2010 Denver Broncos Training Camp: Day Two Practice Report

Guys and gals, sorry for the delay.  I was hoping to put out a post last night immediately after practice, but hotel reservations became messed up, and because I'm 21 I was not allowed to check in to a new one. 

Go figure.

So, the wife and I decided to head home and we made it about halfway, and by the time I got to the hotel I was too tired to write a coherent post.  I have decided to wait until now, because I'm finally at home and able to concentrate and remember everything I saw/heard yesterday.

Unfortunately, this will be my last training camp post as far as reporting to you all, but that's just how it goes sometimes.  But enough about me, you want Broncos football information, so here it goes...

The main project I was asked to take on yesterday was watching the offensive line, and I have to say there were fantastic improvements.  Instead of throwing the ball at the ground in frustration, Kyle Orton and the other quarterbacks were allowed enough time to make throws and actually get legitimate reps in the passing game.

I will say this, however:  Tyler Polumbus should be on the roster bubble.  If not for our severe lack of depth at the tackle position, I think this guy would be fighting for his roster life.  Despite an improvement from Monday's practice, Polumbus' current resume' and the way he has been practicing of late don't exactly bring me great optimism.  The pre-season will expose him one way or another, so keep watch.

The rookie linemen who will likely start (J.D. Walton, Zane Beadles) had good practices.  I distinctly remember a series of screen passes that were being practiced, and on one particular play, Walton was 40 yards downfield making blocks for his back.  It was a great display of athleticism and simply playing to the whistle, and I was impressed. 

Beadles had a series of positive encouragment from coaches during individual offensive line drills when the left guards were practicing pull blocks.  He translated it to what appeared to be a much improved running game during practice.  The defensive line was still winning a lot of battles, but the line had their share of wins as well.  Beadles in particular had a better day yesterday, which was a good thing.

I still wasn't overly impressed with the left side of the line as a whole.  One one play, Polumbus was pushed all the way back into the quarterback by Ryan McBean.  I mean, we're not talking McBean pushed him after the play--Polumbus was touching the quarterback slightly after he let the ball go. 

There is not much new to report from the right side of the line.  Ryan Harris is obviously not a sure thing, but he appears to have taken the correct steps to recovery and looks like his old self in pass protection.  Again, these are just a few practice reps, so all of this could be hooplah by the pre-season opener.

The quarterbacks had a solid evening yesterday behind that improving line, but the big plays were a little less frequent.  From what I could see, there were a few more overthrown balls yesterday than Monday, but it wasn't enough for me to consider it a big deal. 

 One thing I noticed every day at camp was the consistent play of our wide receivers.  Now don't get me wrong, there will certainly be learning curves for the young guys.  But for the amount of grief our receiving corps is getting this offseason, these guys look like they are going to be hard to defend.  As I have read and agree with, the Broncos not having a guy like Brandon Marshall could be very beneficial in that defenses will not be able to key in on one certain player.

Jabar Gaffney keeps making plays, Matthew Willis is constantly finding his name in the practice report for good reasons, our rookies are drawing lots of praise, and Eddie Royal could be primed for a comeback campaign.  The competition is fantastic at this position, and the same is true of their counterparts in the defensive backfield.  Great battles for day one and day two between those two guys.

I had a chance to talk to Eric Decker one on one after practice.  Unfortunately, my recording device failed me, so all I have are memories of what he said and paraphrasing, but let me tell you, he was a fantastic interviewee.  He reiterated to me what a great mentor and player Brandon Stokley has been for him, due a lot in part to their sharing a similar foot injury.  Decker said he respects Stokley a great deal, and that he's a "great player, and an even better person," and it shows.  Stokley truly is a class act, and if he's not on your list of favorite Broncos, he should be.

I remembered reading an article before practice about the lack of a playmaker on Denver's offense, and I asked Decker about it.  Basically what he told me was that one person's opinion isn't going to change the way they practice, the way they play.  He knows that they create their own role on the team, and collectively they are going to be hard to stop.  There's a lot of talent there, Decker included.

He confirmed the depth and competition at the wide receiver position as being some of the best on the team.  He said the competition at the position as well as the depth they face on a daily basis are only going to make them that much better and ready for the season.

Of course, being an Iowa fan I had to razz Decker about the Gophers not scoring a point against the Hawkeyes for two consecutive years.  He replied with, "Well, I think I was injured both of those games," which is the type of confidence you want to see in a young player.  He gave me a little scouting report of Iowa, which was accurate and classy.  He had nothing but good things to say, which coming from a rival school shows he has high character.

Decker seems like a great guy, and we should be glad to have him on this team.  He could be a force.

I also got a chance to watch kick returns for the first time, and that was interesting.  It looked like Perrish Cox was the top return man, with Eddie Royal, Kenny McKinley, and Matthew Willis also taking reps.  Cox looked the best, to be honest.  He has great vision in the return game, and I think he will make an impact in that area sooner rather than later.

If you have any questions on players/positions I left out of the report, let me know and I'll do my best to get you that info.