NOTES AND NEWS FROM DAY FIVE OF TRAINING CAMP:

Day Five is in the books, and it came with quite a scare. Warrick Holdman collided with teammate Mike Bell near the sideline early in the morning session. He suffered what is being called a ‘spinal cord concussion’ from the collision.

“He went numb for about 30 or 40 seconds out there and he got his feeling back — which is a good sign. I don’t know for sure, but normally when somebody gets that feeling back, it’s usually positive.”

— Mike Shanahan 8/2/07

While it’s a good sign, the team took no chances and Holdman was strapped to a back board, loaded into an ambulance and taken to Sky Ridge Medical Center. He will remain there over night for observation.

The eerie part of this report is how familiar it is to the one that followed the Seattle game when Al Wilson was injured. As both LB’s Al Wilson and John Mobley had their careers end due to this type of injury, it makes everyone involved concerned about Holdman tonight.

On a lighter side, Travis Henry may be the leading contender for the #1 RB spot, but that doesn’t mean he’s above the law. Today he was punished with running laps for jumping offsides during practice. And that’s not the first time our RB star has done laps after a camp session. The first time was because he wasn’t standing in the right place.

“They see it as you’ve got to pay attention to the little things. I respect that.” — Travis Henry 8/2/07

…well, you’ve been warned — No getting out of line boys and girls, or you’ll answer to Coach Shanahan! :)

ATTENDANCE:

In addition to Holdman leaving the field on a stretcher, here are the other camp injuries…

WR Marquay McDaniel was held out again due to his hamstring injury. Chad Mustard was out with a right hamstring injury. Glenn Martinez was also out again with a right thigh injury. Marcus Thomas joined the group on the sideline today due to a left calf injury. Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Rod Smith, Lamont Reid and Doug Niehuis were all still out. Sam Adams did not practice today because of a right knee injury but Shanahan said it was a part of the plan for Adams to sit out.

“He’s all right. It’s a game plan that we have—we’re going to make sure he’s in shape. We know he can play the game. When he played the first couple practices, he’s been very impressive but we don’t want to overdo it as well.”

— Mike Shanahan 8/2/07

OFFENSIVE LINE UPS: THURSDAY

Wide Outs:
Walker and Brandon Stokley ran with the 1st Team.
Tight Ends:
No real change from the last few days.
Running Backs:
Again, no change. Travis Henry with Cecil Sapp running second. Mike Bell, Andre Hall and Young following behind.
O-line:
1st Team O-line was unchanged: LT Matt Lepsis, LG Ben Hamilton, C Tom Nalen, RG Chris Kuper and RT Erik Pears.

DEFENSIVE LINE UPS: THURSDAY

D-line:
* 1st Team D-line stayed the same as the last couple of days with Jimmy Kennedy work in Sam Adams spot: DE’s Ebenezer Ekuban and John Engelberger, DT’s Gerard Warren and Jimmy Kennedy.

DIME PACKAGE NOTE: Unchanged from yesterday: Ekuban and Warren were the tackles with ends Jarvis Moss and Elvis Dumervil.

Linebackers:
* 1st Team LB’s were: D.D. Lewis took his turn at SAM today, D.J. Williams still impressing at MIKE and Ian Gold at WILL.

Secondary:
No changes here as CB’s Champ Bailey and Dre’ Bly and Safeties Nick Ferguson and John Lynch played on the 1st Team. Foxworth was their Nickel back and Cox joined the 1st Team during work on the Dime Package.

SPECIAL TEAMS LINE UPS: THURSDAY

Kick-Off Return Team:
Returners consisted of WR’s Quincy Morgan, David Kircus and Domenik Hixon each fielded some kicks during the afternoon session. Both Brandon Pace and Todd Sauerbrun got reps kicked off.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The Denver Broncos defensive line is going through one of its biggest single-season changes in team history. Gone are Mike Myers and Courtney Brown. In come free agent acquisitions Sam Adams and Alvin McKinley, along with the trade-acquired Jimmy Kennedy. Talented draftees Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder and Marcus Thomas join the fray as well. Consider how actively we pursued free agent Patrick Kerney, and it’s obvious the Broncos coaching staff saw a change was needed across the defensive line.

Today I break down one of the more exciting camp battles this training camp – defensive tackle.

Defensive Tackle

Gerard Warren

If the “Browncos” were to get together and elect a captain, Gerard Warren would have to be considered the frontrunner for the position. He was among the most underrated players of 2005, and a big reason our run defense was 2nd in the league in that year. After dislocating his toe in training camp last year, Warren saw more struggles than he was used to. Whether this was due to the injury or not remains to be seen, but at 6-4 and 325 lbs., he remains the anchor of our defense. We locked him up last year long term, with a 6-year contract extension – this year he has a chance to earn some of that signing bonus. I expect him to bounce back under Jim Bates‘ system – and with all of the new, more talented teammates he’ll find along his sides.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

 [UPDATE 2:20 PM – Holdman will be held overnight at the hospital, initial diagnosis: spinal cord concussion.  The Broncos canceled afternoon practice due this injury and various others, including Sam Adams’ sore knee, Demetrin Veal’s eye poke and Marcus Thomas’ sitting out this morning from a left calf injury.]

