As the University of Denver Men’s Lacrosse team got set to wrap up their final practice before departing for the NCAA Final Four, a surprise visitor stepped onto the field to address the team.

Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker visited Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium to address the Pioneers squad that will take on Syracuse at 2 p.m. CDT in Indianapolis on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Denver overcame a six-goal deficit to become the first team in men’s lacrosse championship quarterfinal history to win after trailing by five goals or more.

Click here for a photo gallery of Welker’s visit.

And below is the footage of Welker’s speech to the team:

Denver Broncos safety Rahim Moore is working hard in the off-season to get better, but the UCLA third-year player is aware that he will never be able to blot out the memory of that touchdown pass thrown by the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.

Not from his mind, and certainly not from that of legions of Broncos fans.

After that devastating loss Moore stood at his locker and answered all the questions, taking all the blame, deflecting none to anyone else.

And he met the press like he was supposed to on the first day of OTA’s.

Sometimes, in a real rough situation, this is when a guy shows himself.

It reminds me of a lesson I learned in United States Army boot camp many years ago from a veteran drill sergeant. He told us to do the drill, watch the drill, and see who tries to cut and run to the back of the line. Because if a guy cuts and runs then, he most assuredly will do so later, in a far more daunting situation.

Rahim Moore stood there and answered all the questions Monday, and he did not ask the PR department to filter any questions, to eliminate any reference to the Baltimore game.

You always have to separate the situation from how you handle it.

That crushing play against Baltimore was as bad as it gets, and certainly for Moore.

But do you compound it by taking off, refusing to face the press and the music, or do you stand and deal with it?

He has dealt with it. There were 70 local and national press members present, a big number for an OTA day, and Moore did not flinch from the moment.

That is not only a mature action, it is being a good teammate, because if you do not answer the questions about your play, it leaves it for your teammates to do so, and it is never fair to ask teammates to speak on your behalf—instead of you doing it yourself.

Public Relations 101 tells us do not let a mistake become two mistakes. Handle the first one the right way. Don it on your terms, and the critics, fans, press and general observers must use your words instead of speculating on the answers.

A person is defined by his or her worst moments.

No one wants to put oneself in harm’s way, and another old PR adage is that you are not completely doing your job if you flinch from the bad spots.

Among the great safeties who have played for the Broncos is Brian Dawkins, a team captain and candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dawk always said, “Leaders take the arrows.”

Leaders never run from the moment.

It is better to get all the bleeding over with at once than to never seal the wound and give it a chance to cure.

No predictions are made here as to his development as a player — Moore took big steps last year and hopefully will continue to grow into the tremendous overall player he was at UCLA.

But I really like the way Rahim Moore has handled himself in his polite, candid public response to that very tough moment on the playing field.

A man is measured not by how he falls down, but by how he stands up.

While one play may have left a lasting impression of Rahim Moore’s 2012 campaign, the second-year safety played a total of 1,121 defensive snaps last season. That figure represents the most of any Broncos defender last year.

It also showed the strides that the second-year player made from his rookie season.

Moore started the first five games of his career, but then was replaced in the starting lineup by Quinton Carter. He went on to open just two of the team’s final 11 contests and did not play in the Wild Card win against Pittsburgh.

Then 2012 rolled around and all the hard offseason work that Moore put in showed on the field. The second-round pick out of UCLA started 15 games with his lone non-start coming when Denver opened in a goaline package in Week 2 at Atlanta.

Moore finished third on the team with 71 tackles and also came up with one sack, one interception, seven pass breakups, four tackles for a loss and one fumble recovery in 2012.

That improvement led the advanced football statistics website, ProFootballFocus.com, to label Moore as one of the league’s “Secret Superstars.”

Below is what Pro Football Focus had to say about Moore’s turnaround:

While Moore was handed a starting job in his first training camp, he had to fight for one in his second. Though Dawkins had retired, the Broncos had Moore, Carter, and newly-signed veteran Mike Adams competing for two spots. After slipping off so many ballcarriers in his rookie season, Moore had spent the offseason attacking his weakness head-on. He’d practiced mixed martial arts to better his tackling, and had focused on his assignments to become more comfortable with them. His improvement showed, and the sophomore safety won back his starting job in August. This time, he wouldn’t let it go.

A year after spending some Sundays as a healthy scratch, Moore played more snaps in 2012 than any other Broncos defender. Often lining up deep as Denver’s last line of defense, Moore allowed just 0.46 Yards Per Coverage Snap and surrendered a first down or touchdown on only 1.64% of his snaps. At the same time, he frequently showed the speed and instincts to provide support against backfield screens. And when he got to the point of attack, he sealed the deal.

