Denver Broncos Training Camp: Day 7 (Morning)

The referees are here! Time for some action, as fans know, once the referees show up at training camp the first preseason game is not far away.

Out today of course were: Chad Mustard and Peyton Hillis (hamstrings), Tom Nalen, Michael Pittman and Ebenezer Ekuban all sat out as well. Montrae Holland was on sled duty for the seventh day in a row, working separately from the rest of the team.

Andre Hall continues to blow my mind.

• Nate Webster is back with the first-team defense, it's not going to be apparent who has won the middle linebacker position until the season begins. Coaches are rotating Webster and Niko Koutouvides every two days it seems, on the first-team as middle linebackers.
  
  
• Chris Kuper's hand is still wrapped up and appeared to give him even more trouble today, than it has any of other days. He's persevering though, his will and want to succeed on the starting Denver offensive line is endearing.
  
  
• Defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson is part of the explanation for Kuper's painful hand. Robertson is giving both Kuper and backup center (in for Tom Nalen) Casey Wiegmann daily headaches, as they double team him during practice. today by the way.
  
  
• In the absence of John Lynch, it may be corner back Dre Bly who steps up to fill that open veteran leadership role. As fans saw, Bly was standing on the sideline coaching rookie corner Jack Williams as he participated in the one-on-one drills versus the receivers.
  
  
• Defensive tackle Josh Mallard saw significant time with the first-team defense, as did Marcus Thomas. Good to see my personal favorite (Josh Mallard) and fan favorite (Marcus Thomas) succeeding and doing very well.
  
  
• At defensive end, last year's first two Denver draft picks, Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder, rotated in for each other with the first-team defense.
  
  
• The Broncos may want to get Cecil Sapp some help at fullback, with the amount of reps he's being forced to take in the absence of any other fullback. Tight end Brett Pierce is splitting reps with Sapp, but Pierce is also taking reps at tight end, he caught a fingertip roll from Jay Cutler. It's like the Broncos are screaming for an injury to either Pierce or Sapp though, with them both doing double time. Neither position (full back or tight end) can afford the loss of another player.
  
  
• Knock knock... (Who's there) Brandon Marshall (Brandon Marshall who?) Exactly. That's how good Eddie Royal looks, the rookie at wide out is really benefiting from going up against two of the best corner backs in the NFL every day. Nate Jackson too, he's been taking reps with the first-team offense the whole of training camp and deservedly so. Whether he's in at tight end or split wide (past Marshall) he's turning heads and leaving defensive backs befuddled.
  
  
• Wide receiver Keary Colbert looked good today, but is not going to threaten either Darrell Jackson or Brandon Stokley (for their spot on the roster), in my humble opinion.

Denver Broncos Training Camp: Day 6 (Morning)

Defense rules, offensive drools...

And the Denver Broncos roll on:

• Out today: tight end Chad Mustard (still on PUP list), center Tom Nalen, running back Michael Pittman, safety John Lynch, defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson, fullback Peyton Hillis and guard Montrae Holland is still being stalked by strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten. Though fans should not stress at the list, Lynch had a personal day, while Nalen and Robertson were resting. Pittman sitting out is most likely due to the fact that the Broncos are wearing out their fullbacks left and right. Only one man, Cecil Sapp is still free of injury and tight end Brett Pierce has been pulled to help carry the load at fullback. Was the release of Mike Bell a little early?
  
  
• The Denver defense was dominant and that was most evident in the play of Jay Cutler, who spent the day running for his life (despite the fact that he can't be sacked). Cutler got to experience Ebenezer Ekuban in beast mode as Ekuban smashed a ball out of the air intended for rookie receiver Eddie Royal. There's more on Ekuban's play later in the blog. Cutler didn't do entirely horrible, he seems to have his timing down with Royal and Darrell Jackson.

Kyle Sonneman over at the official site was able to grab this great picture of Eddie Royal laying out:

Royal split the seam during seven-on-seven drills, blowing by rookie corner Jack Williams and Cutler hit him before Roderick Rogers could make it over to help out.

• Staying on the quarterbacks for a moment, did Darrell Hackney surpass Patrick Ramsey on the depth chart? Ramsey did not see nearly as much time as Hackney and the third string quarterback used every moment of the spotlight to shine. Hackney showed great poise and definitely planted his flag in the ground by the time morning practice was over. Connecting on deep passes to wide outs Keary Colbert and Brandon Marshall, both in traffic.
  
