2009 Denver Broncos Training Camp - 8/3 AM - Slowly building a football team
by John Bena on Aug 3, 2009 1:15 PM MDT
in 2009 Denver Broncos Season Preview
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This is bittersweet for me because it is my last report. Once done, I will head to the airport and back home. I miss my girls and am glad to be heading home, but the past 4 days or so have been incredible My thanks to the Denver Broncos for allowing me, and by extension you, access to the inside. A 2-year veteran now, I am already looking forward to next year.
Enough mushy stuff, let's get back to the football. It has been easy to see over the first 4 days of camp that Josh McDaniels is taking the task of rebuilding this football team seriously. Not from a pure aspect of the roster, either. The Broncos had become a team void of fundamentals, with little regard for the details. How many times under Mike Shanahan were mistakes or turnovers accepted as "part of the game". Surely they are, but simply because something is EXPECTED doesn't mean it should be ACCEPTED.
In a sport when one mistake, one mental or physical miscue, can cost a team a win, a playoff spot, or more, the attention to detail, the mastery of the fundamentals is what can separate 10-6 from 8-8 or 8-8 from 6-10. It will be a focus now, and the Broncos should be better for it as the season goes on.
Each practice has been a building block to the next one, and each day has seen an increase in 7x7 and 11x11 work. One can't succeed in a team environment if they can't succeed against another person or blocking sled. It has been that focus that is going to benefit this team in 2009. The physicality of the workouts, practicing in pads, is going to help this team. They may not be the most talented team every Sunday, but they will be as prepared as anyone. That is a step in the right direction.
Now, on to some thoughts from my final practice at Dove Valley...
In the past there were practices dedicated to Special Teams. Usually in the afternoon, these workouts would include only players that were on the Special Teams units and would last 75 minutes or so. While I can't say there won't be a workout like that this year, there has yet to be one and with the work going into special teams during the main practice I'd venture to say there won't be. It is the efficient use like this of the practice time available that impresses me about the way these workouts have been scheduled.
Whether you support McDaniels or not, I'd be interested to hear anyone say they aren't impressed by how this camp is being run from an organizational standpoint. There are very few wasted movements and the team gets in and out of team/individual drills fast.
Each workout is filled with teaching. Specifically the D-Line, getting a ton of one-on-one instruction. Today's focus - spacing and getting low. In a 3-4 defense, it is the job of the defensive line to hold their ground in order to allow the linebackers to make plays in space. How well the Broncos' defense picks up the 3-4 will depend largely on this unit getting it done.
The O-line was working on exploding off the ball, doubling the D-end, sealing the edge, and getting to the next level (LB or S). Of the new guys, Mitch Erickson seemed to be getting the most praise from Rick Dennison while Black Schlueter was struggling just a bit.
LB Nick Greisen was carted off during the workout. While he was favoring his left leg, he was able to walk into the locker room. No update was given by Coach McDaniels after the workout.
The special teams work included punt team - specifically on punts coming from mid-field, both covering them from a punt standpoint and retuning them as well. Eddie Royal, Matthew Willis and Alphonso Smith were all returning punts.
At one point, the QBs were in a pod all by themselves working on play-action/bootleg. Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Lloyd were standing in different spots - flat, the middle, far pylon of the end zone - and each quarterback would practice booting to his right. That, of course, is against the grain for Chris Simms, and he struggled just a bit. Kyle Orton, however, looked pretty good making all the throws. More on Orton later.
At the same time, Linebackers were in a pod with the DBs practicing their footwork dropping in coverage. For Elvis Dumervil and Tim Crowder, two former D-Ends trying to convert to LB, this will be the hardest transition.
One quick note about Josh McDaniels. He is all over the field. He gets heavily involved in all the workouts, all positions. Whether it is going over technique with defensive linemen or dropping in coverage during wide receiver drills, McDaniels is in the middle of all of it. If anyone thought that McDaniels, as a QB Coach/Offensive Coordinator, would only be working with the QBs, you are largely mistaken.
On to 11x11, where during Red Zone work Champ Bailey proved he still has it. Bailey stepped in front of C.J. Jones to juggle, then intercept, a Chris Simms pass in the end zone. Bailey can still go get the football.
