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2013 Denver Broncos Training Camp reports (1 Viewer)

Cecil Lammey

Cecil Lammey

Footballguy
It's that time of year again. I'm out at Dove Valley every day covering the Broncos for ESPN Denver. I'll have a three hour streaming video show every day of camp, and I'll be taking notes on what is happening on the practice field. Some notes will go to Twitter, the full report is posted here.

I'm watching skill positions only but will have a few defensive notes as well. If there's anything specific you'd like to know then just post it here (or hit me on Twitter) and I'll keep an eye out for ya!

:thumbup:

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cecillammey

 
This one is obvious but I would like to request to know how the RB distribution is set (ie: who lines up with the ones and in what type of packages etc.)........

 
I am very interested in the pecking order for the TE's. More importantly to me, Julius Thomas, he sounded like he did well in OTA's but we all know that doesn't mean much.

Thank you for any updates on this situation.

 
Favorite thread of the year! I will get a chance to go to camp in early August as well - looking forward to that.

 
moleculo said:
Favorite thread of the year! I will get a chance to go to camp in early August as well - looking forward to that.
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Agree 100%.

I know you concentrate on the skill positions and offense primarily, but I would love to hear how the LB's are looking?

 
Winning IS Everything said:
This one is obvious but I would like to request to know how the RB distribution is set (ie: who lines up with the ones and in what type of packages etc.)........
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reporting on specific packages is frowned upon and not allowed per Broncos media policy.

However, we can talk about first team, etc.

They came out in walk through and all three RBs (Moreno, Hillman, Ball) were with first team. When they did team drills there was no rotation, it was all Hillman.

I will say this about packages: it would surprise me if any other RB besides Montee Ball was in the lineup when the team was in the red zone.

 
B-Deep said:
I'd like you to rate, on a scale of 1-10, exactly HOW sexy Peyton Manning looks day to day
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Peyton Manning looked great today. He's gotten a little sun and seems refreshed from his time on stage with Kenny Chesney and the "No Shoes Nation" tour that just made a stop in Denver.

 
The Claymaker said:
I am very interested in the pecking order for the TE's. More importantly to me, Julius Thomas, he sounded like he did well in OTA's but we all know that doesn't mean much.

Thank you for any updates on this situation.
Click to expand...
Thomas lined up with the first team in 11 personnel groupings. Not exclusively, but did catch some passes from Manning.

 
who has the leg up in the battle to be the #4 WR? Have heard good things about Lamaar Thomas. Assume King, Orton, and Robinson are in the mix as well...

Decker is a free agent after this year, so what are the chances he moves on and one of those young guys have to step up?

 
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mundane, pedestrian question, but gots to know how things are shaking out with ball and hillman...

who is better inside runner and has quicker feet through the hole, as gibbs prefers...

pass pro and receiving...

guessing no comment about specific formations (ie - goal line)... to rephrase, who scores more TDs this season? :)

 
Cecil Lammey said:
Winning IS Everything said:
This one is obvious but I would like to request to know how the RB distribution is set (ie: who lines up with the ones and in what type of packages etc.)........
Click to expand...
reporting on specific packages is frowned upon and not allowed per Broncos media policy.

However, we can talk about first team, etc.

They came out in walk through and all three RBs (Moreno, Hillman, Ball) were with first team. When they did team drills there was no rotation, it was all Hillman.

I will say this about packages: it would surprise me if any other RB besides Montee Ball was in the lineup when the team was in the red zone.
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Thanks for the update. I did not really mean packages per se, but the bolded above is what I was looking for. Thank you!

 
Cecil Lammey said:
The Claymaker said:
I am very interested in the pecking order for the TE's. More importantly to me, Julius Thomas, he sounded like he did well in OTA's but we all know that doesn't mean much.

Thank you for any updates on this situation.
Click to expand...
Thomas lined up with the first team in 11 personnel groupings. Not exclusively, but did catch some passes from Manning.
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With Welker, Thomas and Decker, are there enough balls left over for a TE?

 
loose circuits said:
who has the leg up in the battle to be the #4 WR? Have heard good things about Lamaar Thomas. Assume King, Orton, and Robinson are in the mix as well...

