24's Training Camp Report 7/28

[24champ]

2008 Broncos Training Camp

Practice time: 8:15 AM
Location: Dove Valley Training Facility
Weather: Warm and then got really hot. Sunny.



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Greetings my fellow training Camp junkies,

This might be my last report, I don't know if they are holding training camp on the 8th and 9th which is when I get back into Denver. At any rate, I had a lot of fun doing these and interacting with Montrose, Oskie, Apa and Kaylore. Disco actually made it in today with his kid...they both sported orange afros. Pretty funny and cute.

I also greatly appreciate the fan mail I get. Even getting some PMs from people from Vandy checking in on Cutler and Winborne. I learned a lot about our team these past 3-4 days and what to expect about the team. Which I will get into later. I hope Montrose continues to do reports this week and also looking forward to hearing from Oskie, Apa, Kahn about this team next weekend. I want to hear about who is making progress.

Anyway here is my report and some pics to follow later when I upload them from Photobucket...

Offense

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler- Didn't look too good, needs to work on his decision making a little more. Once he gets some more repetition throwing to his receivers, he'll be fine. He threw a great pass to Marshall who ran it in for a TD.

Darrel Hackney- Consistent as a QB, makes several good decisions when throwing the ball. We were discussing about Hackney, and while he did good. I don't know if I would be comfortable with him as our 2nd. Doesn't have the experience like Ramsey has.

Patrick Ramsey- Flat out sucked today. Montrose is right, he looks like Preston Parsons out there. He had ONE good throw to Scheff I think, but that was it. Disappointing to see.

Running Backs-

Selvin Young- Looks consistent to me, he doesn't make many mistakes. He wasn't out on the field a lot today, but I feel comfortable with him as our number one guy.

Michael Pittman- He did alright, played in some fullback sets in for Hillis I assume. I do not see Pittman making this team. Too much talent to compete with and the other guys are clearly getting up to speed and learning the system.


Ryan Torain- Followed up yesterday with another brilliant performance. I really love how he cuts back, he seems to get a better feel of the offense everyday. I could see a RBBC coming back with Torain/Young.

Andre Hall- Did well yesterday, but wasn't noticeable much today thought I saw. Much of the attention went to Young/Torain/Aldridge, which brings me to...

Aldridge- Seems like every so often that he carries the rock, he can take off like a rocket. He has a problem going up the middle and isn't effective there. Which leads me to believe that Aldridge will be our Darren Sproles, frankly because he isn't going to be an every down running back and the fact that yesterday and today he did some kick returns. He has a good chance to make the team, needs to continue to improve.

Payton Hillis- Didn't notice him out there, apparently he was out. Hope he isn't injured bad.

Cecil Sapp- After yesterday's good showing, Sapp looked pretty average on the block and in receiving. Needs to hurry up and do well before Hillis comes back and takes the job.

Wide Receivers

Brandon Marshall- Looked very good today, I believe he is rounding back into form. He wasn't perfect, but he was close. Took a nice pass from Cutler for 80 yards.

Glenn Martinez- See him as a 4 or 5 on the team. He does the small things well, and blocks adequately too.

Eddie Royal- Still needs to get the timing down with Jay Cutler. They missed a great opportunity to hook up on a long throw by

Darrell Jackson- D-Jack did alright today. Is most likely the #2 guy on WR. I don't see anyone else challenging for that #2 spot.

Keary Colbert- Was a lot better than yesterday. Made a few catches, however on one play he should have gripped the ball a lot better than he should have. He bobbled the ball and if he was tackled in a real game, he would have lost it. Not a good thing to see, and he was disappointed about that catch.

Brandon Stokely- Didn't see him much today, he made a couple catches from I saw by beating JMFW on one play.

Clifford Russell- Was more noticeable than he was the entire camp. Made some solid catches, and did some special team work. Not a bad day, but I doubt he makes the squad.

Marquay McDaniel- Third day in a row where he wasn't noticeable.

Taylor Jacobs- Was nowhere to be seen, once again.

Tight Ends

Tony Scheffler- Continues to roll! I wouldn't put it past Scheff to have a Pro-Bowl season if he stays healthy. He makes the routes and catching the ball SO EASY. He has unbelievable hands.

Nate Jackson- Wasn't noticeable much, ran plays with the third team, was next to Polumbus and did well for blocking.

Brett Pierce- He had a fumble after catching the ball. Wasn't even a hard hit, not a good sign for a TE.

Chad Mustard- Didn't see him, actually if you go back to my previous reports. I haven't seen him all camp.

Daniel Graham- Was on the field a lot, didn't see any spectacular plays or catches from him. I suspect it was because Graham was helping out Harris and Polumbus on plays.

Offensive Line

Ryan Clady- Total beast. I am not worried about the LT position this season.

Erik Pears- Had a false start, was the only time I noticed him really. Like with most lineman during a game, you only see them when they commit a mistake.

Tom Nalen- Not much to report here. Someone get him a new pair of shorts that fit him. Thanks.

Montrae Holland- TFTP...and I didn't see him doing the sled at all. Might be doing that this afternoon, but really didn't see Holland anywhere.

