Vonnie Holliday, who signed with the Broncos on Saturday, met with members of the media Thursday morning from inside the Broncos’ locker room, and the 12-year veteran addressed a number of topics.
First, Holliday explained the lengthy process that ended with him arriving in Dove Valley.
“I’d been in touch throughout the whole offseason (with Denver), ever since I was let go down in Miami, I’ve been in contact,” Holliday said. “I had a surgery in my knee back in the early part of January. I got a knee clean-up, so it’s just been a long process, and they just wanted to make sure I was healthy before coming in here.”
Now healthy, the 33-year-old is busy playing catch-up at team headquarters. Holliday said it was unfortunate he had to miss training camp due to injury, but — after a few days of work at the high altitude — said he feels like he is in good football shape.
As for integrating himself into defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s system, Holliday said his familiarity with the scheme should lessen his learning curve, as he played in a 3-4 defensive scheme the past four seasons in Miami.
“For me it’s just a matter of getting the terminology down,” he said. “It’s a different language here — but the defenses are the same.”
Less than a week into his Broncos career, Holliday appears to be jelling well with his new team. On the field, he has been busy knocking rust off his game. In the locker room, he has quickly gotten aquainted with his new teammates. At the moment, he says the only thing holding him back is the team’s playbook.
“That’s my only restriction right now,” he said.
As for his status for Sunday’s season opener at Cincinnati? Holliday said he’ll leave that up to Head Coach Josh McDaniels.
“I’m not sure how that’s going to work,” he said. “I’ll just go out and compete, work hard in practice and spend a lot of time with Coach and in the playbook. I guess Coach will make that decision come Friday or Saturday.”
Holliday’s defensive counterpart, Ronald Fields, also spoke from within the team’s locker room at Dove Valley on Thursday morning.
Fields talked about the importance of the club’s front seven being able to get into the trenches and stop Cincinnati’s rushing attack, which led the NFL in preseason rushing yards.
In particular, Fields said the team needs to be ready for Bengals starting running back Cedric Benson.
“He’s a good down-hill runner,” Fields said. “He cuts it back from time to time, but he’s very good. He’s proven a lot since he’s been in Chicago. He’s like a totally different player now. “
-Zach Eisendrath, DenverBroncos.com
Here are a few more pictures from the onset of Thursday afternoon’s practice:
Tags: Cincinnati Bengals, Ronald Fields, Vonnie Holliday, Week 1
so anybody else who watched the Pitt vs Tenn game see the Tenn D just fall apart at the end. I hope we dont do that prevent crap it never works.
The first TD this season will be scored by a defensive player that will set the tone for the season- the return of the ORANGE CRUSH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice seeing Marshall “haul in the catch” instead of hitting it away…
Well… Can’t wait ’till Sunday. Unfortunately though, I don’t believe it is on TV in SoCal… and I don’t have NFL ticket to top it all off… Just gonna have to catch the re-run on NFL Network…
We get the Broncos-Bengals game in Utah so that’s exciting. It’s nice to see Vonnie is contributing nicely to the squad while Marshall has acclimated himself with the team again. The stage is set for the Broncos to go to town on the Bungles. I expect Vonnie to make some big plays to determine the outcome as well. GO BRONCOS!!!
After having suffered through an unending, and mind numbing assault on the Denver Broncos and coach McDaniels for these past several months; I did a little research on the 2008 NFL predictions made by Adam Scheffer, Eric Karabell, John Clayton, Len Pasquarelli, Jeffri Chadiha, and Seth Wickersham, from ESPN; Gil Brandt, Vic Carucci, and Bucky Brooks from NFL.com; Jason Whitlock, Peter Schrager, Alex Marvez, John Czarnecki, and Adam Schein from Fox Sports; Woody Paige, Mark Kisla, Dave Krieger, and Mike Klis from the Denver Post. If you were to take all of their predictions together they were right approximately 10% of the time, and the best any of them did was just over 20%. So even if the best of them was a coach in the NFL they would have won a total of 3 or 4 games.
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!
BroncoBailey99 just get on the blogs before the game and ask for a live feed. Someone always finds one and you will be able to watch it online.
