The attempt to salvage my week after a canceled vacation, namely 50 yard line seats to last night's preseason opener, proved to be just what the doctor ordered. From our seats we had a good view of the field and the Broncos bench, and easy access to bathrooms and beer. Not quite the beach time I had planned for this week, but a great chance to see some NFL action and check out the new look Broncs' offense, defense and players.

I tweeted a few times, but my phone was not liking the MHR comments setup... I will have to fix that before I go to Denver for the NE game in October. I tried to watch for the stuff you all asked for in comments on my initial post about going to the game. I haven't yet seen the broadcast of the game, so all my conclusions are from watching realtime both with and without binoculars, and by the end of the game a thick set of beer goggles as well. Read on for a few observations and takeaways from my visit to "the Stick."

• I watched some warmups from right up on the rail. Every time I get near them, I am always reminded just how larger NFL players actually are. Chris Baker is one mountainous human, as is Daniel Graham. Pedescleaux is tall and big boned, but doesn't have that cut "NFL" type body (yet!?). It seems like he could carry significantly more weight on his frame though. For warmups, the squad started with some of Tuten's new dynamic stretching, which was a nice thing to see as I entered the stadium, and then did some active-passive stretching.
  
• After stretching, the offense ran a series of plays without the line from a number of core formations, including ST plays, first alone and then with the D on the field - again minus the line. The thing that most stood out was that nearly every pass went to Royal, and anything that came near him he pulled in and turned up field with. Even in warmups his speed and the crispness of his route running was evident. What a pro!
• Early in the game, I tried to pay attention to the D-Line and especially the NT position to see how the starters were looking. The run D was excellent, with players routinely making it into the backfield or at least holding up blockers to allow for some TED blocking and LB tackles for short gains. Against the pass I would call the D line effective - if not stellar. They did develop a pass rush, but still gave Hill enough time to get rid of the ball on most plays.
  
• Kenny Peterson and McBean did much better disrupting the run than collapsing the pocket - but they occupied blockers so that the LB's could come in and disrupt the play. McBean's sack seemed to be really due to great downfield coverage more than a great move on his part. Fields was stout against the run, and the 49ers started the game double teaming him by default, but it seemed like he was rarely actually occupying multiple blockers such that they could peel off and combat the edge rush. I was actually more impressed with the NT play of Baker. He really got into there and mixed it up - he was a very disruptive presence even when not busting into the backfield. I didn't really see Thomas or Powell out there and am not sure they were even in on that many plays. If they were, they certainly didn't stand out. The young ends didn't generally do a lot to draw my attention either.
  
• I also tried to pay attention to the young DB's. Surprisingly it was the first year players, in Smith and McBath, that showed the most. Phonz really showed something recovering and batting away a pass after the receiver got away from him late in the game. McBath managed to run with the first stringers generally unnoticed - which in my book is what you want from a rookie safety in his first game - covering what he needed to and making the tackle when the ball carrier got to him. Both rookies made plays on special teams as well and are shaping up to be nice draft picks. I didn't see Bruton out there a whole lot, but he did make some ST tackles, which may his route to a roster spot. Meanwhile, the sophomore DB's really took a step back. As much as I love Jack MF Williams, he looked a little slow and confused out there, missing some tackles and not always in the right spot. I thought he looked better in last year's preseason. Josh Bell just looked god awful - missing tackles and covering poorly. I went into the game thinking those two could potentially push Smith to the PS for a year, but were looking more like training camp fodder yesterday. I am interested to see how this plays out.
• Speaking of pass defense - the LB's flat out stunk in that area. Vernon Davis ran all over them in the first quarter and they gave up the huge TD towards the end of the game. Would have been scary to see what Davis would have done with a whole game... Otherwise, the LB's did well taking advantage of the opportunities created by the line. Doom's sack was a thing of beauty - he just pushed the lineman to the ground and kept going. I was sad to see Reid struggling in coverage, and not doing a whole lot else great. Moss had a few decent plays off the edge - he is one lanky dude - but looked tentative in run support. Larsen unloaded on some people, and looks to be a good backup for Davis - who I thought looked best of the ILBs. Ayers needs work - I mostly noticed him when he was way out of position. (I watched highlights, and Ayers did fine - and was not the guy I saw out of position. If anyone, it was Reid, but was really just a busted blitz... Thanks to YosemiteSam for pointing it out!) Crowder must have done something to get in the doghouse - he made it out there for a few downs on D and special teams, but was otherwise ignored. Having lost all that weight, the man looks cut, strong and quick. Why he isn't playing more is beyond me. By and large, a real mixed bag here - they need a lot of practice in the LB corps and the fellas don't look too comfortable out there yet. But they showed some promise.
• Special teams has improved dramatically - players are treating it like it actually matters. Coverage was solid, and we had a punt downed around the 10 and some returners wrapped with little to no gain. Both McKinley and Smith are very capable return men. It seemed like McKinley ran with a little more awareness and patience on the kick returns - and flashed a good top gear. Alphonso's speed really showed on his punt return, though. He was out of the gate in a flash. If I was making the depth chart right now I would have McKinley returning kicks and Smith on the punts. But I feel good about that aspect, regardless.
  
