Khan and SoCal 8/1 AM Reports

[SoCalBronco]

8/1 AM Report: Walker steals the show
By SoCalBronco
Aug 1, 2007, 11:06

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QUARTERBACKS- There is something about morning practices with Jay Cutler, he does not seem to be as sharp as in the afternoons, when he is outstanding. Cutler had some issues with accuracy again, a little bit behind and a little bit ahead on some passes and overshot one deep ball. He did have several nice throws, however, including two beautiful deep balls to Javon Walker for touchdowns, which the crowd loved and continued to have a great sense of chemistry with Brandon Stokley. Cutler, did, however have his first “real” interception (the interception yesterday was really the fault of the receiver) of camp when Champ Bailey got underneath a quick out route, snatched the ball and took off. One thing I liked about Jay today was his pocket presence. Even though physical contact on the quarterback is prohibited, Jay could still sense when defenders got close and did a nice job sliding out and finding the open receiver near the sideline when he felt someone closing in. Patrick Ramsey continues to struggle with accuracy and pocket presence. Ramsey suffered several would be sacks from defenders due to his inability to process information quickly.

RUNNING BACKS- Travis Henry is very consistent. Another very strong day. He is showing explosion which isn’t a trait that often thought of as a key facet of his game. His vision is also very good, he did a very nice job in 9 on 9s in trusting his line and anticipating where the hole would be on the second level. He rarely runs into the backs of his offensive linemen. I wish he would get more touches in the passing game, though. On Sunday, he showed that he could be a very good receiver out of the backfield but has not really been used in that capacity much for the last few days of camp. The second best back in practice was SelvinYoung. He had several problems the last few days in constantly tripping and failing to find holes but he ran with a lot more authority today. Perhaps he sensed the pressure of being at the bottom of the depth chart. Andre Hall continues to show good speed and does well on perimeter run plays, but not so much on inside runs. Mike Bell had a very quiet morning and dropped another pass. Khan and I were talking about his Jekyll and Hyde nature a little bit, he seems to look like an elite running back one day and then like a third stringer the next. He is maddeningly inconsistent.

WIDE RECIEVERS AND TIGHT ENDS- Javon Walker was the star of the day. In addition to catching two sweet go routes from Jay Cutler, he also caught a number of difficult receptions with defenders in the vicinity. In his post practice press conference, he really said he is feeling good (on the football field) and is very comfortable in the offense. Brandon Stokley had another good day. He particularly excels at adjusting to throws that are not accurate. Right now, he continues to have a very firm grip on the No. 2 position. Domenik Hixon returned to practice today, one day after suffering a first degree separation of his shoulder, but did not stand out. He was matched up on Champ a few times and to no one’s surprise had a great deal of trouble. The rest of the wide receivers also continue to have difficulty making plays. Dan Graham’s highlight of the day was in move the ball drills when he caught a nice square out on the sideline that was a little bit high and in front. He still is not a major force in the passing game and has trouble separating. Webster was able to stick on him and swat away one pass in particular. I was able to summon the courage to actually ask Shanahan a question in the press conference about the timetable with Scheffler since they really need him and he noted that Tony should be back in practice next week. Reporter Sam Adams also asked him about Marshall and he seemed to be down on Marshall telling Adams that he told Marshall that they can’t waste reps on guys who are hurt and that people need to be out there (paraphrasing).