New linebacker Warrick Holdman was rushed to the hospital during this morning’s practice. He suffered a head/neck injury when he went for a play against Mike Bell. He was immobilized and carted off the field. After 30-40 seconds, Holdman said the numbness had subsided and he could move his extremities. Full story – Andrew Mason.

Coach Mike Shanahan said that while he’s no expert, Holdman being able to move his extremities is a good sign. Holdman is being taken to Sky Ridge Hospital as a precaution, and everyone at BroncoTalk have their fingers crossed that Holdman will pull through with a full and speedy recovery.

NOTES AND NEWS FROM DAY FOUR OF TRAINING CAMP:

Day four and away we go!

If the biggest news yesterday was Domenik Hixon’s shoulder injury, the top story today should have been his return to the practice field.

However, Javon Walker broke his silence today and spoke to a throng of eager reporters after the morning practice. Much to their chagrin, he didn’t discuss the Jan. 1st death of Darrent Williams. But that didn’t stop every sports media outlet from leading with the story “Walker still silent on slain teammate” — way to respect the man’s emotional recovery dill weeds!

In ACTUAL football news, Ian Gold made it back into the line up and Domenik Hixon muscled through his shoulder pain to complete the morning practice. Brandon Marshall, however, sat out again. Shanahan noted that and made some pointed comments about the importance of beating the injury bug and getting out on the field.

“When guys get hurt, it really hurts their chances of making the team. For a guy like Domenik to come in after a first-degree shoulder separation is pretty impressive. He worked through it, and that is what you are hoping a guy is going to do.”

“A guy that keeps getting hurt, we can’t waste repetition on a guy that’s not out there. We have to have guys who can stay healthy.”

— Mike Shanahan 8/1/07

And if Shanahan wasn’t blunt enough, Ted Sundquist also commented on Brandon Marshall today.

“We’re counting on Brandon. We put a lot of time and effort into coaching him, getting him ready, but ultimately on a Mike Shanahan team you’ve got to go out on the field and perform”

— Ted Sundquist 8/1/07

Brandon Marshall needs to get his butt in gear, deal with a little pain and get out on that darn practice field — SOON.

ATTENDANCE:

WR Marquay McDaniel was held out with a hamstring injury. Kenard Lang and Chad Mustard did not participate and Glenn Martinez was sidelined during the morning practice with a strained leg muscle.

OFFENSIVE LINE UPS: WEDNESDAY

Wide Outs:
Walker and Brandon Stokley ran with the 1st Team.

Tight Ends:
No real change from the last few days.
Running Backs:
Again, no change. Travis Henry with Cecil Sapp running second. Mike Bell, Andre Hall and Young following behind.

O-line:
* 1st Team O-line was unchanged: LT Matt Lepsis, LG Ben Hamilton, C Tom Nalen, RG Chris Kuper and RT Erik Pears.

DEFENSIVE LINE UPS: WEDNESDAY

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, but Jimmy Kennedy replaced Adams for some reps this morning.

DIME PACKAGE NOTE: Unchanged from yesterday: Ekuban and Warren were the tackles with ends Jarvis Moss and Elvis Dumervil.

Linebackers:
* 1st Team LB’s were: Nate Webster took his turn at SAM today, D.J. Williams still impressing at MIKE and Ian Gold back at WILL.

Secondary:
No changes here as CB’s Champ Bailey and Dre’ Bly and Safeties Nick Ferguson and John Lynch played on the 1st Team. Foxworth was their Nickel back and Cox joined the 1st Team during work on the Dime Package.

SPECIAL TEAMS LINE UPS: WEDNESDAY

Kick-Off Return Team:
Returners consisted of WR’s Quincy Morgan, David Kircus and Domenik Hixon each fielded some kicks during the afternoon session. Both Brandon Pace and Todd Sauerbrun got reps kicked off.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

John Lynch has a penchant for big plays. Photo Courtesy

All 32 teams have begun Training Camp practices by now – in fact, the Denver Broncos just happened to be the last team to report to camp because of league rules and the fact that we’re the last ones to play our first preseason game. The afternoon practice is all Special Teams – I’ll have a report on that in the morning. Today I continue my breakdown of the roster competitions, where the starters at both Free and Strong Safety are likely set in stone (John Lynch and Nick Ferguson respectively), but the competition is fierce for their backups. The release of Sam Brandon opens the door for one of our younger players to come in and make an impact – something to get excited about when you consider that both Lynch and Ferguson are in their thirties. And while Curome Cox, Steve Cargile and Hamza Abdullah have had their opportunities before, there’s a fresh face in the crowd – undrafted rookie Wisconsin safety Roderick Rogers. And any conversation with safety can’t be had without including our nickelback, Domonique Foxworth. Here’s the breakdown.