Now if you have a newer t.v. with a VGA input you can plug your computer into your t.v. for bigger picture, or even s video if your computer has it!
Sound is a little harder because you’ll probably experience interference if you run a Y cable from the headphone to audio inputs.
Either way you don’t have to wait for the re run of the game! Just get on and someone will post a live feed!
Stay thirsty my friends!
Guys, all you have to do is go to a buffalo wild wings or something like that…they have satellite there and get all of the football games. You can go there or a big time sports bar place. Champions, Fox and Hounds are very good if you have those around you!
I want EVERYBODY to please watch this video of how stupid and ignorant Ocho Cinco sounds. ESPN videos with him for eight minutes and even laugh like theyre making fun of him!! Watch the WHOLE movie and I GUARANTEE you will get a great laugh!!!!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-player-interviews/09000d5d81281dbc/8-minutes-with-Ocho
I feel our front 7 will surprise everybody this year and we can be a similar team to the Ravens who won the superbowl…i love the direction of this football team….i feel we will compete hard in everygame and will turn sum heads. I predict 21-17 Broncos in this sundays game!! Hillis with 92 yards, and Danny G with a TD..TWO INTS CHAMP AND REYNALDO!!! just watch i hope im right!!!
BRONCOBAILEY99, you still have time to get the NFL Ticket for just 5 easy payments of $59.99. I live in Maryland so that’s what I have to do to get all 16 Bronco games, it’s well worth it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so ready for the 1st Broncos Victory of 2009!!!! I believe we will be a much better team than the critics give the Broncos credit for. The Defense will swarm and attack, the Offense will eat up the clock and score, score and then score some more. I Believe our offense will finally click and the “new scheme” will come together. I can’t wait!!!! Go Broncos!!!!!!
I gotta hand it to Ochocinco, he is pretty funny.
I can’t wait for the Broncos to come out and kill the Bunguls. It should be a blast.
To someone why commented on me earlier, I was trying to say that people think Marshall has just given up and won’t play. That’s what I meant to say. My bad.
DEFENCE=SUPERBOWL!
GO BRONCOS!
I meant who, not why. My bad.
I have never been so pumped for a Broncos season – Many of questions to be answered, Lots of people to prove wrong. So many people in the Broncos organization have a ton to prove and I think everyone will be firing on all cylinders on Sunday. Can’t wait!!!
BRONCOBAILEY99 …..I’m in SO Cal also but watch all the Bronco games on the internet. Im at my office but I can send you the link when I get back home. Shoot me an e-mail and I will forward you the link when I get in.
westcoast@vzw.blackberry.net
GO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O…………………………BRONCOS!
GO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O…………………………BRONCOS!
GO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O…………………………BRONCOS!
Well, anyway, you know how it sounds if you ever been in our stadium.
bkl274957, there is nothing “easy” about 5 payments of $59.99. I first started getting the NFL ticket back in 1998 when it was $149.99 per season, I kept with it until it went up to $179.99 per season. But at $299.99 per season, no thanks. And if you want to watch it HD, the only way to go, add $100.00. Are you kidding me, $399.99!?!?!? As far as doing it to watch the Broncos, it amounts to $25.00 per game…. Crazy. I’m still on Direct TV, but as far as the NFL ticket goes they can kiss my you know what goodbye.
I go to sports bars to watch the Broncos every week and have done so for every game for the last 6/7 years. The one I go to has $2.00 bottle beers during games, so I can watch the game with other sports fan (very important, it is a team and spectator sport you know, what’s the fun in watching it home alone, or with the wife or the kids or a couple guys who don’t really care about the game?) and for $15.00 (6 beers and a $3.00 tip) I get to watch the Broncos, plus every other game on other screens next to it (which you can’t do at home, because you have to go back and forth with the remote), and I get a six pack on top of it, all for $10.00 less per game! The NFL ticket, get real… What a rip off.
And if you’re too young to drink or just choose not to, get you a burger and a few cokes, same thing…
I’m dead wrong about $25.00 per game, because that would be the cost for 16 games, but we have three night games that will not be on the Stupid NFL ticket. So, that’s $400.00 for 13 games, or $30.76 per game!!!!! Not even counting the games that might be on your local market network because of their importance. I said my peace and hope many of you keep this in mind and boycott the stupid thing. They need to get back down to earth. In fact, they are having a free NFLticket preview this Sunday, you know why? Because they can’t sell the stupid thing. I mean it’s a recession, hasn’t anyone told them?