Time Crowder is really playing well. With Jarvis Moss in limbo and Robert Ayers still holding out (could change at any minute), Crowder is really taking advantage of the opportunity to play. At one point during the workout, Crowder took Nate Swift down to the ground hard on a completion across the middle. At another point, Eddie Royal got a bit annoyed with Crowder's physicality, leading to screams of "Don't get mad, this is football" from some of the defensive coaches.
Other than Ronald Fields, Chris Baker and Carlton Powell were getting reps at NT
Jack Williams has been getting the reps when the Broncos go to the Nickel.
Tom Brandstater.....Where can I begin. The kid has some tools, no doubt about it. He is raw, however, and really needs to work on his mechanics. I guess what I am saying is not to expect any late-round, Tom Brady-type magic when it comes to Brandstater's progress this season.
As for the other quarterbacks, Kyle Orton is beginning to look more comfortable in the offense. I am going to give all the QBs a bit of a pass, no pun intended, when it comes to their roller-coaster performance this week. It is going to take time, and reps, to learn a new offense and there are going to be bumps in the road. Let's be honest, the final exam isn't until September 13th, over 5 weeks away.
During one play, Marcus Thomas had to cover Daniel Graham after a shift. With the vocal encouragement of his defensive teammates on the sidelines, Thomas did his best to keep up with the TE on his drag route. Graham made the catch, as the ball just squeezed past the arm of a diving Thomas. Solid effort, indeed.
One general observation; the Broncos' defense will be extremely tough to throw against this season, especially down near the goal line.
Eddie Royal catches everything. Everything, I tell you.
LaMont Jordan did drop a sure touchdown during team drills. Jordan was running with the first team with Correll Buckhalter taking the morning off.
Whatever your opinion of Alphonso Smith, he is a natural returning punts and is extremely at ease with the football in his hands.
Some group sprints ended the working part of the practice, but as is the case with the other days, the team goes back to their pods and finishes with what I would describe as a light cool-down. The teaching never stops, however, and there is little time wasted.
One last impression. I have been very impressed with Mike Nolan. He is energetic, is involved with his players and passionate about what he is trying to accomplish. Perhaps it is simply a surprise to me, but I didn't expect that from the guy I saw coach the 49ers.
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thanks guru
love to hear specifics about the practices
its nice to see alphonso returning punts, he should find himself in a similar situation when he gets his first NFL INT
"Have you ever heard of the emancipation proclamation?"
- "I don't listen to hip-hop"
"Born like this / Into this"
Now that's what Im talking about!
Great post. That’s what I love to hear. Best post Ive read in days. Thanks…….
Great to Hear!!
Thank you Guru for all your in depth coverage! It will be missed but I know the rest of us at MHR will fill the void so we can all get our fix!
Your last report was the best one . . .
Thanks, Guru. I appreciate you.
Never argue with a fool, lest you take on his appearance. - my daddy
Great work as always Guru
I know others will step up, but your reports will be missed.
I will donate to keep GURU in camp
If everyone at camp would just donate $… nah just a thought.
John (guru).. let me and all the GHF fans say thank you. You do bring a vivid picture to our reading. AND you do not just point out one or two things. You seem to have a quick eye to what is going on and can shorthand it until you post. I (we) thank you
Thanks, Guru!
I think I can safely say for all of us outside the Denver area, your reporting will be missed greatly. I appreciate all the effort you put forth to get us these tidbits. Here’s hoping someone will keep the dribble of information coming from camp!
Thanks John, I know you will be passing the baton,
to the other MHR faithful—-but your daily updates will surely
be missed.
Rec’d
Real Power, comes with the realization that One cannot change the Moment;
only ones perception of it: Atitude! JQM
Thanks everyone!!
It has been my pleasure, and I know with the brains we have around this site that we’ll have more than enough eyes to cover the rest of camp….Hopefully you guys will get to see Ayers and Moreno….
-TSG
SBNation's Denver Broncos Blogger
MileHighReport
Questions, Comments...E-Mail Me!
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or
Call Me! (303)731-5605
As always, excellent work Guru!!!
All you get from drafting the "best player available" is a team full of good football players.
Wonderful work John!
