The Broncos’ Thursday afternoon practice brought out the rain and several additions to the list of participants.
Some familiar faces and some new acquisitions took part in their first practice of training camp thanks to the official start of the league year with a large crowd on hand despite the rain and cooler temperatures at Dove Valley.
NFL Referee Bill Leavy and his crew were on the field as well after giving a presentation to the club on rule changes earlier this afternoon.
ROLL CALL
Familiar faces safety Brian Dawkins, linebacker Wesley Woodyard, kicker Matt Prater and defensive linemen Marcus Thomas and Ryan McBean were finally able to fully participate in practice after days of watching from the sidelines.
Dawkins immediately replaced rookie Quinton Carter on the first-team defense and with D.J. Williams still out due to injury, Woodyard stepped into the first-team for rookie Mike Mohamed. Thomas rotated in for second-team snaps.
The long list of free agent signings — which includes running back Willis McGahee, wide receiver David Anderson, tight ends Daniel Fells and Dante Rosario, and defensive linemen Ty Warren and Derrick Harvey also got a chance to practice with their new team for the first time.
McGahee rotated with Knowshon Moreno for first team snaps, with Moreno still seeing the majority of the carries.
Fells saw extensive first-team action, while Rosario and Anderson worked their way into the second-team offense.
Warren and Harvey were placed on the second-team defensive line, with Elvis Dumervil, Kevin Vickerson, Brodrick Bunkley and Robert Ayers rounding out the first-team once again this afternoon.
LenDale White, Brandon Bing and Louis Leonard did not practice.
MUSIC TO THEIR EARS
For the first time all camp, the team was treated to some music during the team stretch.
“Atomic Dog” by George Clinton, “Hey Ya!” by Outkast and “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2 were played in that order to the delight of those in attendance.
PLAYMAKERS
GOAL LINE GETS DEFENSIVE
Orton found Dan Gronkowski wide open in the corner of the end zone on a play-action toss during the first play of the goal-line session, but that was the only score the offense would record.
The defense stepped up and stopped the offense on five straight plays from inside the 5-yard line, keeping the ball out of the end zone. Woodyard and Nate Irving both had nice plays against the run — especially Irving, who broke free and stopped Mario Fannin for a loss.
A play-action attempt from Quinn on the offense’s fifth goal line play failed to fool the defense as Vickerson got to the quarterback for a sack.
QUICK HITS
The team will be back on the field tomorrow afternoon from 2:20 to 5 p.m. in a session free and open to the public.
-Max Henson
Tags: Training Camp
I don’t “like” Orto…but he is better than Tebow…I also didn’t think we played any form of offense under McD that was going to get us anywhere. Orton didn’t lead us to the 4-12 solely. That was primarily due to the decimation of talent that McD and Xanders combined for. Notice the more quality players we lost the worse our record got. I said that for a while. Orton was actually 3-10 as a starter last year but overall he is even as a starter. I think with McD out of there he can lead teh team into the playoffs this year. To addres Baylin…McD may have said that, but his moves were often in direct opposition to that. Look at the defensive moves we have made this season, hard to say that they have not addressed our need areas. Even in the running game, the McGahee move was one that addressed weaknesses. Many of the moves made by McD, simply led to more questions.
Maybe you get your wish and Orton leads us to the playoffs,great if he does,I just don’t think he has it in him,just my opinion tho!
Fair enough, but that does nothing for the fact that EFX has so far bungled the quarterback situation and that is not good for ANYONE as I said earlier.
Also I would like to point out to carnage that Tebow did look to throw first last year and once he saw nothing was there he ran but his eyes were down field the whole time. Also the fact that he made some on target passes. Yes he also made some mistakes but he was a rookie and like every other rookie they make mistakes.
Jaguars sign Pro Bowl TE MarcedesLewis to 5-year contract worth just under $35 million.
Who says TE is one of the least paid position, haha.
Last nights blogging was redick. I logged on to do some blogging and was speechless so I didnt say anything and I left. The “win now” attitude simply doesn’t work. Look around the league at the recently good franchises. They built a team over 2-4 years. How well has the win now philosophy worked in Dallas? You must develop a nucleus of core players and leaders, which we’re only at the beginning of. Look at the Colts, Steelers, Ravens, and recently the Jets. The Patriots are probably the closest to a win now approach, but they have Tom Brady and a coach that seemingly can do no wrong.
I really like Tebow and want him to be our starter. But I got to thinking why! Sure he has a huge heart and I think one day he will be a starting QB in the NFL. Kyle Orton the sound of his name makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. He has never had a good running game in Denver he has been forced to throw Way too much. With a new running game I think we see less of Orton and more running plays opening up a whole new bag of worms for Defenses to deal with. Is Kyle Orton the answer? IMOP no he isn’t but for right now he’s our best option.
Why would we put Tebow out there now when he hasn’t fully developed his Accuracy? He will tuck his head down and plow thru people for a few games before getting injured and missing the entire season. Then we are stuck with Orton anyway so we might as well give Orton the reigns for a bit while Tebow works on his game. I predict that if Orton starts to well be Orton then Tebow will get his chance and not with 3 games left either. I love my Broncos and I am ready for some football even if I can’t speak on Monday morning’s because of all the yelling I did the day before. Just my opinion no one may agree but at least we can all agree that there is no better team to be a fan of then the Denver F’n Broncos!