As You can see, not a fan of the NFL ticket…LOL.
All alone again… well…as Pink Floyd says:
Is there anybody OUT THERE?
FAN CHANT!!!
Anyways, happy to see the season almost started. Glad Jarvis made the squad, I’m stoked about our defense this year.
Here’s to remembering the victims of 9/11.
baylinorcrush I agree. Way too much money for sunday ticket. Up until last season, for the last 20 years, I had to go to sports bars and watch the Broncos too. I was in the military and definately not stationed in Denver. It was cheaper to go to the bar for sure. But now, since the family has had season tickets since 1965, I’m home and go to all the home games. I’m lucky to have a group of family and friends who are always looking forward to watching the away games. 2 dollar beers huh? That’s pretty good. Which bar? anyway…looking forward to a win at Cincy.
GO BRONCOS!!!! South Stands Forever!!! The Orange Crush Lives!!
raidrhadr, lucky you, season tickets, wow! I haven’t lived in Clolorado since 1990, never had season tickets, went to lots of games between 75 and 90 at Mile High, Raiders at least 6 times, San Diego, Seattle and KC 2/3 times each, a few other games a couple of playoff games and I topped it with the fumble game (AFC Championship game won against Cleveland). That was all at Mile high. Went to the Giants super bowl in Pasadena, and since mid nineties have been going to away games about once a year or every other year to games I live closest to. I am north of Austin now, went and saw the Houston game last year, unfortunately there are no games close by this year. I go to a “shooters” sports bar in Cedar Park. $2.00 is a great price, it’s on beer like coors light budlight etc… Also on a budweiser product named Ziegen Bock which is brewed only in Texas to compete with the oldest home brewery in Texas, Shiner Bock. Great beers in texas, believe me, don’t believe eveything you hear, specially from Dynamic Dave, he doesn’t like Texas at all. What does he know, he lives in Las Vegas!!!! LOL.
I’ll be there Sunday bright and early. Can’t wait.
Talking about the South stands, for the Cleveland AFC Championship game, I hung a huge banner there that read “DO IT YOUR WAY ELWAY”. It was during the period where Elway and Reeves had a falling out and I was showing my support for Elway.
whats the difference between waived and released?
Plenty arent fans of Chad JOHNSON…but I gotta tell you man, the man entertains me. TO entertains me but Chad is just a funny guy. He entertains and does his antics all in good fun and never puts down his teammate. We need some “Ochocincos” in the league man, makes things more itneresting. I will never forget the year everyone went touch down celebration crazy…..great stuff lol
Broncos9/9
Dunno, If I were to guess its like the difference between getting laid of or getting fired. One is an unfortunate neccesity, and the other is cuz you just aint cutting it….I THINK. lol
9/9, waived is when a player is cut and other teams are allowed to claim him, released is when a player is cut and placed on waiver. End result, same thing.
RBeast, hope you don’t get too many opportunities to be entertained by Chad Sunday, in fact I hope you get none. After Sunday, have at it. LOL.
I cannot believe it. $30 for a ticket is cheap compared to the English Premier League which has 19 home games a season ($900 per season/$47 per game).
However I do say that vets and pensioners should get a discount and I do believe fans should get them before spoilt rich kids.
Anyway we can all be positive about this season with Dawkins around. He is going to take the defence to another level and using 3/4 is genius because it suits players like Doom, Ayers and Moss. I can see playmakers all over the defence and special teams have all the right ingredients to improve out of all recognition. I think Orton is so scared of Dawkins that he won’t dare have a bad game.
Go Broncos – have a great day Sunday.
baylin remember what an idiot Reeves was with Elway?I was there that game against Cleveland the first time.John went around the stadium with the under hand fist pump communing and saluting the fans.I am very concerned about my seeing the game, CBS is showing Broncos over a huge area but leaving out Nevada.Sports bar or internet.
baylinorcrush, not true, not true! I love the Texas women. Northern women say, “you can.” Texas women say, “you all can.”
paulbedichek, if you live in Vegas, as I do, go to the 4 Mile Bar. Broncos bar. Boulder Hwy., just south of Sahara. Or call any FM radio station in your area and ask for team bar listings.
