Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos: Second Quarter

Denver defensive coordinator Bob Slowik finally gets it together and the Denver Broncos are able to stop the Packers on 3rd and 16. Packers will punt to Eddie Royal.

Eddie Royal lets his rookie shine and waves off a punt that bounces to the one before the Packers down it. I'd really love to see Royal get a punt return.

Let's see if Denver can do a 99 yard drive.

Jay Cutler yet again guns a pass, incomplete, this time to Tony Scheffler 1-7.

Andre Hall runs up the middle for a gain of two yards. 4rd and 8.

Peyton Hillis! The best hands in the backfield, for the first down, he gets all the way to the 17.

Andre Hall breaks an 18 yard run. Selvin who? He's one player away from going yard.

Next play: Andre Hall again for about seven yards. Mike Shanahan loves to run backs back-to-back.

Selvin Young, yawn, Clifford Russell is wide as Selvin Young gains the three necessary for a first.

Jay Cutler on first from the shot gun, run a draw, Selvin Young takes it for about eight before Charles Woodson attempts to take his head off. Selvin Young runs for two on the next play.

That's the problem with Denver, focused on the first down, not focused on scoring.

Cutler roll and passes to Eddie Royal, Nick Rollins is draped all over him, but there is no passs interference.

Nate Jackson! With an incredible catch for a first down!

Screw Brandon Marshall, Andre Hall is the most dangerous player in Denver. Catching a dump out of the backfield. He goes for 20 to the 17 yard line. Broncos continue to drive off of their 99 yard drive

Hall taken out in favor of Michael Pittman, who gets the two yards the Broncos need for the first down.

Nate Jackson with the touchdown from Jay Cutler!

Matt Prater killed that kickoff, it ended up somewhere near the south standers...

DJ Williams with great coverage! Yet, he gets the pass interference. Yet, it's great to see DJ able to cover a receiver of Donald Driver's ability.

After that horrible play, Brandon Jackson catches a dump off pass, splits Jamie Winborn and Nate Webster and goes forever. Before Hall of Famer Champ Bailey gets him out of bounds.

Jamie Winborn makes up for it on the next play and the Packers still can't run on the Broncos.

No pressure on Aaron Rodgers, Nate Webster wraps up the Packers back on the dump off.

3rd and 6, four men in the box, there's a flag- damnit. I was looking forward to seeing how Denver held them. Off-sides on Green Bay. They're going for it again 3rd and 11. Denver holds! Barely though, Dre Bly missed a tackle on the third-string tight end.

Packers going for it on fourth, quarterback sneak and, Aaron Rodgers gets his second quarter back sneak.

John Engleberger destroys Brandon Jackson on the next play. Nate Webster **** the bed and missed the first tackle. 2nd and 5.

Question marks everywhere... Either Dallas is horrible or Green Bay is really incredibly good. Don't know yet.

When Denver's not rushing, they have four men in the box, the three linebackers way back and they kind of just float there...

Dump pass is swallowed up by Marlon McCree and Kenny Peterson. Fourth down.

Elvis Dumervil hurt a finger, great...

Mason Crosby in for a field goal 10-10.

Two minute offense time, Jay Cutler comes out with 1:41 left on his 20.

Pass play deep to Brandon Marshall and it looks like it's intercepted. However, may have been interference and it is. 1st and 10 on the 48 yard line.

Cutler looks deep TOUCHDOWN BRANDON MARSHALL, same play, same man, defender knocks the ball into Brandon Marshall's hand.

Here's the message to the NFL, give Brandon Marshall on one-on-one coverage and he will destroy you.

Took the Broncos 16 seconds to score, this is Madden '08 type football. I am not kidding, the problem is that Denver only took 16 seconds off, but it gives us a chance to see the number one defense against an urgent offense.

Over the middle, Donald Driver catches one off of Marlon McCree, gave Driver at least 15 yards.