Decker is a free agent after this year, so what are the chances he moves on and one of those young guys have to step up?
Click to expand...
Caldwell caught most everything thrown his way yesterday, but King's quickness and run after the catch ability looked better. I've said since King was drafted that he could start in 2014 if Decker leaves via free agency.

 
KingPrawn said:
Cecil Lammey said:
The Claymaker said:
I am very interested in the pecking order for the TE's. More importantly to me, Julius Thomas, he sounded like he did well in OTA's but we all know that doesn't mean much.

Thank you for any updates on this situation.
Click to expand...
Thomas lined up with the first team in 11 personnel groupings. Not exclusively, but did catch some passes from Manning.
Click to expand...
With Welker, Thomas and Decker, are there enough balls left over for a TE?
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unlikley AND

I think it's going to be TEBC. Julius Thomas could start (running with the 1s) but Dreesen is the best blocker and best red zone threat. TEBC on a team that has de-emphasized the position with 11 personnel (3WR) as the base formation.

 
Bob Magaw said:
mundane, pedestrian question, but gots to know how things are shaking out with ball and hillman...

who is better inside runner and has quicker feet through the hole, as gibbs prefers...

pass pro and receiving...

guessing no comment about specific formations (ie - goal line)... to rephrase, who scores more TDs this season? :)
Click to expand...
Ball gets more rushing TDs this year regardless of who is the starter.

Starter is a ceremonial term with Broncos backs, it's Thunder & Lightning "hot hand" RBBC here.

Hillman wins the foot frequency battle. Has retained his speed, added 20 lbs of muscle, and is more decisive this year. Made several big runs yesterday on cutbacks.

Let's see Ball when the pads come on. He impressed me most as a receiver yesterday. As a runner he was getting swallowed up with the second team.

 
jacobo_moses said:
Cecil how is Demaryius looking? Good chemistry with Peyton even with Welker there.
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Demaryius is more than fine! His chemistry with Manning is the strongest out of the 3 stud WRs here in Denver. Welker takes targets away from TEs and Decker, not from Demaryius IMHO.

 
KingPrawn said:
Cecil Lammey said:
The Claymaker said:
I am very interested in the pecking order for the TE's. More importantly to me, Julius Thomas, he sounded like he did well in OTA's but we all know that doesn't mean much.

Thank you for any updates on this situation.
Click to expand...
Thomas lined up with the first team in 11 personnel groupings. Not exclusively, but did catch some passes from Manning.
Click to expand...
With Welker, Thomas and Decker, are there enough balls left over for a TE?
Click to expand...
that's what she said

 
Cecil Lammey said:
Ball gets more rushing TDs this year regardless of who is the starter.

Starter is a ceremonial term with Broncos backs, it's Thunder & Lightning "hot hand" RBBC here.

Hillman wins the foot frequency battle. Has retained his speed, added 20 lbs of muscle, and is more decisive this year. Made several big runs yesterday on cutbacks.

Let's see Ball when the pads come on. He impressed me most as a receiver yesterday. As a runner he was getting swallowed up with the second team.
Click to expand...
I think I must have missed the bolded somehow. He's up 20 lbs? Has he maintained the same quickness and explosiveness? If so, that added weight likely helps him a ton in pass pro and running between the tackles.

He became a lot more intriguing to me with that news.

 
Cecil Lammey said:
Day one report here: http://denverssportsstation.com/common/more.php?m=49&post_id=7621
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No. 83 Wes Welker: Welker is a professional ankle breaker. You have to wear a brace when watching him from field level. He gets open every time, every time! Welker is already showing strong chemistry with QB Peyton Manning and should become a favorite target. On short yardage situations the Broncos don’t need to bang it between the tackles hoping for a first-down. They can just run Welker on a jerk route and he’ll move the chains.

No. 87 Eric Decker: Decker was working routes all over the field today. He was working the sideline with ease and making sure to get two feet down. I expect his numbers to go down with the addition of Welker but he could still be a near 1,000 yard receiver. It wouldn’t surprise me if Manning threw for over 5,000 yards for the first time in his career. There’s enough to go around for all three receivers. Decker did work a deep route that Manning put just out of reach. That timing should be back the closer we get to the regular season.
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you are killing me. I don't think my heart can take the anticipation of pre-season.

