by Frank Schwab
Travis Henry might have a better year and Daniel Graham might be the best player the Denver Broncos picked up this offseason, but the acquisition of Dre Bly might have been the team’s most important move.
Bly looked very good Tuesday, and had an impressive interception in the afternoon practice. If Bly can make plays like that, the entire defense will benefit. Without a cornerback of Bly’s caliber opposite Champ Bailey, teams would throw Bailey’s way even less – if possible.
Domonique Foxworth is a talented player, but with him playing the third cornerback position with Bly and Bailey, there aren’t many holes in the Broncos secondary. Bly, like Bailey, has a swagger about him that should rub off on the entire defense.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Lepsis back
By Frank Schwab
One of the best signs for the Broncos in training camp is that offensive tackle Matt Lepsis is quietly doing a good job.
Less than a year after major knee surgery, Lepsis has shown no ill effects of the injury. He flattened defensive end Elvis Dumervil during a pass-rush drill Monday. The Broncos need him back healthy, because as the left tackle, he will protect second-year quarterback Jay Cutler’s blind side. His return also allows Erik Pears to move to the right tackle spot.
Lepsis is one of the most underrated Broncos, and one of the lesser known because of the media boycott of the offensive line, but the team knows exactly how much his healthy return would mean to the offense’s success.
One of the best signs for the Broncos in training camp is that offensive tackle Matt Lepsis is quietly doing a good job.
Less than a year after major knee surgery, Lepsis has shown no ill effects of the injury. He flattened defensive end Elvis Dumervil during a pass-rush drill Monday. The Broncos need him back healthy, because as the left tackle, he will protect second-year quarterback Jay Cutler’s blind side. His return also allows Erik Pears to move to the right tackle spot.
Lepsis is one of the most underrated Broncos, and one of the lesser known because of the media boycott of the offensive line, but the team knows exactly how much his healthy return would mean to the offense’s success.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Walsh's legacy
The Denver Broncos, and just about every other team in the NFL, owe a debt of gratitude to the late Bill Walsh.
When Mike Shanahan became Denver’s head coach, he was fresh off three years as offensive coordinator with San Francisco, where he studied Walsh’s meetings and practices and borrowed some of Walsh’s offensive philosophies to fit his own system. Four years into his Broncos’ tenure, Shanahan had guided the team to two Super Bowl wins.
But with Walsh’s impressive list of coaching apprentices, the Broncos aren’t alone. Just about every team incorporated some tenets of Walsh’s famous “West Coast Offense,” and many such as Shanahan, Mike Holmgren and George Seifert used parts of Walsh’s system to guide their teams to Super Bowl titles.
“He studied it, he worked at it, tinkered with a lot of things, and when you hear 'West Coast Offense,' you go back to Bill Walsh,” Shanahan said.
When Mike Shanahan became Denver’s head coach, he was fresh off three years as offensive coordinator with San Francisco, where he studied Walsh’s meetings and practices and borrowed some of Walsh’s offensive philosophies to fit his own system. Four years into his Broncos’ tenure, Shanahan had guided the team to two Super Bowl wins.
But with Walsh’s impressive list of coaching apprentices, the Broncos aren’t alone. Just about every team incorporated some tenets of Walsh’s famous “West Coast Offense,” and many such as Shanahan, Mike Holmgren and George Seifert used parts of Walsh’s system to guide their teams to Super Bowl titles.
“He studied it, he worked at it, tinkered with a lot of things, and when you hear 'West Coast Offense,' you go back to Bill Walsh,” Shanahan said.
Details, details
This is my fifth year covering Broncos’ training camp, and I’m always amazed that no detail seems to slip by the coaching staff, particularly head coach Mike Shanahan.
A few years ago, the training camp after the Broncos had blown a game against New England because Deltha O’Neal had failed to field a free kick properly after a safety, the Broncos had a drill where they practiced fielding free kicks. This morning, Shanahan stopped the practice during a two-minute drill to announce the situation: 24 seconds remaining, a running play had just been stopped in bounds, and the field goal team had to sprint out on the field for an attempt. The Broncos rushed the field goal team on as soon as Shanahan was done talking.
That situation isn’t too unique, but just about every day there is some situation that Shanahan will make the team go over. Covering the small details like that might seem odd at the time, but at least the players will have seen it before it happens in a game.
