The Broncos are still dealing with the murder of Darrent Williams every day.  A return to Texas, where Williams called home before being drafted a Bronco in 2005, stirred up these emotions – particularly when Williams’ mother Rosalind made the trip to visit the team.

I think Matt Mosley – ESPN’s main NFL blogger – wrote an exceptional post on how he wants to remember D-Will. He and Williams had a great working relationship, and their conversations would go on for hours on end at times.

He mentions how some analysts want to infer that the team will play “inspired” after the deaths of Williams and backup running back Damien Nash. He (and I) choose not to think of it that way – he says his most treasured memory is his last of Williams. He went up to Williams after the Thanksgiving Day game in 2005 against these same Cowboys in Dallas. Expecting a post-game interview, he was instead greeted with a big bear hug.

With Mrs. Williams in town, I wonder what other memories are being stirred by the Broncos in the locker room. When his mother exclaimed “All Ready!” to the Broncos huddle, Williams’ mantra through his career, she was proclaiming the mantra for the entire Broncos team this year. As football draws near, the team and fans alike will embrace the memories of our fallen players and be ready for whatever the season brings us, in dedication to those fallen.

Late start today after a long night at the job last night… noteworthy notes today…

JAVON WALKER SCARE

This is the type of thing one files under “season-ender” – but luckily for Broncos fans it looks like we really dodged a bullet when it comes to Javon Walker and the MRI he had taken on his knee. All signs are good, though, and it’s likely Javon will play tomorrow at Dallas in the pre-season game.

O-LINE, D-LINE DEPTH THINS OUT

Every drafted rookie is fighting through injury, and some more significant than others. Tim Crowder is out two weeks with a sprained ankle – tests were negative, so hopefully he can come back strong. Ryan Harris is out 6 weeks with the back injury that has been hampering him; with Lepsis day-to-day, our offensive tackle depth is extremely thin, which prompted the movement of tight end Chad Mustard to tackle. If he adjusts well, he could become an invaluable commodity and would increase his chances to make the team.

Meanwhile, Jarvis Moss and Marcus Thomas are fighting through their respective injuries. Moss is looking forward to playing more actively on Saturday, and Thomas is nearing the end of his dealings with his strained calf.

LIVE COWBOYS BLOG FROM PRACTICE

I came across a Cowboys blog that serves up live practice updates – only too little, too late. But reading through the notes is like getting fed big play-by-play coverage from what happened the day before. http://cowboys.beloblog.com/

Yesterday morning, Terrell Owens showed up late but still showed he was able to burn Champ Bailey and Dre Bly on 1-on-1 drills. In another play, Owens slipped past Bailey on a curl route for 6 points. We’ll see how he does come game day when he doesn’t have the advantage (as the WR does in typical 1-on-1 drills).

Meanwhile, new Cowboys acquisition left tackle Leonard “Big” Davis took it to Jarvis Moss on one play, sending Moss crashing to the earth after he had tried to jump and bat down a pass. A few laughs for the Cowboys fans, at the Broncos’ expense – we’ll see who’s laughing come Saturday (I mean, this is Leonard Davis we’re talking about). I mentioned to these fans that this WAS practice, and that is why Moss was upset at the intensity of the hit – but got the expected reaction.

The biggest question coming into this game is our defense – what with the low performance from Monday Night and the news that the Cowboys are able to beat us on the big plays.  Our offense is doing the same to them in practice, but I still want to see Moss burn Davis for a sack and Bailey pick one off in front of T.O. to satiate my tastes.

I just came across this article, where freelance sports writer Eric Anderson makes seven bold predictions for all things NFL this year. It was quite a good read – especially if you’re a Broncos fan, as Denver is his favorite to win it all. Who am I to argue?

On his 7-item list, #4 is interesting, as it regards Travis Henry elevating the Broncos running game to elite status again.

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The Broncos will have a special visitor today at camp. Rosalind Williams (Darrent William’s mother) said she is planning on visiting the team during the practice. Mike Shanahan had invited her visit with the team and Rosalind accepted even though it may be very emotional for everyone involved. The last time the team was in Dallas (eight months ago) it was for Darrent’s funeral.

“It’s difficult to see them, difficult knowing they’re in town. But I feel good they’re near and they’re close. That makes me feel good. I’m going to visit them tomorrow. I don’t know what I’ll tell them. Just seeing them, them seeing me, being able to see each other and hug each other will speak volumes. There may or may not be words. Just seeing each other is going to be a lot of therapy. It will give us all strength.”

— Rosalind Williams 8/15/07

Andrew Mason has been keeping us up todate the practices down in Dallas:

Texas DAY 1 Morning Practice Report & Texas DAY 1 Afternoon Practice Report

Texas DAY 2 Morning Practice Report & Texas Day 2 Afternoon Practice Report

Day 3 Wrap-up Report

Photo Courtesy – ESPN (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Travis Henry, just as much as young Jay Cutler, has everyone in Denver thinking Super Bowl again. The few doubters he had were silenced this past Monday as they saw him break tackle after tackle and pull out tons of yardage every snap for the orange and blue. Everyone’s been talking about Henry – from Adam Schein and Lofa Tatupu (Seahawks linebacker) to the Broncos on the practice field.

