular season.

Tned

08-03-2009, 10:44 AM

And another from this MHR report:

MileHighReport: Broncos LB Nic Greisen left the field on a cart, though he appeared to be able to put weight on his left leg..

LRtagger

08-03-2009, 10:45 AM

Definitely different from last year's camp - last night on all access, Vic Lombardi made the comment that last year, Shanahan had the team wear pads only ONCE during training camp. Many felt that is what contributed to all of the on field injuries last year during the regular season.

Not only injuries, but lack of tackling fundamentals I would imagine.

Tned

08-03-2009, 10:57 AM

Frank Schwab of the Colorado Springs Gazette Reports:

@fs3142 (http://www.twitter.com/fs3142) Peyton Hillis looked good in 7-on-7. He has been the best tailback in camp. Reps increasing there.

GEM

08-03-2009, 11:00 AM

Chris Simms was on The Fox this morning. He raved about Hillis. Said he was "special".

Tned

08-03-2009, 11:00 AM

Patrick Smyth of the Broncos Tweets:

@psmyth12 QB Chris Simms, in a morning radio interview, today called RB Peyton Hillis "One of the best athletes I've ever seen on a football field."

Elevation inc

08-03-2009, 11:05 AM

That is a lot of people out. I'm all for a physical camp I just hope it isn't too physical and our teams starts off banged up.

actually it needs to be done.....injury prone players and guys that cant play physical and tough will start getting weeded out...im sure some of these players asked for a break and were given it for soreness......

better safe than sorry with guys like woodyard, williams, stokely, buckhalter
the good news for this team is outside of the DL we seem to have very good depth as oppose to last year

that should help a bunch and if people get minor bumps and brusies now it will toughen them up for later on in the year....

dont forget MCD did do a short practice last night that was mostly walkthrough....some of the 2nd team and 3rd teams were the ones wearing pads for the final pad 11 on 11

Denver Native (Carol)

08-03-2009, 12:22 PM

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12982802

A fourth day of Broncos practice at training camp delivered a cache of significant players unable to participate. Not out at this morning's practice were Jarvis Moss, Brandon Marshall, Brian Dawkins, Brandon Stokley, Wesley Woodyard and Correll Buckhalter.

Moss, the Broncos' first-round draft pick in 2007, is contemplating his future. He was excused by coach Josh McDaniels to take a few days to think about whether he wants to continue playing. Broncos defensive lineman Marcus Thomas said Sunday that Moss had told him he would return today. The Broncos have another practice this afternoon.

Marshall limped off the field during the Sunday morning practice. He did not practice Sunday afternoon or this morning. McDaniels will be asked to address the absences of Dawkins, Stokley, Woodyard and Buckhalter after the morning workout.

Meanwhile, reserve linebacker Nick Greisen became the second player to need serious medical attention. He went down on the last rep in a linebacker-vs-running back drill. Trainers tended to his left leg, and Greisen was pointing to and rubbing a spot on his left knee before he was driven off the field on a cart.

Keep up-to-date with more news to come from Dove Valley at denverpost.com/broncos

broncofaninfla

08-03-2009, 12:23 PM

I agree with adding tackling and the new approach by the new regime. I'm sure it will lead to more injuries but it will also make us a better and more physical team.

As For Hillis I'm loving thing I hear about him so far in camp. "No show" better show up quick or Hillis might very well earn the featured back role on our team. A lot of us saw something special with Hillis last year. It's good to see this kid kicking *ss in camp.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-03-2009, 02:25 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/day-4-am-blog/

There was a little bit of a different feeling when the team headed out to practice Monday morning, thanks to Peyton Hillis. But more on that near the end of this blog in the “Daily Jukebox.”

For now, check out some quick hits from the approximately two-hour practice.

ROLL CALL: Vernon Fox was on the field today, back in his defensive blue jersey — no longer the orange jersey he sported yesterday, signifying he was recovering from an injury.

# Nick Greisen was carted off the field during practice, but walked through the doors leading to the training room under his own power.

# Brian Dawkins, Brandon Stokley, Brandon Marshall, Wesley Woodyard, Jarvis Moss and Correll Buckhalter were among the veterans who didn’t participate in the morning session. Head Coach Josh McDaniels said that all the players that were out were coaches decisions, and some will be back on the field for the afternoon session.

POSITIONING: The base first-unit defense today looked the same — Kenny Peterson, Ronald Fields and Ryan McBean on the line, Elvis Dumervil, D.J. Williams, Andra Davis and Darrell Reid at linebacker, Champ Bailey and Andre’ Goodman at cornerback and Renaldo Hill at safety. The only difference was at the other safety position, which was manned by rookie David Bruton. Fox also spent some time with the group at safety.

# When the team brought in a nickel package, the defensive lineup looked a little different. Fields and Peterson were on the line, with Reid and Dumervil at the outside linebacker spots close to the line of scrimmage. Bailey, Jack Williams and Goodman set up at cornerback and Bruton and Hill were the safeties. The two players in the inside linebacker spots were Andra Davis and Josh Barrett.

DRILLS: Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer had his unit work on making the play on kickoff and punt coverage. One returner stood in the end zone and two gunners sprinted downfield from about the 30. When the gunners neared the 10-yard line, the returner’s job was to make them miss and get upfield, while the gunners’ job was to “squeeze” in on the play, as Priefer said, and make the tackle.

# Wide receivers and defensive backs lined up about 15 yards apart from each other in one drill, and the secondary’s job was to demonstrate that the tackle was made — without actually fully tackling the receiver. The focus in the drill was using the sideline, as the coaches applauded when the receivers were forced out of bounds.

# During one-on-ones between the receivers and defensive backs, Kenny McKinley made a catch past a diving Alphonso Smith. Later in the drill, however, Smith came back and broke up a pass intended for Nate Swift, drawing praise from defensive backs coach Ed Donatell that Smith did a good job reading the route.

# The team also worked on situational drills, with McDaniels shouting things like, “It’s the first quarter, second-and-1.” The offense and defense had to react accordingly. Jeb Putzier talked about that type of drill earlier this offseason.

“They’re putting us in tough situations where we have to think on the move, and it’s great,” he said.

PLAYMAKERS: Eddie Royal made his presence known in the morning session, making catch after catch after catch. At one point he went one-on-one with Champ Bailey in a receivers vs. defensive backs drill, coming away with a short reception. He continually showed off his moves in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s, weaving through defenders after making the catch.

# Chad Jackson had a big catch as well, running to the back corner of the end zone with Darcel McBath in tight coverage. Kyle Orton let loose a spiral and Jackson leaped to haul in the pass at its highest point and come away with a touchdown.

# Peyton Hillis flashed some of his skill in the morning session, too. He twice found a hole in a drill that consisted of the offensive line, quarterback and running back against the defensive line and linebackers, breaking loose for two touchdowns. He also layed a big-time block on Bruton to free up Ryan Torain for a big gain during 11-on-11s.

# The defense had its fair share of plays as well. Lee Robinson laid a big hit on Ryan Torain on the last play of drills focusing on running plays that drew “ooohs” from the crowd. Champ Bailey also demonstrated why so many quarterbacks elect to avoid his side of the field, jumping up to grab an interception that he bobbled momentarily before coming down with it in the end zone.

QUICK HITS: On one play during 11-on-11s, Marcus Thomas stepped in with the first-unit defense, standing up on the line across from Daniel Graham. When the ball was snapped, Thomas dropped back into coverage on the veteran tight end. As his teammates shouted, “Come on, Thomas!” he dove to try to break up a pass but didn’t quite get there as Graham hauled it in.

# There were two close-call touchdown plays on the day, and no call was made on either. Hillis was involved in one of them — he caught a pass over his shoulder out of the backfield for what looked like a touchdown in the end zone, but the ball came loose after Spencer Larsen jarred it out from behind. The other play that could go either way came when Chris Simms found Jabar Gaffney in the back of the end zone just past Joshua Bell, but it was tough to see if he got down two feet in time. Both were impressive catches — and questionable touchdowns.

# During a play during a red-zone drill, Orton rolled out to his right, bought some more time and fired a quick pass back toward the middle of the end zone to a waiting LaMont Jordan. Jordan dropped the ball, however, and laid on the ground in disappointment. He later jokingly blamed the missed opportunity on the music played during practice. To understand that a little more, read below.

DAILY JUKEBOX: The music during Monday’s morning practice only lasted through warm-ups, but even with just a few songs on the docket, it was easy to tell who selected the heavy-on-the-country playlist — Hillis. Here’s a little music courtesy of the Arkansas native.