After amassing 11 missed tackles in 43 attempts in 2011 (including the playoffs), Moore had just eight in 96 attempts in 2012. Amazingly, he’d transformed himself from one of the worst-tackling safeties in the league into one of the best. And with a +9.0 grade in the regular season that tied for the 10th-highest of any safety, he was one of the more promising young defenders in the league. This would have been the lasting image of Moore heading into the upcoming season, except for the outcome of one play.

Click here for the full article.

This offseason, the Broncos have taken their camaraderie beyond the playing field.

“I think it’s important to get to know guys and spend time with guys not just out here at practice or in the weight room,” quarterback Peyton Manning said. “When you’re over here in the weight room and in practice, it’s pretty much just work and you listen to the coaches, listen to the strength coaches.”

A large group of players went to a Colorado Rockies game, Peyton Manning took wide receivers Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker to Duke for some on-the-field work and the full team will participate in a golf tournament for the second consecutive year.

“It’s probably a good thing it’s nine holes and not 18,” Manning laughed. “There were 40 sets of rental clubs last year, which tells you how many non-golfers we have on this team. But it’s fun. Everybody plays with a different position—I’ll play with a defensive lineman and a linebacker.”

Getting together as a team away from the Broncos’ Dove Valley headquarters can help translate to on-field success as the chemistry between the players grows.

“It’s little things like that, that I always thought made a difference,” Manning said. “The good teams that I’ve been on in the past were guys that got along, guys that went to dinner, that hung out and spent time away from the playing field (together). I’ve always thought that’s important. I think it can win a game for you somewhere down the road.”

Britton Colquitt has a pretty good vantage point to watch Broncos games on the sidelines.

And he’s OK with staying a spectator as much as possible this season.

“You kind of wonder that,” Colquitt said. “But when you start thinking about that, then you’re not as mentally prepared. I would love to start out maybe one punt in the first half because we’re scoring. If I’m just out there holding, that’d be awesome, because we’re winning. But I like punting. That’s my job. I feel like God has blessed me with that. Anything I can do to help.”

Colquitt punted three times or fewer in seven of Denver’s 16 regular-season games last year and the team went 6-1 in those contests.

That includes Denver’s 37-6 win over Oakland in Week 3, where Colquitt didn’t have to punt a single time.

While it might be better for Colquitt to have more opportunities to punt the ball, that usually means the offense is stalling.

“Sometimes. I think when you’re out there every few minutes, you do get in that rhythm,” he said. “But that’s part of being a professional—you’ve just got to be ready at all times. That’s what mental stuff is on the sideline. Kicking in the net when you need to and just putting yourself in a situation in your mind that you might face in the game. It is nice to get more reps sometimes, but sometimes it’s not. I’d rather be winning than anything.”

Maybe you’ve already seen the photos of the new Sports Authority Field at Mile High scoreboards being installed.

But today is your first chance to see the improvements live and in person.

The other professional sports team that calls Sports Authority Field home will play its home opener at the stadium tonight.

The undefeated Denver Outlaws (3-0), who appeared in the Major League Lacrosse title game last year, take on the Rochester Rattlers (1-2) at 7 p.m. MDT tonight at Sports Authority Field.

Tickets are still available for the game and may be purchased online or in-person before the game starting at $10.

The Outlaws game will be preceded by the Class 4A and 5A state championship lacrosse games, which face off at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Admission to both of those high school games is free with the purchase of an Outlaws ticket.

Today’s lacrosse tripleheader offers the first look at the $30 million of improvements that include a brand new 220 foot by 40 foot high-definition scoreboard on the south side of the stadium. The new scoreboard is believed to be either the third or fourth-largest in the United States.

Pro Football Focus, an advanced NFL statistics website, profiled Broncos linebacker Von Miller today.

The piece breaks down Miller’s strengths and weaknesses as a pass rusher and pinpoints the tackles that Miller victimized the most, and who had the most success blocking the linebacker. It also goes into what last season means for Miller’s future prospects.

It doesn’t take long to read through the third-year player’s weaknesses — there are none listed.

Below is the excerpt from Pro Football Focus’ Ben Stockwell:

Weakness

None

The only category that Miller didn’t rank among the league’s Top 20 in terms of pressure rate this season was at getting unblocked pressure, and when you’re talking about Von Miller that’s hardly a surprise

Across his two seasons in the NFL Miller has recorded only 12 unblocked pressures, which is fewer than Aldon Smith (14) and Calvin Pace (13) recorded this season alone. When you dig further into Miller’s unblocked stats you find that he even makes the most of these rare occasions that he can get at the opposing pass rusher without anyone picking him up. Of those 12 unblocked pressures he has recorded, he failed to turn only one of those into a sack or hit of the opposing quarterback, further illustrating why you just can’t leave Miller unaccounted for in your blocking scheme. In his rookie season Miller converted his six unblocked pressures into five hits and one hurry, while this season he converted six into three hits and three sacks. Miller doesn’t get much of his pass rush for “free” but when he does, he makes you pay in full for not picking him up.