But, very surprisingly, the fantasy football sources out there aren’t joining the Henry bandwagon. That’s where this post is going – how will new Bronco Travis Henry do this year, from a fantasy perspective? The opinions are mixed – some bitter fantasy pros can’t let themselves believe the Broncos running back-by-committee philiosophy will take a big enough side step to allow Henry to reach his fantasy potential. They have him commonly slotted in the mid-to-late 2nd round. Others are drinking the orange and blue Kool Aid and picking him in the top 5 or 6 overall. I’m implementing a new rule for my teams this year – try NOT to draft Broncos in my fantasy leagues, because I get caught up in the upside come draft day (and throughout the year, I have trouble separating myself as a fantasy team owner and Broncos fan… I wanted to bench Larry Johnsonevery time he played us and always felt stupidly guilty for not doing so). But if Henry is sitting there, and I have one of the later top 10 picks, I think it’s plain foolish not to nab Henry and “sleep like a baby.”

I asked myself: Where do the big sites have him ranked, though? The answer may surprise you (using most basic rules, no points-per-catch):

ESPN: 14th
FFToday.com: 15th
FFToolbox.com: 15th
Yahoo!: 13th
NFL.com: 12th
FantasyGuru.com: 8th

I must say all of these sites (except for the last one – more on that later) are simply out of their minds. Willis McGahee is ranked higher than Henry in several of these! How do you justify that kind of thinking?

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Davis did enough in his few years to warrant a bust in Canton, plain and simple. Photo Courtesy

Terrell Lamar Davis, born October 28, 1972 in San Diego, California, is one of the most beloved Denver Broncos of all time. Drafted in the 6th round of the 1995 NFL Draft, Davis didn’t come into this league with high expectations. Coming out of Georgia, he didn’t enjoy the success of many other college running backs – he only started one year, and continul hamstring injuries hurt his stock on draft day. New Head Coach Mike Shanahan and his crew made what would turn out to be one of the best decisions of their lives – they took a chance on Terrell Davis in the 6th round.

Starting as the sixth-string tailback, Davis had a long way to go before he could play in a game, let alone make the team. But in the second preseason game of the 1995 season, Davis separated himself from the group. He delivered a crushing tackle in Special Teams that caught the coaches’ eyes and set his career on the fast track in Denver.

He elevated up the depth chart to the starter in week 1, and the rest, as they say, is history. Year after year with Davis running the rock, the Broncos offense improved. Davis’ numbers improved as well, and in 1997 the Denver Broncos made a run to the Super Bowl. In the process, Davis ran for over 100 yards and scored at least one touchdown in each postseason game, paving his way for several playoff records. His postseason performance that year culminated in Super Bowl XXXII, in which Davis had the game of his career. Scoring 3 touchdowns, which remains an NFL record, Davis ran his way to Super Bowl MVP honors as he led the Broncos to their first world championship.

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Noteworthy notes today…

ROSALIND WILLIAMS TO VISIT PRACTICE
The mother of the late Darren Williams will visit the Broncos and Cowboys practice today in Irving, Texas.

2 COWBOYS WHO COULD HAVE BEEN BRONCOS
Everyone remembers how close we were to snagging Terrell Owens last offseason… it may seem surprising, but even Tony Romo was almost a Bronco, too.

WARREN DEAL STILL NOT DONE
On Tuesday, it was going to surely happen. Yesterday the same. And while it hasn’t happened yet, it’s inevitable that the Broncos will either trade away Gerard Warren or release him altogether.

Interesting nugget from the article: Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, when asked about Warren at their training camp, said he “is always looking for good players.”

31 DOWN, 1 TO GO
With Darrel Revis ending his holdout with the Jets, only the Radiers and #1 Overall pick JaMarcus Russell remain in a holdout. How does a top pick quarterback NOT get signed this late into camp?

OBLIGATORY MICHAEL VICK MENTION
It’s becoming more apparent that Michael Vick may in fact accept a plea agreement that is reported to carry at least a one-year sentence. Expect a big suspension, Vick, when you get back.

PITTSBURGH PRIMA DONNAS
A bunch of regular divas over in Pittsburgh… their hotel demands were recently leaked to a fan site. It’s actually not all that bad… just rules to constrict the players from doing something they’re not supposed to.

What a task for the Denver Broncos… first, they spend two weeks away from home in Englewood, Colorado. Most camps have little more than dorm bunks for the athletes, and while I’m not familiar with the Broncos setup I can’t imagine it being all that much nicer. Then they go and participate in their first live contact against another team in San Francisco on Monday.

