After it looked like rain would move the Broncos’ practice to an indoor facility, the skies cleared, and the team was out on the field at Dove Valley. Despite a little wetness, fans still showed up in droves, and were treated to a session full of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, including several focusing on the red zone.
Here are some quick hits from the slightly more than two-hour practice.
ROLL CALL: Several veterans who missed practice yesterday evening were back on the field Tuesday afternoon, including Daniel Graham, Brandon Marshall and D.J. Williams.
It was the first day of practice for new Broncos defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith, who was acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots yesterday.
POSITIONING: The first unit defense matched the team’s depth chart, with Kenny Peterson, Ronald Fields and Ryan McBean on the line, Mario Haggan, Andra Davis, Williams and Elvis Dumervil at linebacker and Champ Bailey, Andre’ Goodman, Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill in the secondary.
The kickoff return team this afternoon consisted of Peterson, Peyton Hillis, Kory Lichtensteiger, Reid, Spencer Larsen, Wesley Woodyard, Darcel McBath, David Bruton, Haggan and Josh Barrett, with Alphonso Smith and Kenny McKinley rotating return duties.
Le Kevin Smith got some work with the second-unit defensive line.
DRILLS: During one-on-one drills between defensive linemen and linebackers versus offensive linemen and tight ends, things got a little spirited. On one battle between Richard Quinn and Darrell Reid, both linebackers coach Don Martindale and tight ends coach Clancy Barone claimed victory for their side. “That’s a win for us!” shouted Barone, while Martindale simultaneously heaped praise on Reid.
Peterson and Graham’s matchup brought a little talking from the two after the fact, but the two didn’t get a chance to go up again, and after the drill the players walked up to each other and exchanged a quick five and fist bump.
Later in more one-on-ones, the defense had a string of good matchups. Robert Ayers made a good move to get past his blocker, then a few plays later Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder got to the quarterback on back-to-back reps. The offensive ilne made some plays as well, with Ryan Clady stacking up nicely against Dumervil twice, and Matt McChesney recovering to keep his feet in front of a hard-charging Nic Clemons and keep him away from the quarterback.
In field goal drills, the unit practiced a fake, with Brett Kern connecting with Daniel Graham, who ran it in for a touchdown.
PLAYMAKERS: Quinn made a solid play in the passing game during a red zone 7-on-7 drill. Chris Simms backed up in the pocket and fired a pass directly to the rookie tight end in the back of the end zone, with fellow rookie Alphonso Smith in coverage. Quinn took the ball right out of the cornerback’s hands for a touchdown.
Kyle Orton found Eddie Royal for a quick touchdown in an 11-on-11 red zone drill, which disappointed the defense because it looked a little too easy. On the next play, the unit brought a heavy blitz, but Orton quickly dropped back and floated a pass high into the hands of Tony Scheffler — just past the coverage of Josh Barrett — for back-to-back scores.
Later in the 11-on-11 red zone drill, the first unit offense and defense stepped up to the line, and it was announced that there was one play to win the game. Orton took the snap and handed off to Hillis, who plowed his way through a hole created by the offensive line for a touchdown, giving the offense the win.
Marshall made a few tough catches during practice, once snagging a pass right in front of Brian Dawkins over the middle, and later doing the same thing in front of Renaldo Hill. Of course, no hits were made after the catch, but the receiver’s ability to go over the middle was evident.
Tony Carter almost had an interception during an 11-on-11 drill, but the ball fell to the ground. As has been the defense’s policy, the unit treated it like a fumble, but Jeb Putzier was able to get to the ball before the defense and jogged into the end zone.
Moulton ended the 11-on-11 session with an interception, causing his teammates to chant “Defense!” as the team moved on to field goal drills.
QUICK HITS: Le Kevin Smith and Chris Baker worked to the side with defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely in between drills.
Royal acted as quarterback for the rest of the receivers as they each ran routes to the far end zone to start another drill. Most of the balls were right on the mark, but some players goofed around with their fellow receiver throwing them passes — Chad Jackson tried to catch it behind his back, but it hit him right in the back as he and the rest of the receivers had a good laugh.