OFFENSIVE LINE:

I thought this was Ryan Harris’s best day of practice, yet. He has probably been the slowest of the rookies in terms of his day to day development, but I thought he took a nice step forward today. In the 11 on 11 and 9 on 9 action, he was able to neutralize fellow rookies Tim Crowder and Jarvis Moss a few times. I thought the offensive line in general struggled to run the ball (when Henry wasn’t in there) against any of the first, second or third string front sevens, although there were some individual plays that stood out for some of the youngsters that everyone is concerned about. Chris Kuper stoned DJ Williams on a blitz and Chris Myers absolutely pancaked Alvin McKinley. Chris Kuper is also very good at getting out to the perimeter on screens. I did not see Eric Pears struggle in live action too much and that was encouraging. Khan remarked that he was starting to feel better about the right side of our line. I would agree with him on Kuper, he is doing a nice job out there, he is consistently running with the one’s over Holland, but despite today, Pears still worries me (Meadows is a lost cause). I did not see it, but Khan observed in the drills that Eslinger was doing a little bit better.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Gerard Warren made an impact today, surprisingly enough, in the passing game. He actually was able to deflect some balls at the line of scrimmage and dropping back in a zone blitz. He also combined with Ekuban for a would be sack. Dumervil stood out as a pass rusher in the live 11 on 11 action, but he is still running on the third team base defense with Peterson, Veal and Burton. I did not notice Moss too much in live action but he did okay in drills. Tim Crowder was the best rookie today on the defensive line. He had a would be sack (which is rare for him) and he was good against the run. The best run defender on the line, however, was John Engelberger. He does a really good job in contain on the side opposite the wide 9. Coach Shanahan, in his press conference, said that John is an intelligent player and a very hard worker and (perhaps contrary to popular belief) he said that the reason they started John out as a starter in this camp was because he played well last year. I did not notice Marcus Thomas too much today. The defensive linemen should continue to get better because we are bringing in a specialist that works with handwork. Khan had gotten this information yesterday from his Moss interview and he had Shanahan confirm this today.

LINEBACKERS

Ian Gold returned to practice today and had his finest practice. He had been pretty quiet before, but did a very good job against the run today and had a nice hit. D.J. was not as successful in rushing the passer today as he was the last few days, but he did a good job covering the running backs in man to man defense, and made two very nice plays against the run, one in 9 on 9 and one in 11 on 11. Nate Webster ran with the first team today and it seems like each day he has at least one monster hit. He loves to talk out there too. Cameron Vaughn almost had an interception today on a really bad pass by Preston Parsons. Warrick Holdman was pretty decent today too and had a stuff at the line. The linebackers as a whole did a very good job against the run.

SECONDARY

Champ Bailey was shutdown as usual and had a pick six off Cutler. Dre Bly was ok, but he did get beat by Walker deep. I did not notice Paymah today too much, but he was okay as was Foxworth. Steve Cargile looks like a good backup safety. He is better there than he is at linebacker. He had another very nice pass deflection in which he showed good range. Jeff Shoate also had a good practice. I thought Hamza Abdullah was really outstanding. He is quick to come down in run force and looks like he has a talent for safety blitzes as well.


FIELD GOAL WORK

The team worked a bit on field goals in end of game situations this morning. Jason Elam was 6 of 8 from inside 40 yards with two kicks hitting the right crossbar and bouncing out.

SHANAHAN PRESS CONFERENCE

Today was pretty neat, we were actually able to get three questions in (Khan had two, I had one). Khan asked him about the rookies and Shanahan would not single out anyone in particular, but said that we should get a better view in a few more days as to who stands where. Khan also confirmed that we are bringing in a handwork specialist for the defensive line, who is a guy that Bates likes a lot. I, ofcourse, as noted earlier, asked about Scheffler, who Shanny said will be back next week. Shanny was down on Marshall, up on Engelberger, and was glad that Hixon was back today. A reporter asked him about the linebackers and he said that DJ looks comfortable and that Ian is ofcourse set at Will but that they still don’t know about Sam, the competition so far has not yet yielded a clear winner.

JAVON WALKER PRESS CONFERENCE

Javon feels healthy and is in good shape. He also feels very comfortable with the system and in his chemistry with Jay. He would not answer anything at all related to Darrent Williams and went out of his way to convey this. He said he will only talk about football and some reporter tried to sort of ask about how he is doing with the whole D-Will think in a subtle way but Javon recognized it and said “only football” again. He talked a bit about his Mohawk and said there was no real reason for it, just to try something new.

http://www.orangemane.com/article_748.php

[cousinal11]

You da man! Good thing we don't have any 7 AM games this year for Cutler's sake.

