Broncos receivers get physical - The Orange Mane

Kaylore · 07-30-2008, 10:05 AM

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...lack-and-blue/

Broncos receivers get physical
Lesson of 'blaster' is gaining yards after the catch

Those willing to dig into the bargain-movie bin will often stumble upon 5 Fingers of Death.

The Broncos' receivers? Well, they certainly have had to dig in training camp, and they have stumbled some, wearing the bruises to prove it, with their own video classic, 16 Fingers of . . .

"Tattoo-removing, lower-abdomen banging - I mean, really lower abdomen, if people get my meaning - stomach-hurtin' thing," Keary Colbert said. "It gets to swinging, and it will hit you right down there if you don't get through it right."

"It's not fun. It tears your arms up, it bruises your arms. Sometimes, you get hit where you don't want to get hit - you know, low blows," said Brandon Stokley, who was sporting an angry contusion on his upper right arm. "I've even been hit in the nose before, right through the face mask. I mean, it is one of those things that just isn't fun."

"It" is a little something football coaches have long called the "blaster." An old-school, attention-getting device with 16 spring-loaded arms - eight on each side in two rows of four - that Broncos first-year receivers coach Jedd Fisch pulled out of the team's equipment pile and wiped the cobwebs from as he prepared to make a point.

When training camp opened, Fisch lined up the receivers to start each day and sent them through the blaster, saying he would continue doing so until a receiver knocked down a defensive player in a drill with a legal block.

On Sunday, Brandon Marshall made the block that has given the receivers at least a temporary reprieve, but Fisch stands ready to deliver the message again if he believes they need a reminder.

"It can always be re-evaluated - I've kept an asterisk out," Fisch said. "But we're going to emphasize being more physical. To start practice off every day hitting the blaster is a little bit of emphasis on being a little tougher going through the middle."

"In our division, we're going to have to be physical," receiver Darrell Jackson said of the AFC West. "And the way we run the ball here, you have to block everybody. You can't be shy or you won't play."

The Broncos also are adjusting to a league that increasingly is emphasizing the catch-and-run as defenses drop more and more players into coverage.

It has put a premium on receivers who can break tackles and tack on yards, the ones most likely to turn small plays into big ones.

Quarterback Jay Cutler already has talked about the importance of getting the ball away quickly and letting the receivers run.

Also, end-zone battles between receiver and defender often are won by those who can snatch the ball and keep it. And the Broncos, who were fourth in the league in plays of 10 yards or more last season, finished the season 21st in points scored per game.

"And we need touchdowns when we have the opportunity," coach Mike Shanahan said.

There also is the matter of Marshall's near future and its effect on the offense. Marshall, who led the NFL last season in yards gained after contact, is facing the prospect of a league-imposed suspension that could remove him from the team's offense for two to six weeks - possibly even eight - if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell were to hand down one of the sterner penalties for violating the league's conduct policy.

So the Broncos also face the possibility other receivers will be getting the ball and need to run with it.

"I believe, more and more, that the game has gotten to the point where wide receivers are big, strong, physical players, and I want to make sure we take that approach," Fisch said. "That we buy into it, that we believe it. Whenever you see the plus-20-yard gain, it's because they've caught the ball and gone vertical.

"Yards after catch, we're going to emphasize it constantly - we want to break tackles. . . . We want to lead the league in that."

Fisch also is reminding this group of the legacy that precedes them. He opens each meeting by reminding his players the Broncos lead the NFL in rushing since 1995.

And that the recently retired Rod Smith routinely has said if a receiver will not block in the Broncos' run game, "then you will never see the ball, ever."

"They're preaching to us to be physical," Colbert said. "We, as a group, have to be physical, just get (defensive backs) playing on their heels."

And if they don't, the 16 fingers are waiting.

"Honestly, guys have said it's removing their tattoos," Colbert said. "Stokley had a big red mark on his arm, and (Marquay McDaniel) has a tattoo of a bull, and he got hit and it was below the nose of the bull, so it looked like the bull had a nosebleed or was spitting fire. So we know what it does and we know we'll be back there if they don't get what they want."

bronco militia · 07-30-2008, 10:17 AM

anybody have a pic of this thing?

Kaylore · 07-30-2008, 10:17 AM

I'm having trouble finding it. It looks like a chute but has big rubber arms. This is pretty close but the pro version has thinner, stiffer arms.

bronco militia · 07-30-2008, 10:18 AM

thanks.....never heard it called the blaster

Kaylore · 07-30-2008, 10:21 AM

This is pretty close.

bronco610 · 07-30-2008, 10:21 AM

Too bad lelie is not here to experience this !!!

ludo21 · 07-30-2008, 10:21 AM

nice.