Dump off to Marency, goes for 10. 56 seconds left and two timeouts for the Packers.

Domonique Foxworth yet again shows why he's a number three corner back, letting the Packers catch yet again in front of him, another first and 10.

No pass rush, of course Green Bay gains another 9, Jamie Winborn on the tackle off of the dump off.

This bend but not break defense... I don't know. 14 seconds left and the Packers call a time onut on their own. 34. The tight end hurdles Foxworth on his way to the sideline. Smart attempt, poor execution.

Aaron Rodgers passes deep into the end-zone, but Foxworth blankets Greg Jennings and it goes out of bounds.

Mason Crosby comes in with five seconds left. 13-17 Denver and it's halftime.



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Denver Broncos Training Camp Report: Day 16

I've been all over the place since last Friday, so I apologize for the lack of updates. There's not a ton to report from Day 15 or Day 16 for the matter, but I will give tidbits on what should be noted.

I may have jinxed Lamont Reid yesterday, as Denver waived the corner back last night. Reid was waived to make room for Wale Dada, that'll be a fun name to say if he can make an impact. Dada has yet to play a game in the NFL, but spent the second half of last season on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.

Out of pads today: Hamza Abdullah, Champ Bailey, Louis Green, Boss Bailey, Peyton Hillis, Tom Nalen, Erik Pears and Ryan Torain. It should be noted that while Hillis was listed as out, he did in fact participate in practice at fullback. Noticeably absent from the out of pads list is tight end Chad Mustard, who returned yesterday to practice.

Here are my unsolicited best guesses for winners of position battles at this point:

Fullback: Cecil Sapp will likely walk away with this one. Running back Michael Pittman could have been a dark horse candidate had rookie Ryan Torain not gotten hurt early in training camp. Peyton Hillis, who is the best receiving back Denver has, simply cannot get on the practice field. Without being able to practice, young Hillis will not be able to pass anyone on the depth chart.

Second-string Quarterback: Patrick Ramsey will remain the second-string quarterback going into the season. However, if there ever were a need for a second-string quarterback in the regular season lasting longer than a game Darrell Hackney would get the start. Let us just hope with the open roster spot created with Jason Elam's exodus to mecca (Atlanta) and Matt Prater having the incredible ability as a kicker to both kick-off, attempt extra points and kick field goals, that the open roster spot created goes to a third quarterback.

2nd Tight End: Fan favorite Tony Scheffler does not appear to have this position locked down by any means, the Broncos resigned ("Nasty") Nate Jackson which means that they're going to want a return on their investment. Both tight ends have injury issues, neither one has ever made it through an entire season. Scheffler is great once he gets the ball, Jackson is great at getting the ball. In training camp both tight ends have seen time split out, neither end is known for his abilitiy to block, at the same time neither of them have any problem with blocking. My best guess at this point is that Nate Jackson will see more time on the field, but Tony Scheffler will get the ball more often.

Center: If Tom Nalen's healthy, there is no discussion, he will start. If there is any doubt in his head that he's not healthy I would think that he will retire. Leaving Denver with a very experienced Casey Wiegmann, who has not disappointed yet either in training camp or preseason play. In the very unfortunate event the Tom Nalen does retire, PJ Alexander, who can play any position on the offensive line would back up Wiegmann.

Right Guard: It is not out of the ordinary for Chris Kuper to be listed as the number one right guard in preseason, he was last year as well. Last season Montrae Holland ended up beating him out for the start and started every game in 2007. I don't expect there to be any different this season. Chris Kuper will be a back up, the right tackle position will be discussed a paragraph down.