“Good job, way to go. Now pack up again” – we’re heading for Dallas. The Broncos arrived in Texas last night to undertake several scrimmages against the Cowboys, a team with its own high hopes behind a young up and coming quarterback. Andrew Mason has the full report of the morning workout, and the general consensus seems to be on the negative side.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Noteworthy notes today…

COWBOYS AND HORSES
The Broncos arrived in Dallas yesterday, and the plan is for the two teams to scrimmage several times against one another before the preseason game on Saturday. Gerard Warren did not make the trip…

BIG MONEY
Gerard Warren won’t be a Bronco tomorrow – at least, according to The Denver Post. It seems that Warren didn’t try to keep his job once Jim Bates arrived in town – that’s honestly about the only reason for cutting ties with him that I could actually get behind. We’re trying to win a Super Bowl here, “Big Money” – I had your back a few days ago, but now that I see you’re just not willing to fight for your job, well… it’s a lot easier to let you go.

DARRENT WILLIAMS
With the Broncos not far from Darrent Williams‘ home town, his mother Rosalind Williams will likely be expecting company from his former teammates in the near future. In other Williams news, the Javon Walker spot on HBO’s Real Sports aired last night, and it was revealed that several of D-Will’s friends identified three men who were involved in the altercation at the night club. These three men are currently in custody for unrelated federal drug charges.

HATED ESPN’S COVERAGE TOO?
Leave feedback for those SOB’s!  3 of our 5 prime time game are ESPN’s, so let’s do everything we can as fans to get a watchable game on the screen!  Follow this link to leave feedback, and tell them you want to watch a football game, not Sportscenter with some game in the background.

Hope to finish out the Hall of Fame articles with Terrell Davis today… I’ll be away from the ole compooter for a few hours. See ya then.

Things you wait eight months for can seem somewhat disappointing when they actually come around. Admittedly, I have been more involved this off-season than ever before. I started this blog, became active in several forums (I actually Mod over at TSZ), found several awesome Bronco blogs and generally spent hours each day researching all available info on my favorite NFL team.

With all that hype, I guess I should have been prepared for a little let-down after the first preseason game on Monday night. However, when the game was done I felt VERY down and out.

At first I thought that my post-game depression was due to the inevitable let-down after looking forward to something for so long. However, as I got up this morning I was still feeling rather icky about that game last night. Which makes me think that it has less to do with my emotional state, and much more to do with the performance of the team.

Now, I don’t want to say that there weren’t some very good moments last night! When we started the game with a 67 yard drive for an easy TD, I was whooping like a mad-man. Seeing Henry tear through defenders to find yardage was a beautiful thing.

But when our Broncos kick-off coverage allowed the 49ers to gain 31 yards on the following play I was fuming. As I’ve said over and over this off-season, our kick-off coverage was 31st in the league last year and Scott O’Brien was brought in to turn this around. I know this was only one play, but if first impressions really do count, I wasn’t impressed.

Then our 1st Team defense took the field, and it only took a few plays for my stomach to turn and my palms to start sweating. Our D-line seemed to have NO run stopping ability and the 49ers picked us apart with short-yardage passes that fell right between the LB’s and DB’s. Gains of 8,9,6 and 18 yards happened before we were able to get our first sack (thank you Engelberger) and force them to settle for three.

And that’s the way it seemed to go all night. We got an early lead and then let the 49ers take over in the time of possession and third down conversion battles. Yes, our 3rd and 4th stringer were good enough to prevent them from taking the lead back, but it was the sheer lack of stopping-power our Defense displayed that really caused my heart to sink.

Our Defense can not give up 144 yards on the ground and expect to win games. The 49ers gained a total of 386 yards to our 270 yards. The 49ers owned us in Time of Possession (by almost 10 minutes – that’s nearly a full quarter). They also converted WAY too many 3rd downs (7 of 16 while Denver was 3 of 9). We need to find a way to get our defense OFF THE FIELD!

The thing that shocked me the most was how eerily familiar this game was to our games last year. We only scored 17 points — that’s what we averaged under Jake Plummer in 2006. We won by holding on to a tiny lead. And the most scare fact is that our Defense looked just like the ‘bend-but-don’t-break’ system we seem to have fallen into each of the last few years.

Every year we have a DC that talks about how aggressive the new Defense is going to be, but then we get killed when our opponents begin tearing us up with those short passes. You can’t give away 5.2 yards per play and expect us to win 10-12 games.

Rationally, I do understand that our guys are still learning Bate’s new scheme. I know that there will be an adjustment period and that we still haven’t ironed out our starters along the D-line. I just hope that last night’s problem was the players’ learning curves rather than any inherent flaw in Bates’ system.
POSITIVE NOTE:

I was impressed with some of what I saw. On offense I loved seeing Henry and Cutler get to work. Walker made a nice catch and Hixon played bigger than his numbers show. I was also surprised by how well our O-line played considering the missing starters.

EDIT: You all need to check out BroncoTalk’s breakdown of that first Offensive drive. It’s great work by Kmonty (as always!): CHECK IT OUT!

On Defense I was impressed with Webster and Green at LB. Engelberger has many haters among the fans for some reason, but he played good ball on Monday. Dumervil also had a good night. But I loved what I saw from our Safeties; and not just our starters – but Abdullah, Cargile, Cox and (of course) Foxworth. Of the rookies, Crowder seemed to be the most active.