• The offense has been dissected here and elsewhere, so I am not going to go too much into it. I am not too worried about Orton's picks - they really did throw a lot of crazy formations at him. How awesome was the 4 wide to open the offensive game? And I am pretty sure some trips was seen. Sweet. What worries me is that Orton's pocket presence was nervous and impatient. Simms, on the other hand, had great poise and intention in making his throws (in a simpler game plan against the second string). He is going to need to speed up that delivery if he expects to challenge Orton. I expect Orton to pull it together as Coach McD figures out how to game plan to his level of comfort with the offense.
  
• Moreno looked fast, shifty and tough to bring down. Too bad he didn't get a lot of run before getting dinged up. I liked that he kept trying to play through the pain - not a prima donna first rounder. I really enjoyed seeing the RB's all over the field - splitting wide, in single back sets, in two back sets. Even Jordan caught a ball! I was surprised how much they used a two back look, getting Larsen and Hillis substantial playing time. I thought Darius Walker looked surprisingly serviceable, and I could see him hanging around if there is an injury in that group, or a veteran gets cut. Hillis, as we all know, is the MAN and played like it last night.
• Marshall has a role in this offense. Stokley cannot play all those downs all season - and didn't look great getting so much work. Save him for 3rd down, please! I think a big target across the middle is going to be necessary, and I expect Marshall to get some looks there. They also ran some WR screens that I can see working quite well for the big man and his YAC habit.
• Both Swift and McKinley have futures in the NFL - and  I hope they are with the Broncos. Swift is still a little imprecise on his routes, but showed good concentration and speed. McKinley reminds me of Royal a bit - just plays "older" than he is. His route running is quite good and he has athleticism. Plus his TD celebration was awesome. I think I like these two over Chad Jackson right now...
• I will take the new Mile High over Candlestick any day as The Stick suffers from the same thing that the Oakland Coliseum does: The owners want to move to a new stadium, so have little to now reason to actually maintain the place - if anything they want it to go to crap so they have more leverage. However, the one thing Candlestick has going for it is good beer. In Denver I am stuck with Coors and Bud and maybe a Fat Tire. Last night I was sipping Lagunitas IPA, Fat Tire and Anchor Steam all night. God bless Northern California.
•  The 49ers fans were pretty darn cool. Really friendly to the Broncos crowd (which was sizable) but still had pride for their squad and were knowledgeable about it. I had some nice chats with SF fans throughout the night - although I did let them all know that I lived here in the City, so maybe that helped me out. And they delivered on the tailgating.... As I wandered around drinking a beer, I saw everything from a fish fry to a homemade steel barrel smoker to a spit of meat over open fire. I even saw someone with a whole display of memorabilia including a signed Montana jersey. Looked like the just loaded up the truck with the stuff and a folding table and just brought it to share with their fellow fans. Cool.

Well - I guess that is about it. I had a blast at the game. It inspired me to want to revive the "Why He'll Make the Team" franchise, so I will try to make some space this week for that... cuts are coming soon! Thanks for reading!

Go Broncos!