Bright blue skies and a few clouds welcomed the team to the morning practice on day three that was spent mostly working on the run game.
From run blocking drills on offense to run fits on defense, the ground game was highlighted in this morning’s two-hour practice. As is becoming the norm, a large crowd cheered on the team throughout the session.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
With the running game the focus of the day, all four running backs and fullback Spencer Larsen got extensive work carrying the ball. Kolby Smith got the majority of carries with the first group, but the order would change from drill to drill.
In 9-on-7 and the team portion, Zane Beadles manned left guard with J.D. Walton running center for the first team. Head Coach Josh McDaniels has said that he is going to rotate those positions during camp and today was Beadles and Walton’s opportunity.
With D.J. Williams not on the practice field, Wesley Woodyard took his spot with the first unit.
DRILLS
In keeping with the running game spirit of the day, most of the drills involved 1-on-1 and group blocking. On one side of the field, the tight ends and offensive tackles teamed up on the defensive tackles and outside linebackers while on the other side of the field the guards and centers took on the nose tackles and middle backers.
Running backs coach Eric Studesville had the running backs work on lead blocking on a blocking sled. All the backs earned extensive praise from Studesville on the drill for keeping their pad level low. Studesville urged the backs to take that intensity into the 9-on-7 period.
In the 9-on-7 period, the first group of defenders; Ryan McBean, Ronald Fields, Justin Bannan, Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, Woodyard and Mario Haggan slowed down the running game. Once they were spelled by the second unit, Lance Ball made one cut and was headed to the end zone, drawing the ire of Wink Martindale.
While the running game was being worked on one field, the quarterbacks, wide receivers and secondary went through drills on the other. The drill had two wide receivers going against man coverage with a safety over top.
During the special teams period of practice, kickoff return was the focus. Through most of camp, Eddie Royal, Alphonso Smith, Perrish Cox and Matthew Willis have taken all the reps. Today, Cassius Vaughn took several reps returning kicks and drew the praise of his teammates on his first return.
PLAYMAKERS
In this space and on other locations, you have probably heard the name Matthew Willis mentioned multiple times for his play on offense. Today’s mention is a littler different as it involves him hitting rather than catching. Early in the team period, Tim Tebow found Richard Quinn streaking across the middle. As Quinn turned up field, Woodyard stripped the ball from him and Alphonso Smith scooped it up. As Smith was headed to the sideline, so was Willis who collided with Smith for the biggest hit of camp thus far. The sound of the collision drew an “ooohhhh” from those in attendance.
Several passes came close to being intercepted, but the only man who was able to pull one in was Darcel McBath. McBath was in the right place at the right time as Demaryius Thomas tipped a ball right into his hands.
During a two-minute drill to end practice, Kyle Orton found Jabar Gaffney streaking down the sideline for a touchdown.
QUICK HITS
Before practice, wide receivers coach Adam Gase worked with Thomas and Eric Decker on getting off of press coverage.
Larsen has been active in the running game and passing game. On one play, Orton bought some time and found Larsen open in the middle. Just as he turned up field Ayers met him with a big hit. The former linebacker appreciated the knock and gave Ayers a congratulatory slap on the helmet.
Quinn went deep on two consecutive plays in the team session. On the first one, he had Brandon Stokley in stride, but Smith knocked the ball away at the last moment. On the next play, Decker beat his man and caught the pass down the middle of the field.
The team worked on punting out of the end zone and some situational drills including second-and-one and drawing the defense offside on fourth-and-1.
TRAINING CAMP JUKEBOX
Offseason champ Russ Hochstein is rumored to have picked out this morning’s playlis, which featured Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ball and Chain by Social Distortion and Fishing in the Dark by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Also played during practice to simulate crowd noise, was Mother by Danzig and Rick Ross’ B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast). The latter had the defense swaying back and forth in the huddle.
Below are some photos from today’s morning session. The team will be back on the field this afternoon at 4 p.m. for a practice closed to the public, but DenverBroncos.com will still provide coverage.
-Kyle Sonneman, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: 2010, Training Camp
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Man those broncos just look better and better everyday….and I love the picture of bay-bay and decker…
Another thing…does anyone know what’s wrong with D.J. Williams cause I heard he wasn’t out there…I hope all is well with him HE’S MY FAVORITE BRONCO (to this date that is)
Nice pics, but no info…….
Don’t know if this news will hold, but man what a blow to the Vikings that would be:
Brett Favre’s spectacular stint with the Minnesota Vikings appears to be over.
