And here we go. The Broncos’ 2012 training camp kicked off Thursday morning to a raucous — and record-setting — crowd at Dove Valley. Officially, 4,372 people gathered around the practice fields to soak in the first session of training camp — a Dove Valley record.

The sky was clear, it was hot — but not too hot, about 80 degrees — and the players were fired up. In other words, the perfect atmosphere to kick off camp.

ROLL CALL

Before we get started, wanted to throw out a little piece of trivia. Or rather, ask you to take a wild guess at the answer.

Who were the first three players to take the field Thursday morning?

The answer will be revealed later on in the blog.

As for attendance, the only player absent from practice was wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who had the flu. Limited in practice today were defensive tackle Justin Bannan (calf) and defensive end Jamie Blatnick (ankle).

WELCOME, NO. 18

The loudest cheers of the day came when quarterback Peyton Manning jogged out from the locker room and made his way onto the field to kick off his first training camp practice as a Bronco.