Here we are at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Fla., and the 2010 Pro Bowl is just a few hours away. It has been a fun week of practice leading up to the actual game, and now the five Broncos participating in the all-star contest will look to lead the AFC to a W.

This blog will be a mix of the pregame blogs you’re used to seeing on gamedays on DenverBroncos.com and our typical live game blogs. The plan is to run down to the field to snap a few pregame photos before the contest, then as the game progresses, give you updates after big plays, scores and any contributions from the five Broncos.

Rather than use the typical live blog format, I’m just going to use the regular blog so I can include photos. In other words, just refresh every now and then for any updates to the post.

Right now, at 4:54 EST, there are no players on the field, and the gates haven’t opened yet, so there aren’t any fans in the stands, either. From where I sit, the left end zone is painted red for the AFC, and the right is blue for the NFC. I’m going to go get a feel for the best way to get down to the field, so I’ll be back in a while with some pregame snapshots. Stay tuned.

There were plenty of new touches to the final day of practice for Sunday’s Pro Bowl. For one, the venue changed — both teams practiced at Lockhart Stadium in North Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in front of a healthy crowd. Adding to the excitement were cheerleaders from across the NFL, including the Broncos’ Pro Bowl representative, Lindsey Dudley.

The third day of Pro Bowl practice got off to an eventful start for the DenverBroncos.com contingent here in town. With thoughts of showing up to practice a little early today, we hopped in the car only to get stuck behind an open drawbridge immediately after pulling out of the hotel.

It’s a neat sight, watching a large bridge open up to let boats sail through, but it cut into our timing a bit. Then, wouldn’t you know it, we ran into another open drawbridge right before arriving at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. By the time the bridge closed again, we were stopped by a parade of police officers on motorcycles — the escort for the AFC team buses headed to practice. We made it to the session in time, but running into two drawbridges and a police escort is an interesting way to start your day.

After the morning chaos, the actual practice was the most relaxed session of the week. Players didn’t wear helmets today — instead, hats and visors peppered the line of scrimmage. While the positions groups were going through drills, the offensive linemen stood in a circle in the end zone and essentially played hackey sack with a football, trying to keep the ball off the ground without using their hands.

The second day of practice for the Pro Bowl started out with the NFC squad taking the field. And I thought the AFC practices were loose…

The NFC’s 11-on-11 session eventually turned into which quarterback could heave the ball the farthest, and which receiver could beat his man quickly enough to catch it. At one point, Atlanta’s Roddy White streaked past Philadelphia’s Asante Samuel, and the cornerback exclaimed, “I’ve got jet lag! I just got off the plane yesterday!” The last play of the drill brought an all-out blitz from the defense toward a laughing Aaron Rodgers, who quickly tossed the ball to a receiver.

On a beautiful day in South Florida, the AFC squad took the field first on the opening day of practice for the 2010 Pro Bowl.

It was a day that was just as much about getting acquainted with new teammates as running drills, and the loose session included plenty of laughs. Some of the loudest came from Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, who not surprisingly spent much of the morning trying to get a rise out of the crowd of high schoolers who watched the practice at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

At times it almost looked like a regular Broncos practice, as five Denver players took the field — Champ Bailey, Ryan Clady, Brian Dawkins, Elvis Dumervil and Brandon Marshall. It was a typical affair, as Bailey matched up against Marshall plenty of times, and Clady found himself blocking Dumervil on a number of occasions.