OTA News

[cdumler7]

I am definitely excited about Stewart. Loved that blurb in the BR piece about how his ability to play center field could be a valuable complement to what figures to be a formidable pass rush.

Also like your suggestion that Anunike might be a good candidate to fill Smith's shoes if Smith doesn't play. I recall that he was very promising last summer, so it's good to learn that he is performing well again. Perhaps he was just another example of what seems to have been Fox's reluctance to give young players a shot.

Yeah I do think the Broncos are going to have a lot more of the "no name" guys get a few more chances to show themselves. Last year I was very disappointed when most of the media guys were saying during training camp that Anderson was definitely looking like the best RB of the group and then in his few chances during the first part of the season he showed that he looked that way but it still took injuries before the coaches were willing to start him. This new group of coaches doesn't seem that way as they are giving the youngsters every shot to start or at least contribute. I actually really like the giving veterans a day off not only to keep them fresh and healthy but also then to give the youngsters many more snaps. The coaching staff has also done that instead of everybody on one field they have divided up where the 2nd team players at different times will go work on another field when they are doing the 11-on-11 drills to give them extra reps. With limited practice time because of the CBA this to me is critical for the coaches to do.

 

[Southieinnc]

Yeah I do think the Broncos are going to have a lot more of the "no name" guys get a few more chances to show themselves. Last year I was very disappointed when most of the media guys were saying during training camp that Anderson was definitely looking like the best RB of the group and then in his few chances during the first part of the season he showed that he looked that way but it still took injuries before the coaches were willing to start him. This new group of coaches doesn't seem that way as they are giving the youngsters every shot to start or at least contribute. I actually really like the giving veterans a day off not only to keep them fresh and healthy but also then to give the youngsters many more snaps. The coaching staff has also done that instead of everybody on one field they have divided up where the 2nd team players at different times will go work on another field when they are doing the 11-on-11 drills to give them extra reps. With limited practice time because of the CBA this to me is critical for the coaches to do.

That can develop into a problem. If you have a veteran having a good year, you can case him to miss his incentives pay. That can cause hard feelings. If he has sore wheels, can be a win-win but if he is healthy and ready and you sit him? If you are talking preseason I agree with you....

 

[cdumler7]

That can develop into a problem. If you have a veteran having a good year, you can case him to miss his incentives pay. That can cause hard feelings. If he has sore wheels, can be a win-win but if he is healthy and ready and you sit him? If you are talking preseason I agree with you....

I'm more speaking towards OTA's right now and even a little during training camp. Such as with Manning other than him becoming a little more comfortable throwing from under Center he doesn't really need a ton of practice to be ready for the season. Our top 3 receivers all played with him last year so he has that connection with them by now that he doesn't need that thousands of reps to develop. Throw in with his age he is more prone to arm fatigue than say somebody 10 years younger. I would rather his arm be just as strong in January even if it means we start out a bit rough early in the season as they develop a rhythm. The Broncos have come out of the gates hot the last couple of years to only see things crumble towards the end. Kind of the opposite of what you want with your team. Again once the season starts then not quite as often is this needed but even during the season having some of the veterans take a day off every now and then shouldn't be that big of a deal. Gives the young guys a chance to practice so they are a little more game ready in case of injury.

Now when it comes to games the best player plays. I will say though giving them some breaks now and then isn't the worst thing during a game either. Such as last year DeMarcus Ware I think had 8 sacks through the first 8 games or something like that to only then get 2 sacks over the final 8 games. He just fell off. Getting a guy like Shane Ray to maybe take 30% of his snaps so that you have a top player on the field to me is a good idea.

 

[WalkerBoh]

That can develop into a problem. If you have a veteran having a good year, you can case him to miss his incentives pay. That can cause hard feelings. If he has sore wheels, can be a win-win but if he is healthy and ready and you sit him? If you are talking preseason I agree with you....

That's a LOT of conjecture to come from the statement you cite. Almost borders on hyperbole. I seriously doubt the effect will be nearly as profound.

 

[randymon]

Even though cd meant mostly before season started,I doubt if a player i

That's a LOT of conjecture to come from the statement you cite. Almost borders on hyperbole. I seriously doubt the effect will be nearly as profound.

That can develop into a problem. If you have a veteran having a good year, you can case him to miss his incentives pay. That can cause hard feelings. If he has sore wheels, can be a win-win but if he is healthy and ready and you sit him? If you are talking preseason I agree with you....