Favre has informed the Vikings he will not return to Minnesota for a second season, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
For the ones who have been asking to see Larsen carry the rock since we don’t have a power back, HERE YOU GO!
I guess Fields will be in a good mood until Jamal Williams comes in, haha.
On another note it was reported that McBean is starting ahead of Jarvis Green so far, so there is reason to smile…
our players look great in orange and blue…..
ha yea IDK if I believe that childress hasent even heard from Favre yet, I’m gunna call BS until I know better!
How does everyone think Tebow will do in his first pre-season game? IMO, I think he will struggle for the first few games but after a while he will get more and more comfortable in the system!
I like Royal rocking the black visor
Well, well, they concentrated on the run game this morning, very good to see that, I bet McD is trying to find out as soon as possible what he needs to do with the RB situation.
Farve smarve….. Go Broncos I really think we can get in the playoffs this year!
I really think Willis has a shot, love to hear that after an interception he laid the wood on Phonzy for the biggest hit of camp so far, that kid has got it I believe.
@ Yovi … I honestly dont see tebow getting a lot of reps the first couple games. brady will probably get most of them. but the 4th game he should see plenty of action i would think.
Go Broncos
“THE BATTLE IS WON IN THE TRENCHES”
It wasn’t after an interception it was after a fumble/stripped ball.
I called it back when when we traded Hillis…. Larson is our power back!!!
TOTE THE ROCK LARSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ILMSDB!!!!!!
Sure sounds like Gaffney will be Orton’s favorite receiver, always hearing of the two connecting so far in camp.
I wonder what`s the scoop with DJ. Also I think Royal is gonna have a killer year.
Good description of a two minute drill by Klis:
Highlight: Kyle Orton got the job done in the practice-ending 2-minute drill. Actually there was 1:50 remaining, the ball on the 20 and the Broncos’ first-team offense was down 17-14. Orton completed a 20-yard pass to Brandon Lloyd, who made a splendid catch from his rear. Another completion to Lloyd was followed by a sack. Third-and-9, Orton found running back Lance Ball open across the middle for a 16-yard gain to the Denver D’s 40-yard line. Orton then threw a beautiful deep spiral down the left sideline to an outstretched Jabar Gaffney, who beat Andre’ Goodman on the play. Gaffney’s momentum took him into the end zone for the practice-winning TD.
And OC, you’ll be glad to know Klis had good things to say about Tebow today:
Quarterback Watch: Tim Tebow had his best passing practice of camp. His best was crossing pattern dart to a well-covered Richard Quinn, who caught it, but fumbled after it was swatted out from behind.
Kyle Orton did the job on the 2-minute drill.
Brady Quinn also threw well, especially while hitting Eric Decker on a seam pattern.
He obviously just wasn’t impressed yesterday is all.
but i hope when tebow does get some game reps he kicks tail. or at least has an inspiring performance. that was the thing about elway, he wasnt always perfect but he inspired you with his play!
Go Broncos
“THE BATTLE IS WON IN THE TRENCHES”
He is also reporting that after Royal and Gaffney, Lloyd and Willis are getting the most reps, seems to me I might of been onto something when I say Stockley and McKinley might be the guys out.
nice to see klis had some good things to say today. after reading yesterdays stories about our 2 backups i was getting a bit nervous. lol
I don’t really like Royal’s new look, he looked better with his normal helmet and no visor. GO BRONCOS!!!
I always like what Klis has to say, he is the inside guy and is pretty smart, just my opinion.
i agree with you on stokely. great posession receiver but he is getting up there in age and with all the young talent we have in the wr group its going to be hard for him to make a big enough impact to make the final cut. i was under the impression that mckinley was having a pretty good off season tho. i guess we will just have to wait and see.
Go Broncos
“THE BATTLE IS WON IN THE TRENCHES”
its not that i dont like what he has to say. i generally read his stuff daily. but yesterdays stories on quinn were not really promising, and he wasnt real high on tebow either.
all is well now tho!
Go Broncos
“THE BATTLE IS WON IN THE TRENCHES”
Main reasons I pick Stokley and McKinley as the outside guys, is Stockley will be a liability health wise at some point in the season, pretty much can count on that, and McKinley has not progressed as fast as Willis and if Willis can do well on returns, which has been what McD has been checking, he very well might be the sixth receiver.