During a 7-on-7 drill, Marquez Brandon made a nice catch and turned to run up the sideline. Most of the defenders kneeling on the sideline got out of the way, but Rashod Moulton stepped up to playfully try to knock the ball away from the rookie. Branson held on.
DAILY JUKEBOX: There was quite a selection during Tuesday’s practice, as there were plenty of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills that required some crowd noise. The playlist was chosen by Head Coach Josh McDaniels and assistant to the head coach Mark Thewes. Here’s practically a whole Broncos practice mixtape:
Poison – “Nothin’ But a Good Time”
Kris Kross – “Jump” (Marcus Thomas, Darrell Reid and Chris Baker had a little head bobbing going)
Hurricane Chris – “Halle Berry (She’s Fine)” (This selection got Alphonso Smith and Joshua Bell dancing)
Notorious B.I.G. – “Hypnotize”
Michael Jackson – “Bad”
The Who – “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic”
Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”
Foo Fighters – “Everlong”
DJ Khaled – “We Takin’ Over”
Neil Young – “Rockin’ in the Free World”
U2 – “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”
QUOTABLE:
“That’s kind of like brothers. Daniel and I are really close. Sometimes out here in competition, we are both competitors, we get a little heated and tempers flare a little bit. But 15 minutes later we were laughing and joking about it, so it’s all in fun.”
-Kenny Peterson, on getting heated with Daniel Graham during practice.
The team will be back on the field for two practices tomorrow, scheduled for 8:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. MDT.
More pictures of the session below.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Training Camp
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yea DDave and Monodono….My heart really bleeds for marshalls 2.2 mil…They need to end this crap and either get him signed or get him packing,as its about time for some more positives coming out of camp…sheeesh
STAY POSITIVE PEOPLE!!!
At least he’s showing up and playing. Just follow that pattern Brandon and good things will happen again.
yes i will give you that DDave…he hasnt been like other chumps who sit on the sidelines and pout.Your right at least he’s there and practicing…
Brandon Marshall is doing the right thing, however painful this endeavor may be, he is taking the necessary steps at proving his worth. #1 the aquital, that is a personal victory and he can put this behind him. #2 he is practicing with his team and preparing for the Seahawks preseason game. #3 Brandon himself is not making a media circus out of this ordeal, rather the Broncos PR staff F’d up by opening their mouth’s at all.
The Media is looking to poison the Broncos Gatorade this season, no one wants this team to succeed. Shannahan and Cutler are the “missing links” according to Jamie Dukes on NFL Network. This team needs to come together, say as little as possible and let it’s performance do the talking. One bad comment can set the relationship between Marshall and the Broncos back.
There is an opportunity to mend the fences, our fans all want Marshall and I know the Broncos want Marshall. The Broncos just want to make sure their investment is worth what they spend. If he can’t play it’s not smart business to give him more money. Brandon has this season to prove he’s grown up on and off the field. Their is no doubt in my mind that the Broncos will pay him and want to keep him. If Marshall was not wanted by the Broncos, he would already be gone. Look how fast Cutler left town.
Fan’s, we must not give into the media’s attempt at spoiling our season. Support our beloved Broncos and every player on the team. Marshall will play and play well. He cannot risk not playing well as he would only be shooting himself in the foot. GO Broncos!!!!!!
I feel like The Broncos wideouts are just amazing. Royal and B-Marsh are an unstoppable duo, Stokley and Gaffney are great 3 and 4′s, I think Jackson could be a catch-and-run threat and McKinley is a deep threat and all the others will probably have a break-out season soon.
I still can’t believe about Brett Favre!
Another year of John madden talking about how each team would be better with brett favre even when he isn’t even plating the game
sorry, i meant the games brett favre isnt even involved
New here, first post. Really enjoy the practice breakdown, invaluable for us out of state guys.
DDave, haven’t chatted with you for about six months, I offer you my sincere condolence for your mother’s passing.