Chris Kuper- Did pretty well today, he held his ground despite his injury. He does well on the running plays.

Ryan Harris- He was better today positionally, I focused on the RT spot a lot today, kept pointing out and making sure people were focused on Harris. He is getting better as far as Position goes, but as Requiem noted yesterday in my report. He is probably not strong enough for the position yet. He wasn't great or good today, but he wasn't junk either.

Ben Hamilton- Didn't notice him on the line much.

Polumbus- Had help from Nate Jackson and Graham. My opinion of this Puff is that he is good actually in the run game. I have never read his scouting reports, but he seems to be a road grader type of player. As far as pass protection, he needs to work on getting in better position in passing situations. He is an interesting player on the line thats for sure.



That's about it for the offense......defense next.

[vancejohnson82]

nice....

seems like Colbert may have brought his stonehands with him to Denver...I thought maybe the new scenery would do somehting for his psyche...the #2 WR position is a definite area of concern.

Pittman will be on the fringe you think? I think the fact that he can play fullback may help him make the squad...im assuming we take 5 or 6 RBs out of camp..is that a fair guess?

Young, Torain, Hall, Pittman, Hillis, and from what you guys are saying..Aldridge

I only see Sapp being cut

[Kaylore]

Chad Mustard- Didn't see him, actually if you go back to my previous reports. I haven't seen him all camp.

[montrose]

Mustard's on PUP.

[Disco Man]

Nice seeing you for a bit today!!!!!!! Wanted to stay up there on the hill next to you guys but she wanted to play. I stayed over next to the building for about an hour and a half checking out the special teams. From what I saw we might have a kicker this year that just might be able to kick off deeper than the ten yard line!!!!!!!!!!!!

[epicSocialism4tw]

Brandon Marshall- Looked very good today, I believe he is rounding back into form. He wasn't perfect, but he was close. Took a nice pass from Cutler for 80 yards.

So, his arm is still attached? EGADS! Its a froggin' miracle!

[ludo21]

Nice, thanks 24...

[montrose]

Originally Posted by angryllama

So, his arm is still attached? EGADS! Its a froggin' miracle!

I get the feeling BMarsh will be okay for the most part but I wouldn't be surprised if we get the occasional drop now and then. My biggest concern his ability to break tackles and stiff-arm, as the Broncos haven't gone full-live yet at practice.

[Hotrod]

Mustard will return when Mustard says he will return.

Thanks 24 good stuff

[24champ]

Defense

Defensive Line-

Dwayne Robertson- He was on the field today, limited reps.

Jarvis Moss- I thought he had his best camp today. He looks very quick once the ball is snapped.

Marcus Thomas- Like Moss, Thomas is very quick off the ball. He is very strong as well. I think on one play he knocked Casey Weigman on his ***.

Elvis Dumervil- Did well today too, beating Pears on occasion.

John Engleberger- Amazing that EVERY practice I have attended, Berger is the first guy on the field. Well before practice begins. He did well, and only once I saw him blow past Harris.

Ekuban- Didn't notice him today, although that could be because yesterday I heard he was moved to DT, whether that is permanent or not I have no idea.

Steven Harris- Didn't notice him much today.

Josh Mallard- Mallard is consistent. Continues to show heart and grit on the field. Busting his ass to get the ball carrier.

Kenny Peterson- Didn't see him out there.

Tim Crowder- He looked very strong today, played against Polumbus a bit today and is a strong DE pushing back the OL. I would like to see him be a little quicker and use better technique to get to the QB. He'll be the most complete DE on the team if he can figure out a way to get to the QB.

Linebackers-

DJ Williams- Was absent from morning stretches and some drills. I was worried because I thought he got injured or something. DJ was fine in the scrimmages and such. He looks comfortable out there.

Niko Koutouvides- Ran with the second team again today. He is a hard hitter thats for sure, still a little uneasy about his coverage skills.

Boss Bailey- He is really good. He is great in coverage, netted an INT today. As well as rushing the passer. This guy is FAST and flys to the ball very quick. I like what I have seen from him.

Nate Webster- Didn't see him a whole lot, much like yesterday he ran with first team and was alright. Nothing spectacular from him. I am a little worried about the Mike spot this year.


Jamie Winborn- Continues to do well, most of the time he shined was on special teams. He is quick to get down the field on kickoffs.

Larsen- Saw very little of him, but he looked pretty good in drills since Boss and DJ were absent.

Secondary


Champ Bailey- After yesterday, Champ returned and got a sick interception. He was playing D-J-O a little bit, and he closed in very quick to get an INT that only Champ would get. Impressive.

Dominique Foxworth- Still being very consistent. He also brought some wood to his game. He knocked Aldridge on his ass, gotta watch where your going rookie.

Karl Paymah- Didn't notice him much today other than getting burned by Marshall.

Dre Bly- Consistent, doing a lot better these past few days. Looks like our #2 guy.

JMFW- I think he makes the team, but he needs some experience and getting better reads on the play. He closes on the receiver very well.

John Lynch- Lynch still looks good in run support, but no so much on Coverage.

