A second snowstorm in three days blitzed through Dove Valley and the Front Range on Thursday. The first one didn’t affect the Broncos’ work one iota. The second one, however, forced them inside — and not to the nearby South Suburban Sports Dome, which was booked for a youth event.
With the Broncos’ usual inclement-weather option scrapped, they had to settle for working inside the team’s conditioning facility, on a field that is regulation width but is barely 30 yards in length.
“It was more of a walk-through, obviously,” Head Coach Mike Shanahan said. “But I think we got done what we needed to get done.”
The practice was the Broncos’ first inside the truncated indoor field at their facility since Week 16 of the 2006 season, when a near-blizzard kept the team at their facility.
“A bubble (at team headquarters) would be nice today. I was going to fight those little kids off today over at the bubble down the street, but I decided not to,” Shanahan deadpanned.
The weather not only forced the team inside, but postponed the scheduled audition of punters. That will now take place Friday.
“We had a hard time getting those punters in,” Shanahan said.
While the team’s search for a new punter stalled like a low-pressure center over the Texas panhandle, the progress of Jay Cutler did not, as he returned to full practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s work with a sore knee.
“He’ll be ready to go (Sunday),” Shanahan said.
Wide receiver Javon Walker also returned to full practice, while Ian Gold, Daniel Graham and Brandon Stokley were sidelined.