  
• In the backfield, Andre Hall continues to be the star of the group, but it seems to me that the only place you're going to read about that is here in this blog. Until someone at one of the Denver papers takes notice. Selvin Young does have a firm grip on his spot atop the Denver depth chart, if there's going to be any movement on the depth chart it's apparently going to have to happen in the preseason. Defensive end Jarvis Moss took advantage of the youth movement in his onslaught of rookies Ryan Torain and Anthony Aldridge, blowing them both up on two consistent plays. Torain seems to be more of the grinder and Aldridge is the stampeder. The jury is still out on Cecil Sapp, as injuries to Peyton Hillis and Michael Pittman have forced Sapp to take far more snaps than usual and the fatigue is starting to show.
  
  
• Moving on to the wide outs, as I mentioned Darrell Jackson is still good and will be Denver's number two (if not number one) at the season's start. Keary Colbert looked better than he has, but he will more than likely sit behind rookie Eddie Royal this season. Possibly even behind Glenn Martinez as well. Receivers such as Samie Parker, Lorne Sam, Taylor Jacobs, Marquay McDaniel and Clifford Russell all face steep uphill climbs to make the roster. Though if Marshall is suspended Parker looks to lead thus far in making it in as the sixth man for Denver's roster.
  
  
• Tight ends Tony Scheffler and Nate Jackson continue to one up each other throughout drills and eleven-on-eleven's. The lack of tight end was a concern during team camps, but Jackson seems to be earning that raise.
  
  
• Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas was the source of headaches to both backup center Casey Wiegmann and Jay Cutler as we was consistently busting through Wiegmann on his way to Cutler. Jarvis Moss is staying true to camp form, although Ryan Harris continues to grow and is looking more and more like the starting right tackle the Bronco staff so desperately wants him to be. If it were up to me, Denver's starting four at defensive line would be Elvis Dumervil, Josh Mallard, Ebenezer Ekuban and Jarvis Moss- all of whom Denver seems to be using when they line up first-team nickel formation. I'm not going to comment on the strength of Denver's defensive line for fear of jinxing them, but I don't think Denver will have the troubles that they did last season.
  
  
• Domonique Foxworth and Hamza Abdullah are still ball hawking, combined they both had around six interceptions today. Rookie safety Josh Barret snatched a ball away from Tony Scheffler, not an interception though, he literally grabbed a ball away that Scheffler had caught. Foxworth may push Dre Bly for the number two corner back spot and as I've mentioned previously Foxworth does play second during the nickel and 4-3-3-1 formations. Marlon McCree took all of John Lynch's snaps, in his absence.

Training Camp: Day 2 (Morning Report) Part I

As reports begin to filter in, I'll do my best to decipher them for you guys.

So far:

• The Denver Post is reporting that Ebenezer Ekuban and DeWayne Robertson played defensive tackle with the first team, as well as Elvis Dumervil and Jarvis Moss (also playing defensive tackle). I think she's confused and meant to say that Dumervil and Moss played defensive end. Either way, that's a whole lot of guys that can make sacks on one defensive line.
  
  
• The starting offensive line this morning was: (left to right) Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Tom Nalen, Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris.
  
  
• Notes on o-line: normal right guard Montrae Holland is still working privately with strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten. Kuper (who apparently broke his hand yesterday) filled in for the injured Hamilton is an obvious replacement for Holland. Erik Pears, who started at right tackle last year, apparently is struggling early in camp.
  
  
• Being that Kuper is filling in for Holland, it is unclear who is leading in the battle for right tackle.
  
  
• Peyton Hillis might not have the starting fullback handed to him as predicted, Cecil Sapp is still taking the first team reps. Expect a challenge later in camp, towards the preseason games.
  
  
• Darrell Jackson looked incredible, while Glenn Martinez was mostly quiet.
• Marcus Thomas was handling left guard Ben Hamilton easily.
  
  
• Josh Mallard might mess around and become a huge force on the defensive line this season.
  
  
• Spencer Larsen has missed all of camp, thus far, for a family emergency.

There is much more to report, from morning practice, but this has been part one.

Denver Broncos will still go 13-3.