Regarding BM: I have personally thought, ever since Cutler was shipped out of town, that letting BM go would better serve the Broncos. With Cutler and his arm strength gone, I don’t see how in the world we could keep a star receiver like BM happy. Orton’s forte is not the high velocity deep ball, but the short precise dunk game. Stockley, Royal, Gaffney and the TE’s can catch 80% of those, Marshall will struggle to get 50 yards a game, and he will not like it, ever. The unselfish team’s way is not his way. BM IS baby TO, wether he likes it or not. This new team of ours will be based on the team aspect of the game, regardless of the position. As I see it, BM is the last one we need to purge to achieve the team goal, so he must go.
And I’m not even getting into the health concerns, the questionable lifestyle, the dropped balls, the lack of scoring…
It is not necessary to go there since he lacks the team concept which is the first thing you must show to be succesfull in a McD (or Patriot like team). Let’s trade him now, before his value drops further due to more personal conduct problems or injury agravations, which are very likely during this upcoming season.
And, I, for one, am all for trying the team concept without the divas. LOVE MY BRONCOS and have done so since 1975.
hey guys! This is one of my first times commenting and i dont care what Cutler says, we have the best fans in the NFL!
Hey baylinorcrush. Long time, no hear? Thanks about my mom. It’s been a tough adjustment for my dad and I without her.
As for Marsh, I still think he will play a big part in the system. I noticed in 1st preseason game that McD used the long bomb when it was there. BMarsh will be used like Randy Moss. is in NE. He won’t have the stellar #’s that he had with Cutler, but he will not have #’s as bad as you think. With the RB’s we have, it will open up the passing game for Brandon.
conroze, welcome. The DenverBroncos.com website has the best fans. The DP is questionable. They have a lot of bandwagon bashing crybabies there. I see them at the ESPN blogs also.
DDave, good to see you remain “forever the optimist”.
However, I truly believe there is no happiness to be found in the Bronco system for BM. And if you’re not happy why bother?
Don’t forget that arms like Brady’s and Cassel’s got the ball deep to Moss. I just don’t see it from Orton or Simms, even so the latter has a bit of a stronger arm.
In all reality, expecting more than an even record and possibly a run at the wild card race is pushing it a little. It would be a pleasant surprise if they could get double digit wins. I’m jumping the gun a little bit, but I don’t see this comprehensive system coming together until most of the way through the season. Belicheck’s first year was horrible, remember?
p.s. Still dreaming of a playoff run.
mod, 8-8 would be a great accomplishment for this year’s schedule. 7-9 is more likely. 9-7 might be the lowest record to win our division (8-8 last year was a rarity) so I don’t see any playoffs for this year. IMO.
Yea Dynamicdave, my best wishes go to you and your family in dealing with this tragic time.
It will be tough for us this year wuth a new offensive system, new defensive scheme an tough schedule. We could win games because it seems like the team is fired up to prove they should be in the playoffs and they want to bounce bak from last season. We can do it with hard work and determination.
Also, most of our toughest games are in Denver so Bronco Fans, give them hell. and just because the teams we are playing this year did good last year, does not mean they are going to do good this year.
HAVE FAITH IN YOUR TEAM! GO BRONCOS!
First everyone:We need to stop giving Jamie Dukes so much writing space on this blog.The man is a moron who obviously has a personal vendetta against the Broncos.I dont know if its fron that super bowl year or what it doesnt matter,the point is that i agree with Brocomania56,there are alot of Nfl analysts who would love to see the Broncos fail cause of the Cutler issue.And yes,they are having a great time trying to poison the Bronco fans.Marshalls in camp,so lets hope we can get his mess behind us and we can have a great season like i know the Broncos will…
STAY POSITIVE PEOPLE!!
I definately see a strong use for BM in this system. There are many different ways to use a reciever of his size and ability. First and most clear is the long bomb. While Orton’s arm strength is often critisized I am sure he is more than able to get the ball where needed. The long ball serves another purpose in as ystem like this too. It stretches the defense, opening up the short pass and run. For this to be truelly effective you need at least one big bodied reciever who is a threat downfield.
Another use for BM is across the middle. He will prove very valuable at that spot if properly used. His presence over the middle can be just as important as him actually making the catch, asuming he doesnt drop the ball something Im sure he has worked on. Crossing him over the middle can cross up defenses, setting him up under the secondary alloing for a decent gain. Also the presence of a big guy in the middle is going to catch the eyes of the defense freeing someone on the outside or on the flank like a back, he then can serve as a blocker allowing for more yards after the catch, assumming again, that everyone exicutes properly.