I wonder how fast you have to be movin to get through it?

ksBRONCOfan · 07-30-2008, 10:24 AM

Nice! I think that is a great idea.

cutthemdown · 07-30-2008, 10:26 AM

Those are like pretty boy sleds. The ones we had back in the day where all metal there were no pads. I bet the one the Broncos dusted off like that. Some old beast from the 70's or something.

cutthemdown · 07-30-2008, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ludo21

nice.

I wonder how fast you have to be movin to get through it?

more then fast it teaches you to explode at the point of attack and to run low with a good body lean to expose your shoulders to the tackler and not your abdomen and lower body.

Our coach used to show us how he could just trot up to the machine, then explode through it like a mad man.

dbfan4life · 07-30-2008, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ludo21

nice.

I wonder how fast you have to be movin to get through it?

It's not so much about getting through it fast as it is lowering your shoulders and "blasting" through it. If I remember correctly, if you hit it standing straight up, you (1) will catch a nut shot or (2) get completely knocked off your feet. It's kinda fun but not really!

Kaylore · 07-30-2008, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

Those are like pretty boy sleds. The ones we had back in the day where all metal there were no pads. I bet the one the Broncos dusted off like that. Some old beast from the 70's or something.

It's a bright orange color and has longer, more slender arms that look like some kind of plastic material with a rough finish. They don't have as much give as they look.

Inkana7 · 07-30-2008, 11:11 AM

It doesn't have anything on Tuten's Sled.

fido · 07-30-2008, 11:17 AM

That thing should be mandatory for not just the receivers, but also the rb's.

telluride · 07-30-2008, 11:20 AM

I like this Fisch guy.

PRBronco · 07-30-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by telluride

I like this Fisch guy.

No joke, maybe he can teach the defense to play with some balls.*

*JMFW is excluded from this statement.

*edit* I just realized how oddly that is worded. Please replace "balls" with "testicles", and realize I don't literally mean to play with some. That is all.

Cmac821 · 07-30-2008, 11:44 AM

That would put me on my a**!

broncobill · 07-30-2008, 12:11 PM

That video is an example of why we are seeing so many neck injuries at the higher levels. Almost every player lowered his eyes when he made contact thus lowering his head and exposing his neck to extreme stress.....please tell me why a coach never addressed this

IMO allowing poor technique is just as bad as teaching it. Please explain if I am missing something?

cutthemdown · 07-30-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaylore

It's a bright orange color and has longer, more slender arms that look like some kind of plastic material with a rough finish. They don't have as much give as they look.

cool. They should let the fans come down and run through it.

Man-Goblin · 07-30-2008, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

Those are like pretty boy sleds. The ones we had back in the day where all metal there were no pads. I bet the one the Broncos dusted off like that. Some old beast from the 70's or something.

Imagine all the hall of famers that have gone through that very sled! Oh wait, er, nevermind.

bap454 · 07-30-2008, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkana7

It doesn't have anything on Tuten's Sled.

Oh please do tell.......