# Chuck Berry - “Johnny B. Goode”
# Alabama - “High Cotton”
# David Allen Coe - “You Never Even Called Me By My Name”
# Hank Williams, Jr. - “A Country Boy Can Survive”
# Alabama - “Song of the South”
# Elvis Presley - “Jailhouse Rock”

QUOTABLE:
“Not only is it unacceptable, it’s unconstitutional.”
-LaMont Jordan, on Peyton Hillis’ music selection during practice

Pictures to come…

LRtagger

08-03-2009, 02:27 PM

# When the team brought in a nickel package, the defensive lineup looked a little different. Fields and Peterson were on the line, with Reid and Dumervil at the outside linebacker spots close to the line of scrimmage. Bailey, Jack Williams and Goodman set up at cornerback and Bruton and Hill were the safeties. The two players in the inside linebacker spots were Andra Davis and Josh Barrett.

:shocked:

broncofaninfla

08-03-2009, 03:04 PM

The first preseason game can't come soon enough.....

underrated29

08-03-2009, 03:07 PM

the guys at the mane are getting their reports up in a few minutes. For everyones information.

Just dont go over there yet as too many people keep crashing the site. We dont want to lose any of these reports. Atleast i dont. They are all that keeps me going.

nevcraw

08-03-2009, 03:08 PM

:shocked:

because WW was in the ice tub.

broncsfan4lfe

08-03-2009, 03:22 PM

Training Camp Updates and photo's from Monday morning practice. http://coloradosportsdesk.com/wp/archives/2009/08/denver-broncos-training-camp-day-4-morning-practice/

LRtagger

08-03-2009, 03:45 PM

because WW was in the ice tub.

DJ was there. Are you saying WW will replace DJ in nickle packages?

I would personally love to see Barrett in at LB on some passing downs. It is intriguing to say the least.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-03-2009, 04:00 PM

From today's training camp a little while ago.

http://www.fm1043thefan.com/channels/audioOnDemand/Story.aspx?ID=1121617

Also today:

Scott & Al talk with Ryan McBean

http://www.fm1043thefan.com/channels/audioOnDemand/Story.aspx?ID=1121612

Denver Native (Carol)

08-03-2009, 05:02 PM

Under video and audio - McDaniels, Royal, Jordan

http://www.denverbroncos.com/

nevcraw

08-03-2009, 05:35 PM

DJ was there. Are you saying WW will replace DJ in nickle packages?

I would personally love to see Barrett in at LB on some passing downs. It is intriguing to say the least.

Just a wild guess but I really don't have a clue.. I was speculating that WW would be the nickel guy if he was out there because of his speed and has bit more size then JB, but maybe Barrett is better in that role than DJ or WW.. we shall see..

honz

08-03-2009, 05:59 PM

DAILY JUKEBOX: The music during Monday’s morning practice only lasted through warm-ups, but even with just a few songs on the docket, it was easy to tell who selected the heavy-on-the-country playlist — Hillis. Here’s a little music courtesy of the Arkansas native.

# Chuck Berry - “Johnny B. Goode”
# Alabama - “High Cotton”
# David Allen Coe - “You Never Even Called Me By My Name”
# Hank Williams, Jr. - “A Country Boy Can Survive”
# Alabama - “Song of the South”
# Elvis Presley - “Jailhouse Rock”

QUOTABLE:
“Not only is it unacceptable, it’s unconstitutional.”
-LaMont Jordan, on Peyton Hillis’ music selection during practice

LMAO. I agree with Lamont on this one.

muse

08-03-2009, 07:26 PM

:shocked:

I guess Barrett will effectively act as a SAM with responsibility for the TE: It sounds like a hybrid big nickel package where JB's a hybrid CB/LB/S. It's an interesting concept and we're lucky to have someone athletic enough to play there.

It brings a smile to my face to hear stuff like this as it indicates that Nolan's really done his homework on our defensive players and is putting their talents to good use through use of special packages/positions. One of the most soul-destroying things about last year was that so few of the players we had were used correctly or put in a position to exploit their talents to the full...the list is endless: penetrating DTs used as space eaters; sending two speed rushers alone at the QB with no help inside or from blitzing; the "genius" Carolina defence featuring Josh Barrett in his own endzone (presumably in case of a pooch punt :rolleyes: ); physical CBs played 15 yards off of the receivers; Captain Kamikaze at MLB...

I'm hoping we'll surprise a lot of people this season, especially with the variety of packages we'll be able to put out. I know it relies on our DL becoming serviceable, but we'll know for certain how good they are come the start of the season. If these coaches can't whip them into shape, no one can.

horsepig

08-03-2009, 08:48 PM

My God! They're working on fundamentals!

Denver Native (Carol)

08-03-2009, 10:05 PM

Under video & audio http://www.denverbroncos.com/

Lonestar

08-03-2009, 10:39 PM

My God! They're working on fundamentals!

an amazing concept it is not..

tackling 101.. who would have thunk it..:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

wbmustang

08-04-2009, 01:38 PM

underrated29

08-04-2009, 01:59 PM

you remind me of someone i know.

What number is carter- i will look for him thurs morning.

pnbronco

08-04-2009, 02:02 PM

Has there been any reports on Tony Carter. I am a huge FSU fan and I hope that he is doing well. Also while watching football in the ACC I know that Alphonso Smith is a beast and I look forward to seeing him make plays for the Broncos.

I noticed Tony on Sunday. He had a couple of great plays. I talked to him after the practice and 2 things, he's a really nice person and not that tall, so he was leaping really high in the air.

Alphonso does seem to be the real deal, I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.

wbmustang

08-04-2009, 02:18 PM

you remind me of someone i know.

What number is carter- i will look for him thurs morning.

TC's is #37. Yeah he is short but he continuously made plays at FSU. I know he may of had a down senior year though but he was very good imo. Is B Marsh still out with his tweaked hamstring?

Lonestar

08-04-2009, 02:35 PM

TC's is #37. Yeah he is short but he continuously made plays at FSU. I know he may of had a down senior year though but he was very good imo. Is B Marsh still out with his tweaked hamstring?

I saw a report it was his hip..

Italianmobstr7

08-04-2009, 03:18 PM

I saw a report it was his hip..

There's been conflicting reports. ESPN is saying hammy, some are saying his hip. McD won't tell.

BroncosSBBound

08-04-2009, 04:37 PM

There's been conflicting reports. ESPN is saying hammy, some are saying his hip. McD won't tell.

Every day I saw him in camp up to this injury, he had at least a mild limp. He'd run a route, then walk or jog back and he just didn't look balanced and loose. On his routes, he's looked fast. Hopefully, this isn't serious, just part of the rehab process.

Spiritguy

08-04-2009, 04:41 PM

hopefully it is just some of the scar tissue letting loose.

pnbronco

08-04-2009, 11:44 PM

I will try to share what I saw today, but know that's it's really not my thing.

Orton looked so much better to me today. He was hitting his receivers and just seemed a lot more comfortable in general. He had great passes to Scheff, Royal, Graham, Stokley and Gaffney. There were some misses but not nearly as many as the past few days. Royal had a bunch of really great connections with Orton at the end Orton threw it to Royal between 2 defenders, it was like threading the needle and Royal caught it. Sheff caught one on his tip toes and was all over the place and seems to be finding a rhythm with Orton. I have noticed that Scheff and Orton are talking a lot during the warm ups, just hanging out. I just felt better watching the Orton and the WR and TE todays. Oh and Quinn had nice receptions today too.

Simms on the hand is taking too long to check down and pass, several times it looked like he would have been creamed had it been a real game. The short passes he's fine, but in general it just seemed too long.

Saw Moss out there today. First with special teams and then some reps with the D, did not really notice which group but saw him here and there. I can't really say that he caught my attention other than when I was looking for him.

Spencer Larsen on the other hand was a joy to watch. He has great energy and I would say making his presence known. It seemed like he was always around where the ball was.

Peyton was great again today, running and receiving. He is just working so hard out there and making the most out of each time he touches the ball and had some great catches as well.

The other player I noticed was Buckhalter. He ran some great routes and caught a few passes too. He kept getting my attention when I was watching some of the other practices. On the other hand Lamont Jordan not so much. Torain looked better to me today. He was great the first day and then kind of faded out after that, well today he seemed much crisper and just had more energy.

Saw Avers for the first time today, it's so strange to see 56 again, I still miss Al, that's why I don't do reports, my personal feelings are so strong for certain players, it's hard for me to be subjective. The first time I saw him he just looked totally lost and didn't have a clue what was going on. He was with the first team but in the wrong spot and at one point he was looking all around like where, what, how come. Man did his coach get a hold of him and chew him a new one. One of players, can't remember who gave him a it will be OK pat. Strangely enough he looked much better at the end of practice today, he even broke up a play or was in the middle of it.

Mario Haggan was great today. He batted down one ball for sure and may have done a second, couldn't really see all of that play.

Jake Williams was involved in 2 interceptions today and was like the energizer bunny. BTW I asked where he got the JMFW nick name, he claims to have no part of it, that he is a PG-13 type of guy.

Kern kicked some beauties today. They were really long and wonderful hang time, oh it would be so great to see those in a real game, I mean impressive. Colquitt was not bad either, but Kern's was better IMO.

