Kaylore
04-04-2006, 02:02 AM
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=5455
Present and Accounted For
By Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos.com (http://www.denverbroncos.com/)
http://cache.denverbroncos.com/resources/custom/Images/Top%20Stories/2006/johnson_kyle_rm_060403.jpg
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Kyle Johnson wasn't taking a head count of his teammates in attendance at the first day of offseason conditioning workouts Monday at the team's headquarters. But a quick glance yielded exactly what he -- and the team's coaches -- wanted to see.
"When you're looking through the crowd of people to try to remember who's not there, then you know attendance is high," he said.
It was a crowd -- and, as the signings and contract extensions of the previous two and a half months proved, it was a crowd comprised almost entirely of familiar faces. Only two starters from the 2005 AFC Championship game are no longer with the team -- defensive end Trevor Pryce and running back Mike Anderson. Tight end Wesley Duke was also not present, owing to his allocation to the Hamburg Sea Devils of the NFL Europe League.
From Johnson's perspective, it was as though the team picked up where it left off in January -- at least in terms of camaraderie.
"Guys were really chummy when we were warming up today," Johnson said. "You noticed it right away. The few new guys have to be welcomed in, but in general, it's the same guys. It's not a new team.
"Obviously, when July hits, we're all going to be scrambling, so nothing's established, anyway, but it is great to be around the same group of guys you were around last year."
Johnson was in contact with his teammates over the past two months, but in a different capacity, as the team's assistant player representative to the NFL Players Association. As the Players Association and the league worked on the new collective bargaining agreement, Johnson tried to stay in touch with matters.
"This is my first year as assistant players' representative; obviously Rod (Smith) is the head players' rep, so people did come with certain questions, wanting to know certain things," Johnson said. "It was a little bit different for me in terms as keeping up-to-date, keeping abreast of what was going on, so I was constantly checking transactions and the news in wanting them to reach some kind of an agreement."
Nearly four weeks have passed since the agreement was ratified by NFL owners, leaving time to relax and refocus. By Monday, it was back to work.
"It was a good day," Johnson said. "Obviously they're trying to keep in mind that you're not back to full capacity just yet, but we're going to get there very soon. Just to get back out there and lift some weights and throw the ball around is a positive thing. But you want to keep in mind where you are, where you have to go, and progress accordingly."
Johnson said that strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten didn't push the players to the breaking point.
"He could have really hurt us today if he wanted to," Johnson said. "I don't think he wanted to do that. I think he wants us to quickly get back to a better pace and take strides to being in better shape this year than we've ever been before."
And he hopes that -- combined with the continuity of keeping a conference finalist virtually intact -- leads to a better finish-line moment, even though Monday's work represented only the smallest first step of a nine-month journey.
"When you go 14-4, you don't necessarily have to make as many changes as a team that goes 2-14, so you did something right," Johnson said. "There's not necessarily a need to completely and totally change everything. You want to tweak and refine as opposed to completely renewing and changing."
All the renewal he needed came in the last two months.
"Last year -- after the 2004 season -- was the first year where I realized that it takes more than a couple of days to really refresh," Johnson said. "In college, you get that week after the bowl game in January to go home, and you're fine. You're full of energy. The NFL is a little more taxing on the brain and the body. We played 22 games altogether. It was like two college seasons. I think it took a little more time to establish homeostasis and get that balance, but the time we had was enough to be back now.
"The good thing now is you don't have to go full-tilt. It's not like you're back in pads. You come back, you work out, you catch balls, you get readjusted and then it's going to pick up as time goes by."
Present and Accounted For
By Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos.com (http://www.denverbroncos.com/)
http://cache.denverbroncos.com/resources/custom/Images/Top%20Stories/2006/johnson_kyle_rm_060403.jpg
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Kyle Johnson wasn't taking a head count of his teammates in attendance at the first day of offseason conditioning workouts Monday at the team's headquarters. But a quick glance yielded exactly what he -- and the team's coaches -- wanted to see.
"When you're looking through the crowd of people to try to remember who's not there, then you know attendance is high," he said.
It was a crowd -- and, as the signings and contract extensions of the previous two and a half months proved, it was a crowd comprised almost entirely of familiar faces. Only two starters from the 2005 AFC Championship game are no longer with the team -- defensive end Trevor Pryce and running back Mike Anderson. Tight end Wesley Duke was also not present, owing to his allocation to the Hamburg Sea Devils of the NFL Europe League.
From Johnson's perspective, it was as though the team picked up where it left off in January -- at least in terms of camaraderie.
"Guys were really chummy when we were warming up today," Johnson said. "You noticed it right away. The few new guys have to be welcomed in, but in general, it's the same guys. It's not a new team.
"Obviously, when July hits, we're all going to be scrambling, so nothing's established, anyway, but it is great to be around the same group of guys you were around last year."
Johnson was in contact with his teammates over the past two months, but in a different capacity, as the team's assistant player representative to the NFL Players Association. As the Players Association and the league worked on the new collective bargaining agreement, Johnson tried to stay in touch with matters.
"This is my first year as assistant players' representative; obviously Rod (Smith) is the head players' rep, so people did come with certain questions, wanting to know certain things," Johnson said. "It was a little bit different for me in terms as keeping up-to-date, keeping abreast of what was going on, so I was constantly checking transactions and the news in wanting them to reach some kind of an agreement."
Nearly four weeks have passed since the agreement was ratified by NFL owners, leaving time to relax and refocus. By Monday, it was back to work.
"It was a good day," Johnson said. "Obviously they're trying to keep in mind that you're not back to full capacity just yet, but we're going to get there very soon. Just to get back out there and lift some weights and throw the ball around is a positive thing. But you want to keep in mind where you are, where you have to go, and progress accordingly."
Johnson said that strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten didn't push the players to the breaking point.
"He could have really hurt us today if he wanted to," Johnson said. "I don't think he wanted to do that. I think he wants us to quickly get back to a better pace and take strides to being in better shape this year than we've ever been before."
And he hopes that -- combined with the continuity of keeping a conference finalist virtually intact -- leads to a better finish-line moment, even though Monday's work represented only the smallest first step of a nine-month journey.
"When you go 14-4, you don't necessarily have to make as many changes as a team that goes 2-14, so you did something right," Johnson said. "There's not necessarily a need to completely and totally change everything. You want to tweak and refine as opposed to completely renewing and changing."
All the renewal he needed came in the last two months.
"Last year -- after the 2004 season -- was the first year where I realized that it takes more than a couple of days to really refresh," Johnson said. "In college, you get that week after the bowl game in January to go home, and you're fine. You're full of energy. The NFL is a little more taxing on the brain and the body. We played 22 games altogether. It was like two college seasons. I think it took a little more time to establish homeostasis and get that balance, but the time we had was enough to be back now.
"The good thing now is you don't have to go full-tilt. It's not like you're back in pads. You come back, you work out, you catch balls, you get readjusted and then it's going to pick up as time goes by."