There’s a traffic jam outside of Dove Valley.
Cars are lined up along Broncos Parkway, making the landscape look like an early-morning version of the final shot from Field of Dreams, where a stream of cars hundreds long crawled towards a floodlit emerald field.
The main parking lot appears to be full, and it looks as though cars are being directed across the street, to wherever room can be found.
And since it’s scheduled to be a day of full contact and full pads — or “big boy football,” as DenverBroncos.com staffer Kyle Sonneman repeatedly calls it — I decided to treat myself to my traditional game-day breakfast at McDonald’s. The drive-through line snaked around the building, so I went inside — where at least half the people in the joint along Arapahoe Road were clad in Broncos gear.
It’s the first Saturday of camp, and it’s the closest thing to game day one will find until the actual contests take place.
This Saturday morning session is annually the most well attended, and this year is no exception. The hillside behind the south end zone of the main practice field is already packed, as is the southwest hillside. Today, Dove Valley will be more resemblent of Death Valley at Clemson, with humanity flooding every available nook and cranny from which one can keep the field within eyeshot.
The upcoming practice will also be the only one of the day; the afternoon session scheduled for 3:50 p.m. MDT has been cancelled.
Time to get ready to go to the field. I’ll have a report in a few hours — and our sincerest apologies for the technical difficulties that blindsided the blogs and message boards on Friday evening.
Tags: Training Camp
[...] Today’s practice marks a Broncos tradition - every year it is the most attended, mainly because of the physical focus of the event. Full pads and full contact today, with the first teams going at each other. It’s big news in Broncos football to see Champ Bailey on Javon Walker snap after snap in full pads, and I’ll have a report later this afternoon (have to work until 5). [...]