[Atwater His Ass]

yes!

[rugbythug]

*Shaking and Itching Subside*

[theAPAOps5]

Nice stuff! Look at the big men on campus asking Shany questions! Marshall sounds like he is in the doghouse and its getting deeper. Get out there and play kid!

[Inkana7]

Things aren't looking good for my boy Brandon.

[Paladin]

So, Jay is not a morning person on MDT. What happens in EDT? That would be earlier....

Thanks again for a great report. Much better material than what you see from the Other Media types......

[telluride]

Jason Elam was 6 of 8 from inside 40 yards

I've got a feeling Elam is going to have an off year this year. He's been trending down the last few seasons. We should be developing some young talent there, 'cause when he goes, it's going to be like he stepped off a cliff.

[bowtown]

Originally Posted by telluride

I've got a feeling Elam is going to have an off year this year. He's been trending down the last few seasons. We should be developing some young talent there, 'cause when he goes, it's going to be like he stepped off a cliff.

Ummm... Elam had the best year of his career last year.

[theAPAOps5]

telluride do you ever see anything in a positive light? You always focus on the negative. Why not be balanced and look at both sides? Just curious.

[Paladin]

Originally Posted by telluride

I've got a feeling Elam is going to have an off year this year. He's been trending down the last few seasons. We should be developing some young talent there, 'cause when he goes, it's going to be like he stepped off a cliff.

People have been saying that for several years now....

What? Close doesn't count?

He'll hit his average or more this year. Wn't need much more because the Broncos woill be scoring TDs

[Atwater His Ass]

Elam had arguably the best year of his career last season. I've never understood why people are inheritently down on Elam almost ever year. He's one of the best kickers to play in the NFL and he can still bring it. Probably even for another 5-6 years.

[bowtown]

Not to mention that when kickers go, they don't go quickly and suddenly. They taper off until they are in their 40's. Kickers don't relaly hit walls, they just sort of slowly lose leg.

Also, how would you like us to develop talent? We always have at least one other kicker in camp, but we can't be wasting a roster spot by carrying two kickers. Truth is you can't really devolp kicker talent on the side. You go with your guy till he can't do it anymore and then you either go sign a veteran or you go pick up a rookie who hopefully only has a few growing pains and he becomes your guy.

[smalltowngrll]

Originally Posted by bowtown

Ummm... Elam had the best year of his career last year.

Took the words right out of my mouth!! Elam will be fine this year!

Thanks for the update again, SoCal!

I wish the press would just leave them alone regarding D-Will! If they say football only, the press should respect that! But, then again, when has the press ever respected anyone's requests?!

[theAPAOps5]

Originally Posted by smalltowngrll

Took the words right out of my mouth!! Elam will be fine this year!

Thanks for the update again, guys!

I wish the press would just leave them alone regarding D-Will! If they say football only, the press should respect that! But, then again, when has the press ever respected anyone's requests?!

The press are people who get the tail numbers of airplanes that just wreck, look up the owners and call trying to get the scoop. Many times a family will find out they lost a loved one by some reporter. I despise the press, now most sports reporters aren't that extreme but emotion and death and sensationalism rule the day.

Thats why I love these reports just the facts as seen by two fans and aficionado's of the game.

[Stormontheplains]

SoCal, Could Andre Hall be the 3rd down back? He is very good in the open field.

[Requiem]

Fantastic stuff man!

[RkyMtnThunder]

Originally Posted by cousinal11

You da man! Good thing we don't have any 7 AM games this year for Cutler's sake.

You raise a valid question. The team as a whole seems to historically struggle with 10/11am games. Now it would appear our QB is no early bird himself.

How many early games do the Broncos have this season?