07-30-2008, 10:05 AM	#1
Kaylore 6-37, Raider fans. Yummy birds and snow! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ceti Alpha V Posts: 41,074 Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Duke	Broncos receivers get physical http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...lack-and-blue/ Broncos receivers get physical Lesson of 'blaster' is gaining yards after the catch Those willing to dig into the bargain-movie bin will often stumble upon 5 Fingers of Death. The Broncos' receivers? Well, they certainly have had to dig in training camp, and they have stumbled some, wearing the bruises to prove it, with their own video classic, 16 Fingers of . . . "Tattoo-removing, lower-abdomen banging - I mean, really lower abdomen, if people get my meaning - stomach-hurtin' thing," Keary Colbert said. "It gets to swinging, and it will hit you right down there if you don't get through it right." "It's not fun. It tears your arms up, it bruises your arms. Sometimes, you get hit where you don't want to get hit - you know, low blows," said Brandon Stokley, who was sporting an angry contusion on his upper right arm. "I've even been hit in the nose before, right through the face mask. I mean, it is one of those things that just isn't fun." "It" is a little something football coaches have long called the "blaster." An old-school, attention-getting device with 16 spring-loaded arms - eight on each side in two rows of four - that Broncos first-year receivers coach Jedd Fisch pulled out of the team's equipment pile and wiped the cobwebs from as he prepared to make a point. When training camp opened, Fisch lined up the receivers to start each day and sent them through the blaster, saying he would continue doing so until a receiver knocked down a defensive player in a drill with a legal block. On Sunday, Brandon Marshall made the block that has given the receivers at least a temporary reprieve, but Fisch stands ready to deliver the message again if he believes they need a reminder. "It can always be re-evaluated - I've kept an asterisk out," Fisch said. "But we're going to emphasize being more physical. To start practice off every day hitting the blaster is a little bit of emphasis on being a little tougher going through the middle." "In our division, we're going to have to be physical," receiver Darrell Jackson said of the AFC West. "And the way we run the ball here, you have to block everybody. You can't be shy or you won't play." The Broncos also are adjusting to a league that increasingly is emphasizing the catch-and-run as defenses drop more and more players into coverage. It has put a premium on receivers who can break tackles and tack on yards, the ones most likely to turn small plays into big ones. Quarterback Jay Cutler already has talked about the importance of getting the ball away quickly and letting the receivers run. Also, end-zone battles between receiver and defender often are won by those who can snatch the ball and keep it. And the Broncos, who were fourth in the league in plays of 10 yards or more last season, finished the season 21st in points scored per game. "And we need touchdowns when we have the opportunity," coach Mike Shanahan said. There also is the matter of Marshall's near future and its effect on the offense. Marshall, who led the NFL last season in yards gained after contact, is facing the prospect of a league-imposed suspension that could remove him from the team's offense for two to six weeks - possibly even eight - if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell were to hand down one of the sterner penalties for violating the league's conduct policy. So the Broncos also face the possibility other receivers will be getting the ball and need to run with it. "I believe, more and more, that the game has gotten to the point where wide receivers are big, strong, physical players, and I want to make sure we take that approach," Fisch said. "That we buy into it, that we believe it. Whenever you see the plus-20-yard gain, it's because they've caught the ball and gone vertical. "Yards after catch, we're going to emphasize it constantly - we want to break tackles. . . . We want to lead the league in that." Fisch also is reminding this group of the legacy that precedes them. He opens each meeting by reminding his players the Broncos lead the NFL in rushing since 1995. And that the recently retired Rod Smith routinely has said if a receiver will not block in the Broncos' run game, "then you will never see the ball, ever." "They're preaching to us to be physical," Colbert said. "We, as a group, have to be physical, just get (defensive backs) playing on their heels." And if they don't, the 16 fingers are waiting. "Honestly, guys have said it's removing their tattoos," Colbert said. "Stokley had a big red mark on his arm, and (Marquay McDaniel) has a tattoo of a bull, and he got hit and it was below the nose of the bull, so it looked like the bull had a nosebleed or was spitting fire. So we know what it does and we know we'll be back there if they don't get what they want."

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07-30-2008, 10:17 AM	#2
bronco militia Ring of Famer THE GREATEST Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: colorado springs, co Posts: 22,591	anybody have a pic of this thing?

07-30-2008, 10:18 AM	#4
bronco militia Ring of Famer THE GREATEST Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: colorado springs, co Posts: 22,591	thanks.....never heard it called the blaster

07-30-2008, 10:21 AM	#5
Kaylore 6-37, Raider fans. Yummy birds and snow! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ceti Alpha V Posts: 41,074 Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Duke	This is pretty close.

07-30-2008, 10:21 AM	#6
bronco610 OLD FART Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Keller, TX Posts: 2,025 Adopt-a-Bronco: Woodyard	Too bad lelie is not here to experience this !!!

07-30-2008, 10:21 AM	#7
ludo21 RIP Darrent Williams Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 17,915 Adopt-a-Bronco: Paul Ernster	nice. I wonder how fast you have to be movin to get through it?

07-30-2008, 10:24 AM	#8
ksBRONCOfan I love beer and Broncos! YUM-O! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: McPherson, KS Posts: 1,024 Adopt-a-Bronco: Pat Bowlen	Nice! I think that is a great idea.

07-30-2008, 10:26 AM	#9
cutthemdown A verbis ad verbera Zimm to HOF Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Long Beach Posts: 32,531	Those are like pretty boy sleds. The ones we had back in the day where all metal there were no pads. I bet the one the Broncos dusted off like that. Some old beast from the 70's or something.

07-30-2008, 11:11 AM	#13
Inkana7 Ring of Famer Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 8,232 Adopt-a-Bronco: Derek Wolfe	It doesn't have anything on Tuten's Sled.

07-30-2008, 11:17 AM	#14
fido Perennial Pro-bowler Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: wyoming Posts: 750	That thing should be mandatory for not just the receivers, but also the rb's.

07-30-2008, 11:20 AM	#15
telluride Ring of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 2,557 Adopt-a-Bronco: --Rulon!--	I like this Fisch guy.

07-30-2008, 11:44 AM	#17
Cmac821 Young Enthusiast I'm that young and you are that old Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Fort Collins Posts: 1,116 Adopt-a-Bronco: John Fox	That would put me on my a**!

07-30-2008, 12:11 PM	#18
broncobill Just Drafted Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 23	That video is an example of why we are seeing so many neck injuries at the higher levels. Almost every player lowered his eyes when he made contact thus lowering his head and exposing his neck to extreme stress.....please tell me why a coach never addressed this IMO allowing poor technique is just as bad as teaching it. Please explain if I am missing something?