Just a quote from McD on Eddie Royal:
Eddie is very smart – one of the smartest receivers I’ve been around, and we have quite a few smart one’s here. He understands defense, he runs great routes, he’s got great hands
Wow – what a compliment!
Hillis/Moreno in '09
Thanks for all your hard work and updates, TSG, great reporting!
Reporting from a FANS perspective – it’s been great. Really appreciated.
by Gristle McThornbody on Aug 3, 2009 1:59 PM MDT reply actions
Thanks Guru!
I appreciate the excellent training camp reports you put up over the past few days.
Are you going to have MHR Radio this week once you get back home and settled in?
Have a safe trip back home and thanks again!
John
great analysis, you should be getting paid by us, or hired by the DP, sure beats Woody’s articles.
Couple Questions for anyone at camp or Guru urself:
1. How are Chris Baker and Lee Robinson doing so far?
2. How is Darcel McBath doing, i love his play, ballhawk skills( love the turnover approach McD is taking not just getting a bunch of hitters, speed and high IQ d-backs), havent heard anything about him so far in camp.
"My age is getting up there, but that doesn't mean my play has to diminish,"-Brian Dawkins
=)
At the camp I went to I saw Robinson make a couple of tackles but didn’t do anything stunning, Chris Baker never did anything that stood out to me, but I didn’t have a good angle on line-work and since the tackle isn’t really supposed to get to the QB, it is hard to tell without the correct viewpoint.
Best Bronco Beat Writer Ever--Thanks John
I’ve posted a few times on this site but had never posted anything,anywhere before.This place is awesome.
In the day, I always got both newspapers just to read as much as possible about the Broncos.This site has it all.I do wonder why the Boulder sports page isn’t included but the Colo.Springs and Longmont sports sections are.
I don’t know why you haven’t been offered a job as beat writer for one of the papers.I don’t see anyone better.Then you could move you’re family here and do what your talent says you were meant to do.
Any editor’s out there reading this?Can’t you see the potential of this journalist and the website possibilities(not to mention the newspaper)? The man knows his stuff.
Thanks for all the good times(reading about my favorite team).Good Luck and Good Health to you and the family,John.
A devoted Reader
PS,ALL THE WRITERS ARE GREAT
I guess I just am being selfish and don’t want John to go home.
Great Analysis!
Thanks for all the great coverage so far Guru.
Have you had a chance to evaluate how the DLs were handling double teams yet?
Thanks again.
3 points I have:
You mentioned the NT’s, but were they getting stood up or were they pushing people around? That is one of my main concerns is the DLine and LB’s transitioning, not necessarily worried too much with the DB’s they seem solid in those ares to me.
Pass defense in the Red Zone is great news, as the field of play gets shortened the DB’s will IMO stand tall agaist the best. Heck, I think they may be the best.
Mike Nolan IMHO was like a duck out of water trying to be a HC, he forte’ is running the defense and I have no doubt he will get this team uprighted and back in to competition. Thanks so much for your great analysis of our team John.
Promote to level of incompetance, then step back
I’m very excited about Nolan as DC.
Is he a lousy Head Coach? Absolutely…
Was he a quality Defensive coordinator, and hence was promoted to a HC. DEFINITELY.
After watching Gates pull the heart out of the defense by playing against the player’s strengths, and then witnessing the comedy of errors that are the hallmark of a Slowik defense… lets just say I’m ecstatic about bringing Nolan into the fold.
Great work John
Thanks for the sacrifice of being away from home. We’re all very grateful for the work you did at camp, and for MHR on a daily basis.
On Nolan – I think I know what he is going through. Being promoted to HC may be nice, but if you’re really a coordinator at heart, it probably feels better to be back home where the passion is. I loved being a coordinator, and had no desire to be a HC. It is a different job altogether.
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
I remember watching Buddy Ryan
when he was in Chicago. Great, great defensive coordinator who didn’t appear to have the temprament or skillset to be a HC, but Philly took him no anyway. It was a terrible mistake. While the Peter Principle, in which we all move upward until we find a level at which we are incompetent, is often a part of life, Nolan has a great track record and is in a near-perfect environment in Denver. I hope to see us filling in holes in the roster next offseason and filling gaps in the defensive plan starting right away.
Hillis/Moreno in '09
Living close to the Bay Area, Mike Nolan gets a bad rap.