Kind of funny is right. If a vet is "having a good year" as you put it, wouldn`t that imply he has been on the field more than not, is getting the recognition for the " good yr" reference insinuate he is performing at a high level ? being rested as well gives him a good shot in the last part of season to not burn out and reach an incentive or two.

That's a LOT of conjecture to come from the statement you cite. Almost borders on hyperbole. I seriously doubt the effect will be nearly as profound.

Yeah I really find it hard to imagine if a vet was having a " good year " that there would be any issues anyway.

 

[Southieinnc]

Even though cd meant mostly before season started,I doubt if a player i



Kind of funny is right. If a vet is "having a good year" as you put it, wouldn`t that imply he has been on the field more than not, is getting the recognition for the " good yr" reference insinuate he is performing at a high level ? being rested as well gives him a good shot in the last part of season to not burn out and reach an incentive or two.

Yeah I really find it hard to imagine if a vet was having a " good year " that there would be any issues anyway.

Last year Wilfork and Edelman missed their incentives. The team rested them for the playoff run......

 

[cdumler7]

Last year Wilfork and Edelman missed their incentives. The team rested them for the playoff run......

Which didn't really hurt them. They both played hard in the playoffs so them missing those incentives didn't really affect their game like you were hinting at earlier of players missing those and being upset.

Now for the Broncos the only player that maybe this is a concern is that of Ware. I think he understands though that he wore down towards the end of the year so him not taking as many snaps plus now being back in the 3-4 (he said the 4-3 is much more draining on his body) should equal higher quality snaps. Also not even sure that much of his contract is even tied to incentives.

Manning is maybe the other as he does have some incentives built in but I think most of those are more tied to what he does in the playoffs than in the regular season. There is talk of sitting Manning a couple of games during the regular season just to make sure he is fresh for the final stretch so we shall see.

 

[randymon]

Last year Wilfork and Edelman missed their incentives. The team rested them for the playoff run......

Not so fast south...after NE loss to Bills in last gm of reg season as quoted by Comcast Sportsnet." Julian Edelman sat out 2nd consecutive wk ( concussions) and thus failed to earn some of his incentives. As for Vince.....Quote.." Wilfork played well into 2nd half in loss to Bills thus assuring him of a nice little payday", " He was due 1.25 mil if he played 70% of snaps and NE makes it to Div rd. Wilfork played in 74% of snaps for NE and with first rd bye,NE makes div rd. This isn`t a guy who was rested much toward end of season obviously and also reached his most important incentives. I believe one he didn`t reach had to do with......Largeness So.....NFL protocol prevented Edelman from reaching his largest incentives and Vinve did just fine and was not rested for playoff run in fact he played almost every snap in Buff gm where Brady and many others were rested. Try again south

 

[cdumler7]

So this week marks the last week of big time practice before we get to training camp. In a sense this is our last Bronco news of actual on field work for a month. Man I hate this time of year for football.

So information from today at Camp...

It looks like the OL is actually starting to take form. The group that started last week looks to be the same that is starting this week. They must have liked what they saw because Kubiak said he wants to have his OL secured before Training Camp. Right now Left to Right you have

LT--Sambrailo
LG--Ben Garland
C--Gino Gradkowski
RG--Louis Vasquez
RT--Chris Clark/Michael Schofield/Ryan Harris

It looks like the RT spot is the one still being decided but otherwise the rest have stayed the same.

One of the positions that could have a surprising battle is that of ILB. With Marshall and Trevathan still sidelined a name has emerged as one of the biggest surprises for play so far and that is Todd Davis. So far he has actually been the talk among media and players so far with what he is doing.

Kubiak continues with his giving veterans time off and giving his coaching staff a time to work with the younger players. Any player with 3 or more years of experience with the team were allowed to go early from practice to go get a work out in the weight room. Only players over that level left on the field were Tony Carter, Virgil Green, and one other I can't seem to find. Kubiak said this is something he experienced in Baltimore that he saw work very well and something the veterans in the end really appreciated as the season wore on. Always got to love a coach that keeps on learning to be better at what he does.

Speaking of Virgil Green it does sound like his role on the team has expanded and that he is working more as a receiving TE in this offense than in the last one. He is excited with his expanded role and can't wait to show what else he can do with this offense.

Shane Ray has been attached to DeMarcus Ware's hip so far. He has been that annoying little brother asking lots and lots of questions. Always good to hear and glad we have these veterans that the young guys actually look up to.