For the ones worried about DJ, this is the third practice he has missed, nothing to worry about if you listen to McD:
“There’s some guys we want to make sure we monitor and are smart with, we take care of. DJ is one of them. That doesn’t mean guys don’t have things we need to nourish back to help either, so you know, there’s nothing wrong with D.J. We’ll have him out here soon.”
(Lindsay Jones reporting today)
Where are the video highlights from each practice like the ones we had the previous years ? Come on, guys….
I like what I hear about Tebow and Willis, Tebow sounds like he is already making some progress and plays in practice and I believe Willis has a real drive in him! he wont let anyone turn him away, maybe he will be a big part of the team this year!
Has anyone on here been to the camp? I wanna hear from a fans point of view how everything looks!
So when we had a guy like Hillis who had proven he could run the ball with power and catch the ball, we decided not to use fullbacks, but now Larson we want too … Man McD must have just really disliked Hillis lol. More power to u Larson
Baylin
Thats tought as far as Farve goes, but he is probably just trying to avoid Training Camp AGAIN. lol. But if he is truly gone…I way we get in talks with the Vikings about trading Orton or Quinn lol. Or trading Orton or Quinn and a late pick for Toby Gerhart LMAO. I just think we have too many potential QBs lol. I think one of them can benefit from becoming a viking lol, thats a pretty good team to go too lol. Yea yea, Im dreaming I know. No way they trade Gerhart after loosing Taylor lol … besides would we really want him, he is not proven lol. Either way, I think before seasons begining one QB has to go and I think its safe to say it aint Tebow lmao
The wide receiver position is stacking up nice in one way but my concerns are that playing guys with low ceilings (Gaffeny, Willis, Stokely, Llyod) along with Royal (who I see having a much higher potential) may inhibit the progression of Decker and Thomas. It is good to see Willis and Llyod getting solid praise in the mini camps and start of training camp in the sense it will up the competition and force Thomas, Decker, and Royal to compete for playing time. It’s just a situation that I would prefer seeing Gaffeny Thomas Royal as our 1-2-3 with Decker as the 4 to start the season instead of something like Gaffeny Willis Royal 1-2-3 and Thomas and Decker pinned on the sidelines.
I hear you TRB, hadn’t thought of that myself, the Vikings could be shopping for a QB and Gerhart was the one I was eyeing like you and many, so many things would have to happen for it to even become a remote possibility though, like Favre retiring first and foremost, Klis is predicting he will, it’s a bit different this year, it seems to be for health reason, his late ankle surgery is not recovering like he had hoped, still could be a stratagem to get out of TC and pre season, just like you said, I mean if he says it’s a go a week before regular season the Vikings will take him, horrible situation if you ask me.
4HOF, I hear you too, but I’m not concerned by all that, if Decker catches up quick enough he will be a factor either way but for now he is just coming back from injury and has a lot to learn yet even so he is ahead of the curve with his college career, so I can see why we would push the other guys, and as for Thomas even so he is a great talent in the raw, he still has so much to learn about running routes since he hardly did any of that in college, he definitely will take a back seat to the other guys, at least early in the season, so they are were they should be for now in my opinion.
Hey, they’re just rookies, they haven’t even been hazed yet, LOL.
TRB, bigD44 will agree with the Gerhart thing, he was THE Toby spokesman here.
This is looking gret so far. I just hope that all the big hits at this stage do not cause any more injuries which is known to happen. I suppose there is conditioning and then theres ‘conditioning’.
Farve ~ I was over the drama when he was at GB, then came series 2 at NYJ, then series 3 at MIN now it looks set to rear its boring, mundane, draconian head with MIN 3.1.0.. For the love of God will please do us all a favour and stop with this BS of “Will I or Wont I”!!!! >:(
Having the early stages of preseason is like Charlie in the candy store “Who can take a sunrise, Sprinkle it in dew, Cover it in chocolate
and a miracle or two? The candyman, The candyman can, The candyman can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good” LOL
Theres just so much to take in, so much to think about and all the scenarios around the starting line ups… but once the dust settles then I will will really be focused on the team. Don’t get me wrong I love TC, but the regular season is the main and dessert!!!
Cant wait to see these guys go for it in the preseason.
Eddie Royal is wearing the new Riddell anti- concussion helmet. Royal missed the last two games of the 2009 season due to suffering a concussion.
Tim Tebow took a vicious hit and suffered a concussion on Sept 26th 2009 vs Kentucky. If you’ll notice, Tebow is wearing the same type of helmet.
Good observation rbf1, thanks for the info.