I used to have sunday ticket! ive lived in colorado most of my life so its not necessary here, but while i was in college, i had to miss most bronco games since i was out of state! very sad time in my life! lol anyway, i vowed to never have that prob again. so next time i moved out of state you bet your orange and blue a$$ that i got sunday ticket…. i refused to move unless my ex wife agreed to sunday ticket! over priced??? ABSOLUTELY!!! but i would do it again if i ever leave colorado!! and sorry, a 6 pack would be lucky to get me through the first half…. so i guess i prob break even… i drink alot cheaper in my living room, and i dont have to drive myself home afterwards as well!!
my 2 cents!
FORGET THE ORANGE CRUSH….. LETS INVENT THE BLUE CRUSH!!!
GO BRONCOS…
What are everyones superbowl picks?
I’ve come to 2 possibilities.
Eagles vs. Chargers
Vikings vs. Patriots
It’s a bit early for SB picks isn’t it?
My pick is: NFC team vs. AFC team. LOL
Yeah. A week 1 kick off includes picking SB favs.
All the “analysts” did it.
AFC Championship
Denver vs. NE
NFC Championship
Eagles vs. Minnesota
Super Bowl
NE vs Eagles
Winner NE
The “analysts” did it because they have to say anything, whatever to justify their jobs.
We do this for pleasure, not obligation.
Anyway… Are you kiding, florio??? Chargers??? Come on, man!
Hopefully we are the Cinderella Team that’s always portrayed on TV, and we win the SB. I say Cinderella because we are underdogs to most analyst, but you know what we can be the perfect story to another great season. Stay true, Broncos fans and remember dont listen to analyst and listen to your heart. Can you feel that thump. Its football season and we are going hunting for a SUPER BOWL.
1st stop on the Crazy Train, Cincinatti.
I haven’t posted for a while, but I do keep reading. Rayjr26 I agree with you as far as a different name for the defense. There will never be another Orange Crush Defense. The players we had were dynamite. Which leads me to the name I hope the defense is worthy of this year – Blue Dynamite. I just want the defense to blow up their offense!
I couldnt even remotely suggest who gets to superbowl…I always have broncos going to the superbowl until they prove me wrong lol….and for the NFC ill say Packers or Vikings
on another note…thats why i didnt pick STL DST and Larry Fitz in fantasy football. Madden curse has already struck polomalu lol
Are you guys joking? I don’t care who they picked. Every just picks their favs. Every one is 0-0-0 (except the steelers and titans).
Everyone can make a run. Goodness just pick one. lol
I would be on cloud 9 in the Broncos went to the Super Bowl..along with the all of the fans.
I will pick the Ravens vs. Eagles.
No one sticks out in your mind? No one looked good to you in preseason?
Who knows? Maybe the Broncos will be in the superbowl, but this is a rebuilding year. Even the dolphins didn’t make it to the SB last year.
I’m looking at the whole NFL. And I happened to pick the Chargers. They have a solid team. Does that mean I pull for them? No. I hate little Phylis Rivers as much as the next Bronco fan. I’m just being realistic with my picks.
As far as a new name for the defense….im all for Blue Wave (cuz we gonna be crashing down on them QBs), Blue stampede, Blue Dynamite, Blue surge, Orange seige, or just good ol ORANGE CRUSH!!!!….cant go wrong with that…Orange and Crush have a history of associating with one another.
The Ravens have taken organized chaos….which calls to show the name of the defense doesnt have to be corolated to the color so we can think outside the box. Falcons defense once upon a time was called the “Bomb Squad”.
They do have a pretty solid team but the chargers are inconsitent and they are choke artist….they are up there when it comes to solid teams….but so much has changed this year that I couldnt tell you. Like they say….its is possible for a team to improve but if the level of competition improves around them….then their record might very well be the same or drop.
What about the “Blue Quake”??? Just a thought..
Orange should be in the name, unquestioned in my mind. =)
Orange is Denver’s signature and the ONE unique color in the league, period. You could say Miami does, but I’d say they roll more with the teal.