My Denver Obsession

“We don’t pay much attention to the first preseason game… I hate to say that, but it’s the truth.” 

– Mike Shanahan 8/10/07

Mike Shanahan doesn’t care about the rematch against the team who knocked the Broncos out of the playoff less than a year ago.  He hasn’t broken down the 49ers offense or defense.  He hasn’t spent hours preparing a special game plan or scripting the plays for Cutler’s first drive.  He just doesn’t care.

OK… more correctly, he cares — just not about the term ‘game.’

Mike Shanahan and his coaches view the coming Monday night skirmish as an extended practice, not a full football game.

Yes, it will be under the glaring lights of ESPN’s Monday Night Football cameras.  Yes, a football hungry nation will be watching, as tonight symbolizes the beginning of the season to many fans.  But just because millions of viewers will be tuning in won’t mean that the Bronco’s Head Coach will take his eyes off the prize.

And the ‘prize’ is a championship season in 2007.

From that perspective, the only thing that matters tonight is evaluating his personnel under game-play situations.

That’s why I love the preseason, really.  I look forward to seeing all the fresh faces and lesser known players give 110% effort as they fight for a roster spot.  These preseason games can bring more energy and emotion than playoff games sometimes (just ask TD about Tokyo).

So, here is a list of things I’m looking forward to seeing tonight (mostly in order of importance to my personal entertainment):

1.  Jim Bates sideline manner – Oh, PLEASE get him a mic ESPN!!!!!
Bates and his coaches have been very vocal during camp and I can’t wait to see his sideline coaching style in his first game as a Bronco!

2.  Pass Rush – Blow ‘em up boys!
With all the attention the Broncos have placed on the D-line, I want to see even our 3rd and 4th teams terrorizing the 49ers tonight.  We will also get to see our rookies playing for the first time in orange and blue, which should be fun… And, heck, a little bit of payback is a good thing!

3.  Patrick Ramsey and Darrell Hackney – Let’s see your fastball guys!
Patrick Ramsey has shown great strides in learning Shanahan’s offensive system, so I’m looking forward to seeing him tonight.  I know there will be some struggling (especially early on) as this is his first game with the new unit, but the coaches have been impressed with his intelligence and the speed at which he’s picked up the scheme.  Darrell Hackney has also had a very good camp.  Tonight will give him a chance to show off his talents (not the least of which is his arm strength).

4.  Our young WR’s – who’s left?
We have some talented guys with not a lot of starting experience (and some with none).  However, players like Kircus, Hixon, Morgan and Clark have all done very well at camp.  It will be interesting to see how they do during tonight’s skirmish.

5.  Ground Assualt – Let’s see ‘em roll!
While I look forward to seeing our RB’s take the field, I have my doubts about their production this evening due to the missing starters along the O-line.  Lepsis and Hamilton will sit this one out.   That will cause the rest of the line to shuffle (all but Tom Nalen that is).  However, I think we should still be able to see flashes from our backs well into the 3rd and 4th teams tonight.  Of course, my favorite lesser known Bronco RB is Andre Hall and I can’t wait to see what he makes of his chances when the lights are on.

6.  What about SAM – who’s going to make the big play on the Strong Side?
Well, the reps have been split between Nate Webster and D.D. Lewis throughout camp.  Holdman and Moore are out and Green (listed as the starter) is battling a knee injury.  So, will it be Webster or Lewis that stands out this evening?

OTHER AREAS TO WATCH:

   Strong Secondary – With the starters not getting many reps we’ll have to wait to see much of the Champ & Bly show for at least another week.  Still… We have some good backups, and it will be fun to see how well they do.

   Full Backs – Watch the FB’s tonights carefully.  Kyle has been leading the work, but Paul Smith, Tony Fleming and even Cecil Sapp may get some reps.

   Depth at O-line – Backup and rookie O-linemen should be fun to watch tonight.  This will be a great chance to see how they’re coming along.

   D.J. in the Middle – Again, the starters won’t be in very long, but while they are D.J. Williams will likely make some big plays.

   TE’s catching & blocking – We should see some of both from our TE’s this evening – it should be fun to watch!

While many of my fan brethren are claiming they saw this one coming for nearly a year, I have to say I’m pretty shocked. I knew there would be turn over on our D-line when Bates came in, but Warren fit the Bates model better than most of our returning linemen and we just gave him a nice deal in the off-season. So, when the Denver Post reported today that Gerard Warren wasn’t traveling with the Broncos to San Francisco because Denver was attempting to shop him for a trade I was a rather surprised.