Prater made all his attempts in the drills I saw today.

Very interesting drill today. They brought out a big mat and had the guys practicing blocking punts. They would fly into the air to try to block it and have the mat to land on, have never seen that before in all the years I've gone to camp.

One last observation. On the 11 on11's I think Stokley jammed his pinky or the finger next to it of his right hand on a helmet. He walk out in serious pain you could see it all over his face. He walked over to one of the trainers who did something. Stok then put his glove back on and they taped the 2 fingers together and he went back out, ouch....

Didn't feel too good today, I get headaches, which is why it's taken me so long to get my notes out. Don't expect too much in the future, camp is my only real time off, so I like to be bump on a log out there and get hugs (I"m a older women) from some of the guys after practice....:D

Tned

08-05-2009, 12:09 AM

pnbronco

08-05-2009, 12:30 AM

Great report, glad you posted it.

After reading all these reports, I have decided that I am going to try and schedule a weeks vacation next year during the first week of training camp, try and catch two weekends (depending on what day camp actually starts, and the week in between.

Thanks Tned, you're too nice. Make plans to come out and go to TC. It is the only time you get to see the players this up close and personal. I have to say that McDaniels has done a really good job in making camp fan friendly.

I am so glad I didn't schedule any shows this month, but I will pay for it in Sept when I drive to WI one week and then run down to San Diego from there, oh well the price of being a addict bronco fan....:D

Tned

08-05-2009, 11:10 AM

Interesting Tweet from BroncosTalk.com

@broncotalk (http://www.twitter.com/broncostalk) Larsen taking more snaps at FB today, even lead blocking for Hillis.

wbmustang

08-05-2009, 01:34 PM

pnbronco

08-05-2009, 01:56 PM

topscribe

08-05-2009, 02:21 PM

Tned

08-05-2009, 07:22 PM

McDaniels and the vets just had the rookies do fumble recovery drills in a mud pit at one end of the field. Lonnie Paxton was hosing them down with a hose as the rooks were sliding around in the mud.

EMB6903

08-05-2009, 07:31 PM

Orton isnt close to being as physically gifted as Cassel nor Brady.... Dont know where you got that from.

Tned

08-05-2009, 07:40 PM

Time of tomorrow's practice has been changed. Will be at 11:45 am

Denver Native (Carol)

08-05-2009, 07:57 PM

Denver Native (Carol)

08-05-2009, 09:37 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/day-6-am-blog/

While this morning’s practice was closed to the public, the Broncos still kept the pedal down, turning in another two-hour session loaded with a multitude of drills, situational downs and packages. Here are some quick hits from the field.

ROLL CALL: Brian Dawkins, D.J. Williams, Brandon Stokley, Brandon Marshall, Daniel Graham, Correll Buckhalter and Casey Wiegmann were among the veterans who did not participate in the morning session. Head Coach Josh McDaniels said that all the players that were out were coaches decisions, and some will be back on the field for the afternoon session.

On Dawkins, McDaniels said, “Once he’s ready to roll here, I wouldn’t expect it to last too, too long. Certainly not anything devastating, but I’m not going to go into details about what it is and all the rest of that. He’ll be out for a few days.”

POSITIONING: With several first-team position players not on the field, the Broncos were able to utilize some different matchups.

# With Williams sitting out the session, Wesley Woodyard saw significant reps with the first unit, along with Darrell Reid, Andra Davis, and Elvis Dumervil. Robert Ayers also played a handful of snaps with the No. 1’s at the outside spot.

# Rookie Seth Olsen got another crack at playing with the first team offensive line of Ryan Clady, Chris Kuper, Ryan Harris, and Ben Hamilton, who shifted over to center.

# With Stokley out, Chad Jackson saw time as a slot receiver, alongside Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney in three-wide sets.

DRILLS: Quarterbacks and running backs worked on I-formation handoffs up the gut. Ryan Torain, LaMont Jordan and Darius Walker split the carries, while Spencer Larsen and Peyton Hillis rotated at the fullback spot, lining up their blocks.

# Running backs coach Bobby Turner also had his backs get some practice at wide receiver. Lining up at the outside spot, each back ran precise five-yard routes.

# The linebackers and secondary honed their footwork, backpedaling anywhere from five to 15 yards before adjusting their positions to snag the ball.

# Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer had his unit working on kickoffs in deep, squib and on-side situations. The gunners worked on stripping the ball. As they made their way upfield, Priefer yelled “Get the ball out! Get the ball out! Get the ball out!” C.J. Jones, D.J. Johnson, Nate Swift and Jackson all saw action as returners.

PLAYMAKERS: Chris Simms and Kenny McKinley hooked up for the first touchdown of the day in 11-on-11’s. Simms took a five-step drop, bought some time, and found the rookie streaking down the left sideline.

# Royal and Gaffney were both active in 11-on-11s, sporting their versatility out wide and in the slot. Orton threaded the needle to Royal on one touchdown, eking the ball by the coverage of Alphonso Smith. Gaffney also weaved his way past defenders for several catches over the middle of the field.

# The defense had its fair share of plays as well. A Ronald Fields rush on Orton forced the quarterback into an errant throw across the field to Torain. Andre’ Goodman also made his presence felt recording two pass breakups.

# Jackson made the play of the morning in red zone offense. After the ball ricocheted off Royal and two defenders, Jackson snagged it just before it hit the ground. He burst up off his feet, appealing to the side judge to call it a touchdown. When the referee ruled it as a score, Jackson jumped up and celebrated with the official, shouting “Yeah! You the one.”

QUICK HITS: The referees were back for a second day, and again brought a realistic feel to the team’s practice. When Orton found Tony Scheffler in the back corner of the end zone, the line judge waived off the catch, ruling the tight end out of bounds.

# A trend throughout the first week of camp has been “incomplete pass equals fumble.” While the officials were present to whistle those plays dead, the players were still alert enough to find the ball and pounce on it.

DAILY JUKEBOX: The music during Wednesday’s morning practice only lasted through warm-ups, but still gave the players a boost when working through their stretches. Here’s the playlist, which was compiled by Mark Thewes, Assistant to Head Coach Josh McDaniels.
# Kenny Chesney - “Summertime”
# Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic”
# U2 - “Beautiful Day”
# DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - “Summertime”
# Michael Jackson - “Rock with You” (This selection elicited the approval of McDaniels and several players)
# Bruce Springsteen - “The Rising”

QUOTABLE: “I set it down. Somebody is picking it up for me. I don’t know who it (is), but somebody is picking it up for me.”
- Wesley Woodyard on which rookie has the duty of carrying in his helmet and shoulder pads.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-05-2009, 09:40 PM

Video & Audio http://www.denverbroncos.com/index.php

Denver Native (Carol)

08-05-2009, 10:35 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/day-6-pm-blog/
(Pictures of slipe n slide drill on link)

After a warm afternoon, dark clouds and a cool stiff breeze welcomed the players for the afternoon session. And while the weather may have thrown the guys for a loop, it was noting like the surprise the rookies had coming after stretch.

ROLL CALL: Brandon Stokley, Daniel Graham and Correll Buckhalter returned to practice this afternoon after sitting out the AM session. Those not on the field this evening included Brandon Marshall, Brian Dawkins, Nic Clemons, Ryan Torain and Rulon Davis.

POSITIONING: The team went through some extensive 11-on-11 work including time in the red zone, from the 30-yard line going to the opposite end zone and a spirited goal line session.

# In the goalline session, both the offense and defenses had in their “heavy” packages. The offense lined with three tight ends (Graham, Tony Scheffler and Richard Quinn) and Peyton Hillis and LaMont Jordan in the backfield. The defense countered with four down linemen, four linebackers and three safeties.

# With Dawkins out, David Bruton and Darcel McBath took some reps with the first defensive unit.

# Brandon Lloyd saw some extensive action with the first unit and made a leaping grab of a Chris Simms pass in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.

DRILLS: As the players wrapped up their stretching period, Head Coach Josh McDaniels called the team over to the south end of the field. There, the turf crew had been watering a grassy patch, making it a swampy mess. He asked the rookies to form a line and one-by-one, each rookie had to run and jump in the homemade Slip ‘n Slide to recover a fumble.

If going through the muck wasn’t enough, Lonie Paxton was standing off to the side with a hose, dousing the players as they slid across the mud. Buckets of water were also passed around by veterans who took turns adding to the dampness. The once-white pants they were wearing quickly became a dirty brown.

But it wasn’t just the players who had to go after the ball, offensive assistant Ben McDaniels and defensive assistant Jay Rodgers also took their turns.

“That was definitely an eye opener,” Tom Brandstater said of seeing the coaches take part in the drill. “I wasn’t expecting that. I turn around and see Coach flying through the air. We had two young coaches doing that and it was cool to see them doing the same thing with us. It’s Ben’s first year at this level, too, so it was good to see him do that.”

Broncos TV will have video of the event later tonight, and a photo gallery will be up in the next few minutes.