Finally if you have watched the Broncos the past few years, bandwagon fans you should have seen this too, then you have seen how BM can get some decent yards after the catch. He has great feet and can turn fairly quickly to make the extra yards needed. this always proves useful, especialy in asystem that focuses on time of posesion by utilizing the run and the short pass to chew up yards and eat the clock.
Go Broncos in 09
P.S. Bandwagon fans need not enter a rebuttal as it will only go in one ear and out the other, all others I enjoy your different views.
Thanks, BrandonBailey19, it was very recent so it still stings.
Hey LBW, what’s shakin’? As you said, people need to stop buying in to all the doubters of the media and the negative hype they’re trying to push. I still think Denver will do better, new system and all, mainly because of all the sic talent they have around them. They are also being coached in all phases of the game by some of the best, proven, coaches around. McD seems comfotable with the progress the team has shown. The team seems reenergized and that in turn, pumps me up.
baylinorcrush, yeah, you know me, always the positive. If I want to be negative, I’ll get a wife, ha, ha. (No offense, ladies). Just a friendly FYI, I’ll start writing about the Broncos for Fan Huddle, starting Sept 7. I’ll be doing a minimum of 4 articles a week. Stop in and show your support. The site will be up and running then (Sept. 7).
http://www.fanhuddle.com/
Hey DDave…great cant wait for ur post as i already put Fanhuddle on my favorites so i can check in on your articles….
Yeah, I’ll try not to let everyone down. I will do stories on the players, bios, upcoming match-ups, analysis and any breaking news I can catch. There is a person who will also be writing for Fan Huddle and lives in Vegas. He also does talk show radio and said we might be able to hook up for an interview about the Broncos/AFC West, etc., sometime in the near future. That would be extremely cool, should it come into play.
Cheers baylinocrush and conroze.
I’m too with the 7 – 9 for this season. Which is a positive with all the changes in system, players and positions. Besides, we had that record 3 years ago with more than 10 years with the same system. So, no big deal.
There are good, bad and strange news in all the teams, more interesting news than if a PR guy said a player to do something. I mean, if the PR guy would have said “if the media ask, tell Marshall’s been waived” or something like that, I may agree. But, seriously, isn’t there something more interesting happening in the other 31 teams?
Dukes and Cook s**k.
Go Broncooos!
I would have to say that going from 8-8 to 7-9 is not a positive. Anything less then .500 is a letdown. I will stand behind my 10-6 prediction.
Dd I agree with you I think we have the talent to go 10-6 and that should be enough to win the divison this year. lets shut down SD,KC,and lets blow out Oak.
Let go Broncos
#1 D and #1 O
Welcome to the craziness baylinocrush and conroze, haha. Nice to have more fans on here.
I already gave my (lengthy) view of Marshall. Still think we have a sticky situtation with him. I would just like to see him straighten out his life off the field and stick with the Broncos. We could use his talent, the more explosive of an offense we have the more dangerous we are. There’s no downside there. Nothing wrong with having an offense that can be such a threat. But I don’t like the drama he keeps causing but think about it. If we go through a trade with him… he’s a drama queen, a diva, he lives for the drama in things… he’ll make a big fuss about what team he wants to go to, how much money blah blah blah. He’ll drag this thing out. Which means, yet another distraction by the time we start the regular season. Don’t think we need that. This young team needs to stay focused on what’s important, not Marshall’s dramatic life. And its very easy to be distracted with this sort of thing. Lord have mercy!!
Oh and nice cover up there on your comment Dave. haha
GET BABY T.O. OUT OF DENVER
we’ll hope DD. Here’s my expectations.