Right Tackle: The message boards are full of chatter of Chris Kuper moving over from right guard, making room for Montrae Holland and starting in the right tackle position. If Chris Kuper were the number one option at right tackle, he would have been playing right tackle all along and someone would have been filling in at right guard. Mike Shanahan named Ryan Harris the starting left guard in Denver way back in January or February. When Denver drafted Ryan Clady at left tackle the obvious move was to put Ryan Harris at right tackle. Right tackle is in many informed and expert opinions the easiest position on the line, as it is generally the side that also features the blocking tight end. Meaning the right tackle and tight end double-team who ever happens to be the opposing left defensive end. When you read about Ryan Harris being "blown up," in camp, this was happening in the first couple of days of camp during one-on-ones. With last season's starting right tackle Erik Pears, out for a bit this week with a soar back and dedicated to second-team left tackle I don't see Pears passing Harris on the depth chart either.

Running Back: Though I've felt that I've called this one ad nauseum, but Andre Hall will start, Selvin Young is the spell back. It's not going to happen just yet, it'll happen shortly after the Dallas game. However, clever Mike Shanahan may wait until just before the Oakland game to announce it. Leaving Oakland Raider coaches scrambling for film. We got a glimpse of Selvin Young early last season and he was exciting, but he sputtered out at the end of the season, why does no one remember that? He wasn't incredibly exciting going up against the number one defense last weekend in Houston either, he had one exciting run that pushed him into the positive yardage column though. The blueprint is being formed right now in Denver, running by committee is the future. Though we're not likely to see Bo Jackson/Marcus Allen production any time soon, but gone soon will be the days where one back carries thirty times per game. Rookie Anthony Aldridge will see carries here and there, as will Michael Pittman, when Ryan Torain is healthy again, expect him to get more than a few serious looks. I'm anti-rookie hype, especially when it comes to running backs, but Ryan Torain could be a huge threat, no team will have been able to scout him and he comes during a time when there are going to most likely be injuries to starters.

Wide Receiver (Y spot/2nd Receiver): Rookie Eddie Royal is the talk of the town, as he will probably start alongside Brandon Marshall when Denver plays the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. However, he's just keeping the chair warm. When the season begins, Darrell Jackson will be the number one receiver and Eddie Royal will remain at number two. Week three versus the New Orleans Saints, Brandon Marshall and Darrell Jackson will start with Brandon Stokley in the slot, Eddie Royal will still see plenty of time and opportunities, but Darrell Jackson is the Broncos man. Incredible depth at wide receiver for Denver, Keary Colbert will likely take the sixth spot on the depth chart. My dark horse candidate at wide receiver is Clifford Russell, did you see his tackle at Houston? Russell narrowly missed an over thrown Darrell Hackney pass that would have made Denver fans see what I've been talking about over the last two weeks. He can make the team based off of his special teams contributions and provides good depth at kick returner and punt returner.

Defensive Line: I don't see anything changing here, Denver's first-team did decent, Jarvis Moss will not be an every down defensive end, at least to start the season off, John Engelberger is too much of a warrior. The Josh Mallard that I've crowned messiah did not do me any favors in Vegas last weekend, but you will see him a lot this season. Marcus Thomas is not disappointing and will do well, once DeWayne Robertson is taking on double teams next to him at defensive tackle. I want to see Tim Crowder do as well as he did at the beginning half of last season, but I want to see him do it the whole season. His spot on the depth chart is proof enough that Denver's not happy with what he's shown so far. The blitzing package that Denver occasionally sets up with in training camp is pretty fierce though: Jarvis Moss, Josh Mallard, Ebenezer Ekuban and Elvis Dumervil, that's overwhelming... If those men get organized, look out.

Middle Linebacker: Niko Koutouvides will get the start against Dallas, if my assumptions are correct and fans will call for Nate Webster. Good depth and intense battle, but Denver just doesn't want to see the money spent on Koutouvides go to waste, they want him to be the number one. However, that number one will be Nate Webster. For one reason, where Koutouvides overshadows Webster the most is in coverage, but Denver's not a team that often has a middle linebacker in coverage. In the nickel package, Denver doesn't even have a middle linebacker on the field. Boss Bailey is incredible in pass coverage and DJ Williams isn't to shabby either. If those two are in coverage, you'll want Nate Webster manning the middle, not Niko Koutouvides. Koutouvides is a special teams ace though and coupled with Jordan Beck, if he can somehow manage a roster spot and the youngster Wesley Woodyard, Denver should improve drastically at kickoff coverage.

