Denver Native (Carol)
08-04-2009, 10:16 PM
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9198
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When Jack Williams looks around, he sees 13 other Broncos faces eyeing the same mission: earning their keep in a crowded secondary.
At Tuesday's practice, Williams took that matter literally into his own hands. With his offense threatening to score, he stepped in front of a Kyle Orton pass, snagging it inches from the sideline and streaking the length of the field for a touchdown.
"It's man to man," Williams said. "You've just got to play the man first and be in position to make the interception. I got lucky and did."
Placing himself in the right spot to make big plays comes from experience. Williams is one of the few returning Broncos on defense, and he attributed his success on Tuesday to being better acclimated to his responsibilities as a pro.
"I know football a little bit better this year," Williams said. "Last year, it was pretty tough for me, learning a lot of different things. But the mini-camps this year and a lot of film helped me this year. So, I feel a little more comfortable out there on the field."
With Williams' own comfort rising, his new coach is taking notice. Seeing time in nickel packages and occasiuonally regular sets with the first team, Head Coach Josh McDaniels has high expectations for Williams' role in the team's secondary this season.
"We have gotten our hands on a bunch of balls and made some interceptions," McDaniels said. "Jack, I think, had his first couple today. It is great to see improvement from our younger players, and he is one that we are counting on."
COACH EXCITED FOR OPEN PRACTICE AT INVESCO
Making progress with every session at team headquarters in Dove Valley, the Broncos are shifting their preparation to a different scene on Thursday: INVESCO Field at Mile High.
Fans have the opportunity to join the team. Parking and admission are free, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. MDT and practice set to start at 6 p.m. MDT.
McDaniels is excited for his team to practice at its official home stage in prime time. He believes the session will be a great sneak peek of the atmosphere at the Broncos' 10 home games this season.
"It will be a lot of fun," McDaniels said. "That will be a great thing for us to experience, being in the stadium (and) putting the lights on. The type of practice it is going to be is going to (have) a lot of live periods and a lot of different situations that come up. It is going to be very game-like."
BLACK AND WHITE
Williams' pick-six on Tuesday arguably received an assist from the presence of three new faces at Dove Valley.
Led by crew chief Ed Hochuli, a trio of referees partook in Tuesday afternoon's session. McDaniels said they will be present at camp for the next three days, providing an educational vantage point on penalties.
"We are looking to try to play as penalty free in every phase, and they are helping us do that," he said. "They are very forthcoming with information, and they want us to ask questions. They are very informative and helpful, and that is what they are going to do for the next few days. Hopefully, we get a lot out of it."
Their presence is already helping players mentally prepare for the realistic scenarios on display during next Friday's preseason opener at San Francisco. Prior to his thievery at the goal line, Williams was whistled for pass interference -- a negative that got him thinking about what impact he could make on the next play.
"We wouldn't have been in that predicament if I hadn't gotten the penalty called on me," Williams said. "So, I had to do something."
DEFENSIVE DEBUT
After officially signing with the club Monday, Robert Ayers set foot on the practice field for the first time Tuesday.
Ayers was active in the two-and-a-half hour session, seeing a mix of plays at the outside linebacker/defensive end spot. He even got a crack at playing with the first unit, and knows exactly why he was granted that opportunity.
"They want to see me match up against the first team offensive linemen," Ayers said. "They want to see me go against the second team, just to see how I compete against different guys. It's not necessarily going with the first team. It's more so just trying to get matchups."
That variety of matchups helped Ayers pinpoint what he most needs to improve on. He plans to make his adjustments quickly, vowing to dive into his playbook Tuesday evening to correct one crucial area -- positioning.
"Just learning what I've got to do and where I've got to be," Ayers said. "Those are the things that I need to work on most. Once I learn where I go -- if you don't know where you go, it slows you down. So once I know what I've got to do, then I'll be able to just go full speed."
The bookends of the 3-4 defense received another boost with the return of Jarvis Moss. Excused from the last three days of camp, McDaniels gave Moss' attitude upon his return a grade-A rating.
"We talked this morning, and he is ready to go," he said. "He went out there and had a good practice today. That is what you need to see, and that is what he gave us."
GREISEN HEADED TO IR, KELLEY SIGNS WITH TEAM
After suffering a knee injury in practice Monday, Nick Greisen is headed to injured reserve. McDaniels called the injury unfortunate, crediting Greisen as a positive influence among the team's young corps.
"He is a great guy and a veteran player who understands what we are trying to do," McDaniels said. "(He is) great around the younger players, and it is just an unfortunate situation when a guy goes down. An injury that is a season-ending injury, you don't ever want to see it. Nick handled it well -- he will be around here, and he should be."
To fill the open spot on the roster, the Broncos signed inside linebacker Braxton Kelley on Tuesday. A teammate of Wesley Woodyard at Kentucky, Kelley returns for his second stint with the club this season. He registered 287 tackles, 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 46 career collegiate games.