 
JFS171 said:
Cecil Lammey said:
Ball gets more rushing TDs this year regardless of who is the starter.

Starter is a ceremonial term with Broncos backs, it's Thunder & Lightning "hot hand" RBBC here.

Hillman wins the foot frequency battle. Has retained his speed, added 20 lbs of muscle, and is more decisive this year. Made several big runs yesterday on cutbacks.

Let's see Ball when the pads come on. He impressed me most as a receiver yesterday. As a runner he was getting swallowed up with the second team.
Click to expand...
I think I must have missed the bolded somehow. He's up 20 lbs? Has he maintained the same quickness and explosiveness? If so, that added weight likely helps him a ton in pass pro and running between the tackles.

He became a lot more intriguing to me with that news.
Click to expand...
Still fast, explosive, and more decisive this year. He worked out in LA with good friend Travelle Gaines. T has worked with Reggie Bush, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Marshawn Lynch.

Here's a B/R video about his offseason work: http://t.co/clWGkA1fmM

 
JFS171 said:
Cecil Lammey said:
Ball gets more rushing TDs this year regardless of who is the starter.

Starter is a ceremonial term with Broncos backs, it's Thunder & Lightning "hot hand" RBBC here.

Hillman wins the foot frequency battle. Has retained his speed, added 20 lbs of muscle, and is more decisive this year. Made several big runs yesterday on cutbacks.

Let's see Ball when the pads come on. He impressed me most as a receiver yesterday. As a runner he was getting swallowed up with the second team.
Click to expand...
I think I must have missed the bolded somehow. He's up 20 lbs? Has he maintained the same quickness and explosiveness? If so, that added weight likely helps him a ton in pass pro and running between the tackles.

He became a lot more intriguing to me with that news.
Click to expand...
195 at the combine, 180 playing weight last year. So "+20" is relative. He's probably around his combine weight again, with no evidence yet he can keep the weight on.

 
Yeha I didn't realize he fell off to the sub-180 range late last year, but would certainly explain the struggles in running between the tackles and pass pro. I'm still skeptical, honestly...

If he's 200 lbs and can stay at 200, perhaps there's something here. But he struggled to keep the weight on before, so why should we believe he'll keep it on this time?

And you've got a rookie bruiser who's also excelling according to reports, and already getting first team reps.

Just seems like a confusing situation to me. I *want* to believe in the Hillman hype as I can acquire him relatively cheaply in my dynasty, but I've got zero shot at Ball.

 
I don't want to steal Lammey's thunder, but made the trek to camp today and here are a few fantasy-relevant tidbits. No pads today.

Hillman got 1st crack with the 1s and Ball rotated with him

From what I could tell Moreno played strictly with the 2s and got some special teams work. He looks substantially bigger, especially his legs. He made a nice adjustment on a throw from Osweiler for a decent gain.

Tamme, Dreessen and Julius Thomas rotated with the 1s at TE. Thomas is massive and he looked pretty polished running routes against the 1st team d. He could be in for a breakout or semibreakout season at TE.

Welker and Manning seem to have a very good chemistry already.

Bubba Caldwell had a huge gain down the sideline on a well-thrown ball from Osewiler. I don't think he makes much of a fantasy impact this year, and long-term I think King surpasses Caldwell.

Osweiler has a really good arm and looked comfortable running the 2nd team O. He has the physical talent to play QB down the road.

 
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JFS171 said:
Yeha I didn't realize he fell off to the sub-180 range late last year, but would certainly explain the struggles in running between the tackles and pass pro. I'm still skeptical, honestly...

If he's 200 lbs and can stay at 200, perhaps there's something here. But he struggled to keep the weight on before, so why should we believe he'll keep it on this time?

And you've got a rookie bruiser who's also excelling according to reports, and already getting first team reps.

