Training camp couldn’t seem much further away right now as I sit here at a table in a hotel room hard by San Francisco International Airport and a long Jay Cutler pass from the western shore of San Francisco Bay. For one thing, it was 68 degrees when our plane landed — at 5:20 in the afternoon, with three hours of daylight still left. The dry heat in which the Broncos practiced throughout the last two weeks is just a memory, although after Monday night’s game it will be replaced by the stew-thick humidity-abetted heat of north Texas.
But before we move on to game day, some final thoughts on the stars of the camp that was:
RB Travis Henry: General Manager Ted Sundquist said upon signing him that he was brought in to bring “authority” to the Broncos’ running game. He showed that daily.
QB Patrick Ramsey: Seemed to grow very comfortable in the offense as camp progressed, and his arm strength reminds you why he was a first-round pick in 2002.
CB Dre’ Bly: Hard to believe a few people at training camp booed him. You know who you are. Shame on you. I’m not fundamentally opposed to booing; sometimes it’s a necessary fan expression, and I’ve booed at least a few times in my life, usually at umpires with inconsistent strike zones. But this was practice, for God’s sake. Besides, Bly led the Broncos in takeaways, with more than twice as many as anyone else on the defense. Monday, we’ll start finding out just how often opponents try to challenge him with Bly on the other side. Last Dec. 31, Alex Smith went to Champ Bailey’s side — and paid a steep price when Bailey ended up with a football that deflected into his hands. Will Smith look in Bailey’s direction again, or will he go after Bly?
CB Jeff Shoate: Turned up the turnover touch in the last week of the camp and showed no timidity, often giving no cushion to opposing wide receivers. Shoate credited his aggression in coverage to the fact that he was fully healthy for the first time as a pro, with the knee problems that beset him the last two years just an unpleasant memory.
WRs Brandon Stokley, Domenik Hixon and Brian Clark: With Javon Walker, you expect big things, and he delivered, looking like his 2004, pre-knee injury self. Hixon, Stokley and Clark kept getting open and kept making the grabs, although Stokley was shelved by thigh problems the last few days of camp. Hixon showed a fearless streak, and was more than willing to go across the middle whenever asked — especially on the full-pad days. His next-day return from a first-degree shoulder separation also impressed coaches and onlookers alike.
… and other notable standouts to these eyes …
DE Elvis Dumervil: He’s added some straight-on bull rush to his already outstanding skills coming off the edge. Even though he was on the third team in the base package throughout training camp, he was on the first unit in long-yardage situations, and seems poised to at least provide an adrenaline and speed boost to the pass rush once again this year.
DE Jarvis Moss: Like Dumervil, the most promising sign for Moss was his willingness to work on his power pass-rushing techniques that will make him a complete defensive end in the long term.
RB Andre Hall: Like Henry, he ran with authority, and found success in goal-line work. He also secured the football well, although a right hamstring injury at the close of camp put a damper on his efforts.
CB Domonique Foxworth: I wonder if I should start referring to him by “CB/S” or “DB,” given his work at safety, particularly in the last few days. He might not be in the first-team base starting 11, but stands to play a starter’s minutes at nickelback and first fill-in at all secondary spots.
G Montrae Holland: I’m really looking forward to watching him Monday night. Remember, he was a fairly quick target of the Broncos in free agency; they liked him a great deal, and you could see why at camp — he played effectively and with tenacity.
QB Darrell Hackney: There’s just something I like about the guy. Maybe it’s short man’s bias; I’m “vertically challenged” and naturally pull for someone who looks up at most of his teammates. But his arm strength and velocity was as advertised, and he showed grittiness in practicing — and hobbling on a scramble — through a leg strain.
OL Emmanuel Akah: On the field, offensive coordinator Rick Dennison gave the British import a fair amount of praise. As one would expect with someone relatively new to the sport, he’s raw, but has some talent and held his own in one-on-one duels. Injuries among fellow offensive linemen ought to give Akah more snaps on Monday night.
And of course, there was the enthusiastic — and, for spectators, frequently entertaining — coaching exhortations of assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates.
Those are just some names who jumped out to me. Who did you think stood out? Fire away, Broncos fans … I’ll be back to read your thoughts after going out for dinner. Until then, vaya con Dios.
Tags: Training Camp
Hey Mase,
What about Crowder, or Harris and is Bell doing okay or whats the deal. Stuck over here on the western slope. Thanks
Hey man,
I’m here in San Fran, and was really looking forward to going to the game tommorow, although in the end I can’t. Anyway, how’s Lynch looking in camp? Has he slowed down with age, or do you think he’s still going to be a force in the secondary?
wish I could have been there to see some of these guys first hand.. but you were my eyes for the entire training camp letting… reading your blog was informative on what was happening and who was doing what. To me it sounded like we have some young guys who could prove to make an impact at a number of positions.. on the injury front… how serious are some of these guys hurt? is just something that the coaches might keep them out so as to not risk further injury? or are these guys really unable to go? Hearing about all the players going down this year was new to me because normally there isn’t anything that lets you know about it.
wish I could have been there to see some of these guys first hand.. but you were my eyes for the entire training camp letting… reading your blog was informative on what was happening and who was doing what. To me it sounded like we have some young guys who could prove to make an impact at a number of positions.. on the injury front… how serious are some of these guys hurt? is just something that the coaches might keep them out so as to not risk further injury? or are these guys really unable to go? Hearing about all the players going down this year was new to me because normally there isn’t anything that lets you know about it. Well adios from Dayton OH. Good luck tomorrow night Broncos!
