What seemed like a happy-go-lucky anecdote on the team’s official blog Tuesday actually has me a bit concerned. Brandon Marshall took off his right shoe Tuesday, and ran several drills to end the afternoon practice with only his left shoe.

At first glance, it’s nothing to sweat over. Just another comical display of personality by a budding star.  But compare yesterday’s news with this little AP story from the first day of camp, and I’m beginning to grow concerned that Marshall is fighting through some sort of foot injury that has yet to be reported:

Brandon Marshall, whose offseason was marred by a serious arm injury, another run-in with the law and a summons to the commissioner’s office, was gassed throughout the Friday morning workout, taking a knee after just about every route he ran.

When it was over, Marshall trudged off the practice fields with his right shoe in his hand, saying he couldn’t stop to speak with reporters because he had to go see a doctor.

Color me crazy, but that’s two specific incidents that seem to indicate that something is wrong with Marshall’s right foot. It could very well be nothing, and just an odd coincidence, but his comments on Friday about needing to see a doctor have been on the back of my mind since. Up to this point, his right foot hasn’t slowed him down on the field – in fact, Marshall has been spectacular by most accounts. But it’s another thing to keep an eye on with #15 – as if we didn’t have enough eyes on him already.

(Photo courtesy DenverBroncos.com)

The Denver Broncos kicked off the traditional work week in the middle of their own, holding a total of four training camp practices on Monday and Tuesday. The offense is beginning to come along, with a few surprises, while the defense (particularly the defensive line) continues to sort itself out.

The talk of Denver Broncos training camp thus far in 2008 has to be Domonique Foxworth, who is playing extremely well in coverage and making several big plays. With the promise from Head Coach Mike Shanahan that the best 11 players will see the field on defense, Foxworth is aiming straight at Dre Bly‘s #2 corner back starting job.

Meanwhile, Niko Koutouvides and Nate Webster continue to bounce back and forth on the first and second team middle linebacker duties. The latest buzz is that Kouts might edge Webster out for the starting job.

Offensively, the Broncos had their best day yet on Tuesday, finishing 3 of 4 practice-ending 11 on 11 drills with touchdowns. The pass protection stepped it up, showing improvement as the practices continue. The running game had its best day as well by all accounts, with several decent size 10-15 yard chunks being eaten by the combination of Selvin Young and Andre Hall, who both looked impressive.

Quick Hits: Montrae Holland is still struggling to lose the weight; he was seen pushing the sled again on Tuesday. … TE Nate Jackson has been seeing snaps with the first unit’s two tight end set with Daniel Graham, instead of Tony Scheffler. … The Broncos continue to rotate players in and out of the defensive line starting unit at both end and tackle, with only DT Dewayne Robertson consistently seeing starting snaps. We’ll have more on these stories later…

Injury Report: Chad Mustard has been placed on the PUP list with an injured right hammy, and it’s rumored he’ll miss several weeks. Tom Nalen was sidelined today to give his knee a rest, and Peyton Hillis missed a second straight day of practice with his sore left hamstring. D-Rob is also seeing scheduled days off for health concerns.

Quotes from Shanahan and Michael Pittman after the jump…

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Ramsey is currently Cutler’s backup. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The backup quarterback spot is never the most-watched battle in camp. It’s not the flashiest competition, and its result rarely has a large impact on the field. Nevertheless, an unsuspected battle is taking place thus far at Broncos camp, with the incumbent slowly losing his grip on the position.

Patrick Ramsey, by all accounts, has looked very poor thus far in camp. Today was no exception – he was the only Broncos QB responsible for an interception. It isn’t the first I’ve heard of his struggles – word is his passes are wildly inaccurate and he’s been off target all camp.

Meanwhile, I’m hearing great things about Darrell Hackney, the team’s 3rd quarterback who suited up for the second half of the season last year but never broke the lineup. Hackney has had limited snaps in practice with the third unit, but he’s taken advantage of the few chances he’s gotten by throwing the football well.

Ramsey coming off the bench for the Lions game last year was a rude awakening for me, and I’ve never been a fan of him as our backup QB since. It’s been five days of camp now, and I’m still hearing about Ramsey’s struggles. It’s time for the Broncos to bite the million dollar bullet and give Hackney a chance. Let him take reps with the second unit. Let’s see what the kid can do.