# The final drill of the day had the defensive linemen practing blocking field goals with special teams coordinator Mike Priefer.

PLAYMAKERS: The hit of the day belongs to Kenny Peterson. During an 11-on-11 drill, Peterson jumped the gap and met Buckhalter flush, drawing praise from teammates and coaches alike.

# Kyle Orton found a streaking Jabar Gaffney down the sideline and was able to loft the ball just over Joshua Bell’s shoulder for a long gain.

# Elvis Dumervil drew the praise of Coach McDaniels during some 11-on-11 work. Dumervil fought off a block and was able to take down Jordan behind the line of scrimmage.

# Alphonso Smith continued his menacing ways, picking off a Simms pass intended for Lloyd. But the offense got back at him on his next series as he was flagged for a pass interference penalty while trying to guard Eddie Royal.

QUICK HITS: As mentioned above, the goal line drill was the most spirited session of the practice with the offense scoring four times and the defense stopping them four times. As the horn blew to end the drill, both sides of the ball begged and pleaded to break the tie, but they will have to wait another day.

# Clemons spent time during practice working with the trainers in hopes of getting back on the field with his teammates.

# A penalty on the offense during an 11-on-11 drill forced the whole group to run a lap around the field as Wesley Woodyard heckled them.

DAILY JUKEBOX: It was a flashback to the late 70s and early 80s for the afternoon practice.

# The Gap Band - “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” and “Oops Upside Your Head”

# Earth, Wind & Fire - “Let’s Groove” (This may have been the extended version as the song seemed to last throughout warmups)
# Curtis Mayfield - “Pusherman”

QUOTABLE: “Lonie (Paxton) told me — I guess he said in pregame when we were punting a little bit. He was like, ‘You ever recover a fumble?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Alright, you’ll get to today.”
Britton Colquitt, on when he knew about the Slip ‘n Slide drill

More pictures are below. The team has moved tomorrow morning’s practice to 11:15 a.m. MDT. Also, don’t forget about tomorrow evening’s open practice at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. MDT with practice starting around 6. The practice is free and open to the public. Click here for more on tomorrow night.

-Kyle Sonneman, DenverBroncos.com

BroncoWave

08-06-2009, 01:24 AM

Any word on how Matt Prater has looked during camp? I haven't heard a single thing about him as of yet.

SoCalImport

08-06-2009, 03:13 AM

Any word on how Matt Prater has looked during camp? I haven't heard a single thing about him as of yet.

Only thing I remember hearing is that He went 11-11 in FG kicking drills on monday.

But that must be back in this thread somewhere.

frenchfan

08-06-2009, 06:45 AM

See this is why I actually hold out hope for the Broncos this year. I know it is a huge blow to lose Jay Cutler but imo he was kind of a head case in the red zone. I can't count how many times I spazzed out from him making gambly throws or int's in that area. But I digress Kyle Orton has never had this type of offensive to perform in. Add that in with I expect us to have a reliable O Line which will help the run game and give him time for pass protection. Basically I don't think Kyle O will win us games by himself but I am pretty sure he won't be losing them for us. It all comes to the Defense can they hold the opponents enough for us to win. Our schedule is hard this year but I am so ready for football season. Last thing with Cutler, honestly with our schedule how many more wins would you expect from Cutler instead of Orton I say 1-2 at most. Thats all I got right now. I have been lurking this forum for a while just never joined but I like it a bunch :-).The things I expect to see for a QB are :
1- have a decent arm (IMO, any NFL QB has it)
2- leadership
3- can read the D and the play (that's where you separate good QB from average ones)
4- can handle the heat and the hit (that's where you separate great QB from good ones) : be cool under pressure... And show you're the man...

After that (physical gifts and so on), it's always a plus... but just a plus... We won't see some John Elway every day... (sadly)

If Orton shows all the 4 points I've told before, then I'll be really satisfied...
IMO :
1- he has a decent arm (sure, not Jay's one)
2- he has leadership
2- I think he has a decent read, but he's not yet a Brady or Manning there... I think he and Jay are both equal there... Hopefully, McD will work on that and develop him... :confused:
4- Don't have a clue... I tend to think he's not bad (according to his red zone numbers), but I'd like to see... Jay disappointed me on this point (but he still has time to fix that).

Like I said many times, Jay has a lot more potential than Orton... But the key is how will they use their potential?
And last... let's build a D around this O (even with a less talented QB running it) and we'll be strong...
Just my 2 cents...

And... I forgot... Thanks everyone for all the reports/news and insights... I really appreciate to have that (a few people really knows about football here in France :tsk: ) :beer:

Tned

08-06-2009, 07:47 AM

Any word on how Matt Prater has looked during camp? I haven't heard a single thing about him as of yet.

Frank Schwab of the Colorado Springs Gazette, posted this on Twitter yesterday:

@fs3142 (http://twitter.com/fs3142) Prater has missed a couple FGs wide left today. He was almost perfect in camp last year, bit inconsistent this yr

TXBRONC

08-06-2009, 08:12 AM

Any word on Knowshon?

Tned

08-06-2009, 08:14 AM

Any word on Knowshon?

I just read that there are about four picks that were taken before or after Crabtree that seem to be waiting to see what SF and Crabtree do before they agree to a deal and Moreno is one of them. If that's true, then it could be a while, since SF and Crabtree seem pretty far apart.

Tned

08-06-2009, 08:27 AM

Dawkins and Bailey were interviewed by Vic Lombardi. They were both talking about how for years critics have talked about them having lost a step, and that by now they should be walking --- they have lost so many steps.

The funny thing was Champ saying that he is just glad he is playing next to a 35 year old that lets Champ feel young. lol

Tned

08-06-2009, 08:29 AM

Uh Oh, Twitter seems to be down. Hope they get that fixed, as it has been one fo the best sources of Broncos' training camp news.

TXBRONC

08-06-2009, 09:49 AM

I just read that there are about four picks that were taken before or after Crabtree that seem to be waiting to see what SF and Crabtree do before they agree to a deal and Moreno is one of them. If that's true, then it could be a while, since SF and Crabtree seem pretty far apart.

The 3rd and 4th overall picks have not signed (Jackson and Curry respectively). The 6th overall pick Andre Smith has not signed. Then the 8th overall through the 12th overall have not signed (Monroe, Raji, Crabtree, Maybin and Moreno in that order). Then the 14th overall pick (Jenkins) has not signed. Everyone else from 15th to 32nd pick have all signed. To me it doesn't make sense that two of the top 5 picks are waiting on Crabtree. Although Maybin who was taken just ahead of Moreno isn't signed but Orakpo who taken right after is signed. This is stinking to high heaven in my opinion.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d810d9ec2&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

1. Matthew Stafford QB Detroit Signed 6 years, $72 million ($41.7M guaranteed)
2. Jason Smith OT St. Louis Signed 5 years, $61.775 million ($33M guaranteed)
3. Tyson Jackson DE Kansas City Unsigned
4. Aaron Curry LB Seattle Unsigned
5. Mark Sanchez QB N.Y. Jets Signed 5 years, $60 million ($28M guaranteed)
6. Andre Smith OT Cincinnati Unsigned
7. Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Oakland Signed 5 years, $38.25 million ($23.5M guaranteed)
8. Eugene Monroe OT Jacksonville Unsigned
9. B.J. Raji DT Green Bay Unsigned
10. Michael Crabtree WR San Francisco Unsigned
11. Aaron Maybin DE Buffalo Unsigned
12. Knowshon Moreno RB Denver Unsigned
13. Brian Orakpo DE Washington Signed 5 years, $20 million ($12.1M guaranteed)
14. Malcolm Jenkins CB New Orleans Unsigned
15. Brian Cushing LB Houston Signed 5 years, $14 million ($10.44M guaranteed)
16. Larry English DE San Diego Signed 5 years, $17.8 million ($9.9M guaranteed)
17. Josh Freeman QB Tampa Bay Signed 5 years, $36 million (10.25M guaranteed)
18. Robert Ayers LB Denver Signed 5 years
19. Jeremy Maclin WR Philadelphia Signed 5 years, $15.5 million ($9.5M guaranteed)
20. Brandon Pettigrew TE Detroit Signed 5 years, $14.6 million ($9.4M guaranteed)
21. Alex Mack C Cleveland Signed 5 years, $15 million ($8.3M guaranteed)
22. Percy Harvin WR Minnesota Signed 5 years, $14.25 million ($8.4M guaranteed)
23. Michael Oher OT Baltimore Signed 5 years, $13 million ($7.82M guaranteed)
24. Peria Jerry DT Atlanta Signed 5 years, $13.25 million ($7.55M guaranteed)
25. Vontae Davis CB Miami Signed 5 years, $13.3 million ($7.35M guaranteed)
26. Clay Matthews LB Green Bay Signed 5 years, $13.2 million ($7.1M guaranteed)
27. Donald Brown RB Indianapolis Signed 5 years, $12.8 million ($6.8M guaranteed)
28. Eric Wood C Buffalo Signed 5 years, $13 million ($6.5M guaranteed)
29. Hakeem Nicks WR N.Y. Giants Signed 5 years, $12.54 million ($6M guaranteed)
30. Kenny Britt WR Tennessee Signed 5 years, $12.25 million ($6.5M guaranteed)
31. Chris "Beanie" Wells RB Arizona Signed 5 years, $11.8 million ($6.345M guaranteed)
32. Evander "Ziggy" Hood DT Pittsburgh Signed 5 years, $11.3 million ($6.1M guaranteed)

Contract figures compiled by NFL Network's Jason La Canfora, NFL.com's Steve Wyche and The Associated Press.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-06-2009, 05:55 PM

LTC Pain

08-06-2009, 07:01 PM

Pro Football Talk is reporting the Chiefs signed Tyson Jackson to a five year deal. No details yet.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/08/06/chiefs-corral-tyson-jackson/

Az Snake

08-06-2009, 07:47 PM

http://www.fm1043thefan.com/Channels/doveValleyReport/Story.aspx?ID=1123108

DOVE VALLEY REPORT HOME
Friday practice
Schedule Change!!!