Just seems like a confusing situation to me. I *want* to believe in the Hillman hype as I can acquire him relatively cheaply in my dynasty, but I've got zero shot at Ball.
Click to expand...
I understand why you're hesitant about him keeping the weight on. Clinton Portis fell to 185 during his rookie year (a 1,500 season) then learned how to eat, keep his calories up, and keep the weight on during the year. It's something Ronnie has talked about earlier this year. This is RBBC and the 'starter' is more of a ceremonial term.

 
Buffaloes said:
I don't want to steal Lammey's thunder, but made the trek to camp today and here are a few fantasy-relevant tidbits. No pads today.

Hillman got 1st crack with the 1s and Ball rotated with him

From what I could tell Moreno played strictly with the 2s and got some special teams work. He looks substantially bigger, especially his legs. He made a nice adjustment on a throw from Osweiler for a decent gain.

Tamme, Dreessen and Julius Thomas rotated with the 1s at TE. Thomas is massive and he looked pretty polished running routes against the 1st team d. He could be in for a breakout or semibreakout season at TE.

Welker and Manning seem to have a very good chemistry already.

Bubba Caldwell had a huge gain down the sideline on a well-thrown ball from Osewiler. I don't think he makes much of a fantasy impact this year, and long-term I think King surpasses Caldwell.

Osweiler has a really good arm and looked comfortable running the 2nd team O. He has the physical talent to play QB down the road.
Click to expand...
Is this referring to Hillman or Moreno?

 
Buffaloes said:
I don't want to steal Lammey's thunder, but made the trek to camp today and here are a few fantasy-relevant tidbits. No pads today.

Hillman got 1st crack with the 1s and Ball rotated with him

From what I could tell Moreno played strictly with the 2s and got some special teams work. He looks substantially bigger, especially his legs. He made a nice adjustment on a throw from Osweiler for a decent gain.

Tamme, Dreessen and Julius Thomas rotated with the 1s at TE. Thomas is massive and he looked pretty polished running routes against the 1st team d. He could be in for a breakout or semibreakout season at TE.

Welker and Manning seem to have a very good chemistry already.

Bubba Caldwell had a huge gain down the sideline on a well-thrown ball from Osewiler. I don't think he makes much of a fantasy impact this year, and long-term I think King surpasses Caldwell.

Osweiler has a really good arm and looked comfortable running the 2nd team O. He has the physical talent to play QB down the road.
Click to expand...
Ah man, you should have yelled at me!

Hillman missed a couple of plays due to cramps but came back in and wowed on a double move to get open down the sidelines. Manning hit him in between two defenders near the sideline. Hillman made Woodyard look silly on that play.

Oz is looking great. That big play to Caldwell was placed perfectly in stride over his shoulder.

More in tonight's report!

 
JFS171 said:
Buffaloes said:
I don't want to steal Lammey's thunder, but made the trek to camp today and here are a few fantasy-relevant tidbits. No pads today.

Hillman got 1st crack with the 1s and Ball rotated with him

From what I could tell Moreno played strictly with the 2s and got some special teams work. He looks substantially bigger, especially his legs. He made a nice adjustment on a throw from Osweiler for a decent gain.

Tamme, Dreessen and Julius Thomas rotated with the 1s at TE. Thomas is massive and he looked pretty polished running routes against the 1st team d. He could be in for a breakout or semibreakout season at TE.

Welker and Manning seem to have a very good chemistry already.

Bubba Caldwell had a huge gain down the sideline on a well-thrown ball from Osewiler. I don't think he makes much of a fantasy impact this year, and long-term I think King surpasses Caldwell.

Osweiler has a really good arm and looked comfortable running the 2nd team O. He has the physical talent to play QB down the road.
Click to expand...
Is this referring to Hillman or Moreno?
Click to expand...
Moreno working with Osweiler. Hillman working with Manning.

This is much different from the Moreno we saw when he went through his "Crossfit" phase.

 
Cecil Lammey said:
JFS171 said:
Yeha I didn't realize he fell off to the sub-180 range late last year, but would certainly explain the struggles in running between the tackles and pass pro. I'm still skeptical, honestly...

If he's 200 lbs and can stay at 200, perhaps there's something here. But he struggled to keep the weight on before, so why should we believe he'll keep it on this time?

