After a False Start for a 5 Hour Penalty, I made my way up to Dove Valley. You see, I found out that the morning practice was canceled as well as the evening one, in lieu of a single 1pm practice session, so I returned to the homestead to bide my time. Anyway, after a pleasant drive up I-25, I arrived an hour early, so I could check on the prices of those vertical socks for Calijoefornia and Igor B Strange.I found out that they are $19.95 and that you can also buy them at the stadium. After Training Camp they will move the store back to its regular spot in the facility, and it will be open M-F 10am-5pm. The guy at the counter said that the socks were available online through Denver Broncos Pro Shop, but I could not locate them on their website. So you guys will probably have to have somebody pick them up for you at a game.

On to Practice. It is a hazy, but otherwise sunny afternoon somewhere in the mid 70's, with no rain in the forecast. I find a primo spot at the far 40 yard line, and shortly the players begin to meander on to the field. It's Shells and shorts for today's practice. The JUGGs machine is already setup at the near Goal line. Britton Colquitt is punting balls through the uprights from the 50 yard line, clearing the posts by a good 15-20 yards. Meanwhile, Lonie Paxton is long snapping to a ball boy. "Under Pressure," by Queen plays throughout the area. I notice that Tom Brandstater has completed his haircut that the veterans started. And then the HORN sounds.

Punt coverage blocking practice. Colquitt is lined up to punt, but they use the JUGGs machine for the actual punt. Back Deep on the Return side is Kenny McKinley, who takes reps with Alphonso Smith, while Eddie Royal stands by. On one punt rep, Eddie and Phonz are back in a two deep formation and practice a reverse handoff. Coach Priefer is very detailed with his instructions. I notice that Alphonso is wearing a support sleeve going from mid-thigh to mid-calf(It resembles the one that you see Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony wear on their arms). But he is not limping. Over at the far field, the Offense is taking light warm up reps. HORN.

The Offense moves over to the field in front of me and the "D" trots over to the far field. The 1st team is running drills against a scout team comprised of other members of the offense at half speed. There are players on the "D" side wearing red jerseys depicting S Brian Russell, LB Lofa Tatupu, and DT Brandon Mebane from Seattle. They are taking Red Zone reps, and LaMont Jordan is getting most of the running reps. Correll Buckhalter and Darius Walker get the rest of them. Orton throws a beautiful fade pass to Tony Scheffler and then hits Jabar Gaffney on the following play. The ball is given to Buckhalter on a Goal line run off the right side and Coach McDaniels calls for them to run it again. This time, they run it to the left. HORN.

We are suddenly assaulted by the blare of Bruce Springsteen over the airwaves. "The Rising" plays loud enough to bounce of the buildings in the background. It seems Our Head Coach takes his simulated "crowd noise" seriously. The team assembles for the stretching interval. Jay-Z comes on over the speaker system and a ball boy brings out the chains, wrestling with the tangled links. After a few 20 yard warm up trots, the players spread out for Coach Tuten's "torture time." Carlton Powell, Kenny Peterson, Tim Crowder, Matthias Askew, Ronald Fields, Everette Pedescleaux, Robert Ayers(with a shaved head), Darrell Reid, Andra Davis,Nic Clemons, and Jarvis Moss are stretching in the vicinity nearest to my position. Brandon Marshall is dancing around in what appears to be pajama pants as another Hip Hop type song is played. I ask the young crowd around me for a little help on some of the music that I'm not familiar with, and they can't help me with this. When the song fades away Kick Off practice begins. The Coverage unit attempts to surprise the Return unit with an On sides kick, but Darcel McBath isn't caught napping and promptly dives on the ball. After that, Kenny Peterson starts talking a little smack. Back deep on the return unit Phonz, McKinley and Royal take turns receiving the Kick. Coach Priefer tells the units to switch sides and they take 3 more reps, utilizing different blocking strategies. Britton Colquitt is making all the kicks today, as Matt Prater is not suited up. HORN.

I notice that Knowshon Moreno is not suited up, and neither is Brandon Lloyd. I DO see Brian Dawkins in a solid Orange Jersey sans numbers and sporting a club like appendage where his right hand should be. He is playing most of the reps with the 1st team today. QB's and RB's work short passes with a ball boy at center, while the WR's run their "slalom" drills. The O Linemen work on pull blocking on the other half of the field. HORN.