Hamza- Pencil him in as the starter, he is the best safety out there. He is just everywhere and I haven't seen too many mistakes from him.

Marquand Manuel- Did well, didn't blitz as much as yesterday,

Josh Barrett- Saw him on a few plays, I think a time or two he was playing corner. Which is surprising, I thought the knock on him was that he was slow?

Marlon McCree- Wasn't noticeable much today.


Special Teams-

Special teams worked on kickoffs and kick returns. Royal, Andre Hall, Martinez all returned kicks, much like yesterday. Prater looks like he is the real deal, however I would like to see how he does in a real game come pre-season.


Pics are up next.

[Broncosfreak_56]

Awsome report. Thanks.

[24champ]

Originally Posted by montrose

Mustard's on PUP.

That explains it then.

Originally Posted by Vancejohnson82

Pittman will be on the fringe you think? I think the fact that he can play fullback may help him make the squad...im assuming we take 5 or 6 RBs out of camp..is that a fair guess?

Young, Torain, Hall, Pittman, Hillis, and from what you guys are saying..Aldridge

I would say Pittman is out because pretty much what you see is what you get. With the other backs like Torain, Young, Aldridge. They have steadily improved everyday and show a lot of promise. It is well known that Shanny likes to bring some vets in to show the Rookies how to handle business in the NFL. The biggest wildcard to me is Andre Hall, he is versatile as far as the roster goes, plays special teams and seems to be a decent third option on the depth chart. If Aldridge keeps burning the turf for 15-20 yard gains, things could get interesting.

[bowtown]

Originally Posted by montrose

Mustard's on PUP.

Torn hamstring, i think he's out at least 8 weeks.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Dre Bly- Consistent, doing a lot better these past few days. Looks like our #2 guy

If he's not our #2 corner, were in big trouble.

[Houshyamama]

Originally Posted by 24champbailey

Josh Barrett- Saw him on a few plays, I think a time or two he was playing corner. Which is surprising, I thought the knock on him was that he was slow?

Thanks 24.

I think Barrett ran a sub 4.4 40 at the combine yeah? Like a 4.36 or some ridiculous number.

[24champ]

Originally Posted by angryllama

If he's not our #2 corner, were in big trouble.

I was referring to Day 1, where he didn't look anything like our #2 corner. He's got his ass in gear after that poor showing.

[Kaylore]

Josh Barrett- Saw him on a few plays, I think a time or two he was playing corner. Which is surprising, I thought the knock on him was that he was slow?

Barrett's timed speed is super-fast, but he doesn't play as fast as the clock when his pads go on as opposed to say Royal who looks as fast as his speed in Indy suggests. That doesn't mean Barrett is slow.

[kmonty]

Kory Lichtensteiger has disappeared off the face of the Earth...

Great job, thanks much again for all the reports

[Disco Man]

Training Camp Pic

[summerdenver]

Originally Posted by 24champbailey

Polumbus- Had help from Nate Jackson and Graham. My opinion of this Puff is that he is good actually in the run game. I have never read his scouting reports, but he seems to be a road grader type of player. As far as pass protection, he needs to work on getting in better position in passing situations. He is an interesting player on the line thats for sure.

Thanks for a great report. What position does polumbus play? RT?

Also I heard TFTP on fm104.3 and he sounded contrite and was not complaining.

[Mountain Bronco]

Who is going to be the 2nd Safety? That seems like an area of concern as Lynch sounds slow out there.

[montrose]

Originally Posted by Houshyamama

Thanks 24.

I think Barrett ran a sub 4.4 40 at the combine yeah? Like a 4.36 or some ridiculous number.

He doesn't look nearly that fast on the field. Not slow, but Abdullah seems to cover a lot more ground.

Originally Posted by kmonty

Kory Lichtensteiger has disappeared off the face of the Earth...

He had a false start today. He's currently stuck on the 3rd team and hasn't shown a whole lot at this point. He'll probably make the team because of where he was drafted, but I could certainly see him having an "injury" that lands him on IR. With that, he really needs to practice and IR players cannot practice per league rules (although NE has broken this rule for years).

[broncofan2438]

Nice report 24, thanks for helping those that cant make it out there

[kmonty]

Originally Posted by montrose

He doesn't look nearly that fast on the field. Not slow, but Abdullah seems to cover a lot more ground.



He had a false start today. He's currently stuck on the 3rd team and hasn't shown a whole lot at this point. He'll probably make the team because of where he was drafted, but I could certainly see him having an "injury" that lands him on IR. With that, he really needs to practice and IR players cannot practice per league rules (although NE has broken this rule for years).

I love it montrose. You've already got all the conspiracies and whatnot all figgered out!

[montrose]

Originally Posted by summerdenver

Thanks for a great report. What position does polumbus play? RT?

Polumbus has been 2nd team RT all of camp.

Originally Posted by Mountain Bronco

Who is going to be the 2nd Safety? That seems like an area of concern as Lynch sounds slow out there.

Abdullah will be the every-down deep safety with Lynch up near the box on running downs and being replaced by McCree on passing downs.