[SoCalBronco]

Originally Posted by Stormontheplains

SoCal, Could Andre Hall be the 3rd down back? He is very good in the open field.

Eh, maybe, but he has a big battle making the team first, its still an uphill battle for him, IMO. Even with Bell being all or nothing, I think he still has the edge to be the last running back kept (I assume Sapp will be kept due to versatility and ofcourse Henry is no. 1...I dont think they would keep 4 RBs, since they will also keep Johnson and Smith at FB).

[smalltowngrll]

Originally Posted by RkyMtnThunder

You raise a valid question. The team as a whole seems to historically struggle with 10/11am games. Now it would appear our QB is no early bird himself.

How many early games do the Broncos have this season?

11 1pm-ish games this year.

Date T/Sc Opponent
9/17Su 4:15p Kansas City Chiefs
9/24Su 8:15p Broncos @ Patriots
10/9Mo 8:30p Baltimore Ravens
10/15Su 8:15p Oakland Raiders
10/22Su 4:05p Broncos @ Browns
10/29Su 4:15p Indianapolis Colts
11/5Su 4:15p Broncos @ Steelers
11/12Su 4:05p Broncos @ Raiders
11/19Su 4:15p San Diego Chargers
11/23Th 8:00p Broncos @ Chiefs
12/3Su 4:15p Seattle Seahawks
12/10Su 4:15p Broncos @ Chargers
12/17Su 4:05p Broncos @ Cardinals
12/24Su 4:15p Cincinnati Bengals
12/31Su 4:15p San Francisco 49ers

Times are Eastern. But I believe most are subject to movement to evening games. Last year it seems that about half were moved. Correct me if I'm wrong....can't quite remember.

[Traveler]

Must have missed it. When did Khan and SoCal get press credentials? No matter...great work guys!

[Man-Goblin]

Originally Posted by smalltowngrll

Took the words right out of my mouth!! Elam will be fine this year!

Thanks for the update again, SoCal!

I wish the press would just leave them alone regarding D-Will! If they say football only, the press should respect that! But, then again, when has the press ever respected anyone's requests?!

I think Walker will eventually address the D-Will situation, but it will most likely be in a sit-down interview with a person he trusts later in the year (like on the NBC halftime show or an ESPN Sunday convo). I do know that outside at training camp with 20 reporters surrounding him is NOT the place to do it. That could really turn into a circus.

[Stormontheplains]

SoCal, How is webster doing covering the TE? Will he be a target against a team like the colts when they go no huddle, and we cant get him out

[smalltowngrll]

Originally Posted by SoCalBronco

8/1 AM Report: Walker steals the show
By SoCalBronco
Aug 1, 2007, 11:06

SECONDARY

Champ Bailey was shutdown as usual and had a pick six off Cutler. Dre Bly was ok, but he did get beat by Walker deep. I did not notice Paymah today too much, but he was okay as was Foxworth. Steve Cargile looks like a good backup safety. He is better there than he is at linebacker. He had another very nice pass deflection in which he showed good range. Jeff Shoate also had a good practice. I thought Hamza Abdullah was really outstanding. He is quick to come down in run force and looks like he has a talent for safety blitzes as well.

Great to hear!!

[Mediator12]

Great to hear that about the LB's and the running game defense being stout. That makes me feel much better, even though it is early in camp.

Engleberger did produce the best run stopping numbers on the DL last year, but no one evaluates DE's like that much around here He had the highest run success rate of 78% and only allowed 2.0 yards per attempt at his gap. Easily the best since Courtney Brown two years ago. he just might make a Solid 1st down LDE for us this year.

The Marshall situation is NOT good. When the head Coach is calling your ass out in the media to get on the field, you go play. Socal and Khan your assignment is to go find Marshall and knock some sense into him ASAP. Tell him he is no Nate Jackson and obviously he does not have the pictures that Patrick Hape had all those years. He is about to get demoted in the preseason AGAIN if he does not get on the field NOW