Day three of training camp got underway Sunday morning at Dove Valley.
ATTENDANCE REPORT: Dewayne Robertson was out of pads… Chad Mustard remained out of uniform after being placed on the physically unable to perform list Saturday… Edell Shepherd watched practice from the far sidelines, Shepherd was placed on IR yesterday after suffering a left knee injury during day one of camp… Rookie Spencer Larsen returned to practice after missing the last three sessions attending to a family emergency… Montrae Holland continues to work with Strength and Conditioning Coach Rich Tuten to get to his reporting weight.
POSTURING FOR POSITION: Jay Cutler, Selvin Young, Brandon Marshall, Darrell Jackson, Brandon Stokely and Daniel Graham all took reps as the first offense unit during the morning session. The offensive line first unit was made up of Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Tom Nalen, Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris.
The first unit defense was comprised of Champ Bailey, Dre’ Bly, Hamza Abdullah and John Lynch as the defensive backs, Boss Bailey, Nate Webster and D.J. Williams at linebackers and John Engelberger, Alvin McKinley, Kenny Peterson and Elvis Dumervil on the defensive line.
FOCAL POINTS: The team worked on one-on-one drills with the defensive line going against the offensive line, running backs and tight ends going up against linebackers and safeties and receivers going up against corners. The return team took some reps on kickoffs.
KEY PLAYS: Tony Scheffler was unstoppable going 4 for 4 during tight end/ running back one-on-ones.
There was a marquee matchup during wide receiver one-on-ones with Brandon Marshall lining up against Champ Bailey numerous times. Marshall completed the first catch in the corner of the endzone. On their second rep Bailey kept Marshall from completing the pass inbounds making Marshall’s touchdown grab null. Marshall gave Bailey some friendly trash talking moments after the play. “Hey Champ, did you like my move?” Bailey smiled back at Marshall shaking his head. On their third and final meeting during the drill Bailey played tight on Marshall causing the receiver to slip and fall as he tried to make a sliding grab.
Ryan Harris bounced back and had a great day during offensive line versus defensive line one-on-ones. Harris was a roadblock for oncoming defenders and even stopped Elvis Dumervil who had made it by Ryan Clady earlier in practice.
Josh Mallard continued to impress, consistently winning his matchups during one-on-ones.
Eddie Royal touched the ball on three of the team’s 10 kickoffs and was able to hit the hole hard and quick.
The offense and defense went against each other in numerous drills including 7-on-7, 9-on-9, and 11-on-11 drills.
The run defense brought it during during 9-on-9 drills stuffing the run on throughout the drill. The intensity level was elevated as the team was running the drill at full contact.
One player that stood out during the drill was rookie running back Anthony Alrdige. Alridge was one of the few Broncos backs able to break a sizeable gain, two runs of about 15 yards each, against the defense.
Brandon Marshall made a nice snare in traffic of approximately 15 yards to begin 11-on-11 drills.
On the defensive side of the ball safety Roderick Rogers had two interceptions off tipped passes, the first deflecting off the hands of Marshall and the second coming off of tight end Nate Jackson.
Boss Bailey and Hamza Abdullah both broke up passes in traffic. Bailey’s play earned him the praises of Head Coach Mike Shanahan for his effort.
Young had a long run at the end of practice that impressed both fans and teammates. He juked past Jarvis Moss into the open field along the sideline before being pushed out of bounds.
The Broncos will be back on the field this afternoon.
For a photo gallery from this morning’s session click here.
-Jake Grilley, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Boss Bailey, Brandon Marshall, Champ Bailey, Eddie Royal, Selvin Young, Training Camp, Uncategorized
Any word on why Niko wasn’t out with the first team?
It’s good to hear that,the intensity level is way up on both sides of the ball.Something the team has been lacking since the super bowl runs.I hate to hear when a player gets injured so soon.Hopefully this won’t become a trend.I like what I see on paper.I hope that everything transpires on the field.I have a real good feeling about this year.I can’t wait to open up with the raiders,so we can make a statement in the afc west as well as the rest of the league.
Good to see some low-key players make some noise, such as Ryan Harris and Josh Mallard.
Mallard? Engelberger? McKinley? Peterson? really? Im still very concerned about how and if they’re going to fill in the spot vacated by Carlton Powell. I believe a bit more run stopping depth couldnt hurt, and shouldnt be pricy?
The lack of good stuff on behalf of Robertson/Thomas/Harris/Ekuban is somewhat puzzling? Maybe that’s shanny’s plan!
The timely reporting continues to be most impressive…THANKS so much!
It’s still quite early but the intensity level is pleasing to see. The praise of the run D is great too, but I’d like to reserve judgment until I see consistent production on the field during game situations. Once preseason passes I feel we’ll have a better idea of just how much this team has progressed compared to last season. I’m very excited about this upcoming year.
GO BRONCOS!!!
I dont want to sound like an idiot but why is carlton powell out. I was excited about him. Plus why is Ryan Torain no getting more runs? I am pumped about this season, just want to make sure we are giving everybody a chance out there and hopefully find some hidden talent. GO BRONCOS!!!
Carlton Powell ruptured his achilles tendon. He is done for the year.
mstarnes9999-
Niko and Nate Webster are splitting snaps at MLB with the first unit. There is some good competition between them.
thanks 4 torain pics. ur good!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is there a reason why marcus thomas is not practicing with the first team defense?
I was just wondering is Josh Mallard a defensive tackle or a defensive end?
I would love to hear more about Jay Cutler – and what’s going on with the QBs. Good job on the blogging. Living in Iowa makes it tough to get Bronco updates – so this is great. Go Broncos. Can’t wait for the season to start.
A couple of answers for you all…
b4life-
No reason given. But keep in mind, the D-Line rotates probably more than any position. So just because you are not running with the first unit, doesn’t mean you aren’t seeing plenty of time.
matt203-
Mallard is listed as a DT.
ckiniowa-
Cutler has looked good. He had several throws today that could only be classified as lasers. (Check out the Broncos TV feature later today, Cutler throws a bullet to Clifford Russell) All the QBs are doing pretty well.
Very, very good job. Thank you keep up the good work!