Cornerback: Domonique Foxworth vs. Dre Bly, going with Dre Bly on this one. This could mean that Denver loses Domonique Foxworth next off-season. I, as many Denver fans, hope not, but I can't imagine him wanting to spend another season here next year as the nickel back. Foxworth believes that there are thirty-two teams that he's capable of starting for in this league and that is true, but he's not beating out Dre Bly, who is in the top five of current NFL corners for interceptions, this year.

Free Safety: Hamza Abdullah is giving his all to returning to practice, but it might be too little too late. Marquand Manuel is looking good filling in for the injured Abdullah. Prior to being injured Hamza Abdullah could be seen ball hawking in Denver's secondary, but in Marquand Manuel, Denver has Dennis Smith hitting ability. I think that it may come down to what situation Denver's in defensively and we'll call this one a draw for now.

What to Watch?: vs. Houston

Throughout the preseason and possibly into the regular season we will feature a column called "What to Watch?" it will point out the inside stories that Denver fans should be aware of. Hopefully adding value (as if there needed to be) to the game the Broncos will be playing this week.

According to Mike Shanahan the following players will not suit: Champ Bailey, Tom Nalen, DeWayne Robertson, Hamza Abdullah and Dre Bly will only be out on nickel formations.

On Saturday the Denver Broncos will play at the Houston Texans, here is a few notes on potentially interesting sidebars.

Mario Williams vs. Ryan Clady: Mario Williams, the controversial number one draft pick from three seasons ago, held his coming out party last season against Denver, sacking quarterback Jay Cutler three times. Reversing many fans protests, who had previously felt that Reggie Bush may have been a much better choice with that draft pick. Denver fans are ready to proclaim Ryan Clady the next Gary Zimmerman, but the first quarter on Saturday will be the first challenge that Clady will face. Will, 'Sweet Feet,' hold true to his nickname and dominate Mario Williams or will he be rudely welcomed to the NFL by the future prototype at defensive end?

Eddie Royal: We've heard the reports and Mike Shanahan has given the start at wide receiver to the rookie Eddie Royal. Though Houston itself is young and very inexperienced in their secondary, they still have more experience than Royal and they will be looking to impress early. Denver is very heavy at wide receiver and a lot of players need to get looks at that position and Eddie Royal has veteran receiver Darrell Jackson breathing down his neck. It's an uphill battle and the rookie will probably only get a quarter, along with whatever opportunities that brings, to look good. That means perfect pass routes, blocking and hands. Dropped passes are a killer and can quickly lose a young receiver's confidence, along with the confidence of a quarterback and the coaching staff.

Selvin Young/Andre Hall battle: Selvin Young has proclaimed himself the number one back in Denver, but Andre Hall has been quiet and very impressive so far in training camp. As fans have seen neither lost an opportunity to shine when given the option last season. The battle is Young's to lose, but Hall will be facing less talented defenses. That being the case, Selvin Young will need to continue his 5.2 yard per carry average. Mostly where Young will win or lose the position battle is picking up blitzes in pass blocking and in catching the ball out of the backfield. Where Hall will need improve is in short yardage situations, we know that Hall can break a forty-yard run, we need to see constant four to six yard runs from him. Where both backs can prove their are the uncontested number one is in goal line situations. That's where the Denver Broncos were counting on rookie Ryan Torain to have an impact, his injury leaves a gap that either Andre Hall or Selvin Young will need to fill.