The Post is reporting that two different sources have confirmed Denver is looking to trade the defensive tackle (most likely for a 2008 draft pick). Now, I don’t know how much of this I’m buying because they also claim Warren wasn’t a “fit” for Jim Bates’ system. That’s simply hog-wash. Warren is 6′4″ and 325lbs. If Jimmy Kennedy is filling Warren’s slot, it’s not because he’s a bigger Bates run stuffer (officially they’re listed at the same height and weight).

More than likely this is a case where the broncos feel they have good depth at DT; and more importantly, no considerable drop-off between 1st Team and 2nd Team talent. In that situation, they might be able to get a draft pick in 08 by trading the best known name on the D-line without hurting the team.

I mean, we can’t keep ALL of the DT’s we have on the roster right now, and if they cut from the bottom, they don’t get any draft picks at all. And while I like Warren, he might not have shown enough difference between himself and players like Kennedy to justify keeping him over his cheaper counterparts.

Jimmy Kennedy will start in Warren’s 1st Team spot tonight. We also have Sam Adams, Alvin McKinley, Amon Gordon, Antwon Burton and rookie Marcus Thomas.

Denver Post: FULL STORY

The good news is the Warrick Holdman is expected to fully recover from his spinal cord concussion that he suffered during training camp on August 2nd. The bad news is that further testing last week revealed a bruised spinal column. That means he won’t be cleared to play for three months. And while the Broncos really like Holdman’s abilities, three months is just too long to wait.

With a roster bonus coming up, The Denver Post is reporting that the Broncos are planning to waive Holdman and negotiate an injury claim. That will end Warrick Holdman’s time in Denver.

This is the third linebacker to be lost due to injury this off-season. In addition to starter Al Wilson, who is still awaiting news on his neck injury, Eddie Moore was lost after an knee injury during OTA’s and now Holdman is out.

While this is sad news, the Broncos are well stocked at linebacker — with D.D. Lewis and Nate Webster both doing well and Louis Green listed as the starter (although he hasn’t been practicing recently due to a knee injury).

Denver Post: FULL STORY

So, Mike Shanahan finally just ordered 2nd year WR Brandon Marshall on the practice field today, despite the ailing quadriceps that has kept him out of camp for nearly two weeks.

“(Shanahan) said it to challenge me - to see if I was mentally strong. He knew that I was in pain, and that it hurt, but he also knows it’s one of those things where you have to get out there, push yourself and be mentally tough.”

– Brandon Marshall 8/10/07

And it definitely hurts, as scar tissue normally builds up as the muscle heals. But Shanahan was convinced that team physicians were correct and it was time for Marshall to return.

“I told him this morning that he had to work through it. You have to fight through a little pain and scar tissue but that is just part of it.”

– Mike Shanahan 8/10/07

Marshall wasn’t at all sure, but as this injury is one of his first in years he listened to the coach. And as Shanahan expected, after some warming up, Marshall was able to not only participate in 1-on-1 drills, but stayed out on the field for some full team work. Marshall even made a ‘play of the day’ by snagging a pass in front of Champ Bailey late in the morning session.

“I was kind of hesitant at first, but as you can see… I’ve got a smile on my face.” — Brandon Marshall 8/10/07

As it turns out… coach knows best.

** photo taken by Andrew Mason **

Training Camp is in full swing and we’ll have a collection of news, articles, photos and video links to provide you with, so you can get all the latest Denver Broncos info.

***CHECK OUT THE TRAINING CAMP VIDEO CLIPS HERE***

***CHECK OUT THE FIRST DEPTH CHART OF 2007***

For a collection of news, reviews and other insights from around the blog-o-sphere here are my posts for Training Camp 2007: Pre-Camp Roster Changes, DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3, DAY 4, DAY 5, DAY 6, DAY 7, DAY 8, DAY 9, DAY 10, DAY 11,

Andrew Mason is covering all things Broncos with his two-a-day blog posts. Mason’s Morsels provides breaking news, inside info and great photos from camp twice daily. Links to each day’s posts will be listed here: DAY 1, DAY 1.5, DAY 2, DAY 2.5, DAY 3, DAY 3.5, DAY 4, DAY 4.5, DAY 5, DAY 6, DAY 7, DAY 8, DAY 8.5, DAY 9, DAY 9.5, DAY 10, DAY 10.5, DAY 11, DAY 11.5, DAY 12,

Andrew also runs the official team website over at Denverbroncos.com. It’s got pictures, articles and VIDEO!

The Denver Post has several stories related to Training Camp: Denver Post

Rocky Mountain News has a few Camp related stories: Rocky Mountain News

There are also some other great blogs around the web. If you haven’t been over to BroncoTalk — do yourself a favor and check it out — it’s one of the best. Right now Kmonty is running a GREAT series on Broncos that deserve to be in the HoF. He’s started with Floyd Little.

