Matthew Willis, Eddie Royal, Eric Decker and David Anderson are back fielding punts and Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers has the Punt protection squad working. He doesn't need to yell today and is calmer. The players must be listening to him because he seems happy with their progress. Let me add that Mr. Rodgers was only yelling so his players could hear him. He is addressing a smaller group this day. Otherwise there hasn't been any yelling or screaming or tantrums this year. There is a positive air mixed with a quiet confidence. And everyone is happy. There is no doubt that this will be a different team altogether from the previous years.
Back to the action. The punt pro unit is working on their footwork setting up blocking before their Get Off. Over on the far field, the Offensive Line is working on their footwork during their dropback into pass protection with O-Line coach Dave Magazu. A little ways away, the quarterbacks are taking snaps from under center and making quick side passes to other linemen. I watch as Brady Quinn takes a snap and fires a pass to his left towards Chris Kuper. I chuckle as Kupe has to jump for the pass. He does make the catch though. I notice that LenDale White and DJ Williams have returned to the practice field after sitting out past practices. Syd'Quan Thompson is sitting this one out though. HORN.
The Offense goes through more play installation and walkthroughs for about 5 minutes before the next HORN.
11 on 11's begin, and with it, the first Wild Horse plays of Training Camp. I will leave out the details, but it was similar to the times it was run in the past. Knowshon Moreno, Spencer Larsen and Willis McGahee all got touches in this segment. Brady Quinn made the first pass to Brandon Lloyd. I also see new recruit C.J. Gable is wearing #29. HORN.
It is time for Rich Tuten's stretch and flex interval. With musical accompaniment. The first song up is "I put on for my city" by Young Jeezy. As the players spread out to do their upper body stretches, Metallica's "Enter Sandman" plays. I see Knowshon Moreno playing Air Guitar and J.D. Walton adds in the vocals. John Fox walks through the line of players smiling and joking, giving Knowshon a High Five for his musical dexterity. A third song with a hip hop flavor begins to play as the players disperse, but it is cut off before I can identify it because of the HORN.
The Offense runs a play and sprints trots 20 yards down field. Kyle Orton leads the first group, Tim Tebow the second, and Brady Quinn the third. Adam Weber just trots down with Brady's group and the leftovers. HORN.
The individual position drills begin and I pause to take some pictures. On the field in front of me, the Offense is split up with the Tight Ends in their own group and the Linemen in theirs down on the end of the field to my left. The quarterbacks and Running Backs are pretty much directly on front of me and the Wide Receivers are down to my right running pass routes while an intern throws to them. Over on the opposite field where the Defense is, the Defensive Backs are doing backpedal drills and Darcel McBath is doing push ups. Just as I start to wonder why, Cassius Vaughn drops a pass fired from his coach and he drops down to do his atonement. Way over to the left, I can see the Linebackers and Defensive Linemen weaving through a line of upturned trash cans in a slaloming manner. My attention is diverted from there as I see a little bunny scurry on to the field. He ends up over by the Wide Receivers. David Anderson takes notice and creeps closer. Then he tries a juke-jive move that sends the critter bolting for the End Zone doing his best Bo Jackson imitation up the runway on Monday Night Football.
One on one drills. Wide Receivers against the Cornerbacks with Adam Weber, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow throwing. Down on the other side of the field, Kyle Orton directs running drills in 1st team 11 on 11's. I look back and forth to watch as much as I can, but I just know I will miss something. Eddie Royal beats Champ Bailey and then something tightens up on him and he requests an assistant to help him stretch. He ends up rejoining the others shortly. Demaryius Thomas must have finished his treatment for the day, as he is wandering around with the other Receivers. Kyle and Brady trade places and the drills resume for about 5 more minutes before the HORN.
The Offensive Line runs 5 on 5's with the Defensive Line to my left and in front of me, 7 on 7's begin with the Chain gang. Kyle Orton's first pass is tipped by D.J. Williams and dropped by Rahim Moore. Assistant Secondary coach Sam Garnes informs Moore that he should have had that one. Then Orton passes to Eric Decker at the sideline. The defense is covering well. Kyle hits Brandon Lloyd on the fly with Von Miller covering. The pass goes through Von's hands and Lloyd makes the grab. Orton hits Decker on a deep crossing pattern and then connects with Eddie Royal at the sideline. Cassius Vaughn pushes him out of bounds and nearly in my lap. No harm, no foul though. On the next play, Orton hits a speeding Lloyd deep for a 55 yard TD. Tim Tebow comes in and promptly overthrows Julius Thomas on a ball that Perrish Cox should have picked. Tebow completes the next pass to Virgil Green for 5 yards. Brady Quinn tries to hit Knowshon Moreno but the pass is broken up by Perrish Cox. The pass was on the money, but Cox's play on it was better. Quinn then completes a pass to Dan Gronkowski. Tebow bounces a pass to Eron Riley, then Quinn makes a short pass to LenDale White. Adam Weber gets a couple of reps, passing to Austin Sylvester for 5 yards and hitting D'Andre Goodwin. HORN.
