Cecil Lammey
Footballguy
I was out at Dove Valley for the kickoff of the Manning era here in Denver. Over 60 media people attended this OTA which had a very training camp like feel. John Fox and Peyton Manning spoke to the media after practice. Here's what I scratched in my notebook today. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for more updates: http://twitter.com/cecillammey
Practice notes:
Brock Osweiler’s footwork looked better today. In rookie minicamps he threw flatfooted, but today he showed some bounce in his step.
Knowshon Moreno had great burst in drills. However, rarely saw him carry the ball in team drills. Instead, Moreno was off to the side running sprints by himself.
I liked the way Ronnie Hillman looked in the ball today. Showed good concentration and caught every pass thrown at him. Lower body looks strong.
Peyton Manning showed immediate leadership and command of the huddle. It wasn’t long before he was yelling at his new teammates to “get back to the same spot” or “get in the same alignment!” His teammates responded positively to the leadership as his words command a lot of respect.
Adam Weber threw with more zip today than Caleb Hanie.
Too often Hanie was trying to aim throws and his motion was slower and more deliberate than the other QBs. His passes also tended to float a little more than Weber, Osweiler, or Manning.
Eric Decker looked energized.
Mark Dell dropped a pass early in practice from Manning and it didn’t go over well with the veteran QB. Expectations so much different with Manning leading the way. All his passes were put on the mark, the catches should be much easier than they were with Tebow spraying all over the field.
Brandon Stokely of course showed great chemistry with Manning.
Joel Dreesen made some nice plays where he had to stretch out to catch Manning passes.
Demaryius Thomas looked completely focused. Showed good hands, route adjustment, and sideline awareness. He also got better separation than Decker did against coverage.
Joe Mays was able to bat a pass away over the middle intended for Dreesen.
Nate Irving almost had an interception on an out route thrown by Caleb Hanie.
Brock Osweiler did a good job of directing traffic on a pass play. Motioned to Gerell Robinson to cut inside then hit him in stride for a 15-yd gain.
D’Andre Goodwin dropped a beautifully thrown deep pass from Osweiler.
Eric Decker caught a low and away pass from Manning. Had to slide on his backside to gather in the catch.
Manning got in trouble once because of coverage, moved around then found Demaryius Thomas open. Interesting to note Decker was open as well, but he went to DT.
Virgil Green had a nice catch and run to show off his athleticism and run after the catch skills.
Caleb Hanie threw a “parking lot” throw. Was way out of bounds, worst throw of the day.
Jeremiah Johnson had a big carry where he bounced outside and turned on the speed. Showed good quickness, clean cuts, and acceleration.
Mark Dell made a nice high catch in the middle of the field. Took a hit after the catch. Caleb Hanie hung him out to dry on that one.
Osweiler was late with a throw, ended up getting tipped by Duke Ihenacho.
Broncos had two false starts in a row late in team drills. Manning was not happy with RT Orlando Franklin, then RG Manny Ramirez.
Champ Bailey was able to tip away a pass from Manning intended for Eric Decker. Manning double clutched the ball, waiting for Decker to separate, then tried to fit it in anyway.
Willis McGahee looked very large compared to the other RBs in camp.
Osweiler looked good throwing on the run. Rolled right and hit Mark Dell on the sideline.
Tracy Porter came to play. He was all over the field, knocking away passes, making (would be) tackles, and stayed with receivers in stride.
Jason Hill made some nice plays today. Had a grab deep where he was able to show off his long speed.
Mario Fannin looked swift again. Coming back from his knee injury it will be interesting to see if he makes the team. Great size/speed combination.
Practice notes:
Brock Osweiler’s footwork looked better today. In rookie minicamps he threw flatfooted, but today he showed some bounce in his step.
Knowshon Moreno had great burst in drills. However, rarely saw him carry the ball in team drills. Instead, Moreno was off to the side running sprints by himself.
I liked the way Ronnie Hillman looked in the ball today. Showed good concentration and caught every pass thrown at him. Lower body looks strong.
Peyton Manning showed immediate leadership and command of the huddle. It wasn’t long before he was yelling at his new teammates to “get back to the same spot” or “get in the same alignment!” His teammates responded positively to the leadership as his words command a lot of respect.
Adam Weber threw with more zip today than Caleb Hanie.
Too often Hanie was trying to aim throws and his motion was slower and more deliberate than the other QBs. His passes also tended to float a little more than Weber, Osweiler, or Manning.
Eric Decker looked energized.
Mark Dell dropped a pass early in practice from Manning and it didn’t go over well with the veteran QB. Expectations so much different with Manning leading the way. All his passes were put on the mark, the catches should be much easier than they were with Tebow spraying all over the field.
Brandon Stokely of course showed great chemistry with Manning.
Joel Dreesen made some nice plays where he had to stretch out to catch Manning passes.
Demaryius Thomas looked completely focused. Showed good hands, route adjustment, and sideline awareness. He also got better separation than Decker did against coverage.
Joe Mays was able to bat a pass away over the middle intended for Dreesen.
Nate Irving almost had an interception on an out route thrown by Caleb Hanie.
Brock Osweiler did a good job of directing traffic on a pass play. Motioned to Gerell Robinson to cut inside then hit him in stride for a 15-yd gain.
D’Andre Goodwin dropped a beautifully thrown deep pass from Osweiler.
Eric Decker caught a low and away pass from Manning. Had to slide on his backside to gather in the catch.
Manning got in trouble once because of coverage, moved around then found Demaryius Thomas open. Interesting to note Decker was open as well, but he went to DT.
Virgil Green had a nice catch and run to show off his athleticism and run after the catch skills.
Caleb Hanie threw a “parking lot” throw. Was way out of bounds, worst throw of the day.
Jeremiah Johnson had a big carry where he bounced outside and turned on the speed. Showed good quickness, clean cuts, and acceleration.
Mark Dell made a nice high catch in the middle of the field. Took a hit after the catch. Caleb Hanie hung him out to dry on that one.
Osweiler was late with a throw, ended up getting tipped by Duke Ihenacho.
Broncos had two false starts in a row late in team drills. Manning was not happy with RT Orlando Franklin, then RG Manny Ramirez.
Champ Bailey was able to tip away a pass from Manning intended for Eric Decker. Manning double clutched the ball, waiting for Decker to separate, then tried to fit it in anyway.
Willis McGahee looked very large compared to the other RBs in camp.
Osweiler looked good throwing on the run. Rolled right and hit Mark Dell on the sideline.
Tracy Porter came to play. He was all over the field, knocking away passes, making (would be) tackles, and stayed with receivers in stride.
Jason Hill made some nice plays today. Had a grab deep where he was able to show off his long speed.
Mario Fannin looked swift again. Coming back from his knee injury it will be interesting to see if he makes the team. Great size/speed combination.
thanks for listening bro!
On a more serious note, I know it's too early at this point, but as training camp and practices get going, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Hillman's progress -- particularly how he looks as a blocker (since that's going to be key to getting significant playing time in Peyton's backfield) and what you think of his prospects of being the #1 RB either initially or at some point during the season.