8/6/2009

BRONCOS’ FRIDAY PRACTICE BEGINS AT 1:15 P.M.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos’ practice on Friday at their training facility will begin at 1:15 p.m. and conclude at approximately 2:45 p.m. The session is open to the public.

I wonder how many fans will show up after work at Invesco at 6pm ? Will they be ticked !

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1230

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=2536

Az Snake

08-06-2009, 07:49 PM

Crabtree needs to be tested for substance abuse:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-michaelcrabtree080609&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

T.K.O.

08-06-2009, 08:03 PM

I wonder how many fans will show up after work at Invesco at 6pm ? Will they be ticked !

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1230

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=2536

why will they be ticked?

T.K.O.

08-06-2009, 08:04 PM

Crabtree needs to be tested for substance abuse:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-michaelcrabtree080609&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

the latest is that crabtree will wait til next year and re-enter the draft

Lonestar

08-06-2009, 08:07 PM

Crabtree needs to be tested for substance abuse:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-michaelcrabtree080609&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

49ers’ Crabtree conducts convoluted holdout

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
4 hours, 55 minutes ago

Normally, the unpredictable football decisions of Al Davis adversely affect only the team he owns, the bumbling Oakland Raiders.

The NFL’s other 31 teams often benefit from his strange personnel moves, which allow talented draft picks and free agents to slide to them.

In April, the cross-bay San Francisco 49ers rejoiced when the Raiders selected wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey(notes) seventh overall. It allowed the Niners to select Michael Crabtree(notes), a pass-catching machine out of Texas Tech, at No. 10. Predraft hype rated Crabtree higher than Heyward-Bey.

Now the Niners’ dream pick has turned nightmare. In a convoluted strategy, Crabtree is threatening to sit out the 2009 season by negotiating off mock drafts which didn’t occur rather than the real one that did.

Crabtree has decided that he shouldn’t have to be paid less because – based on all the made-up, predicted drafts – Al Davis made a mistake. He wants to be paid more than Heyward-Bey, demanding his contract reflect that it was actually he who was the higher selected receiver.

It’s a ground-breaking, if intellectually bankrupt, concept.

Crabtree’s camp said Thursday that he is even willing to sit out the year and re-enter the draft next spring unless he gets more than the $23.5 million the Raiders guaranteed Heyward-Bey. The news was first reported by profootballtalk.com. Anything less than that stratospheric number is “unacceptable.”

“We are prepared to do it,” David Wells, a cousin of Crabtree, told ESPN. “Michael just wants fair market value. Michael is one of the best players in the draft, and he just wants to be paid like one of the best players.”

The ridiculousness of a guy who’s never caught a professional pass deeming $20-something million “unacceptable” is a testament to the troublesome way the NFL pays its rookies. A sense of youthful entitlement combines with a flawed structure so that the unproven rookie often makes more than the veteran All-Pro.

While NFL players tend to earn their money – a disturbing percentage leave the game as near-cripples dealing with neurological problems – Crabtree would be best served getting to camp and focusing on the tens of millions he will earn rather than the few more he may not.

More intriguing, however, is what Crabtree is trying to pull. Contract negotiations and holdout threats aren’t new. This is. It isn’t just an unorthodox attempt to bypass the traditional (if unofficial) slotting of rookie salaries. It’s putting real value on the unreal speculation that surrounds the buildup to the draft.

Crabtree is trying to get paid off perception, not reality.

Pre-draft hype has grown exponentially over the years. What was once the domain of only hard-core fans has taken on a life of its own. All forms of media dedicate enormous resources to it. The Internet is awash in mock drafts. The draft itself has become a major event in its own right. Next April, the first round will move to Thursday prime time – where it will, no doubt, pull monster television ratings.

Still, as fun and harmless as it is to follow the various prognostications, all of it remains conjecture.

Perhaps Crabtree isn’t aware that even though ESPN will deem sportswriter speculation on “Who will the Raiders pick?” a “Cold Hard Fact,” it is, in fact, not.

Not only is none of the pre-draft coverage “real” – there is no reason to believe it is accurate.

Since there is virtually no benefit for a team to publicly disclose their honest opinions of players, teams blatantly lie about their plans. Why wouldn’t they? Everything you hear should first be assumed inaccurate, not something you can later use in contract negotiations.

The rest of the coverage and discussion that lead up to the draft is opinion – opinion based mostly on pathetically thin research.

Crabtree may indeed be a better player than Heyward-Bey, however much of the public and media sentiment to that regard is because Crabtree played on a high-profile Texas Tech team and scored a dramatic touchdown to upset Texas. Heyward-Bey, meanwhile, played on a fairly anonymous Maryland club.

Just because fans and media – very few of whom watch even a smidgen of tape, have access to team scouting reports or even comprehend the game of football all that well – were more excited about Crabtree means absolutely nothing.

Even if you could prove (and you can’t) that 31 NFL teams felt the same way, it wouldn’t matter. The draft isn’t about consensus opinions; it’s about the decision of each individual franchise.

In this case, the Raiders believed Heyward-Bay was better than Michael Crabtree and they put an oversized contract behind it. That was the only actual, factual thing that occurred. Whether everyone disagreed with Al Davis or whether his recent track record is sketchy doesn’t matter.

The pick is the pick.

Crabtree apparently operates in a world ruled by Mel Kiper Jr. He wants to be paid based on what was wrongly predicted to occur rather than what actually did. In his mind, he was the first receiver drafted, even if he wasn’t.

Talk about your mock drafts.

T.K.O.

08-06-2009, 10:23 PM

a new record...13,402 in attendence at mile high...for a scrimmage !
i guess i'm not the only one stoked about the FACT that we are gonna field an exciting young team with a whole new look and attitude this year !!!!!!!
GO BRONCOS !:salute::defense::elefant: in that order

atwater27

08-06-2009, 11:47 PM

PFT and ESPN have articles on Orton getting booed at Invesco. Was anybody there? Pretty brutal for a freaking practice.

Az Snake

08-07-2009, 08:02 AM

PFT and ESPN have articles on Orton getting booed at Invesco. Was anybody there? Pretty brutal for a freaking practice.

A lot of members were there, great pics and posts; Hawgdriver, GEM, Shake and more...check out this thread:
http://www.broncosforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43529

Yeah, lots of booing reports, not all the boos directed at Orton but the Broncos will have to come out of the gate strong this season to placate Bronco fans.

A series of wins will stop the boos real quick.

pnbronco

08-07-2009, 10:57 AM

PFT and ESPN have articles on Orton getting booed at Invesco. Was anybody there? Pretty brutal for a freaking practice.

Yeah they did. I don't think everyone really understood that it's a PRACTICE. All I could think of was that line from Iverson practice, it's practice.

Orton had a bad night, more like day 2. He was better on day's 3 & 4 and had a much stronger day on 5 and 6. Simms was about the same, some good throws, but holds on too long.

On a good note the D is looking stronger each practice. The guy I notice the other night Goodman (CB), is the one that picked off Orton once or twice and just gave him fits all night. He reminds me of Champ in his body language and just the way he comes out of no where and grabs that ball.

Also Buckhalter (RB) is looking stronger and stronger each time I see him.

Hillis just looks great, what a gem. Royal looks better and better to me all the time.

Prater missed the first 2 attempts and he got boo's too. It was like watching golf slice to the right and then the left, then he was down the middle. He did the same thing at Dove the first day and I have not seen him miss one since, but I have not watched all his practices.

Thanks Carol for the info about today.

horsepig

08-07-2009, 08:39 PM

PN, if yoy're an old broad, then I am an old Billy goat! Which I am, btw.

Really nice post, you mentioned several players/positions that are of particylar concern to me. Your write-up was just fine, very good in fact!