2 minute water break and then the Special Teams set up for a punt from the End Zone against the scouts with their red shower caps. Britton Colquitt boom his kicks and they are averaging at least a "five one-thousand" count. Eric Decker and David Anderson are fielding the punts. After three or four reps in the End Zone, the ball is spotted out on the 37 yard line. HORN.
11 on 11's. Kyle passes to Lloyd, then tries to connect with Decker, but Champ Bailey is there to break up the play. Willis McGahee has a 7 yard carry to the right side. Pressure comes and Orton rolls to the right. He ends up running out of real estate and throws it away instead of taking a 2-yard loss out of bounds because of good coverage downfield. Orton passes to Lloyd again in play action and then Lance Ball gets a carry. Lee Robinson makes a statement, planting Jeremiah Johnson in a "backfield smack-down." The rest of the Offense tells him that the number of that truck was #54. Brady Quinn incompletes the next two passes, one to the sideline and the other in the End Zone. Then Tebow's pass bounces 10-yards off the shoulder pads of Mark Dell. Does Tim Tebow throw hard? Definitely yes. Braxton Kelley and Mike Mohamed chase Tebow on the next play and Tim retreats and then has to throw it away. HORN.
Red Zone drills. I can't see much of this because of the wall of players, but I do see Von Miller in the backfield more than once. Orton throws incomplete to Matthew Willis in the End Zone. I thought he was making a one-handed grab, but the ball hit the ground. I don't even know if he was in or out of bounds. It is then that I notice a young Jewish boy with a Bronco embroidered Yarmulke. His name is Adam and politely acceded to my request at a photo op. I thought it was a cool representation. Hence the photo up above. Kyle Orton hits Julius Thomas for a TD. Lance Ball gets strung out for no gain. Meanwhile, rookie Right Tackle Orlando Franklin receives some one on one instruction from his position coach. Brady Quinn connects with Virgil Green. HORN.
The ball gets placed in front of my position at the 45 yard line and 11 on 11's continue. Orton hits Lloyd, who spins out of a hit and turns upfield. Kyle is Sacked on the next play and then comes back with a pass to Britt Davis. Willis McGahee has a nice run over the right side. Orton completes a pass to Brandon Lloyd and I notice Von Miller has a "Hammer" move. Picture him rushing from the left side. He engages the blocker and brings his left arm down like a sledgehammer. I'm glad to see more than a bull-rush out of the rookie. Brady Quinn has a pass broken up by Wesley Woodyard and throws away the next pass to a fan in the crowd. Tebow has to take off running immediately after the snap as Jeremy Jarmon and another Linemen are in his face. Lance Ball gets 2 yards on a toss left. Among the group of players on the sideline in front of my position, Knowshon Moreno starts some kind of funky dance move. LenDale White turns to the crowd and make the "crazy" sign with his finger to his head, which of course makes everyone laugh. Brady Quinn passes to D'Andre Goodwin but Brandon Bing interferes with him. Elvis Dumervil and Jason Hunter flush Tebow from the pocket and the young QB has to throw it away. Tim passes to Jamel Hamler and Hamler picks it off the turf for a good catch. Two falcons keep doing flybys and I wonder about the little bunny rabbit. Adam Weber bounces a pass at Jeremiah Johnson and then has to scramble on the next play. HORN.
It's time for another Special Teams session. Lonie Paxton, Britton Colquitt, Steven Hauschka and Matt Prater set up for some Field Goal practice, while other Special Teamers drill on their Get Off versus the return blockers in one on one's. There is a good breeze to test the kickers. The blocking drill changes to the return blockers retreat, then spin and block the coverage men. Hauschka is 2 for 3 at 30 yards and Prater is 4 for 5 from 38 yards. HORN.
For the last segment, they go to the 2 minute drill from the 35 yard line (to my right). Orton pass to Moreno for 8 yards. The next play is a bust and the ball is thrown away. Kyle hits Eric Decker for a 1st down. The next pass is overthrown towards Brandon Lloyd on a sideline go route. Matthew Willis catches a deep cross and then J.D. Walton and I believe Marcus Thomas have a disagreement and something about holding is mentioned. That moves apart and then Walton and Woodyard start jawing. Coach Fox calls for the Field Goal unit out for a 52-yard attempt that ends up no good from Matt Prater. The 2's are up. Brady Quinn connects with Virgil Green for a 1st down and then Manny Ramirez flubs snap. Quinn's next pass is intercepted near the End Zone by Joe May's. Tebow's turn. He throws a pass off his back foot that goes incomplete out of bounds. Then Tebow fields a bad snap by Ramirez (again) and throws it away immediately to the sideline. On the next play, Ryan McBean is in Tebow's face and David Bruton intercepts the pass. Kyle returns and his hard count draws the defense offsides. Wesley Woodyard is there for the Sack on the next play. Orton steps up anyway and fires a pass to the End Zone that is batted down. Jeremy Jarmon tap out Kyle and then Britt Davis makes a TD catch, but Orlando Franklin moved before the snap.Jarmon and Quinton Carter are in the backfield to Sack Quinn, who throws into the End Zone and Darcel McBath drops the interception. HORN.
End of practice huddle and then the Defensive Backs sign autographs. I manage to get 5 or 6 including Champ Bailey's. How about that, Monday's aren't so bad after all.
Go Broncos!