BRONCOS: Mini-Camp Update (1 Viewer)

[Denver Obsession]

Denver's late off-season Mini-Camp is officially wrapped up and for two days we got a good look at some new broncos (as well as some old ones).

above is the much awaited closer look at Javon’s new hairdo (courtesy of Andrew Mason).

...and here are some football-related highlights from mini-camp…

* First, and foremost, is the excellent coverage of all things orange & blue by our hero of the Denver blog-o-sphere Andrew Mason. He continues his work with daily news and pictures from mini-camp. Check out the pictures HERE

* Brandon Stokley was out on the field and running around. He even participate in 7-on-7 drills on Tuesday! He is expected to be 100% by the time Camp starts on the 27th. FULL STORY on Rocky Mountain News, FULL STORY in the Post

* Brandon Marshall was also on the field running again…. until he pulled his quadriceps. He says it’s no big deal and that he plans to be 100% for Camp. FULL STORY on his recovery from the Groin Injury on DenverBroncos.com

* Cecil Sapp played RB on the Second Team.

* The First Team O-line on Monday consisted of: LT Matt Lepsis, LG Ben Hamilton, C Tom Nalen, RG Chris Kuper and RT Erik Pears. On Tuesday, Ben Hamilton was absent and Chris Myers filled in.

* The First Team D-line rotated heavily both days.

* As for the secondary, Eddie Moore lined up with the First Team on Monday but was absent on Tuesday. Mike Shanahan said it was excused, but won’t go into details. Warrick Holdman filled in for the LB.

* Ian Gold, Curome Cox, John Lynch and newly acquired NFLE CB Kevin House each intercepted passes on Monday.

* Nick Ferguson’s wife gave birth at 4am this morning to a baby boy… and, yes, that excused him from practice as well! Nick says now that he has another mouth to feed he’s going play even more aggressively–is that possible?!

 

[BusMan]

I'm glad to hear the good news about Stokley and Marshall, but I'm containing my excitement over the potential wide receiver depth until I hear more about Rod Smith. But if he does come back healthy and ready to make a mark before exiting the NFL stage, we'll have a scary five-wide set.

It makes sense for Moore to get a lot of reps at SLB, as he already knows Bates' system from his time in Miami. I'd expect the competition to really heat up at training camp, with any of Moore, Holdman, or Nate Webster earning the starting nod. I'm interested to see if any of them will play well enough to stay on the field on passing downs.

 

[CA_7]

Everytime I read something about Denver my gut tells me Shanny wants Cutler to succeed so badly that he thinks he can make people forget about Elway. No way in hell that ever happens but don't tell Shanny's ego that....

Denver has brought in some great offensive talent in Henry and Watson, even a guy like Stokley is a smart and consistent playmaker (when healthy).

Cutler will bust in to the top 10 this year. Great value for those of you who like to wait on a QB since he is going in the 15-20 range.

 

[SSOG]

* The First Team O-line on Monday consisted of: LT Matt Lepsis, LG Ben Hamilton, C Tom Nalen, RG Chris Kuper and RT Erik Pears. On Tuesday, Ben Hamilton was absent and Chris Myers filled in.

This is really good to hear. I'd been uneasy seeing Meadows listed at the top of the depth chart all offseason so far. Meadows is a great player and is certainly overqualified to be a backup (perhaps one of the best backup tackles in the league, assuming he can stay healthy), but I'm really excited about the prospects of Eric Pears. He's the first offensive lineman to get heavy playing time in Denver's system as a rookie, and he acquitted himself extremely well. I think he's going to be a big mainstay at RT for years to come.Interesting to hear that Kuper is starting over Myers. I'd heard a lot of back and forth between the two, and know they're both highly regarded by the coaching staff, so I was curious who'd finally get the nod. I expected Myers' experience to give him an edge, but it doesn't seem like that's the case. Of course, it's still very early, and there's plenty of time for a change.This is definitely a far cry from the paper-thin line that Denver was sporting as recently as two years ago, when a single injury would have devastated the entire offense. In addition to Meadows and Myers, there's also Harris, Reagor, and Eslinger. I suspect that Meadows-Myers-Eslinger-Reagor-Harris might even be able to keep pace with some of the more putrid lines in the league, and that's just Denver's 2nd team. And Myers, Harris, Eslinger, Pears, and Kuper are all in their 3rd season or less.My only question is whether all 10 linemen make the team, and if someone gets left off, who is it? My guess would be Eslinger, who still has some practice squad eligibility, and who the team isn't as high on as Kuper/Myers, but I wonder if he'd last another season on the practice squad after earning All-NFL-Europa honors.