Denver Native (Carol)

08-07-2009, 09:02 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/day-8-blog/

After last night’s physical practice at INVESCO Field at Mile High, the team’s workload was a little lighter Friday afternoon. The players wore shorts — though some wore sweat pants — and most didn’t have pads on.

Here are some quick hits from the session, which lasted a little longer than two hours.

ROLL CALL: Nic Clemons was no longer wearing an orange jersey, back to his normal blue defensive jersey.

# Rulon Davis, Brian Dawkins, Vernon Fox, Brandon Marshall and J’Vonne Parker did not participate in the session.

# Wesley Woodyard walked off the practice field after a set of drills and did not return.

POSITIONING: The first offensive unit consisted of Brandon Stokley, Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney at receiver, Daniel Graham at tight end, Kyle Orton at quarterback, LaMont Jordan at running back, and the same five starters on the offensive line — Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Casey Wiegmann, Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris.

# The first defensive unit saw Ryan McBean, Ronald Fields and Kenny Peterson on the line, Darrell Reid, D.J. Williams, Andra Davis and Elvis Dumervil at linebacker, Champ Bailey and Andre’ Goodman at cornerback and David Bruton and Renaldo Hill at safety.Several other players cracked that lineup depending on the formation, including Robert Ayers, Josh Barrett, Jack Williams and Alphonso Smith.

# Joshua Bell looked to be lined up at safety during a couple plays in one package, but also stepped up to play cornerback when an extra receiver came into the game.

DRILLS: Brett Kern worked one-on-one with special teams coordinator Mike Priefer on what looked like footwork and drops before punts. Priefer threw him the ball under-handed like a snap, and Kern caught it, took a few steps and dropped it as if he were punting.

# Almost every day, linebackers coach Don Martindale and assistant linebackers coach Roman Phifer have run their unit through a drill that has them run side to side before the coaches throw them the ball to practice catching interceptions. During the drill today, Woodyard sprinted left, then right, then straight back, catching a pass over his shoulder left with one hand.

# When the team worked on kickoff returns, the usual names came up — Royal, Smith and Kenny McKinley. But another player fielded a kick today who fans might not expect — Spencer Larsen. No, the inside linebacker/fullback isn’t making a run at the returner gig, he just practiced fielding kicks because he’s the “up” man, and short kicks might fall into his arms.

PLAYMAKERS: The slow tempo of practice meant there weren’t too many spectacular plays, but a few names stuck out.

# Jordan broke up a potential interception by Hill early in what seemed to be an 11-on-11 walkthrough session, getting his hand on the ball in Hill’s arms to make sure the pass fell incomplete.

# Nate Swift caught a long pass from Orton down the sideline, drawing some cheers from the crowd.

# It was just walkthrough speed, so no plays were called dead, but on one play, Jarvis Moss broke through the offensive line to get to Simms. Instead of going for the hypothetical sack, he let the play continue, simply standing in front of him, jumping and waiving his arms.

# QUICK HITS: Orton spent a lot of time under center this afternoon. Chris Simms and Tom Brandstater still got some snaps, but it seemed like today Orton got even more reps than usual, often staying at quarterback no matter who else was in on offense or defense.

# The team seemed to be using the scoreboard placed on the side of the building at Dove Valley to help set up different situational plays. It displayed time left in the game and the score.

# The players got to have a little fun at the end of practice. Harkening back to the first days of minicamps, two defensive linemen dropped back to field punts to earn a privilege for the team. This time it wasn’t to get out of meetings, however — it was the right to have no curfew tonight, the day before the team gets a day off from practice — a “mental health day,” as McDaniels put it. Peterson stepped back first, and as teammates reminded him to take the wind into account, tossing grass into the air and watching the wind take it, the veteran lineman calmly hauled in the punt before being mobbed by his teammates.

# But the fun wasn’t quite over, as Chris Baker stepped back to field a punt to earn the same privilege for the rookies. The first punt sailed over his head and he tried to run back and catch it over his shoulder, but it fell to the ground as he and his teammates laughed. McDaniels gave him another chance, however, and this time he called for a fair catch, stepped forward and let the ball fly over his head into the end zone, earning more laughs and high fives. On the third attempt, he found the ball in the air, backed up and fielded it perfectly in the end zone before throwing his arms in the air as his fellow rookies congratulated him.

DAILY JUKEBOX: Just a few tunes today, but they were some goodies.

# Practice opened up with a little Michael Jackson - “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”

# Stone Temple Pilots - “Plush”

# Arrested Development - “Tennessee”

# Metallica - “Enter Sandman”

During the last song, Ayers threw down some serious air guitar skills as the team finished up stretching, and Woodyard did a little head-banging as he started to run through linebacker drills.

QUOTABLE:

“I don’t have to see these guys. I can actually lay in my own bed and watch my own TV and cook my own food. Well, I won’t really be cooking. Eat my own food.”

-Kenny Peterson, joking on why tomorrow’s day off will be nice

The team has a day off from practice tomorrow, and will be back on the field at 2:30 p.m. MDT on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Below are the pictures from the morning session.

-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com

Denver Native (Carol)

08-07-2009, 09:33 PM

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1240

No practice Saturday, August 8

Sunday, August 9
2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Monday, August 10
5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 11
8:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 12
2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 16
2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Monday, August 17
8:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 18
2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 19
8:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 20
8:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-08-2009, 08:58 AM

Under Video & Audio

http://www.denverbroncos.com/

Denver Native (Carol)

08-09-2009, 01:38 PM

Last night, Gary Miller said that the morning practice on Monday would be for media only, and that the afternoon camp had been canceled. I just checked on Mania, and it is still showing camp Monday afternoon. If anyone was thinking of going Monday from 5:30 - 7:30 - might be best to check first.

Tned

08-09-2009, 05:43 PM

Tned

08-09-2009, 05:53 PM

I spoke too soon, since Orton just overthrew a long pass and Champ had his second pick of the practice.

Also, I forgot to mention that Jodan went to the locker room with a leg injury.

TXBRONC

08-09-2009, 06:11 PM

I spoke too soon, since Orton just overthrew a long pass and Champ had his second pick of the practice.

Also, I forgot to mention that Jodan went to the locker room with a leg injury.

The struggles that Orton has with the long ball wouldn't be troubling if we already had a solid defense capable of getting turnovers.

Tned

08-09-2009, 06:12 PM

Denver Post reports that Hillis was the only back running with the first team in the 2 minute drill.

The depth chart comes out tomorrow, should be interesting to see who is slotted where. I'm sure Hillis will be listed as FB, regardless, but it will be interesting in terms of the front seven.

Also, it looks like Hillis is really taking advantage of camp and should be a big part of the offense.

Lonestar

08-09-2009, 06:27 PM

Tned

08-09-2009, 06:33 PM

I'm more of a Tweety (Tweet-Groupy) during training camp, as it has been the best source of training camp updates -- especially if you want real-time updates.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-09-2009, 07:25 PM

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/day-10-blog/

Dove Valley was packed with the most fans to attend a practice this offseason Sunday afternoon. It was also the first training camp practice for newly-signed No. 1 pick Knowshon Moreno, so there was plenty of excitement surrounding the day. There were some plays made on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, and a few new players cracked the first unit on both sides.

Here are some quick hits from the session.

ROLL CALL: Rulon Davis was back at practice this afternoon after missing Friday’s practice session. Brandon Marshall, Brian Dawkins and Wesley Woodyard did not participate.

POSITIONING: Depending on the package, plenty of defensive players saw some time with what seemed to be the “first unit.” The basic unit looked pretty similar, with Champ Bailey, Andre’ Goodman, David Bruton and Renaldo Hill in the secondary, Ryan McBean, Ronald Fields and Kenny Peterson on the line and Elvis Dumervil, D.J. Williams, Andra Davis and Mario Haggan at linebacker. Haggan joined the list of several new faces who saw some time with the first unit, including Marcus Thomas, Nic Clemons and Robert Ayers. Jack Williams and Josh Barrett ran with the first teamers for parts of practice as well.

# As far as the offense goes, the team occasionally worked in two tight end sets, with Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler. Jabar Gaffney and Eddie Royal were the receivers, Kyle Orton was at quarterback and the running backs rotated, including Peyton Hillis, Correll Buckhalter and Moreno. Hillis also spent time at fullback in two-back sets.

DRILLS: Tight ends worked again linebackers on blocking, and the one-on-one battles were fairly physical. After Reid pushed Richard Quinn down on the way to the quarterback, linebackers coach Don Martindale shouted to tight ends coach Clancy Barone, “I brought the bullies today, Clarence!” On the next play, Quinn stepped up again and this time held off Tim Crowder, drawing loud clapping and congratulations from Barone on the effort.

# In the same drill, no one got past Daniel Graham. Graham also spent some time to the side showing Quinn how to use his hands to help with his technique. Dumervil was active in the drill as well, pushing back Jeb Putzier then using a swim move to get past him. He gave Robert Ayers a fist pound after the rookie made some good moves in the drill a couple plays later.