2007 was a dark place for Denver. I hope that I never write about it again in this context, at this point it's been brought up again and again, fans now bat it around lacking the tact it deserves. The night after the Denver Broncos lost the opportunity to go to the playoffs against San Francisco, Darrent Williams was murdered, gangland style and died in Javon Walker's arms.

Barely a moment to recuperate from the fact that they wouldn't be making the playoffs and the 23-26 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers- and now this... A man amongst the 60 plus of them that had survived the OTA's, the month long hell-hole known as Training Camp; The five to six practices a week, a man who had rose above his age, above his perceived talent level and who had played so well as a rookie in Champ Bailey's shadow that Denver had almost made it to the Super Bowl- was gone. Forever.

Echoes of his smile, Texas accent and young raw talent were everywhere. The death of a friend is haunting enough, the death of a team mate, a fellow soldier is down right devastating- shaken to the core. Every single one of them reminded of their own mortality. Then, after not even a moment to catch their breath- Damien Nash, collapses during a basketball game. Two of their sixty, gone.

How must Denver go on? A month from the time they must reconvene and face the questions when they yet to even come to grips to find the answers. Jay Cutler, who will start, who almost got them to the playoffs- a rookie by any standards, untested and unproven. The new Defensive Coordinator, the new system, the new back with a history of trouble making...

Finally July, training camp, then they all started dropping like flies, no Rod Smith, no Ebenezer Ekuban, no Ben Hamilton, Al Wilson's gone and DJ Williams is going to play middle and we've got Dre Bly, but even the best corner in the league can't fill the gap that the loss of Williams left.

More season, more injuries, seriously how the hell were they supposed to do well? Walker's gone, Travis Henry's not clean, we've got Cutler running for his life and now Tom Nalen's gone... Oh and Bailey, our corner's leading the team in tackles...

Really? 2007??? Really? That's how you want to judge us? That's what you want to give Mike Shanahan credit for? So called experts would like to point out that we can't stop the run, nor the pass rush, guess we can't take Brett Favre into overtime or knock Minnesota out of the playoffs, beat Pittsburgh and Jay Cutler can't go head to head with Vince Young and show him who deserved to stay in Tennessee. Let Philip Rivers talk, because seriously, look at his numbers, compared to the second year Cutler, that's all he is good at, talking. The San Diego Chargers may very well be favorites to go to the Super Bowl this season, but that's never stopped Denver from knocking them on their ass...

13-3 folks, follow me.

Ebenezer Ekuban: In His Own Words

Marcus Thomas on Ebenezer Ekuban:

"Last year I was feeling bad when he was gone, because I felt he was one of the best pass rushers I’d ever seen," Thomas said. "For him to come up here and be back, he’s still schooling me and telling me what to do and everything. I’m loving it, so I know it’s going to help me improve a lot this year."

Ekuban, in his own words:

"Just telling those guys to keep working no matter how bad things may get," Ekuban said of what he offers. "And just teaching hard work and effort -- that's all the coaches look for. So hopefully I can instill that in the young guys by them watching me work, and hopefully they can do the same."

"It was disheartening [last season] just to sit back and know that you can't really do anything to help them," Ekuban said. "When you're out sideline injured, you can talk only so much but guys really don't hear you unless you're out there on the battlefield with them."

"I like it," he said. "I got my feet wet in there [as a defensive tackle] two years ago. It's different, you've got to be a lot quicker off the ball, you don't have a lot of time to react -- everything happens right now."

"I can play both [end and tackle] and I hope that's what I can provide for this defense," Ekuban said. "Be a versatile guy so when someone goes down, I can step in and we won't lose a beat."

Back to the old defense in Denver and back with one of the best players in that defense. In 2006 Ekuban had 78 tackles and 7 sacks.

Is it Sunday yet?

Daily Links!

• Tom Nalen has surgery and Brandon Marshall makes his first catch since, "The Incident"...
• Elvis Dumervil and Brandon Marshall took a moment to talk to the kids...
• NFL.com story "10 Most Mobile Quarterbacks" sans Mr. Elway...
• Kind of old Ryan Torain video of his private workout...
• Marcus Thomas and Ebenezer Ekuban are bonding...
• Selvin Young and Andre Hall got the majority of the carries in Day 4...
• Yoda taught Jay Cutler the art of patience...