Kaylore
08-01-2008, 12:15 AM
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/31/broncos-report-nalens-knee-still-a-problem/
The belief, so far, is that Tom Nalen's sore left knee simply is a residual effect of the arthroscopic surgery he endured in June.
Still, Nalen and the Broncos are concerned enough to take pictures in the hopes of making certain all is well.
Nalen missed his third day of practice Thursday and was scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Thursday afternoon.
Casey Wiegmann once again worked with the first offensive line in Nalen's absence.
"He's going to have an MRI . . . just to check everything out, make sure that there's something we haven't missed," head coach Mike Shanahan said.
"According to (trainer Steve Antonopulos), it's not the knee. It's beneath the knee, the bursa sac, that's causing him a little irritation right now. He doesn't think it's anything serious."
Nalen, beginning his 15th season with the Broncos, aggravated his left knee during the team's June minicamp and underwent a relatively minor operation. But he experienced soreness in his knee earlier this week, which kept him out of practice Tuesday and forced an early exit after he tried to practice Wednesday morning.
"It's more preventative than anything," Shanahan said. "We'll check it out with an MRI and, hopefully, everything is fine and he's just a little bit sore."
Utility man
It is Josh Mallard's versatility that could make him a valuable cog in the revamped Broncos defense.
Mallard, signed in early November as a midseason stopgap, still was productive enough on the defensive line that his 3.5 sacks ranked third on the team.
Now in his first training camp with Denver, Mallard has seen time at every spot along the defensive front and also is an experienced long-snapper.
On Thursday, Mallard spent a great portion of practice working with Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss and Dewayne Robertson on the first pass-rush front in third-and-long situations.
"He's in the process of establishing himself, and one thing he does is that he's an explosive pass rusher," defensive line coach Bill Johnson said.
"He loves to rush the passer, and what we have to do as the season goes on is see where he is as far as where he fits. I'm sure glad we got him, and he's done a good job for us to this point."
Rookie runs
Running back Ryan Torain enjoyed a few more repetitions with the first offense Thursday, and the rookie from Arizona State is well aware of how well young, previously unheralded running backs have fared during Shanahan's tenure with the Broncos.
Torain, a fifth-round pick in the April draft, was slowed by nagging injuries during his senior season, but he boasts the sort of north-south style Shanahan always has favored.
"Coming out to Denver to play running back is a huge opportunity," Torain said. "They have a good thing going out there with this offense. I just have to stay positive and focused. Have fun with it, and good things will come."
Etc.
* Second-year tackle Ryan Harris and defensive tackle Kenny Peterson got into a post-play shoving match during team drills, but tempers quickly were cooled.
* Tight end Brett Pierce made the catch of the day, during a seven- on-seven session, running a seam route down the middle of the field to make a diving catch of a pass from Jay Cutler.
Friday
The Broncos will practice at 8:30 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. The morning practice is open to the media only. The afternoon practice is special teams only, and the gates open at 2:40 p.m.
Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News
The belief, so far, is that Tom Nalen's sore left knee simply is a residual effect of the arthroscopic surgery he endured in June.
Still, Nalen and the Broncos are concerned enough to take pictures in the hopes of making certain all is well.
Nalen missed his third day of practice Thursday and was scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Thursday afternoon.
Casey Wiegmann once again worked with the first offensive line in Nalen's absence.
"He's going to have an MRI . . . just to check everything out, make sure that there's something we haven't missed," head coach Mike Shanahan said.
"According to (trainer Steve Antonopulos), it's not the knee. It's beneath the knee, the bursa sac, that's causing him a little irritation right now. He doesn't think it's anything serious."
Nalen, beginning his 15th season with the Broncos, aggravated his left knee during the team's June minicamp and underwent a relatively minor operation. But he experienced soreness in his knee earlier this week, which kept him out of practice Tuesday and forced an early exit after he tried to practice Wednesday morning.
"It's more preventative than anything," Shanahan said. "We'll check it out with an MRI and, hopefully, everything is fine and he's just a little bit sore."
Utility man
It is Josh Mallard's versatility that could make him a valuable cog in the revamped Broncos defense.
Mallard, signed in early November as a midseason stopgap, still was productive enough on the defensive line that his 3.5 sacks ranked third on the team.
Now in his first training camp with Denver, Mallard has seen time at every spot along the defensive front and also is an experienced long-snapper.
On Thursday, Mallard spent a great portion of practice working with Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss and Dewayne Robertson on the first pass-rush front in third-and-long situations.
"He's in the process of establishing himself, and one thing he does is that he's an explosive pass rusher," defensive line coach Bill Johnson said.
"He loves to rush the passer, and what we have to do as the season goes on is see where he is as far as where he fits. I'm sure glad we got him, and he's done a good job for us to this point."
Rookie runs
Running back Ryan Torain enjoyed a few more repetitions with the first offense Thursday, and the rookie from Arizona State is well aware of how well young, previously unheralded running backs have fared during Shanahan's tenure with the Broncos.
Torain, a fifth-round pick in the April draft, was slowed by nagging injuries during his senior season, but he boasts the sort of north-south style Shanahan always has favored.
"Coming out to Denver to play running back is a huge opportunity," Torain said. "They have a good thing going out there with this offense. I just have to stay positive and focused. Have fun with it, and good things will come."
Etc.
* Second-year tackle Ryan Harris and defensive tackle Kenny Peterson got into a post-play shoving match during team drills, but tempers quickly were cooled.
* Tight end Brett Pierce made the catch of the day, during a seven- on-seven session, running a seam route down the middle of the field to make a diving catch of a pass from Jay Cutler.
Friday
The Broncos will practice at 8:30 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. The morning practice is open to the media only. The afternoon practice is special teams only, and the gates open at 2:40 p.m.
Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News