# Reid and Dumervil worked against Spencer Larsen and LaMont Jordan in a special teams drill with coordinator Mike Priefer. The two outside linebackers/defensive ends practiced their blocking technique.

PLAYMAKERS: Bailey had quite the practice. In one-on-one drills between defensive backs and wide receivers, he matched up against Royal on two occasions. Both times he made sure the ball fell to the ground for an incompletion. Then in 11-on-11s later in the session, the eight-time Pro Bowler grabbed two interceptions. One came as he ran down an overthrown ball and caught it over his shoulder in the end zone. The other game on a tipped pass, which he pulled out of the air as he reached behind him.

# Royal had a solid session as well, leaping up to catch a pass in the middle of the defense with Vernon Fox closing quickly. Later in the session, Gaffney leaped to pull in a pass before being brought down by Goodman near the goal line. The defense shouted “He wasn’t in the end zone!” but Head Coach Josh McDaniels blew his whistle and signaled touchdown, calling for a two-point conversion. In what was a familiar sight for Broncos fans, Royal was the man who hauled in the catch in the end zone on the next play for the successful conversion.

# Moreno made an impact in his first practice, seeing a couple reps behind the first unit offensive line. In one-on-one tackling drills between running backs and linebackers, the rookie lowered his shoulder and ran right into D.J. Williams. The veteran still made the tackle, but it drew some “ooohs” from the crowd.

# Tony Carter thought he had an interception in his grasp during 7-on-7s, but the ball tipped off his outstretched hands and into the arms of intended receiver Brandon Lloyd, who turned around and sprinted toward the end zone, much to the delight of the crowd.

# Stokley also scored a touchdown during 7-on-7s, streaking upfield and catching a long bomb from Orton with Jack Williams in tight coverage.

# Alphonso Smith jumped a route and picked off a pass from Tom Brandstater during 11-on-11s.

# The first unit offense and defense went at it during a two-minute drill to close out practice. The offense drove to the 11-yard line and clocked the ball with two seconds to go. On the final play of the drive, Orton dropped back, scanned the field and fired a pass to Scheffler in the front of the end zone, but Goodman continued his playmaking ways of late, jumping in to knock the ball away before shaking his head in celebration.

QUICK HITS: 2,309 fans showed up to watch practice today — the most at Dove Valley yet this offseason.

# Kenny McKinley went one-on-one with Smith in a drill early in practice, and Smith broke up the pass. Wide receivers coach Adam Gase pulled McKinley aside and talked to him after the play. The pep talk must have worked, because during 11-on-11s later in practice McKinley leaped and pulled in a Chris Simms pass at its highest point for a catch that drew cheers from the crowd.

DAILY JUKEBOX: Ben Hamilton’s playlist kicked off practice today, and he put together a list based on suggestions from fellow offensive linemen. Last week, Wiegmann said, “I just told Ben to make it respectable.” You be the judge.
# Bob Marley - “Jammin’”
# Metallica - “Don’t Tread on Me”
# Daft Punk - “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” (This brought some dancing from the former Minnesota teammates, Hamilton and Reid)
# Jay-Z - “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)”
# Jason Michael Carroll - “Waitin’ in the Country”
# Michael Jackson - “Rock With You”

Later in the session, Mark Thewes, assistant to the head coach, took control of the iPod and put on some music to simulate crowd noise. Some of his selections included “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters, “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor and “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi.

QUOTABLE:
“Yeah I needed some. I thought I needed some contact getting out here for the first day. I got that.”
-Knowshon Moreno, on his contact with D.J. Williams in one-on-one drills

More pictures from practice are below.

The team’s afternoon practice for tomorrow has been cancelled, so the next time they’ll be on the field at Dove Valley is on Tuesday for two sessions — 8:45 a.m. MDT and 5:30 p.m. MDT. Both are open to the public.

-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com

Requiem / The Dagda

08-09-2009, 07:47 PM

Thank you Carol. There are some great pictures of Moreno and the rooks in there. Check it out ya'll!

TXBRONC

08-09-2009, 10:03 PM

Ok, here's a summary of tweets from todays practice:

Moreno is reportedly looking very good, both in 1 on 1 drills, and actual runs -- showing balance and quick burst.

Ironically, considering recent conversations, Orton is throwing the deep ball the best he has all camp, connecting with Stokely on a couple long passes.

I watched the interview that McDaniels gave after practice and the one thing that stuck out at me was that he said to chew out a couple guys on defensive side of the ball for loafing. I wonder who it was that got the ass chewing?

Denver Native (Carol)

08-09-2009, 10:45 PM

Moreno, McDaniels, and Day 10 highlights

http://www.denverbroncos.com/

topscribe

08-09-2009, 10:52 PM

I spoke too soon, since Orton just overthrew a long pass and Champ had his second pick of the practice.

Also, I forgot to mention that Jodan went to the locker room with a leg injury.

Well, at least he overthrew it . . . :D

-----

Denver Native (Carol)

08-10-2009, 12:56 PM

The Broncos took the field for practice at 9:45 a.m. today at Invesco Field at Mile High. The practice is closed to the public, but media are allowed to view it.

Denver's top pick Knowshon Moreno, who reported and practiced for the first time on Sunday, is getting repititions already with the first team in 11-on-l1 drills this morning, and caught a pass from quarterback Kyle Orton before initiating contact with linebacker D.J. Williams.

Another early highlight was a 37-yard field goal by Matt Prater.

A lowlight for Orton came in a seven-on-seven drill when inside linebacker Andra Davis picked off a pass intended for tight end Tony Scheffler. This comes the day after Orton had probably his best practice performance Sunday at Dove Valley.

Coach Josh McDaniels and his staff are using the opportunity at Invesco to learn little details they can't perform at their Dove Valley training camp, such as how the team will line up to come out of the tunnel and learning pregame routines.

For more on today's practice and Broncos news, return to denverpost.com/broncos.

underrated29

08-10-2009, 01:33 PM

harris got injured. A tweeter from lindsay.

broncofaninfla

08-10-2009, 01:43 PM

harris got injured. A tweeter from lindsay.

Yikes, hopefully it isn't serious.

Tned

08-10-2009, 01:47 PM

All that's been reported so far is that it is an upper body, probably arm, injury and he went to the locker room. That would be a big blow, so hopefully it is a minor injury.

broncofaninfla

08-10-2009, 02:25 PM

Fingers crossed for a minor shoulder seperation!

Denver Native (Carol)

08-10-2009, 03:03 PM

Question - there have been many things reported, either by the press, or by fans attending training camp, on Orton throwing interceptions. So, I thought about this. He is practicing against his own defense, and I would think that his own defense is going to know exactly what play will be run every time in a scrimmage. So, if he is throwing interceptions in a scrimmage, to me that is not a big deal. If he is throwing interceptions on a one on one, there could also be the possibility sometimes that the receiver did not run the route exactly like it should have been.

I prefer to see him in actual situations against other teams before determining if interceptions will be a problem.

pnbronco

08-10-2009, 03:18 PM

Denver Native (Carol)

08-10-2009, 03:30 PM

Oh Carol, here I thought you had a update on Harris and "ran" to the post to find something logical.....;) Just what are you drinking today??? :D

Not drinking pn - in fact I don't drink:lol: Actually, I am ironing (I know, I am probably one of the few left who irons), and was thinking about Orton throwing interceptions, and came to the conclusion I did - so I made the post.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-10-2009, 03:55 PM

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13030766

Preparation could be Josh McDaniels' middle name. At today's practice at Invesco Field, he made sure the team knew how to line up before coming out of the tunnel, where to stand for pregame stretches and what to expect on game day, especially as the Broncos look forward to their first preseason game.

"We want to try to simulate as much real, live game as we can right now," McDaniels said after the 9:45 a.m. closed practice. "These aren't just scrimmages. They are a chance for you to go through a substitute, run a game the way you would run it, execute in situational football. I hope there are six or eight of these that come up in the game on Friday night because we'll get to actually get out there and see what we learned in all of these practices."

The Broncos will play their first preseason game in San Francisco on Friday at 6 p.m MDT. But for McDaniels, it's never too early to get in the groove of game-day routines.

"We went through our pregame routines, our substitution patterns, communication from the booth to the field, from the field to the booth and coaching the quarterbacks," McDaniels said. "I think we feel pretty comfortable with everything."

Denver's top draft pick Knowshon Moreno, who reported to camp and practiced for the first time on Sunday, was able to get a feel for the stadium that he will now call home.

"Being out here, running around, it felt good," Moreno said. "I kind of imagined the crowd being here. It was fun."

Moreno got some repetitions with the first team during 11-on-11 drills, where he caught a pass from quarterback Kyle Orton before initiating contact with linebacker D.J. Williams.

Although Moreno missed 12 full-squad practices while negotiating his contract with the Broncos, McDaniels expects him to play Friday night.