Very well said 3rdG, and you forgot the most glaring example of all, the Packers.
The only thing I can figure is that, we the fans, are the only ones that seem to be really seeing the QB thing for what it is….a “Quarterback Quagmire.” $10 to baylinorcrush…put it on my tab. LOL! Obviously to the orginization and the poeple making the decisions it is clear cut and Orton seems to be the starter. While I’m not thrilled I’m ok with that decision. However the orginization better be ok with that decision as well. So if in fact they do leave Orton as the starter and we have a dismal season again they need to take some accountability as well. I’m not saying it is one of those “I told you so” situations. They just need to make a decision and stick by it instead of feeding us the run around. Honestly is Orton really “improving” or is he just doing what he does, the same as he always does it?
Bay, good point about the Packers. Also Atlanta is heading in a great direction I think.
The truth of the matter is we have been in a constant QQ ever since McD traded Cutler and an on and off one ever since Elway retired, and frankly we are all sick and tired of the indecisions about all that. So we thought EFX would come in and put order in the house in the matter and instead they keep it going, even making it worse. That is what I’m complaining about, not who they chose to start eventually, just how the QQ is handled, fair complaint, Tebow led on, Orton on the trading block, Quinn has as good a shot as any, Orton is the starter, Tebow is deflated… COME ON, enough is enough!
3rdGen, Right on target!. I think the other thing is NE looks for a certain type of player, usually the instinctive, over-achiever type and plugs them in and goes forward. Seems to work for them.
I was under the impression the QQ was solved? I’m wrong in my assumption that Orton getting most (all) first team snaps, means he’s #1 on the depth chart. That is until film comes back from some preseason games.
Another thing? Did I miss EFX say Tebow was on the trading block? Or was it just media fodder?
I always figured Tebow was a two year project from the start. That’s the only way I can make sense of Ortons year extension. Again, I must be missing something. (my orange colored glasses?)
While I read Elway say “Bunkered Down”, I hear “focused”, “attentive” and “task at hand”….unlike the more pessemistic..ahem..realist outlook.
Just me. I may be wrong and end up eating crow. However, if by some off chance I’m close to the truth, our BRONCOS will be in great shape.
(p.s- it’s seems to me most of the TebowManiacs are the ones wee wee weeing, cause their guy is on the bench. Ive heard nothing but positives on the Orton front. So far)
It’s funny how a couple months ago Elway and Fox wanted to be transparent and open with the fans… haha
Now the story from Fox is that he only cares about what goes on inside the building….
Wow… That was a spinning-back-slap in the face of the fans…. ouch!
Ok, maybe it is smarter to let Tebow sit for another season and then give him his chance. The only problem is he won’t be learning anything from Orton because Orton doesn’t want to help him out. We all saw that last season when he was poutin’ on the bench. If that’s the case then Tebow may be better off starting this season.
Slap! I just felt that one too, LOL.
Oh you must’ve mistaken that missed high five as a slap in the face j/k
Well I guess we are done in FA,we still need a CB and a FB,the money we have left should be used to extend Clady and Lloyd’s contracts.I figured since the dead money was lifted yesterday,there would be a lot of FA signings yesterday and today,but today isn’t over yet!!!
My face is still numb from being slapped so many times last year.lol.
I guess eveybody keeps missing the point it’s not about who starts for me anymore it’s about knowing where we’re heading at QB, is Orton the starter for good, or is it just for now now because the competition is still wide open, I mean this having it both ways must be getting real old for the QBs, not only the fans, and everybody on the team, this is unfair to EVERYONE.
I keep saying the same thing no matter how many different ways I say it so I’m done with that for today.
We need some good laughs where are the twlight zone newbies, LOL.
Ok, I’ll throw one of my favorite ones out there:
Cutler says “I have a better helicopter than Elway”.
If you don’t get it you had to be there.
I hear you baylinorcrush. I think that the competition is still open, but Orton seems to be the leader by a large margin. Fox did say that “Orton is the starter for now…” Its that whole “for now” part that pinches me. The biggest thing is that when one QB gets all the first team reps it really isn’t an “open” competition. You’re comparing apples to oranges. If you want a accurate comparision you need to have both QBs splitting reps with the first team offense. Just my opinion…
How about the “I have a stronger arm then Elway.”
The most difficult part of this whole thing, is that the powers that be seem to be “playing it safe” with Orton. If there is a sport where “playing it safe” is a death sentence is NFL Football.
If you don’t “play it safe” in this league nowadays you get fined or suspended. LOL!
sad but true…. lol!
That’s where the whole joke derived from, like I said you had to be there, OC was, it was after that game where Cutler scored in the corner of the end zone via an helicopter move with the Bears soon after he made the stronger arm comment here, hence I came up with that analogy referring of course to Elway’s helicopter in the SB win against the Packers. It was hilarious at the time, you have to believe me on that, great laughs were had by all.