A coach calls out for 7 on 7's, and the Defense returns to the near field. The O Line stays put, continuing their routine. Chris Simms runs the scout Offense versus the 1st team Defense. Alphonso Smith makes an interception. The scout Offense is playing worse than I expect the Seahawks to play on Saturday. Andra Davis lets a pick go through his hands in Zone coverage. There are Red Jerseys representing RB Julius Jones, WR's Nate Burleson and TJ Houshmanzadeh, and TE John Carlson of the Seahawks. Mario Haggan breaks up a pass and another defensive player recovers the "live" ball.

The 1st team Offense takes their turn against the scouts. Kyle Orton just misses C Buck on a down and out and then completes a pass to Eddie Royal on a crossing route. Tony Scheffler makes a nice grab on an inside slant that Orton fires to him. Kyle is throwing some heat and his footwork looks better as he hits Jabar Gaffney in the End Zone. It appears that Kyle has been working on his footwork like he said he would. Lee Robinson knocks down a pass for the scouts and a coach yells,"Get the Ball Lee." Two more passes, one to Brandon Stokely and one to Royal, and then the HORN blows.

 While my attention is diverted elsewhere, Cones magically appear on the 35 yard line in front of me. The 1st teams are up for some 11 on 11's. Scheffler makes a reception and Coach Nolan calls for the 1st team "Nickel" package to take the field. Orton lofts a fade to Royal that is overthrown, but Eddie was well covered by Champ Bailey. A little FOO Fighters sounds off so that oral communication is rendered invalid. After another pass to Eddie Royal, LaMont Jordan takes a nice swing pass to the left that looks effective. Next up is the Goal Line drills.They run C Buck to the right side, and McDaniels runs in to make some adjustments. They run it again, but to the left this time. Now OutKast plays over the loudspeakers and a fade pass to the right side is broken up by the Defense. Darius Walker gets a rep at RB, and Royal makes another catch out to the left. Simms comes in and rifles a pass to Tony Scheffler. Then Eddie makes another grab from Orton. Brett Kern and Colquitt practice punting to the ball boys over on the other field. I think it's safe to say we will have a great punter this year, no matter who it is. HORN.

"Dream On" by Aerosmith rocks the area, as the Scout Offense takes on the 1st team Defense. Nothing impresses me during this interval, so I will report my observations of Brandon Marshall. B Marsh is indeed working with the 2nd squad and is playing with the scout team. He is not acting lazy, but I don't see him busting his rump either(not that anyone else is). He doesn't act disgruntled, in fact he is joking with a few teammates, including Kyle Orton. He is not standing out(other than the funny p.j.'s) good or bad. I'm still tired of the drama, but I am reporting objectively here. Tom Brandstater gets some reps on the scout team and completes a crisp hard pass to Daniel Graham in the End Zone. Music by Young Joc now, as the Defense gets a tip at the line that is almost intercepted. HORN.

Special Teams punt drills with live punting this time, with Kern and Colquitt sharing reps and Phonz, McKinley, Royal, and Matthew Willis getting return reps. The focus is on blocking on the snap and the return. The punter are booming kicks that are going 70-75 yards in the air consistently. They change sides and practice different blocking and return plays. Kenny McKinley takes the last punt, showing off his speed, and then the HORN blows.

As "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers breaks out, the 1st teams go for another session of 11 on 11's, with some Red Jerseys on the defensive side. Brandon Stokely juggles an Orton pass before hauling it in. Correll Buckhalter runs to the right and Stokely catches another. Kyle completely misses a screen pass to the left, nearly hitting Ben Hamilton who was lead blocking on the play. They run "Student Body" to the left with Buckhalter as the recipient runner, and then Orton completes a nice sideline out to the right to Tony Scheffler. "Hurt So Good" by John Mellencamp is playing now. Simms comes in and passes to Stokely and Peyton Hillis and LaMont Jordan each get a carry before the HORN blows again.