Click here for the full article.

Be a Champion in the Community Week continued on Wednesday with a trip to Habitat for Humanity sites around Denver.

A group of players including cornerback Champ Bailey, safety David Bruton, longsnapper Aaron Brewer, punter Britton Colquitt, kicker Matt Prater and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas visited a pair of Habitat sites in Denver’s Globeville Neighborhood.

At the same time, tackle Paul Cornick, guard Ben Garland, linebacker Steven Johnson, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and tight end Jacob Tamme visited Habitat build site in the Chase Street neighborhood in Lakewood, Colo.

“They are overwhelemed,” Habitat for Humanity Director of Development and Communication Ryan Smith said. “They are so excited to know that the Denver Broncos are helping build their homes financially and with volunteers. Especially here in Globeville. A lot of these families have been here 30, 40 or 50 years.”

First, the Globeville contingent stopped to meet Rosario, who was working on the house that she will move into upon its completion.

The players and cheerleaders posed for a picture with Rosario and her daughter under her new roof, which was donated by A1 Roofing.

Then, the group moved on to a build site five blocks north, where Broncos staff and sponsors will help build five new townhomes on Friday. The initiative is part of the Carter Work Project, which will culminate with a visit in October from former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn.

The players mingled with the seven families that were present at that build site, watching and assisting with the construction of their future homes.

“I’m already pretty tied to this community,” Bailey said. “A lot of what I do is with the Denver Rescue Mission, so I wanted to try something a little different and try to help out in different ways and what better cause than Habitat for Humanity – they do everything.”

After the draft, Head Coach John Fox said it was “safe to say” Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio was very excited about the team’s first-round pick, defensive tackle Sylvester Williams.

Now that he’s had three days to coach him during last weekend’s rookie minicamp, Del Rio made it clear that assessment was valid.

“Sylvester is a big guy — has some quickness, very serious and very determined in his approach,” Del Rio said. “That is a pretty good way to begin — come in here humble, but definitely ready to work and kind of man-up and do his job. That part has been very impressive.”

When asked whether Williams’ intangibles are similar to last year’s top pick, Derek Wolfe, Del Rio said it wasn’t exactly a fair comparison. But the attitude with which both players come to work is nearly identical.

“What I would say is that both of these young men, you’ve watched them come in the building — they both have approached it very similarly,” the defensive coordinator said. “Come in kind of determined, serious, mature in their approach. I think you’re going to see Sylvester be able to come in and impact us in a similar way, but he has a little bit more in front of him. [DT] Terrance Knighton can play and ‘Big Vick’ (DT Kevin Vickerson) can play. So, he has to come in and earn and fight for his time, much like Derek did last year with [DE Robert] Ayers and [DE] Jason Hunter.

“You never know how it’s going to play out, but when you come in with that mentality and that approach, that gives you a chance. That is what I like about the way he’s started here, that he’s come in here very determined, very serious, very mature, very much about his business. That is good for all of us.”

The Broncos opened up Be a Champion in the Community Week with a visit to Whittier School and the Denver Center for International Studies on Monday afternoon.

Throughout the week, the team will be spending time with different community partners in the greater Denver area.

“Our primary goal is to get an all-hands-on-deck approach involved in all of our community platforms,” Vice President of Community Development Cindy Kellogg said. “What’s special about this year in particular is having an entire week devoted to our community initiatives. In its second year, I think this will really bolster the impact of that, as well as introduce our players to the work that our organization is doing in the community.”

To start the week’s events, cornerback Mario Butler, tight end Joel Dreessen, guard Ben Garland, defensive end Malik Jackson, linebacker Steven Jackson, center Quentin Saulsberry and defensive tackle Sealver Siliga visited Whittier students at recess to promote healthy, active lifestyles. Cornerback Omar Bolden, cornerback Tony Carter, wide receiver Greg Orton and wide receiver Gerell Robinson did the same at Denver Center for International Studies.

“It’s good to get out in the community and interact with young fans,” Dreessen said in between games of four square. “Especially to visit a school and get to play at recess with them.”

The players split up and played different games with the elementary- and middle-school students.

As someone who makes his living being active, Dreessen said that the cause of the day’s visit was especially important to him.

“It’s important to stay active,” the tight end said of his message to the students. “Stay off the cell phones, stay away from the video games – there is a lot of fun to be had outside.”