And you've got a rookie bruiser who's also excelling according to reports, and already getting first team reps.

Just seems like a confusing situation to me. I *want* to believe in the Hillman hype as I can acquire him relatively cheaply in my dynasty, but I've got zero shot at Ball.
Click to expand...
I understand why you're hesitant about him keeping the weight on. Clinton Portis fell to 185 during his rookie year (a 1,500 season) then learned how to eat, keep his calories up, and keep the weight on during the year. It's something Ronnie has talked about earlier this year. This is RBBC and the 'starter' is more of a ceremonial term.
Click to expand...
So if it's a ceremonial term and RBBC, what is Hillman's upside in this offense? 150 carries plus 50 receptions? 100 carries? 225 carries?

 
Nice report, Cecil.

Any chance you can comment on how you would project carries/touches to break out among the RBs, or would that cross the line?

Based on your writings, it certainly seems as if Hillman's going to get a shot here to be the guy. The ZBS may be an excellent fit for him, and he's still the youngest player in the league, so perhaps there's still room to add more muscle and pounds on that frame without losing his speed and quickness. We've certainly seen the ZBS make heroes out of undersized guys before (Steve Slaton comes to mind), but Ball will obviously have a role as well.

Maybe we get a better idea today when the pads come on, but the time to pounce on Hillman would be now in dynasty...

I know you're a big Hillman supporter (have been since last year), but is he going to get a shot at 60% of the load here?

 
JFS171 said:
Nice report, Cecil.

Any chance you can comment on how you would project carries/touches to break out among the RBs, or would that cross the line?

Based on your writings, it certainly seems as if Hillman's going to get a shot here to be the guy. The ZBS may be an excellent fit for him, and he's still the youngest player in the league, so perhaps there's still room to add more muscle and pounds on that frame without losing his speed and quickness. We've certainly seen the ZBS make heroes out of undersized guys before (Steve Slaton comes to mind), but Ball will obviously have a role as well.

Maybe we get a better idea today when the pads come on, but the time to pounce on Hillman would be now in dynasty...

I know you're a big Hillman supporter (have been since last year), but is he going to get a shot at 60% of the load here?
Click to expand...
on the sidelines now, will get into this later but the short answer is - depends on how Ball looks in pass pro.

Ball is the red zone back regardless of where he is on the depth chart. More in a bit, practice is about to kick off!

 
I go back too (as a Carolina fan) to how John Fox utilizes rookie RBs, and it's not much.

I know this has been beaten to death, but a quick history of the most notable examples:

Foster was a 2nd rounder - sat behind Stephen Davis

DW was a 1st rounder - sat behind Foster

Stew was a 1st rounder - sat behind DW (still in a muddled timeshare post-Fox)

So perhaps, maybe, we shouldn't blame Hillman's lack of usage last year entirely on him. Fox has a pretty good track record with RBs, and it usually involves very limited roles for them as rookies. IF that held in this scenario, Hillman would fall into the lead back role here with Ball being used as a RZ back and short-yardage pounder. In future seasons, that could shift, but that would be the expectation for this year given the historical deployment of Foxy's backfield.

Look forward to hearing more, Cecil!

 
JFS171 said:
I go back too (as a Carolina fan) to how John Fox utilizes rookie RBs, and it's not much.

I know this has been beaten to death, but a quick history of the most notable examples:

Foster was a 2nd rounder - sat behind Stephen Davis

DW was a 1st rounder - sat behind Foster

Stew was a 1st rounder - sat behind DW (still in a muddled timeshare post-Fox)

So perhaps, maybe, we shouldn't blame Hillman's lack of usage last year entirely on him. Fox has a pretty good track record with RBs, and it usually involves very limited roles for them as rookies. IF that held in this scenario, Hillman would fall into the lead back role here with Ball being used as a RZ back and short-yardage pounder. In future seasons, that could shift, but that would be the expectation for this year given the historical deployment of Foxy's backfield.

Look forward to hearing more, Cecil!
Click to expand...
In those examples though they had a clear cut established veteran rb in front of the rookie. This year there's no one (I don't count Moreno as established).

 
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