I was very pleased we signed him. The guy is a consumate professional and his record as a DC is first rate. Bay Area news dorks disliked his “conservative” look in the way he dressed and carried himself. The media in that part of the country prefer the “mooning” of the ass types in Singletary. They hate guys like Nolan and McDaniels who conduct business like, well, as business. :P
Can I show my disdain for San Francisco anymore than I already have? I know I could…but I won’t. :)
Verbose in style, dispersion of thought, procrastination in life.
Thanks so much for your excellent reports, John!
I believe that Nolan will mold this defense into a cohesive, well disciplined unit. We’re lucky to have him in the DC spot. Just another brilliant selection by Josh McDaniels.
So good to hear of Eddie Royal’s work.. he’s going to be one of the premier receivers in the NFL!
Guru, you’ve really made a preseason memorable with your reports, thanks.
" Life is what happens while you're making other plans "
Thanks for representing the rest of us, Guru!
It’s great to have someone who knows what the fans are looking for at camp acting as our eyes and ears (and mouth in the Hillis interview).
- I’m sure the lack of dedicated ST practice has as much to do with needing to still install the offense and defense as it does a change in philosophy. Funny, but as much as Shanny emphasized the importance of ST’s, it always seemed sub-par to me.
- As far as organizational skills, I’m REALLY glad to hear there has been no drop-off from the Shanahan era. That was obviously a strength of his and a concern of mine with the changeover.
- Teaching. I like to see a coach get in there with a specific group that he may not have direct responsibility for ie. McD with QB’s, etc. As much as I believe the Bates experiment was ultimately the Shanny’s undoing, I was impressed in camp with the way he taught his players. From 50yds away you could hear him bringing the world to a standstill to make a point with a player.
- Though I disagree with a lot of the criticism around here of the Shanahan regime (like he accepted mistakes and turnovers, etc.), I have been extremely impressed with McD’s approach to getting back to the “fundies” (I like that term). I don’t know what Shanahan’s first camps were like when he took over in Denver, but I wonder if part of the danger of being in one place for so long is that you start to get ahead of the team. From 94-98, the Broncos really were “almost there,” and he always held that view going forward (admittedly, I did too). The last few seasons exposed how wrong that thinking was. Having a fresh set of eyes look at it changes the hue of these orange glasses. “Oh, yeah! Focus on the fundamentals! Why didn’t I think of that?” This is going to pay big time dividends during the season when a better percentage of the “bounces” go the Broncos way. Things like balls on the ground, tipped passes, keeping a loose ball in play… all of that will be second nature to these guys.
- Alphonso Smith was a head-scratcher for me after the draft. From all reports, he seems to be the real deal, talented but raw. Sounds like he’ll be in the running for the nickel, which should be expected. But, if he can take over punt return duties from Eddie as well, that’ll be huge. Royal’s too important to the offense to risk him back there on punts.
- Great to read your take on Nolan. I haven’t read much about him so far, but he is a KEY cog in getting this ship right.
- Peyton Hillis… need I say more?
This is what we wanted...
Hey, look what we got!
Special What?
I was going to say the same thing. For all the emphasis Shanny put on it, our special teams were anything but.
And good observation about Shanny in his first years. We were an incredible team for a few years in there (with Elway and Davis) and it really did seem like we were “almost there” for years after when we probably weren’t.
Great work John
It’s like I’m on the practice field when i read your reports! Great insight and detail as well. thanks!
I definitely agree on Crowder.
He has looked impressive at LB (although admittedly he still has a long way to go). He’s feisty too. He got a little heated for a bit today. Doom is looking pretty good too.
"C" is for Championship...that's good enough for meeeee!!!
* * * * *
Five star performance, John. You’re THE MAN. Thanks for your time and your passion. Oddly, I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about the opening of the season. 1997??
"Talk about the Broncos and I'm gonna 'put my dukes up'. I'm gonna hit you with these rings." -- Rod Smith giving the Kennison rebuttal to Jamie Dukes
Guru = WIN
Thanks so much, John. These have been the next best thing to being there.
Joe Sakic was pure class, win or lose, at all times.
by Colorado_Kitten on Aug 3, 2009 10:07 PM MDT reply actions
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