Jay Cutler: No, you'll find no mention of the quarterback's diabetes. Where Jay Cutler will need to improve is in his check offs. Yes, we've seen the, "No look pass," in training camp, but camp goers have seen that Cutler stares down a wide receiver. This doesn't work with Champ Bailey or Dre Bly in practice and it won't work for any of the lesser corners in the NFL. The expectations for Jay Cutler this season are sky high and the prophecy is that Cutler will help coach Mike Shanahan six-pete on quarterbacks having career years in their third season in Shanahan's offense.

Ryan Harris: There has been loads of disinformation on the internet regarding last year's third-round draft pick. Here will be Denver's first chance to see what the truth is. Ryan Harris will most likely get at least two-quarters this game.

Marcus Thomas: The second-year defensive tackle earned his spot on the first-team in training camp. Now he'll have to prove he deserves it and starting next to DeWayne Robertson might be the easiest chance he gets to do that. Robertson will draw double-teams leaving Thomas one-on-one with a guard. It wasn't easy for anyone to look good on Denver's defensive line last season, but this season there won't be any excuses. A year wiser, Marcus Thomas needs to prove that Denver doesn't need to target a highly regarded and highly paid defensive tackle (Albert Haynesworth) next off-season.

Niko Koutouvides vs. Nate Webster: Their two day rotation in training camp isn't exactly encouraging. Both are talented and all though Nate Webster started last season in Denver a lot of his impressive production was a due to the defensive scheme funneling backs to the linebackers. Niko Koutouvides has been a skull cracker on special teams his whole NFL career and has played the last several seasons in Lofa Tatupu's shadow. Early observations from camp show Nate Webster to play with reckless abandon, which allows him to light someone up, at the same time leaving him very vulnerable to missed tackles. Niko Koutouvides, appears to lack a bit of closing speed, but flourishes in pass coverage.

Dre Bly vs. Domonique Foxworth: Though this game will most likely not be the game to judge, as Dre Bly will reportedly not play outside of nickel formations. This opens up the door even farther of Domonique Foxworth, who can now go up against the Houston Texans first-team offense. With Champ Bailey out and Dre Bly seeing very limited action Domonique Foxworth, Karl Paymah and rookie Jack Williams will all see plenty of action in the secondary going against the very talented quarterback duo of Matt Shaub and Sage Rosenfeld.

Nate Jackson vs. Tony Scheffler: This has kind of been the quiet battle of training camp. Nate Jackson has been seeing more time with the first-team offense than Tony Scheffler, often times in practice Jackson is even split out as a wide receiver. When Denver resigned Nate Jackson this off-season, the strength of his contract put pressure on him to perform at a higher level than he has over the past three seasons. The casualty of that signing may have been Tony Scheffler, Jay Cutler's favorite target. Scheffler has constantly stepped up to the plate over the last two seasons though, no matter where he may have been on the depth chart. Both Jackson and Scheffler have been plagued by injuries over their time in the NFL and this may be Denver's way of insuring that no matter who it is playing their second tight end position, they are interchangeable.

Marquand Manuel & Marlon McCree: Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree are known for their intense hitting ability, which at times borderlines on illegal. That alone makes them worthy of joining the incredible pedigree that his Denver's safety position. While Marquand Manuel is stepping in for the resting Hamza Abdullah, don't be surprised if he is able to push Abdullah down a roster spot. He is officially listed behind Marlon McCree on the depth chart, but will see time along side him this week vs. Houston.

Jarvis Moss: Another player that has been the subject of erroneous training camp reports is defensive end Jarvis Moss. Moss will rotate in at the defensive end position with the first-team defense on rushing downs and with the second-team he should see time during both passing and receiving downs. Fans should get the opportunity to see for themselves what type of player Denver has at defensive end.

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Denver Broncos Training Camp Day 9 (Morning) Report

Young Broncos are shinning! However, more on that in a bit.