Also around the web, you’ll find The Beat. Very good info and interesting insight. In fact, he just did a great interview with Training Camp super-fan Kaylore: HERE

If you want a good laugh, make sure to stay up to date with the Orange Bucksnorts, and if you need a ‘fix’ in the form of a football podcast, check out The Audible (they are at the Bronco’s Camp this week, so their podcasts should be REALLY good).

NOTES AND NEWS FROM DAY ELEVEN OF TRAINING CAMP:

“I’m bringing it back. Today’s an old-school day.” — Javon Walker 8/9/07

And with that, Javon Walker broke into another dance in front of Brian Clark who was admirably trying to keep a straight face while covering #84 during 1-on-1 drills.

Today marked a cheerful day for our #1 wide out, as Javon joke and smile all morning. He danced, he high-stepped, he laughed and he even spent the end of practice impersonating a sideline judge — holding the down marker and even whistling the play dead as Cutler worked on spiking the ball to stop the clock.

Shanahan didn’t have to talk about how important Javon Walker’s much improved emotional state was, instead he commented on Walker’s sideline referee work.

“Just like coaches, you never know for sure how long you’re going to be here. The more you can do - the better off you are.” — Mike Shanahan (kiddingly commenting on Javon Walker’s morning reps working the down markers) 8/9/07

All kidding aside, this is very good news for all of Bronco Nation. All Bronco fans have been watching Javon closely to see how he is handling the tragic events of 1/1/07. Javon has been silent on the issue of Darrent’s death all off-season (and who can blame him). He has also been withdrawn and reserved during Denver’s other OTA days. And he has rarely flashed his trademark grin as training camp started.

But today it was Javon “old school” Walker… and we can only hope this marks another step in his emotional healing process.

ATTENDANCE:

Nate Jackson and John Lynch were both out of town today for the funeral of Bill Walsh. Jackson credits Walsh with guiding him from Menlo college to the NFL, and Lynch played under Walsh at Stanford.

Wide Recievers Brandon Stokley (left thigh), Brandon Marshall (quadriceps), Glenn Martinez (right thigh), Marquay McDaniel (left hamstring), Rod Smith (left hip) were all held out today.

OT rookie Ryan Harris was sidelined today due to ‘tweaking his back.’ It’s theoretically not serious. Unfortunately that makes our O-linemen group thin, as Lepsis (groin) and Ben Hamilton (concussion) are stil both out. We are told that both of our veteran injuries are mild and their being held out is a precautionary action.

Backup safety Hamza Abdullah (right Hamstring) and Quentin Harris (right knee) both sat out. LB’s Louis Green (knee) and Warrick Holdman (spinal cord concussion) also did not practice. OT Jacob Rogers (left knee) also was sidelined, but DE Jarvis Moss (knee) actually participated in some position drills today.

Tony Scheffler was back on the field again today — and looking good!

On the Other hand, WR David Kircus and FB Kyle Johnson had on-field treatments during the practice. They both were limited to less reps for the rest of practice.

OFFENSIVE LINE UPS: THURSDAY

Quarterbacks:
Behind Jay Cutler and Patrick Ramsey, Darrell Hackney and Preston Parsons have been in a heated battle for a final PS spot.

Wide Outs:
No real changes here… The WR’s we have get reps.

Tight Ends:
No real change from the last few days.

Running Backs:
No change: Travis Henry, Cecil Sapp running second. Mike Bell, Andre Hall and Young following behind.

RUMOR MILL: The Denver Post is reporting that Mike Bell has passed Cecil Sapp on the depth chart and is now running #2.
O-line:
1st Team O-line was unchanged from yesterday with LT Adam Meadows (filling in for Lepsis), LG Chris Myers (filling in for Ben Hamilton), C Tom Nalen, RG Montrae Holland and RT Erik Pears.

DEFENSIVE LINE UPS: THURSDAY

D-line:
* 1st Team D-line stayed the same as the last couple of days: DE’s Ebenezer Ekuban and John Engelberger, DT’s Gerard Warren and Sam Adams (Jimmy Kennedy filled in for Adams this morning).
Linebackers:
* 1st Team LB’s were: continuing the SAM rotation, Nate Webster took his turn with the starters today, D.J. Williams at MIKE and Ian Gold at WILL.

Secondary:
No changes here, but Domonique Foxworth filled in for Lynch (out at Bill Walsh’s funeral).

SPECIAL TEAMS LINE UPS: THURSDAY

Kick-Off Return Team:
Scott O’Brien had another very productive Special Teams practice in the afternoon. Check out Andrew Mason’s blog entry covering this: HERE