• Whatever the decision, I agree – we need a Brandon Marshall ruling now.  [Denver Post]
• Elvis Dumervil has no intentions of resting on first and second downs.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• Montrae Holland explains why he is overweight and reveals it could take up to a month to get him back.  Ugh.  [RMN]
• Hamza Abdullah won’t admit it, but he “has arrived.”  [DPO]
• Gary Zimmerman‘s induction is this weekend.  There are plenty of other Broncos who are more than deserving.  Terry Frei points out Louis Wright.  [DPO]

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Oakland WR Javon Walker

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments…

Veteran C Tom Nalen sat out Tuesday’s morning session with what is said to be a scheduled rest.  Recall that Nalen had knee surgery this June and was placed on Injured Reserve last year after suffering a torn biceps.  It seems that, much like the case with Dewayne Robertson, the Broncos are taking it slow with Nalen.

Peyton Hillis was also sidelined, missing a second straight day of practice with his tweaked hamstring.  It was speculated he’d return quickly, as soon as this morning, but those reports now prove untrue. No word on his potential return.

Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later…

As we continue our daily coverage of Training Camp 2008, I wanted to mention a few things that I’m personally looking for this year as we prepare for the season.

1. Niko – Is he for real?
I have no doubts about D.J. Williams at WILL or Boss Bailey at SAM. My concern is for the middle. Niko is said to have loads of talent and the drive to lead, but I’m keeping my eyes open and ears tuned for little things that might give us an early indication about what we truly have in the middle. I also think that watching Nate Webster is important. If Webster stands out and Niko has a slow start, I think Shanahan will give Nate a shot at the top spot.

2. Full-on Fight at Fullback?
With Converted RB Cecil Sapp and incoming FB Peyton Hillis we might have a pretty good position fight to watch this camp. Unfortunately, we can’t count so much on the mainstream media on this one, as this position is just not a glamorous as running back, wideout or QB. So, I’m really watching the blog coverage and reports from on-hand fans to see if we can get a feel for how this battle is unfolding.

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Domonique Foxworth has spent the past two years playing a mix of safety and corner back for the Denver Broncos. With the recent influx of free agent safeties the Broncos brought in this offseason, he’s had the chance to focus on the CB position, and compete for the nickel back spot.

If the first few practices are any indication, Foxworth has impressed enough to leave draftmate Karl Paymah out of the nickel back equation, and may even be pushing Dre Bly for the #2 spot. Today Foxworth returned an interception for a touchdown, with the entire offense (including the guys on the sideline) chasing after him. It’s not the first time that’s happened in just four days of camp, either. Head Coach Mike Shanahan was sure to sing his praises.

“He had a big play (interception) today. Foxy has had a great camp and great OTAs, and that is what we are looking for — guys that step up and get better. Foxy has done that and helped himself.”

Call Foxworth the early veteran surprise in training camp. Not a lot of guys who have been on the field for a few years can suddenly step up and improve significantly, but it appears Foxy’s on that track. It’s the perfect time to step up, too – Foxworth is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. I don’t think he’ll be pushing Bly anywhere this year, but all bets are off in 2009. If he continues to play this well, the Broncos will put in a lot of effort to re-sign him, which would likely mean the departure of Dre Bly.

Denver Broncos rookie fullback Peyton Hillis sat out the Monday morning practice with an injured left hamstring, according to the team’s official blog. The 2008 7th round draft pick out of Arkansas has had a great start to training camp thus far, with many fans in attendance predicting he’ll trump incumbent Cecil Sapp for the starting fullback job by Week 1.

He was working with TE Chad Mustard on the sidelines, who’s sitting out with an injured hamstring of his own. These can be nagging little suckers… luckily I’m hearing that he should see the field as soon as tomorrow.

The good news is that Brandon Marshall isn’t letting his off field theatrics affect his on field performance. Several reports from this morning’s practice indicate that he excelled today, breaking two long touchdown catches of approximately 80 yards and 35 yards respectively.

The Broncos need his talent on the field, plain and simple. He’s a threat to take it to the house every time he has his hands on the ball. Waiting for the Commish’s ruling is agonizing at this point.

Denver Broncos right guard Montrae Holland finally saw the practice field yesterday afternoon during the team’s 2nd session jog through. Apparently the experience was short-lived: Holland was held out of practice again this morning to work with strength and condition coach Rich Tuten.

His struggles to lose a reported twenty pounds have earned him the unfortunate fan-dubbed nickname “TFTP” on some message boards – Too Fat To Play.

While I’ve heard RT Ryan Harris played a bit better today, and Mike Shanahan was sure to give him some praise, I’d feel a lot more comfortable if I knew that Chris Kuper was there pushing him for reps at RT. Holland’s return would see Kuper slide over to that spot; he can’t return to the field quickly enough.