Yeah rfb1,nice job keeping up with the safety concerns,thanks for the info on that.
Bay thanks for the info on DJ,I was a little concerned,wheeeeeew!!!
As far as Larsen is concerned,it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if he turns into a great FB,we haven’t seen a great one since??? you guessed it Howard Griffith !!!
BFE
If Favre don’t come back,the Vikings really blew it,cause they are Superbowl caliber with a good QB,but now all the draft picks and FA’s are gone,sorry to hear about their Damn luck!!!!! LMAO
BFE
Kyle..thanks for fixing the blog bro!
No problem bay.
CrazyBRONCOSfaN08 12:57 pm post reminded me about the helmets.
One study found anti-concussion helmets reduce the likelihood of suffering a concussion by about one-third among high school players.
BFE – read your post about your boys getting sick. All part of conditioning. (heat/humidity a big factor as well). My boy is getting ready for high school ball now. It’s great watching them develop. They sure grow up quick. Remember to teach them to go in with their “chin up” on a tackle. Have fun w/ your boys.
I FEEL THE QB POSITION SHOULD BE MORE EMPHASIZE, OUR RECEIVERS SHOULD BE FINE. WITH A GOOD QB AT CENTER THAT CAN PICK UP THE BLITZ, WE SHOULD HAVE A BETTER SEASON. WE HAD ORTON AT CENTER LAST SEASON AND HE PUT UP GOOD #S…. I JUST HOPE MCD PICKS THE BEST QB FOR THE JOB!!!!
60 MINUTES OF FOOTBALL GO BRONCOS!!!
@TRB 3:06 comment…
How about trading Orton a couple extra WR’s and a 2-3rd round pick to the Vikes for Adrain Peterson???
lol OC, I dont think they would accept our whole team for adrian peterson … especially without a QB they will need that super ground game they got lol But a man can dream lol
QB: Orton, Quinn, Tebow
RB: Moreno, Buckhalter, Kolby Smith (possibly Westbrook)
FB: Larsen
WR: Royal, Gaffney, D. Thomas, Decker, Stokely, Willis, McKinley
TE: Graham, Quinn
LT: Clady, Polumbus
LG: Beadles, Hochstein
C: Walton, E. Olsen
RG: Kuper, S. Olsen
RT: Harris, (idk who is backing up Harris in TC)
DE: McBean, Green, Bannan, L. Smith,
NT: J. Williams, Fields, M. Thomas/C. Baker
OLB: Dumervil, Ayers, Moss, Alexander
ILB: D. Williams, Haggan, Ayodele, Mays
CB: Bailey, Goodman, Smith, Cox, Carter, Jones
S: Dawkins, Hill, Bruton, McBath
this is not meant for me to be rediculed. these are just my thoughts on a possible regular season roster. idk if i have it down to 53 men and i know i didnt include special teams or a practice squad but those are just my thoughts
NFL Network says Ladell Betts to visit Bronco`s this week. Interesting.
QB:Orton,Quinn,Tebow
RB:Moreno,Bucky,Smith
FB:Larsen, R. Quinn
WR:Gaffney,Bay Bay Thomas, Eddie Royal(slot),Decker,Lloyd,Willis
TE:Graham, Branson(recieving)
LT:Clady,Polumbus
LG:Beadles,Hochstein
C:Walton,S. Olsen
RG:Cuper,E. Olsen
RT:Harris,Gorin
RDE:Mcbean,Green,Thomas
NT:J.Williams,Fields,Baker
LDE:Bannan,Smith,Thomas
ROLB:Doom,Moss,Reid
Weakside ILB:Williams,Woodyard,
Strongside ILB:Haggan,Mays,Ayodele
LOLB:Ayers,Atkins,Kurlew
CB:Champ,Goodman,Cox,Jones,Phonzy
SS:Hill,Bruton,Barret
FS:Dawkins,McBath
Couple thing i want to add if Ayers does poorly in camp Moss could overtake him. Hes bulked up and has got his life together. I think Cosx is gonna surprise everybody and win the NB role, and I also think Renaldo Hill could get some competion could get some competition from McBath to be the other safety opposite Dawkins. Marquez Branson is going to be our playmaking tight end this yr I believe. and at LG it all depends on how Hochstein and Beadles perform in TC. Btw Bronco Boy Seth Olsen is more of a natural center than guard and Eric Olsen played center in college but I think will transfer to the pros better at guard.
one to many minus Kurlew