As I stated yesterday, veteran center Tom Nalen's MRI came back negative, but he still sat out today. Nalen was joined on the sideline by: Chad Mustard (hamstring), Boss Bailey (knee), Hamza Abdullah (groin) and Montrae Holland was once again conditioning with Rich Tuten. Rookie linebacker Spencer Larsen was excused from practice, as his wife is having a baby. So congratulations to Spencer Larsen. More good news is that rookie fullback Peyton Hillis and running back Michael Pittman were both in pads and participating in practice today, Cecil Sapp can rest up a bit finally and Brett Pierce can return to only playing tight end.

Now onto training camp notes:

Jack Williams breaks up Keary Colbert's reception

• Rookie corner back Jack Williams and Domonique Foxworth continue to make the best of every opportunity that they get. Foxworth is making a legitimate case for becoming Denver's number two option at corner back. He's said earlier this week that he believes that there are 32 teams in the league that he could start for, which includes Denver. Foxworth and Dre Bly actually both caught the wrath of a peaked Brandon Marshall who shared one of his best days in camp with the extremely accurate Jay Cutler.

• Rookie safety Josh Barrett has also stepped up significantly this week, particularly in the last two days (in the absence of Hamza Abdullah). Having broken passes up, thumping running backs in the backfield and blitzing the quarterback, he's kind of making it look easy. Barrett's jarring hits while performing for the second-team defense didn't prove to be enough to cause tight end Nate Jackson to drop a pass, as he was leveled by Barrett, but managed to hold on to the pass. The young Barrett got his revenge in a goal line situation, preventing Jackson from scoring on a short pass at the three yard line.
  
  
• Position battle wise: Niko Koutouvides suited at middle linebacker with the first-team defense and the two day rotation between Koutouvides and Nate Webster became evident. I'm not sure anymore where Tony Scheffler stands, obviously Daniel Graham is the number one tight end, but did Nate Jackson become the number two for Denver and then lose it? Scheffler played more with the first-team today and Jackson played more with the second-team offense today. Patrick Ramsey's successes continue to pale in comparison to that of third-stringer Darrel Hackney. And as far as the offensive line goes, calls for heads rolling may have been a bit premature... Today Jay Cutler succeeded because the emphasis was on passing and the offensive line looks great in pass protection. However, when Cutler has a bad day it's normally because of the amount of time he has to pass the ball. One last position battle is the number four receiver, Eddie Royal and Keary Colbert, it's too tough to tell.

The crowd collectively asked, "Jason who?"

• Matt Prater went ten for ten in field goal kicks, including one for 68 yards. That's not a typo.
  
  
• Here's the deal on Denver's rookie running backs Anthony Aldridge and Ryan Torain. Bronco fans have every reason to be excited about these two, for many years ahead there will be success, but when they look the best, they're playing against second and third-team defensive players. That being said, I don't believe that anyone should be lobbying for Torain to start immediately, not that anyone is. Selvin Young and Andre Hall are still the guys in Denver and as I've said before, I wouldn't be surprised to see movement at the top of the chart sometime during preseason.
  
  
• The receivers, you've no doubt heard that this was Brandon Marshall's best day of camp, possibly anyone in Denver's best day of camp. The rest of the first-team receivers, Darrell Jackson and Brandon Stokley, both looked great as well. I mentioned the number four spot battle earlier and I think that Keary Colbert might have the edge over rookie Eddie Royal, because of blocking ability. That's just what my instincts are telling me.
  
  
• Jay Cutler's good day was directly due to the strength of the offensive line, who seemed to have finally come together as a unit, despite having their leader replaced by center Casey Wiegmann. That's the first-team offensive line, the second-team offensive line was a mess and the first-team defensive line, led by DeWayne Robertson, made them flat out look bad.
  
  
• Speaking of the defensive line, Jarvis Moss is making it look easy, adding several sacks, pressures and knock downs to his training camp total. Fans can look forward to a very strong interior rotation on the defensive line, consisting of: Ebenezer Ekuban, DeWayne Robertson, Josh Mallard, Marcus Thomas and Alvin McKinley.

