Denver Broncos Training Camp 2010 – Record crowd, cheers at INVESCO practice – 08/07

Denver Broncos quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow split reps -- and cheers -- Saturday night in front of a record crowd at INVESCO Field at Mile High (BroncoTalk.net)

It was an unprecedented practice Saturday night at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

It was unprecedented in franchise history for the attendance: 20,782 fans filled the stadium, setting a Denver Broncos all-time record for practice attendance.

It was unprecedented in this training camp for the type of practice: full contact in full pads, with all three quarterbacks taking an equal number of snaps in team drills.

And it was unprecedented for the amount of screaming and cheering a horrendously bald rookie quarterback received. Tim Tebow is still pretty popular, bad haircut and all.

But while the record crowd was thoroughly entertained (no boo birds for Kyle Orton this time around), there was still the dark cloud that seems to be ever-hanging over this year’s training camp: the injury bug. Rookie wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker both came up limping during the semi-scrimmage, each heading to the locker room mid-practice with trainers in tow. Neither would return, and updates on both are expected Sunday.

Josh McDaniels (BroncoTalk.net)

Attendance: 11 Broncos absent: LenDale White, Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter, Spencer Larsen, D.J. Williams, Dustin Fry, Chris Kuper, Chris Baker, Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss, and Justin Bannan. Fans set a Denver Broncos record with 20,782 in attendance.

Injury Report: Decker and Thomas left practice, both reportedly re-injuring the same foot from which they were recovering from injuries this offseason. “Well it was obviously a concern right away,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said, “but they took him (Thomas) right in to get it looked at… that would be a concern because it was the same foot but we’re hopeful that it won’t be anything serious. If we miss him for a little while it would be normal for this camp so we’ll just keep plugging along.”

What I Liked

LB Robert Ayers — It was quite a bounce-back practice for Ayers, who was everywhere tonight. The second-year player took control of the defense in goal line work, making two impressive tackles on Lance Ball and Bruce Hall respectively after shedding his blockers. He also registered two sacks tonight, bullying Daniel Graham until he opened up the tight end’s inside shoulder enough to dart forward and make the play.

QB Tim Tebow — Tebow’s thrill-inducing theatrics Saturday included a 25-yard touchdown toss to Demaryius Thomas shortly before running one into the end zone himself up the middle.

QB Kyle Orton — The Broncos’ starter gave a fine effort tonight, throwing back-to-back touchdowns in red zone work (Royal, Gaffney), and orchestrating a two-minute drill that ended with Matt Prater drilling five straight field goals (hey, it’s practice, why not?).

Denver Broncos wide receiver Matthew Willis signs autographs for fans after the team's practice at INVESCO Field at Mile High Saturday, August 7, 2010 (BroncoTalk.net)

DT Jamal Williams — The guy is a force in the middle, and, frankly, too much for Zane Beadles and J.D. Walton to handle out there right now. The bright side of this is that they’ll be ready for just about anything the NFL can deliver come September.

WR Demaryius Thomas — Before getting hurt, Thomas was really putting on another show. He connected with Tebow before the 25-yard touchdown on an equally long sideline tip-toe grab, and his injury occurred as he landed on a jumping touchdown from Brady Quinn.

What I Didn’t Like

The Injury Bug — Enough said.

Play of the Day

Quarterback Brady Quinn wasn’t to be outdone tonight, throwing the best ball of the night. A bit of clever running back and wide receiver formation trickery kept the defense on its toes and gave Quinn enough time in the pocket and, more importantly, time to let the play develop down the field and Brandon Lloyd to get open. Quinn’s deep bomb hit Lloyd at the goal line, who made the catch over Alphonso Smith as the corner came crashing down for the tackle for a roughly 50-yard gain.

Miscellany

The defense dominated the offense in goal line work, shutting down Broncos runners on every play, including three boasting the first team offensive line.

Britton Colquitt delivered a nasty punt from the back of the end zone that traveled all the way to the opponent’s 34-yard line. That’s a 66-yard punt, not counting the 8 or 9 yards of real estate between his foot and the goal line.

Linebacker Joe Mays had a nice practice and is a bit of a wild man out there. His fury and willingness to throw his entire body into a tackle were more obvious in tonight’s full contact practice than the half-speed practices the Broncos had been employing.

Up Next
The Broncos will hold a public practice Sunday afternoon from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m. The next training camp practice for the team is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon from 2:30-4:40 p.m. and is open to the public.