Cincinatti – 28 – 17, denver W
cleveland – 21 – 14, denver W
oakland – 41 – 7, denver W
Dallas – 28 – 24, Cowboys L
New England – 35 – 28, NE L
San Diego – 42 – 40, denver W
Baltimore – 14 – 10 Ravens L
Steelers – 21 – 14, denver W
Redskins – 28 – 14, denver W
San Diego – 35 – 21, denver W
Giants – 38 – 35 , denver W
KC – 28 – 14, denver W
Colts – 35 – 14, Colts L
Oakland – 28 – 10, denver w
Eagles – 24 – 17, Philli L
KC – 38 – 10, denver W
Overall, I expect 11-5
Ash, did you mean the “wife” statement? Ha, ha, what can I say? I suffer from this very rare disease… It’s called “terminal marriage.”
07, thanx for the welcome. I see your point about not wanting to trade BM now because it would cause too much of a stir at the beginning of the season. The way I see it the real drama will keep on going 24/7 as long as he stays (not unlike the Cutler situation). I mean BM has made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t like Denver, does’nt like the new management and that he doesn’t want to play here and wants to be traded.
Can things be any clearer?
I’m all for a star player that can help us win games, but not at that cost. I can’t sell my soul to a guy who has made it clear he doesn’t like me. Maybe it’s just me, but I think integrity should still be a key factor in any of our players.
We’ve been through all this many times in the past, hiring questionable characters, and finally got rid of them, but only after the damage was done. We can’t let BM hurt the morale of our rebuilding team. This guy could care less about anything but himself. I’m surprised to see so many fans willing to overlook the guy’s serious down sides because of whatever upside he has. It’s like selling out our team. Now is the perfect time to show some backbone and stand out for the newly adopted TEAM concept. He must go.
Anyway, no big deal, but that’s how I see it. However, I love the Broncos, and as it has to start at the top, as always I will respect and go along with whatever decision management makes, wether I like it or not. No tear will be shed here if BM is gone.
haha, yep that’s what I was talking about Dave. Thanks for the reminder!
And I totally agree baylinorcrush. I told myself a while ago I won’t even think about shedding a tear if Marshall leaves. He just brings too much drama to the table. Something we don’t need. We’ve had enough for one season (last year) and the continuing off season. If he truly is unhappy here in Denver, the drama would only go on and on and on incessantly with no end in sight.
Either way, keep him or trade him… its gonna be a distraction and a major one at that. I’m just concerned about these young players – new to the team and rookies… they need to focus on football, that is why they are here. And it doesn’t help to have someone with Marshall’s trouble standing in front of them with DRAMA QUEEN written on his forehead. He is all about himself, yes you got that right. All he wants is money and he wants what he thinks he deserves. Hence, why he is called baby T.O.
The Broncos would be crazy to let Marshall go. Of course, it was crazy to let Cutler go, so it is definitely possible… Marshall is one of the better receivers in the league, and has the potential to dominate the game like Arizona’s Fitzgerald. He has clearly outplayed his contract, and deserves a raise. If he doesn’t get it, he will indeed be a distraction, and Denver will have no chance to re-sign him when his contract is up. And the line of teams trying to sign him will undoubtedly be long. Yes he clearly has some character problems, but so do 75% of the other players out there. Think about this: Marshall led the league in dropped passes, and STILL made the Pro Bowl… And if the Broncos don’t re-sign him now, the further the season progresses the less likely the odds are that they will be able to, as he certainly will become more and more upset due to Orton not being able to get him the ball. The leading receiver on the team will be Buckhalter or Moreno, as Orton is the king of the check-down pass. And that style of play will result in an abundance of three-and-outs, just as it did in Chicago, and the somewhat suspect defense will be drug up and down the field, over and over and over… Anyway, once Orton is undoubtedly demoted, the Broncos will be able to utilize Marshall to his fullest potential, which will subsequently result in more wins. Which is what Bronco fans really want, right?
DD
If you get that spot on the radio you must post the on line URL for the station here so we all can give a listen. I look forward to what you write for the Denver Broncos Fan Huddle! I am sure it will be good information written from the fans prospective.
BM I think is coming to terms with his position on the team and will play 100% and let things work themselves out. As a fan I would hope he will play for his team and the fans that have supported him through his off field problems. Everyone here I would hope will continue to support him as long as he puts on orange and blue on and off the field. We are after all the Bronco Nation! Ohh yea if you need me to come up and give color commentary next to you on the show let me know–Ha
FTR