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 3 (Morning Practice)

Here it is, let's get the ball rolling.

Apparently yesterday Ryan Harris got blown out worse than we had speculated. Orange Mane's "24" posted this picture which pretty much sums it up, you can view that picture here. (Hope that he doesn't mind me including that link!)

• Spencer Larsen is back and participating in training camp and faced off against Peyton Hillis in one-on-one drills (and looked good).
  
  
• Keary Colbert again took reps with the second-team, Brandon Marshall, Darrell Jackson and Brandon Stokley all took first-team snaps with the offense.
  
  

• Rounding out the rest of the offense was: Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Tom Nalen, Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris remained the starters on the line and Jay Cutler (who looked better than he has all TC today), Daniel Graham and Selvin Young rounded out the rest of the first-team o.
  
  
• Fans saw a new defensive line as the first-team fielded: John Engelberger and Elvis Dumervil on the bookends with Alvin McKinley and Kenny Peterson in the middle. Peterson is filling in for DeWayne Robertson who is not suited today.
  
  
• Guess the major story is that Nate Webster, not Niko Koutouvides played middle linebacker and he looked great. Boss Bailey and DJ Williams started at Sam and Will, respectively. In the backfield were Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, Hamza Abdullah and John Lynch. With Josh Mallard, Domonique Foxworth and Marlon McCree still coming in for nickel formations.
  
  
• During one-on-one drills, Champ Bailey blanketed Marshall and basically made him ineffective, with the exception of one pass in which Marshall beat Bailey and went yard. Scheffler looked very good in his drills... I mentioned Harris earlier, during one-on-one he looked great, handling Dumervil easily- Clady had a bit of trouble with Dumervil. Defensive tackle Josh Mallard continued where he left off last season, strong- This man will be a monster this season.
  
  
• Tight end Daniel Graham looked exceptional during one-on-ones as well, blocking wise.
  
  
• Andre Hall will definitely give Young a run for his money this training camp. Hall is quickly proving that he's the best receiving option Denver has in the backfield. Michael Pittmann may be in camp literally to provide veteran guidance to the very young backfield, he's been a non-factor for the offense thus far and has looked especially bad catching balls out of the backfield. Rookie Ryan Torain continues to prove that he is a rookie, after a very disappointing day yesterday, he looked better today, but had a false start and dropped pass.
  
  
• Which running back did we forget to mention? Oh! During nine-on-nine drills (no receivers/corners) the defense stuffed the run. These drills are done at full speed, however, I'm now knocking on wood. As I said at last year's training camp the Broncos defensive line looked impressive as well. Of all the running backs the Broncos played, only Anthony Aldridge was able to find real success. Scampering for several 15-yard gains.

• One eleven-on-eleven drills, second-year safety (former Wisconsin Badger) Roderick Rogers continued to shine, picking off two balls (both tipped one by Marshall, one by tight end Nate Jackson). While Marshall again made a tough catch in traffic, Young ended the drill beating Jarvis Moss around the end to gain that could have gone on forever, if he didn't end up being knocked out of bounds.
  
  
• Speaking of Young, he beat Boss Bailey on a pass coming out of the backfield and the mistake quickly drew the wrath of his older brother.
  
  
• It wasn't all bad for Boss though, he drew acclaim from Coach Shanahan after breaking up several passes.

Denver Broncos will go 13-3, Part II

This took just a bit to come out, but I just wanted to add a quick update. The last time Denver went 13-3 (2005) this was their roster:

Offense

• Quarterback: Jake Plummer and Bradlee Van Pelt
• Runningbacks: Mike Anderson, Ron Dayne, Tatum Bell and Cecil Sapp
• Fullbacks: Kyle Johnson
• Wide Receivers: Ashley Lelie, Rod Smith, Darius Watts, Charlie Adams, Todd Devoe and David Terrell
• Tight Ends: Jeb Putzier, Stephen Alexander, Nate Jackson and Wesley Dukes
• Right Tackle: George Foster and Cornell Green
• Right Guard: Ben Hamilton
• Center: Tom Nalen
• Left Guard: Cooper Carlisle, Chris Myers
• Left Tackle: Matt Lepsis