This is the day of the TEs, precursor moves to Shannon’s enshrinement tomorrow?:
Raiders reached agreement with former Giants tight end Kevin Boss on a four-year, $16 million.
You know it seemed like when Sharpe played TEs weren’t so much of an asset like they are today. Then you had Gonzalas, Gates, Clark, and it seems more and more TEs are really becoming a position that teams are looking to for both blocking and receiving.
In my opinion Sharpe redefined the TE position. Course I’m a Broncos fan who wouldn’t say that.
IDK if anyone heard but I posted it like Tuesday that Zack Miller signed with the Seahawks 5 years 34 million.So it’s the week of the TEs.lol.
I know there’s prob no point in debating it but I’ll put it out there for a laugh.
Say the McD era didn’t happen at all…….not to say Shanny would still be at the helm……but how different do you think our football team would look right now?
“Fox saying he will concentrate on D and let McCoy run the O”…
This is the reason we will have the same QB and same dismal results on offense again…..
McCoy is a dud….. Orton is a dud… We’ve been watching McCoy and Orton for two years! Yea, Lets do it again… sheesh…..
When McD took over all he had to do was fix the defense. Instead, he dismanteled the entire offense and built the Orttrocity that we have today, give or take a RB and OT.
A FA running back and rookie OT are not going to turn this offense around…
If our defense plays well then we can expect another 8-8 season….
I think Orton has a stronger arm than Elway…..
@killerkod: I think it would look quite a bit different. I think our offense would resemble something similar pre-McD and our defense would probably look like something during the Shanny era. That’s somewhat of a loaded question thgouth.
*though
I bet Orton could outscramble Elway!!!!!
Orton is going to win WAY more Superbowls for the Broncos than Elway ever even thought of…
Orton is awesome!!!! I bet he could even beat Elway at passing accuracy and team leadership……
YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ORTON IS THE FUTURE OF THE DENVER BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE IS GOING TO WIN EVERY SUPERBOWL IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS AND WE WILL ALL FORGET ABOUT ELWAY…LOL KDDN:)
Our O was on the cusp of being something extremely special but never got to fruition.
Our D was the one thing that really needed work and without having to retool the O, I think this could’ve been done over the 2 seasons after.
Alas, instead, it all got blown to crap and we started from ground up……only problem is, we’re still on the ground 2 years later.UGHH
It’s not crazy to think we would have won the west last year and gave Baltimore a run for their money in the playoffs. Of course we would have had to do something about the running backs and get our D cranked up.
I like jokes!
If you have $5 and Tebow has $5, Tebow has more money than you.
Tebow is so cool, ice cubes are jealous.
Tebow doesn’t wear sunblock. The sun wears Tebow block.
Most people peel oranges then eat them. Tebow eats oranges then peels them.
Don’t for get the best one. Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas!
I’m guessing the “jokes” were in response to Orange_Crusher’s comments.
I like memes:
Orton: “I’m not always an efficient QB, but when I am it is only between the 20s.”
Here is a funny one for Tebow: “I don’t always start for start for the Broncos, but when I do it is on the bench.”
Kyle Orton Once visited the Virgin Islands. A few days after his return they were renamed The Islands
It amazes me how supporting tebow means people are blind and wearing orange colored shades, but same Orton supporters have a million and one excuses for why Orton sucked and why he won’t suck this year. He lost alot of games last year for us via gettign sacked at wrong time or INTs for td etc. Orton suck, period, hate to be harsh but he does. And thats not a Tebow thing. Since Orton has been here, his coaches have tried to trade him, or have traded for another QB, or have drafted a QB, why, because he sucks, and they know it. It is just the punk move to go Orton over Tebow cuz Orton has experience. But It’s fine, we are all just on different sides, and can all make good enough arguements for our guys. I am tired of the QQ talk personally …. The brass will do what they will do. TRB out…
Since I can’t get my way at QB. Ill just focus on what I still love about the broncos, and the direction they are going. With the TEs, the run game, the improved D. I can’t wait. Even out WR core is stepping it up and they were already good. Good stuff to come this year. Can’t wait for that preseson game.
BTW, I got the orton wikipidea of a bunch of low blows if anyone wants it lol. TRB out…
After Orton wins the Broncos 6 Super Bowls, fans will say, “Elway? Isn’t he the guy that owns all those car dealerships in Denver” LOL
I’m all for Orton leaving if you recall things I’ve said on here, but our offense as a whole hasn’t been a disaster…..well our pass offense anyway. Anyway, my point is I’m personally ok with McCoy at the helm and wouldn’t classify him as a dud quite yet. I’m interested to see what he does when not being micromanaged. That said, it was telling that our leadership put the running backs coach in charge last year post #*|£€*’s firing.
Oh no, Orton is going to by a bunch of car dealerships and sell more hybrid hoda civics than Elway every thought of selling……
Nobody will remember Elway even lived in Colorado… Elway will have to live in the shadow of ORTON for the rest of his days….
I’m ordering my #8 Orton jersey today and throwing away my #6, #15 and #7 jerseys because all I need is #8 baby!!!
I hope some day Orton becomes the vice president of football operations and takes that job too…….=)