Kollar with the DL has been the most intense of any of the position groups. Even with these practices being without pads he had those guys flying around the field and from the pictures I saw they were all completely winded by the time he got done with them. I expect this DL to really be a surprise for us this year. Throw in then it will be a huge test for our OL in training camp as they might not go up against a better group this year with all the pass rush coming at them.

 

[randymon]

So this week marks the last week of big time practice before we get to training camp. In a sense this is our last Bronco news of actual on field work for a month. Man I hate this time of year for football.

So information from today at Camp...

It looks like the OL is actually starting to take form. The group that started last week looks to be the same that is starting this week. They must have liked what they saw because Kubiak said he wants to have his OL secured before Training Camp. Right now Left to Right you have

LT--Sambrailo
LG--Ben Garland
C--Gino Gradkowski
RG--Louis Vasquez
RT--Chris Clark/Michael Schofield/Ryan Harris

It looks like the RT spot is the one still being decided but otherwise the rest have stayed the same.

One of the positions that could have a surprising battle is that of ILB. With Marshall and Trevathan still sidelined a name has emerged as one of the biggest surprises for play so far and that is Todd Davis. So far he has actually been the talk among media and players so far with what he is doing.

Kubiak continues with his giving veterans time off and giving his coaching staff a time to work with the younger players. Any player with 3 or more years of experience with the team were allowed to go early from practice to go get a work out in the weight room. Only players over that level left on the field were Tony Carter, Virgil Green, and one other I can't seem to find. Kubiak said this is something he experienced in Baltimore that he saw work very well and something the veterans in the end really appreciated as the season wore on. Always got to love a coach that keeps on learning to be better at what he does.

Speaking of Virgil Green it does sound like his role on the team has expanded and that he is working more as a receiving TE in this offense than in the last one. He is excited with his expanded role and can't wait to show what else he can do with this offense.

Shane Ray has been attached to DeMarcus Ware's hip so far. He has been that annoying little brother asking lots and lots of questions. Always good to hear and glad we have these veterans that the young guys actually look up to.

Kollar with the DL has been the most intense of any of the position groups. Even with these practices being without pads he had those guys flying around the field and from the pictures I saw they were all completely winded by the time he got done with them. I expect this DL to really be a surprise for us this year. Throw in then it will be a huge test for our OL in training camp as they might not go up against a better group this year with all the pass rush coming at them.

Yes sir been hearing good things about Davis and Garland. Really like the Davis remarks because that will help in Denver not having to push Trev or Marshall into getting back too soon hopefully. For some reason ( being from Air Force also might be influence), I`ve had this good feeling about Garland from day one making his way into starting lineup and being one of those "against the odds" guy ( Rod Smith, Harris, Marshall,etc that proves the doubters wrong. Love to see both Garland and Schofield excel now and be major contributors to the future of the O- line along with Sambrillo. Hopefully Denver gets a few more great yrs from Vasquez as well. Never know with Grad, maybe he takes advantage of this opportunity as well and shows his doubters wrong as well. Love to see this O-line come together and blow all the nay sayers away and begin their own journey of respect and recognition in the future. Very excited about Denvers running game and D this yr. Can`t wait to see everything unfold.

 

[cdumler7]

Just some more things from today's practice...Our OC Dennison had rave reviews about Garland. He said that he tries to get to the facilities around 5:15 every morning and said most days Garland beats him there to get ready for the day. The guy realizes this is his shot to get a starting job and he is making sure to take advantage of every snap possible.

Also Kubiak talked about how he is running practice compared to past years for the Broncos. Right now they are doing about a 3-1 ratio of under center to shot gun as Kubiak really believes for this offense to reach its full potential being under Center is the best way to keep a defense guessing of what they are doing. He is also doing about 50-50 split of passes to rushes in practice compared to the last few years where they have been in the shot gun about 70% of the time and passing about 70% of the time for practice. Kubiak seems very focused towards making sure the team can win many different ways. He doesn't want to get where the Broncos have been of if Manning has a bad day then the team struggles. He wants to be able to win with the run game, the defense, and Manning if that is what the defense is giving them.

Also just to ease some minds around here Manning has been running the bootleg plays that Kubiak has made famous and does plan to use them with Manning on the field. Said that Manning's footwork is just the best he has ever seen and that there really are no limitations with Manning running those type of plays.

As for the OL it looks like heading into training camp the coaches have set the OL rankings. It doesn't mean this is how they will finish but as of now we have 1st team...