A few years ago, the training camp after the Broncos had blown a game against New England because Deltha O’Neal had failed to field a free kick properly after a safety, the Broncos had a drill where they practiced fielding free kicks. This morning, Shanahan stopped the practice during a two-minute drill to announce the situation: 24 seconds remaining, a running play had just been stopped in bounds, and the field goal team had to sprint out on the field for an attempt. The Broncos rushed the field goal team on as soon as Shanahan was done talking.
That situation isn’t too unique, but just about every day there is some situation that Shanahan will make the team go over. Covering the small details like that might seem odd at the time, but at least the players will have seen it before it happens in a game.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Booming cheers
You won’t see this often — the biggest cheers in Sunday afternoon’s practice came for the punter.
Todd Sauerbrun blasted punt after punt during a drill and drew several loud cheers. The loudest came when he hit a punt standing on the 20-yard line, and it flew to the goal line on the other end of the field for an 80-yard kick.
“We’ve been watching him do that since he’s been here,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.
Sauerbrun should be an immediate upgrade for the special teams.
Todd Sauerbrun blasted punt after punt during a drill and drew several loud cheers. The loudest came when he hit a punt standing on the 20-yard line, and it flew to the goal line on the other end of the field for an 80-yard kick.
“We’ve been watching him do that since he’s been here,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.
Sauerbrun should be an immediate upgrade for the special teams.
Flipping out
The highlight of the first practice of training camp happened before the first drill.
Before most practices, the Broncos call someone to lead cheers before they stretch. The player called usually does a dance at the end, and most get booed back to their spot in line.
Before the first practice, rookie defensive linemen Marcus Thomas and Steven Harris were called. As Harris started clapping and the Broncos clapped along, Thomas got the fans fired up, then took off his jersey and pads. After a short running start, he did a cartwheel, a round off and a full backflip. Thomas, Denver’s fourth-round pick, is listed at 315 pounds.
“First time I’ve seen that, a big guy like that,” cornerback Champ Bailey said.
The practice had one serious moment, when wide receiver Javon Walker and linebacker Nate Webster collided and lay on the ground for more than a minute. But both got up, and Walker returned to practice a few plays later. Both players had the wind knocked out of them and are fine, coach Mike Shanahan said.
Before most practices, the Broncos call someone to lead cheers before they stretch. The player called usually does a dance at the end, and most get booed back to their spot in line.
Before the first practice, rookie defensive linemen Marcus Thomas and Steven Harris were called. As Harris started clapping and the Broncos clapped along, Thomas got the fans fired up, then took off his jersey and pads. After a short running start, he did a cartwheel, a round off and a full backflip. Thomas, Denver’s fourth-round pick, is listed at 315 pounds.
“First time I’ve seen that, a big guy like that,” cornerback Champ Bailey said.
The practice had one serious moment, when wide receiver Javon Walker and linebacker Nate Webster collided and lay on the ground for more than a minute. But both got up, and Walker returned to practice a few plays later. Both players had the wind knocked out of them and are fine, coach Mike Shanahan said.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Short-lived enthusiasm
By Frank Schwab
Players usually come to training camp with at least some excitement, but realize it won’t last long. The physical and mental toll of two-a-day practices is rough on everyone, even though training camp is pretty light in Denver and nowhere near the rough camps of generations ago.
“You look forward to it because you go through OTAs (organized team activities) and after a while you’re like ‘OK, let’s start hitting,’” defensive end Kenard Lang said. “Then you start hitting and after a while you’re like ‘Let’s stop hitting, let’s go back to OTAs.’”
On that note, I’ll be back here tomorrow to chronicle the start of the Broncos’ 2007 training camp.
Players usually come to training camp with at least some excitement, but realize it won’t last long. The physical and mental toll of two-a-day practices is rough on everyone, even though training camp is pretty light in Denver and nowhere near the rough camps of generations ago.
“You look forward to it because you go through OTAs (organized team activities) and after a while you’re like ‘OK, let’s start hitting,’” defensive end Kenard Lang said. “Then you start hitting and after a while you’re like ‘Let’s stop hitting, let’s go back to OTAs.’”
On that note, I’ll be back here tomorrow to chronicle the start of the Broncos’ 2007 training camp.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)