Denver Broncos Training Camp Report – 7/31 AM

Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, left, directs quarterback Kyle Orton during passing drills at a preliminary session before the start of the team's training camp for the upcoming NFL season in Englewood, Colo., on Wednesday, July 29, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos training camp report… News and notes from the July 31, 2009 AM practice…

I heard from a few of the more-seasoned birds at Dove Valley that this practice was a bit more physical and more intense than previous years. That can only be a good thing, especially for the defense… Josh McDaniels gets lost in the crowd, but his voice bellows and commands respect. It’s an odd sight watching a group of 10 giant offensive linemen immediately stop everything at the sound of a man’s voice half their size, but it happened more than once today. The Broncos went through a lot of individual drills, some one-on-ones, then finished with team drills that included a few trick plays on offense and several special teams drills. Not a bad first practice.

Offense

All three quarterbacks – starter Kyle Orton, backup Chris Simms, and rookie Tom Brandstater – looked good. Orton put some zip on the ball and had some nice touch (he joked after practice that Brandon Marshall didn’t need to make his acrobatic catches and was just showing off. I tend to agree). I saw a few goose eggs from just about everybody, maybe Simms more than the others, but I’ll attribute that to first-practice rust. Brandstater’s release and footwork was a bit slow. I will say this – Orton looked the best, but it wasn’t head and shoulders better. No one really stood out – not sure if that’s such a good thing.

• Ryan Torain shined at running back. Lamont Jordan, of whom I am not a fan, looked like he was in great shape (a former teammate of his in Oakland once called him “the worst offseason running back ever,” so seeing Jordan in good form was a relief). Peyton Hillis looked good, and had an impressive catch and run for what would have been a touchdown.

• At receiver, Marshall was a man among boys, although Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney also caught some nice deep balls.

• It was difficult to get a good look at the line drills, so I’ll make a point of getting a closer look at the o-line tonight. I will say this: my boy Ryan Clady is truly the largest person in the room, in any given room.

• Tony Scheffler is quicker in person, easily the fastest tight end and cleanest in his breaks. And believe it or not, rookie TE Richard Quinn caught a football.

Defense

Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, right, holds up a play diagram as rookie linebacker Lee Robinson heads to his position during drills at the opening day of training camp at the Broncos headquarters in the Denver suburb of Englewood, Colo., on Friday, July 31, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Two rookies stood out on defense: CB Alphonso Smith and S Darcel McBath. Smith did a little of everything – covering, tackling, returning – and did everything well. The athletic second-rounder even blocked a Matt Prater field goal attempt during special teams drills and ran it back for what would have been a touchdown. Meanwhile, with Renaldo Hill sitting on the PUP list, McBath lined up opposite Brian Dawkins. The veteran was seen giving the rookie a few pointers from time to time, and McBath showed good speed, especially on passing drills, with a good break on the ball. McBath made a leaping catch later in individual drills.

• Jarvis Moss and Elvis Dumervil, both listed as OLB/DE on the roster, never put their hands on the ground. They lined up at OLB or not at all, with Dumervil lining up with the first team. Moss looked a little tender after the workout – a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Meanwhile, Tim Crowder was flexed from spot to spot a few times, playing predominantly at defensive end. T-Crow looked good in drills, but got swallowed up by the starting offensive line when he played linebacker.

• My first impression of DT Ronald Fields was, “This is supposed to be our run-stuffing 3-4 nose tackle?!” Fields isn’t intimidating to look at, shorter and smaller than some of his fellow D-Linemen, but I saw the projected starter get a good push against Pro Bowl C Casey Wiegmann on one passing play.

• None of the defensive linemen were particularly impressive (they lined up for sled drills not six feet in front of me). Some unknowns to keep an eye on include Chris Baker, J’Vonne Parker and Rulon Davis – they all made a play at some point in team drills.

• The play of the linebackers left me underwhelmed; Robert Ayers, please sign soon, we need you. Just like heading into camp, the front seven is a huge question mark for me at this point.

• Dawkins is providing the veteran, verbal leadership we all hoped he would. Looked good on the field too. I’d like to see Champ and Renaldo out there, though.

Next practice at 5:30! I’ll take a better look at the front seven, particularly the linebackers, and also really study the offensive line. Requests? Comments? Leave them here.