LT--Sambrailo
LG--Garland
C--Gradkowski
RG--Vasquez
RT--Clark

The 2nd team is
LT Schofield
LG Smith
C Paradis
RG Garcia
RT Harris

Good chance unless there are lots of injuries that your 8 OL come out of these 10 names. It sounds like the two battles the coaches keep talking about though are at LG with Smith and Garland and that of Center with Gradkowski and Paradis. Part of me is still hoping that Harris secures the RT position but I do know Clark is still probably our best pass blocking tackle on the team so hard to not want him at least securing one side of the OL.

 

[randymon]

Good stuff Cd and thanks for info and updates. In regard to your other post about the rbs and O-line and possible trade possibilities with Dallas as the season gets closer. Was watching Pro Football Talk ( great show and really like Forio or Florio) and they mentioned that Cincy has a very good O-line with talented depth and some good guys will more than likely become available come roster cuts. Might be a team to watch for Denver also as far as the line is considered if the need to find some help there rears its head. I feel good about this team this yr especially with the run game and the D. Special teams is still up in the air and I sure hope that improves drastically this yr as well.

 

[cdumler7]

Good stuff Cd and thanks for info and updates. In regard to your other post about the rbs and O-line and possible trade possibilities with Dallas as the season gets closer. Was watching Pro Football Talk ( great show and really like Forio or Florio) and they mentioned that Cincy has a very good O-line with talented depth and some good guys will more than likely become available come roster cuts. Might be a team to watch for Denver also as far as the line is considered if the need to find some help there rears its head. I feel good about this team this yr especially with the run game and the D. Special teams is still up in the air and I sure hope that improves drastically this yr as well.

I would say it is hard for the Special Teams units not to improve. For some reason in Denver we just haven't had that great of special teams units for a while. 2011 we had a great kicking and punting unit it seemed like as they saved our season but both of those guys seem to have gone down hill since then.

 

[randymon]

I would say it is hard for the Special Teams units not to improve. For some reason in Denver we just haven't had that great of special teams units for a while. 2011 we had a great kicking and punting unit it seemed like as they saved our season but both of those guys seem to have gone down hill since then.

Touche! Yeah CD the opposing teams field position over the last few yrs has been very negative for Bronco fans and has a lot more to do with wins and losses than I think a lot of people realize. Can`t even try and guess how many gms where Denver starts in side their 20 and the other team is avg 30 yd line or better game after game. Short field = potential pts, long field = potential disaster Seen it too much for me.

 

[cdumler7]

Touche! Yeah CD the opposing teams field position over the last few yrs has been very negative for Bronco fans and has a lot more to do with wins and losses than I think a lot of people realize. Can`t even try and guess how many gms where Denver starts in side their 20 and the other team is avg 30 yd line or better game after game. Short field = potential pts, long field = potential disaster Seen it too much for me.

Yeah this past year I remember every time that Caldwell would take the ball out of the end zone on kick offs I just put my head down as I knew he would get tackled within the 20 yard line every time. I think he had one great kick off return during the pre season and after that he thought he was God's gift to the Broncos and would score every time. Now some of it could have been he knew he couldn't make a play otherwise with our depth at WR but still that is no excuse for making bad decisions. I'm really hoping Omar Boldin gets a shot this year as he had some ridiculous returns this past year. More than anything though our punt coverage is what needs to improve. I don't know how many times Colquitt completely out punted his coverage unit and they would have something like 10-15 yards to figure out what they wanted to do.

 

[randymon]

. For some reason I remember Colquit kicking it 35 yrds from Denver 20 more (than out kicking the coverage) and giving opposition great field position too many times. He would however kick it 60 yds when punting from inside the 50 though. Not sure if he ever pinned any team inside their own ten all year I sure hope if he still with Denver come opening day it's because he earned it and not because Denver had no other options.

 

[cdumler7]

. For some reason I remember Colquit kicking it 35 yrds from Denver 20 more (than out kicking the coverage) and giving opposition great field position too many times. He would however kick it 60 yds when punting from inside the 50 though. Not sure if he ever pinned any team inside their own ten all year I sure hope if he still with Denver come opening day it's because he earned it and not because Denver had no other options.

Ahh sorry yes that was it. There really was no happy medium for Colquitt of it was either have it go off the side of his foot and only net the team a few yards or just bomb one out of the end zone. I'm really hoping this new guy they signed gives him a run for his money or at least pushes Colquitt to realize he has to earn his job.