Next up Michael(R.I.P.)Jackson's "Beat It" begins to play. The players swap sides again. Kyle Orton throws a pass behind Brandon Marshall only rep of the afternoon, but Darcel McBath was clearly holding him up on the play. Marshall playfully slaps at him and laughs. The Scout Offense gets a turn against the 1st team "D." I notice Wesley Woodyard has a long brace on his right knee. It doesn't appear to be hampering him. TI plays a song and then the HORN goes off.

1st teams go 11 on 11 once more. Andra Davis dons a #51 red Jersey signifying Lofa Tatupu, while Vernon Fox wears Brian Russell, and E Ped sports Brandon Mebane's designated numbers. Correll Buckhalter has a nice full speed run to the left side. Peyton Hillis gets a rep to the right. A few more passes to Eddie and then Jordan makes a run to the right with Chad Jackson sealing the CB on the play. More music plays of a genre that I do not recognize(and I thought I was pretty up on music. Am I getting old?). Dawkins deflects a pass intended for Scheffler using his good hand. Jordan gets another run to the left. Orton and Scheffler team up for a nice reception in the seam down field, and Tony tells Kyle "that's a keeper, remember that play." A sideline pass to Royal, followed by a medium pass to Gaffney, and then a swing pass to Hillis on the right side. HORN.

Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit" erupts over the PA system, and it's time for the scout Offense to run with the 1st team"D." Again nothing stands out....a denial, a denial....more HIP HOP music occurs, Chris Simms overthrows Marshall on a "go" route(to be fair, Marshall isn't running full speed). Woodyard intercepts the next pass attempt and promptly laterals the ball to DJ Williams and turns to block for his teammate. HORN.

More Punt coverage and Return practice. Matthew Willis is deep and McKinley is the "gunner" on my side. After 3 or 4 reps, they move to Kick Off coverage. Colquitt is taking the reps as kicker. Kenny McKinley kiddingly tells a couple of guys that they need to hustle and then bends over to catch his breath. This elicits a reply from Darrell Reid, "You don't get tired, your a rookie. You're too skinny to get blocked." After he gets his wind back, Kenny takes a return full speed, showing off his burst and daring the punter to make the tackle. That is funny in itself since Britton has 3 inches and 21 pounds on McKinley. HORN.

More 1st team 11 on 11's. C Buck run to the right. Marquez Branson gets a pass, and then Darius Walker has a carry. Brandstater completes a pass to Branson. In a two back set Spencer Larsen blocks for Marcus Thomas. Brandstater passes to McKinley. Marcus Thigpen gets a carry, and Nate Swift makes a grab from Brandstater. HORN.

The Scout Offense runs up against 2nd team "Nickel" package. Nic Clemons knocks down a pass and Larsen nearly recovers the "live ball" before it goes out of bounds. I see Le Kevin Smith, Chris Baker, Lee Robinson, Tim Crowder, Jack Williams Darcel McBath, Vernon Fox Jarvis Moss, Ryan McBean, and Josh Barrett working on this unit. Britton Colquitt sets up for FG attempts with the ball being marked at the 48 yard line. His 1st try has plenty of leg, but ricochets off the left goalpost. The next 2 attempts are straight, but fall inches short. The 4th try goes straight and true, with yards to spare. The Final HORN sounds and the team huddles up at mid field.

Autograph time.

 I manage to secure signatures from Tony Scheffler, Jeb Putzier, and Marquez Branson. Lonie Paxton, Richard Quinn, Brett Kern, and Britton Colquitt make up the remaining signees. As I make my way to the exit, I spot Daniel Graham walking over to give out his autograph, and since I've already got his signature, I tell him." Thanks for coming over, and Good Luck this year."

All in all, there were not too many people that showed up for the final scheduled open practice. It could be because of the last minute change in the practice time, but I'm hoping it's not because the fans are getting disgusted at all the conflict that has prevailed in this off season. By the scope of this practice, I would say that Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan, Eddie Royal, and Tony Scheffler will be getting a lot of looks come Saturday's game in Seattle.

From all 5 practices that I attended, I noticed a marked improvement in the team development and most importantly, a particular attention to detail, especially on Special Teams. I am really looking forward to the regular season. Go Broncos!