 

[SSOG]

I'm glad to hear the good news about Stokley and Marshall, but I'm containing my excitement over the potential wide receiver depth until I hear more about Rod Smith.

Not sounding good so far...http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/...5623538,00.html

Broncos' Smith's bum hip making slow progress

By Associated Press

July 10, 2007

Rod Smith is letting his surgically repaired hip tell him when he's ready to return to the field.

Right now, it's saying it's not even close.

The 37-year-old receiver, who had an operation on the hip in February, sat out the Broncos' two-day minicamp. He's yet to run post-surgery except briefly in a pool.

Smith doesn't know if he'll be healed in time for training camp, which begins July 29. And when asked about possibly hanging it up, the Broncos' all-time leader in touchdowns and receptions said the thought hasn't entered his mind.

"If I think that, then I quit," Smith said Tuesday. "Why think that? I don't think that way."

Smith was supposed to go in for a routine scope, but the hip was such a mess, torn labrum, frayed cartilage, bone spurs, floating fragments, that it turned into a major surgery. His surgeon even wondered how he made it through last season.

He was off the crutches by May, but it's been slow going ever since.

"You can't rush something like this," Smith said.

Watching from the sideline has been hard for Smith, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 1994. Smith has never missed a single day of the team's offseason strength and conditioning program so this is a new experience.

"You can't set a timetable for me," Smith said. "My body sets the timetable. If it's not time, I'm not going out there."

Smith has earned the right to set his own rehab schedule. The former Missouri Southern standout has more receptions (849), receiving yards (11,389) and touchdowns (68) than any undrafted player in NFL history.

The Broncos want to take the cautious route as well.

"We don't want to push him too hard or we'll set him back," coach Mike Shanahan said. "The more he can do the more we will push him."

Smith thought he'd be further along by now. And while he's trying to remain upbeat, it's difficult.

"Everybody's body is different," he said. "When you get a little older, it takes a little longer. My body said, 'No, you're not (ready).' I have to listen. The thing is getting ready for football season. I know camp is a part of the season, but football season starts in September. That's what I'm looking forward to."

Smith, who's starting to gray around the temples, watched the receivers run passing routes Tuesday. Denver has some depth at the position with Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, David Kircus and up-and-comer Domenik Hixon all vying for playing time.

"We have a lot of untested guys, but I think we've got a lot of talent," Shanahan said. "It will be interesting to see who stays healthy, who steps up and makes plays when it counts."

Smith knows he has work to do when he returns. There's no guaranteed roster spot. Just ask Jerry Rice, who retired two years ago after it became clear he wasn't going to make the Broncos squad.

But that's the way Smith prefers it.

"Everybody should be unsure of their status," said Smith, who had just 512 yards receiving last season, only the second time in 10 years he's failed to reach 1,000. "No one is guaranteed a job around here. I'm fighting for a job on the team, that's nothing new to me. I've done that for 13 years. Going into my 14th year, I plan on doing the same thing.

"I've never been safe in my entire career."

ETC.: Marshall tweaked his injured left thigh muscle running a route Tuesday and took it easy the rest of practice as a precaution. ... The Broncos took the afternoon off and went bowling. ... S Nick Ferguson returned to practice after missing Monday's workouts to attend the birth of his son.

 

[rascal]

* The First Team O-line on Monday consisted of: LT Matt Lepsis, LG Ben Hamilton, C Tom Nalen, RG Chris Kuper and RT Erik Pears. On Tuesday, Ben Hamilton was absent and Chris Myers filled in.