"He's not in the same condition that the other 79 players are in right now because he's missed so much time and running and conditioning and working in pads, but he knows what to do and it's just a matter of getting out there and getting some live drills," McDaniels said.

The day after Orton had probably his best practice performance at Dove Valley, he threw two interceptions during game simulation drills. The first came during a seven-on-seven drill when inside linebacker Andra Davis picked off a pass intended for tight end Tony Scheffler. The second happened during an 11-on-11 drill by second team saftey Josh Barrett.

Tackle Ryan Harris walked off the field with the trainers with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury.

"He hasn't seen any doctors so we will see how that goes once we see some medical people," McDaniels said after the practice.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-10-2009, 05:40 PM

http://www.denverbroncos.com/

Moreno, McDaniels, Sights and Sounds

Denver Native (Carol)

08-10-2009, 05:42 PM

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9215

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Head Coach Josh McDaniels spoke with the media following the team's practice session at INVESCO Field at Mile High on Monday morning.

Here is the transcript of his interview.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On communication and other issues addressed by practicing at INVESCO Field at Mile High
"I wasn't worried about them. (It is) just the first time for our staff and for our staff to communicate those things with our players. They went through our pregame routine, substitution patterns, communication from the booth to the field and the field to the booth and (communication) from the coach to the quarterback. I think we feel pretty comfortable with everything. I am sure we will run into some sort of snag on Friday night. That normally happens your first time out, but I think everybody understands how we are going to run the sidelines and how we are going to run the game operations."

On RB Knowshon Moreno's conditioning
"I think he is in-he is not in the same condition the other 79 players are in right now because he has missed so much time, running, conditioning and work in pads, but he knows what to do. It is just a matter of him getting out there and getting those live reps."

On OLB/DE Jarvis Moss pressuring the quarterbacks
"He has got into the pocket quite a few times, but Jarvis is very capable of doing that all the time. He has got really good ability. Certainly, he is going to help us in the pass rush and can be a disruptive guy on the edge."

On T Ryan Harris' status
"I don't know that. He hasn't seen any doctors or anything like that. We will see how that goes once he sees some medical people."

On his philosophy on internal fights during training camp
"We don't want to hurt each other. We are not out here to try to hurt one another, and we, certainly, want to take care of our teammates. There is nothing more important to our team than the health of the players. (Tension) is a part of football. This is a physical, sometimes violent, game. You have emotions that run high and sometimes that happens. I think our guys have done a great job of-even when those things start up, they calm themselves down. We have good teammates that help squelch those kind of issues."

On how much the starters will play in Friday's preseason opener at San Francisco
"They are going to be ready to play the whole game. That is what the philosophy is and that is how we are going to prepare for the games in the preseason. We will determine as we go who needs more work or less work as we get into the game. We are going to prepare, starting tonight, with the scouting report. Our game plan is going to be put in. Like we are doing today, they have never been through a game plan. They have never been through a scouting report. They have never been through a game here. As many of those as we can get them before we actually start with the regular season games, we are going to try to do that. We are going to use these four preseason games to do just that."

On the game plan he will present to the Broncos prior to the San Francisco game
"It will be thorough. It will be-I wouldn't say not quite as large as a normal game plan will be, but again, we do not want to give them false expectations of what is going to happen in the regular season. The volume will be probably close to what it would be (in a regular season game), some of which we won't run and some of which we will just practice and prepare for. Again, we want to try to simulate as much real like-game experiences as we can for them right now."

On if his preseason philosophy matches what he experience in New England
"Everybody is ready to go and we got ready to play these games. These are not just scrimmages. They are a chance for you to actually go through and substitute, run the game the way you would run it (and) execute. I hope there are six or eight of these (situations) that come up in the game on Friday night, because then, we will get to actually go out there and see what we learned from all of these practices."

On TE Richard Quinn
"He is a very physical player. He is versatile, though, because he can run, he can catch (and) he can block, but he is a rookie. The hardest thing for those guys is they factor in to everything at tight end, the running game (and) the passing game. They have got to do a lot of work. It starts off the field, and he has got to be able to carry that on the field. It is coming together, just like some of the other rookies are, but it is a slower process. He is working his butt off, and he will get extensive playing time in the preseason, I am sure, just to see if we can bring him along a little further."

On how far ahead WR Jabar Gaffney is in the offensive learning curve
"Jabar has been a great help and of great assistance to our other players. I don't think there is much of a lag behind him anymore. This is 36 practices, now, since we started in the spring. These guys have heard all of these things a hundred times. Jabar can help in small ways because of his background and knowledge of our system, and Jabar does a great job when he is out there. He is a big factor in the red zone (and on) third down. He does a lot of different roles for us. He can play every (wide receiver) position. "Jabs" is very valuable, and he proves his value every day."

On if RB Knowshon Moreno will play in Friday's preseason game at San Francisco
"Absolutely."

Tned

08-10-2009, 09:39 PM

Anything on Harris? Unfortunately, based on what we have seen, we won't hear anything until he is back on the field, or if it is VERY serious and a roster move is made. McDaniels come from the New England school of not giving out any information unless required by the NFL.

Zweems56

08-10-2009, 09:43 PM

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9215

On how much the starters will play in Friday's preseason opener at San Francisco
"They are going to be ready to play the whole game. That is what the philosophy is and that is how we are going to prepare for the games in the preseason. We will determine as we go who needs more work or less work as we get into the game. We are going to prepare, starting tonight, with the scouting report. Our game plan is going to be put in. Like we are doing today, they have never been through a game plan. They have never been through a scouting report. They have never been through a game here. As many of those as we can get them before we actually start with the regular season games, we are going to try to do that. We are going to use these four preseason games to do just that."

BUHbuhbuhbuhbuhbuhbuh....... what?

Elevation inc

08-11-2009, 01:05 AM

BUHbuhbuhbuhbuhbuhbuh....... what?

lol ditto.....

seems like we are gonna go full speed and strength out the gate.......

should be good work for the players...and recently MCD has shown he knows how to push them jsut enough with out over doing it......

Requiem / The Dagda

08-11-2009, 01:05 AM

I had read somewhere else that Harris' injury wasn't considered to be that serious. Hopefully that is the case.

SoCalImport

08-11-2009, 06:23 AM

this on CBS Sportsline

"After leaving the field Monday holding his right arm, Broncos OL Ryan Harris watched the rest of practice from the bench, but the injury didn't appear to be serious. Harris and the rest of Denver's starting offensive line didn't miss a game last season."

Tned

08-11-2009, 06:52 AM

What I have read in a few places, including McDaniels presser, is that until he sees a doctor, as I assume gets an MRI, they won't know the extent of the injury.

Denver Native (Carol)

08-11-2009, 10:04 AM

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13034039?source=rss

Ryan Harris didn't miss an offensive snap last year, let alone a game.

The Broncos' right tackle might miss the preseason opener Friday at San Francisco after injuring his right shoulder Monday during the team's practice at Invesco Field at Mile High.

The team won't know the full extent of Harris' shoulder injury until today, although initially it didn't appear serious enough to put his regular-season playing streaks in jeopardy. Harris may even try to get in a practice before the team leaves for San Francisco.

A third-round pick from Notre Dame in 2007, Harris overcame back surgery during his rookie training camp to play in 11 games. Switched from left to right tackle last season to make room for Ryan Clady, Harris started all 16 games in 2008 and lined up for all 1,019 snaps.

When Harris left the practice field Monday, he was replaced at right tackle first by Brandon Gorin and then Tyler Polumbus.

The Broncos signed Polumbus last year from the University of Colorado as an undrafted free agent. He has taken most of his reps as a second-team left tackle behind Clady.

Gorin missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, but played for McDaniels in New England from 2002-06. Gorin started 23 games during that span, including the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXIX defeat of Philadelphia after the 2004 season.

"I'm familiar with the system, so that helps me with the learning curve," Gorin said. "But football is football no matter where you go. As an offensive lineman, you either block the guy in front of you or you don't."

Robert!

Since ending his short contract holdout last week, rookie outside linebacker Robert Ayers has received his share of loud instruction.

There was a day last week when McDaniels got in Ayers' face. And during the team practice Monday at Invesco Field, linebackers coach Don Martindale was heard yelling at the prized new defensive player.

"They're not just yelling because I'm a rookie. They're yelling because I need to improve," Ayers said.

Footnotes.

Running back LaMont Jordan did not practice Monday because of an unspecified injury. . . . The Broncos weren't hurting for birthday wishes Monday. Nick Greisen (30), Matt Prater (25) and Ryan Torain (23) turned a year older. Cornerback Andre Goodman turns 31 today. . . . Rockies radio announcer Jack Corrigan stopped by practice Monday to catch up with McDaniels. In a previous life, Corrigan was an assistant football coach for St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland and went up against Josh and Ben McDaniels, both of whom played quarterback for Canton McKinley High School.