Defense

• Defensive Ends: Trevor Pryce, Courtney Brown, Ebenezer Ekuban and John Engleberger
• Defensive Tackles: Gerrard Warren, Demetrin Veal and Michael Myers
• Linebackers: Al Wilson, DJ Williams, Ian Gold, Keith Burns, Patrick Chukwurah and Louis Green
• Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey, Darrent Williams, Domonique Foxworth, Karl Paymah and Roc Alexander
• Free Safeties: John Lynch
• Strong Safeties: Sam Brandon and Nick Ferguson

That was the roster the last time it happened, packed full of all pros and all stars. People who no less than three years later continue to dominate in the NFL (wait, that was me being sarcastic). A majority of those players no longer play in the NFL, are currently free agents, even knocked off the two-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots (Jan. 2006) and only about six (who happen to still be great players) are currently employed by the Broncos.

My point? Mike Shanahan did it with these guys, why would you doubt that he can do it with the current roster? Are we weaker in any of the above positions? Is Darrell Jackson not a more capable receiver than Ashlie Lelie? Selvin Young no more capable than Mike Anderson? Jay Cutler worse than Jake Plummer? Dre Bly less talented than Darrent Williams was? Doubters will continue to doubt of course, but I've given the believers a better argument.

Is it Sunday yet?

X, Y, Z: '08 Bronco Receivers

With about a month left before training camp, the Broncos still have eleven WRs and five TEs with a couple of cuts needed in order to be at 80. Mike Shanahan recently commented on the depth at WR as being the best ever.

There seems to be a top group of six including Brandons Marshall and Stokley, Darrell Jackson, Keary Colbert, Samie Parker and Eddie Royal. Except for rookie Royal ('08 2nd round pick), it is a group of established experience and accomplishment in the NFL. If this group becomes the '08 WR corps, I can certainly see what Shanahan is saying ... that's deep.

The other five include Glenn Martinez (who logged plenty of time in '07), Cliff Russell (former 3rd round DC of the Redskins and a pretty speedy guy), Lorne Sam (a CFA from UTEP who is a very intelligent and gifted athlete with size and speed), Marquay McDaniel ('07 Practice Squad) and Edell Shepherd (added in the off season).

One wonders how many WRs the Broncos will keep? That top six would fine by me. Besides the unusual size of Marshall, consumate ability of Stokley ("the slot machine") and interchangeability of Jackson and Colbert, you have major speed demons in Parker and Royal. It's only when you look at all of the players in each position that you really gain appreciation of Shanahan's architecture. Sam would seem a likely candidate for the Practice Squad.

Ian previously commented on the lack of depth at TE. I can't really see the Broncos keeping more than three and they have five now: Tony Scheffler, Daniel Graham, Nate Jackson, Chad Mustard and Brett Pierce. Scheffler and Graham are very good at what they do. Mustard had recent hamstring repair surgery (doesn't really sound very good) and Nate Jackson is coming back from injury in '07. Brett Pierce was added in the offseason and used to be a decent blocker and short to mid-range receiver when he played at Stanford. This position is not able to sustain injury, but would it ever? The Giants lost Shockey in '07 and relied on rookie Kevin Boss in the playoff run. Scheffler's annual injury escapades worry us all and Graham is getting older. Perhaps next year, the Broncos will add a rookie TE. It's a hard position recently because they seem to either be blockers or receivers, but not often both. I hope Mustard is ready by TC.

So, X=Marshall, Jackson and Colbert? Y=Scheffler, Graham, and Brett Jackstard? Z=Stokley, Parker and Royal? I never was any good at algebra. What is that anyway? An undergarment made from plant fibers?