This is really good to hear. I'd been uneasy seeing Meadows listed at the top of the depth chart all offseason so far. Meadows is a great player and is certainly overqualified to be a backup (perhaps one of the best backup tackles in the league, assuming he can stay healthy), but I'm really excited about the prospects of Eric Pears. He's the first offensive lineman to get heavy playing time in Denver's system as a rookie, and he acquitted himself extremely well. I think he's going to be a big mainstay at RT for years to come.Interesting to hear that Kuper is starting over Myers. I'd heard a lot of back and forth between the two, and know they're both highly regarded by the coaching staff, so I was curious who'd finally get the nod. I expected Myers' experience to give him an edge, but it doesn't seem like that's the case. Of course, it's still very early, and there's plenty of time for a change.This is definitely a far cry from the paper-thin line that Denver was sporting as recently as two years ago, when a single injury would have devastated the entire offense. In addition to Meadows and Myers, there's also Harris, Reagor, and Eslinger. I suspect that Meadows-Myers-Eslinger-Reagor-Harris might even be able to keep pace with some of the more putrid lines in the league, and that's just Denver's 2nd team. And Myers, Harris, Eslinger, Pears, and Kuper are all in their 3rd season or less.My only question is whether all 10 linemen make the team, and if someone gets left off, who is it? My guess would be Eslinger, who still has some practice squad eligibility, and who the team isn't as high on as Kuper/Myers, but I wonder if he'd last another season on the practice squad after earning All-NFL-Europa honors.

I think Myers starts next year when Nalen retires. Not sure if it will be center or guard at this point though.They do have good depth though, which is a nice thing from couple of years ago. And the depth is young, minus Meadows, which is even better for the future.

 

[bostonfred]

I hate Denver, but think they're going to be very good this year.

I think Cutler is set up to do well behind a good offensive line and with an improved running game. But who is he going to throw to? It seems like someone on this offense could absolutely blow up this year, but I don't have the slightest idea who.

 

[SSOG]

I hate Denver, but think they're going to be very good this year. I think Cutler is set up to do well behind a good offensive line and with an improved running game. But who is he going to throw to? It seems like someone on this offense could absolutely blow up this year, but I don't have the slightest idea who.

Listening to the coaches and reading between the lines a bit, it looks like the offense is going to run through Javon Walker. They're talking about focusing on the deep pass- and it's not just talk, either. In signing strong-armed backup Ramsey, they've been walking the walk, too. Generally Denver signs a backup whose strengths mean they don't have to scale back the offense much if the starter goes down. When Plummer was in town, the rollout and the bootleg were the biggest part of the offense, so Denver always flirted with mobile QBs (guys like Kordell Stewart and Jeff Garcia were always high on Denver's list). This year, they completely ignored the mobile options (including Garcia again) in favor of a guy with great arm strength, which indicates to me that this year they're really going to emphasize their vertical offense... and in Denver, vertical offense is synonymous with Javon Walker.

 

[rascal]

I hate Denver, but think they're going to be very good this year. I think Cutler is set up to do well behind a good offensive line and with an improved running game. But who is he going to throw to? It seems like someone on this offense could absolutely blow up this year, but I don't have the slightest idea who.

Listening to the coaches and reading between the lines a bit, it looks like the offense is going to run through Javon Walker. They're talking about focusing on the deep pass- and it's not just talk, either. In signing strong-armed backup Ramsey, they've been walking the walk, too. Generally Denver signs a backup whose strengths mean they don't have to scale back the offense much if the starter goes down. When Plummer was in town, the rollout and the bootleg were the biggest part of the offense, so Denver always flirted with mobile QBs (guys like Kordell Stewart and Jeff Garcia were always high on Denver's list). This year, they completely ignored the mobile options (including Garcia again) in favor of a guy with great arm strength, which indicates to me that this year they're really going to emphasize their vertical offense... and in Denver, vertical offense is synonymous with Javon Walker.

Yeap.Walker should have a pretty good year. He better be in shape...LOL