For more on Day 5 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 Broncos will be back out at Dove Valley for one open practice to fans on Wednesday. Start time is set for 5:30 p.m. MDT. The morning practice is closed to the public.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When Jack Williams looks around, he sees 13 other Broncos faces eyeing the same mission: earning their keep in a crowded secondary.
At Tuesday's practice, Williams took that matter literally into his own hands. With his offense threatening to score, he stepped in front of a Kyle Orton pass, snagging it inches from the sideline and streaking the length of the field for a touchdown.
"It's man to man," Williams said. "You've just got to play the man first and be in position to make the interception. I got lucky and did."
Placing himself in the right spot to make big plays comes from experience. Williams is one of the few returning Broncos on defense, and he attributed his success on Tuesday to being better acclimated to his responsibilities as a pro.
"I know football a little bit better this year," Williams said. "Last year, it was pretty tough for me, learning a lot of different things. But the mini-camps this year and a lot of film helped me this year. So, I feel a little more comfortable out there on the field."
With Williams' own comfort rising, his new coach is taking notice. Seeing time in nickel packages and occasiuonally regular sets with the first team, Head Coach Josh McDaniels has high expectations for Williams' role in the team's secondary this season.
"We have gotten our hands on a bunch of balls and made some interceptions," McDaniels said. "Jack, I think, had his first couple today. It is great to see improvement from our younger players, and he is one that we are counting on."
COACH EXCITED FOR OPEN PRACTICE AT INVESCO
Making progress with every session at team headquarters in Dove Valley, the Broncos are shifting their preparation to a different scene on Thursday: INVESCO Field at Mile High.
Fans have the opportunity to join the team. Parking and admission are free, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. MDT and practice set to start at 6 p.m. MDT.
McDaniels is excited for his team to practice at its official home stage in prime time. He believes the session will be a great sneak peek of the atmosphere at the Broncos' 10 home games this season.
"It will be a lot of fun," McDaniels said. "That will be a great thing for us to experience, being in the stadium (and) putting the lights on. The type of practice it is going to be is going to (have) a lot of live periods and a lot of different situations that come up. It is going to be very game-like."
BLACK AND WHITE
Williams' pick-six on Tuesday arguably received an assist from the presence of three new faces at Dove Valley.
Led by crew chief Ed Hochuli, a trio of referees partook in Tuesday afternoon's session. McDaniels said they will be present at camp for the next three days, providing an educational vantage point on penalties.
"We are looking to try to play as penalty free in every phase, and they are helping us do that," he said. "They are very forthcoming with information, and they want us to ask questions. They are very informative and helpful, and that is what they are going to do for the next few days. Hopefully, we get a lot out of it."
Their presence is already helping players mentally prepare for the realistic scenarios on display during next Friday's preseason opener at San Francisco. Prior to his thievery at the goal line, Williams was whistled for pass interference -- a negative that got him thinking about what impact he could make on the next play.
"We wouldn't have been in that predicament if I hadn't gotten the penalty called on me," Williams said. "So, I had to do something."
DEFENSIVE DEBUT
After officially signing with the club Monday, Robert Ayers set foot on the practice field for the first time Tuesday.
Ayers was active in the two-and-a-half hour session, seeing a mix of plays at the outside linebacker/defensive end spot. He even got a crack at playing with the first unit, and knows exactly why he was granted that opportunity.
"They want to see me match up against the first team offensive linemen," Ayers said. "They want to see me go against the second team, just to see how I compete against different guys. It's not necessarily going with the first team. It's more so just trying to get matchups."
That variety of matchups helped Ayers pinpoint what he most needs to improve on. He plans to make his adjustments quickly, vowing to dive into his playbook Tuesday evening to correct one crucial area -- positioning.
"Just learning what I've got to do and where I've got to be," Ayers said. "Those are the things that I need to work on most. Once I learn where I go -- if you don't know where you go, it slows you down. So once I know what I've got to do, then I'll be able to just go full speed."
The bookends of the 3-4 defense received another boost with the return of Jarvis Moss. Excused from the last three days of camp, McDaniels gave Moss' attitude upon his return a grade-A rating.
"We talked this morning, and he is ready to go," he said. "He went out there and had a good practice today. That is what you need to see, and that is what he gave us."
GREISEN HEADED TO IR, KELLEY SIGNS WITH TEAM
After suffering a knee injury in practice Monday, Nick Greisen is headed to injured reserve. McDaniels called the injury unfortunate, crediting Greisen as a positive influence among the team's young corps.
"He is a great guy and a veteran player who understands what we are trying to do," McDaniels said. "(He is) great around the younger players, and it is just an unfortunate situation when a guy goes down. An injury that is a season-ending injury, you don't ever want to see it. Nick handled it well -- he will be around here, and he should be."
To fill the open spot on the roster, the Broncos signed inside linebacker Braxton Kelley on Tuesday. A teammate of Wesley Woodyard at Kentucky, Kelley returns for his second stint with the club this season. He registered 287 tackles, 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 46 career collegiate games.
For more on Day 5 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 Broncos will be back out at Dove Valley for one open practice to fans on Wednesday. Start time is set for 5:30 p.m. MDT. The morning practice is closed to the public.