Hey what about NEW midd MLB D.j. Williams? Nate Webster delivered hits daily
Good questions, good thoughts all … keep ‘em coming. I’ll reply in detail later in the morning; ended up taking a vigorous and much-needed late-night stroll through the streets of San Francisco after a sumptuous crab dinner, and now I’m a tad sleepy. So as I write often in this blog space, more to come …
ANDREW MASON FOR PRESIDENT
AM,
I agree with your list, and would only make one addition: Scott O’Brien
A.M.
What is this I’m hearing about Gerrard Warren on the trading block? He didn’tmake the trip to S.F. Has Kennedy or Thomas or even Veal looked good enough to make him expendable. I thought this defense would be perfect for “Big Money” considering his size, his willingness to tie up blokers and his natural pass rushing/penetrating abilities. At 330 pounds, we need his beef up front! Also, what is up with Alvin Mckinely? The Broncos gave him a pretty good contract this offseason. How was his training camp?
Took the family to the afternoon practice on the first day of camp. The guy who stood out the most to me was Nick Ferguson, though for a different reason. He did such a great job interacting with the fans, my kids quickly became enamored with the guy. He definitely livened things up for fans and teammates alike. It’s good to have a guy like that on the team.
Please respond to the warren rumer .
It’s funny that, up until now, everything that’s been written in the Post and elsewhere states Warren is a good player for Bates’ scheme.
Now that the Broncos are trying to trade him, he “isn’t considered a good fit.”
Good morning … and good thoughts. Here goes …
Myles High:
Mike Bell showed flashes, and can still break through a hole at the line of scrimmage as well as anyone among the tailbacks, but it seemed like he hit the ground more than all the other running backs combined. Ryan Harris is a rookie at a position it takes multiple years to master in the Broncos’ scheme, and it showed early, although he began to hold his own more often in the one-on-one work as camp progressed before he was injured. Tim Crowder is solid, dependable, good against the run, and was working at tackle, having a similar role with the second team that Ebenezer Ekuban had with the first.
zukhyubern:
Lynch looked solid, in command, as always. Having Bly and Bailey at the corners freed him to come up and assist in run defense more often than he did last year.
broncosfan1326:
>>
how serious are some of these guys hurt? is just something that the coaches might keep them out so as to not risk further injury? or are these guys really unable to go?
>>
It depends, because there is a different set of standards for the preseason. I think Brandon Marshall would play if it were the regular season, perhaps ditto for Tony Scheffler, Matt Lepsis and Ben Hamilton. And even slight injuries to the quads and hamstring will render a player out for the preseason games and practices; those injuries generally don’t worsen by playing, but don’t improve, either, and the best solution is often rest.
Ramie:
D.J. looked good, but games are the test of his transition. He still has all the speed that made him a first-round pick, running step-for-step with wide receivers.
combo1985:
I wouldn’t make a good president. Besides, I’m unelectable because my political beliefs ensure I could never make it through the primaries of either major party. (Well, that, and the fact I’m still four years too young right now.)
BusMan:
I agree with your post 100 percent. O’Brien is a phenomenal coach.
Dr_Bronco22/bailey&bly:
As for Warren, it’s still just rumor. He’s still a Bronco. If any move is made, we’ll post it on the site when it happens.
Alvin McKinley looked solid when he was in there, but couldn’t crack the first team; when it was time for another D-tackle on the base first unit (particularly when Sam Adams sat out to rest his knee), Jimmy Kennedy was the first name called.
grif:
How ’bout letting me sleep a little bit, grif? I’m on West Coast time and will be up until about 2-3 a.m. PDT tonight. This is one of my rare opportunities during these early-August weeks to sleep more than six hours, and I need to take it.
We should be settled in at the Monster Park press box by 2 p.m. PDT. Be sure and tune back in for the pre-game DenverBroncos.com podcast, which should be up mid-afternoon Pacific time, and of course, I’ll be blogging throughout. If you have any questions for the pre-game podcast, e-mail me here.
lets go broncos…..
thank you very much for the post Andrew Mason. GO BRONX!!!
Thanks for the response Andrew. As always… keep it coming and have fun at the game tonight! Go Broncos!
-Randy
I was so excited to be at my first practice last Friday, that I couldn’t calm down enough before the practice was over to actually pay close attention to much! It was one of the highlights of my life to actually be there and see everyone practice, so they all rocked in my book!
Go Broncos!!!
Diane
http://www.sacredjourneymassage.com
We’re any former players/veterans on hand Andrew? Any one hawking the sidelines with Coach and Bowlen ? I could see Steve Atwater out there watching Foxworth go sideline to sideline!
i’m still shocked about gerard warren being on the trading block. you adeptly sidestepped the previous question about warren, so i will ask a different one.
how did amon gordon fare in training camp? i read his name in your blog more often than alvin mckinley’s.
77crush:
I’m glad you at least said I “adeptly” sidestepped the question about Warren … but on matters like these, as a Broncos employee, I deal in facts, not rumors. He is still a member of the Broncos; that is a fact. What is also fact is that he is not in uniform as the Broncos warm up in the hour before the game.
Gordon … it’s tough to evaluate defensive tackles when most of the practices do not include full contact, but he did look very active — even got his hands on an interception last week. We’ll probably learn more tonight about him.