Backup Safety

Curome Cox

Curome Cox‘s story is very similar to current starter Nick Ferguson‘s – undrafted as a rookie, getting cut, getting resigned, making an impact on Special Teams, then finding his way onto the 53-man roster as a safety in the NFL. At 6-1, 204 lbs., Cox serves as the primary backup to Ferguson and fits that mold well. While none of our safeties can be really considered coverage specialists, I would say that Cox fits that bill better than any of the others save Foxworth. I’m hearing good things from camp on Cox – that he is hustling to the ball on and after every play, and that his work ethic is solid all around. With Ferguson coming off his knee injury last year, Cox had better be working hard – he’s one play away from seeing the field.

Hamza Abdullah

Abdullah is sounding more and more to me like a free safety. He’s built similarly to Lynch at 6-2 and 216 lbs., and has a knack for big plays in the run game that gave Lynch the pseudo-job description of “4th linebacker.” He’s been pretty hyped this offseason by Broncos fans – I’ve heard almost as much on Abdullah as I have on Thump Belton for crying out loud. Another lesser-hyped player coming out of college (drafted in the 7th round by Tampa Bay in 2005), he has made an impact on the Broncos squad in special teams and may get more looks in certain packages this offseason. He’s been impressive so far in Training Camp – light on his feet for his size, and excellent at blitzing, Abdullah may just be one of the Broncos to break out in 2007.
Click here to read the rest of this entry »

So, Lane Kiffin just announced that, although the Raiders still don’t have their 2007 first round draft pick at camp, they have signed Daunte Culpepper to a one-year deal.

I don’t know if this is desperation on the part of Culpepper or the Raiders — or both.

Kiffin believes it gives his Raiders a bit of leverage with JaMarcus Russel (who is holding out of camp). Kiffin spoke to Russel last night about the signing.

“It’s always important for your team to know things, just as we informed both our quarterbacks last night that this was going to happen today [and] make sure they heard it from us and understood the reasons we were doing it”

— Lane Kiffin 7/31/07

I don’t know what’s more pathetic, the Chiefs trying to force LJ’s hand with Priest Holmes or Kiffin trying to scare JaMarcus with Culpepper.

Anyway, it’s ALL good news for Denver fans.  Either the Raiders get a beat up old QB with mobility issues, or they get a rookie that’s missing camp…  it’s a win-win for us!  :)

NOTES AND NEWS FROM DAY THREE OF TRAINING CAMP:

We’re at Day Three at Dove Valley, boys and girls!

And the biggest news from the morning practice is Domenik Hixon’s shoulder injury. The speedy receiver landed on it during the later part of the morning session.

“I just came out and tried to make a play and landed on my shoulder. That’s football.” — Domenik Hixon 7/31/07

The injury is thought to be ‘slight,’ although he will not be returning to the field for the rest of the day. Mike Shanahan discribed the injury as a 1st degree shoulder separation. They will have a MRI done tomorrow to determine the exact injury and recovery time.

Hixon’s absence left room for David Kircus to show off his skills. He had some very acrobatic catches, but he also dropped or bobbled several passes leading Shanahan to mention his consistancy in his post-practice presser.

“He’s a little inconsistent. He drops the ball a few too many times, but he does come up with the big play. That consistency dictates whether or not you get a chance to play come game time. But David does show flashes and hopefully that consistency will improve and if it does improve he will have a chance to be on the football team.”

— Mike Shanahan 7/31/07

However, the ray of hope for Day 3 was seeing Rod Smith running (well, jogging) on the field after the second practice! Go Rod — we NEED ya buddy! :)

* Image provide by Erik Lars Bakke and Andrew Mason *

ONE-A-DAY GROUP

Veteran Players on one-a-day status included: Champ Bailey, John Lynch, Nick Ferguson, Tom Nalen, Matt Lepsis, Ebenezer Ekuban, Sam Adams and Stephen Alexander. Brandon Stokley and Adam Meadows both practiced after sitting out the morning session. Travis Henry also got the afternoon practice off.

OFFENSIVE LINE UPS: TUESDAY

Wide Outs:
With Hixon out and Brandon Stokley only practicing in the evening, David Kircus ran with the 1st Team and Brian Clark was the #3 WR.

Tight Ends:
No real change, Nate Jackson and Chad Mustard were also on the 1st Team for kick off returns.

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

O-line:
* 1st Team O-line was unchanged from yesterday: LT Matt Lepsis, LG Ben Hamilton, C Tom Nalen, RG Chris Kuper and RT Erik Pears. AFTERNOON: With Lepsis and Nalen sitting out the practice, Chris Myers took over at center, RT Erik Pears shifted over to the left side and Adam Meadows took Pears’ spot at RT.

DEFENSIVE LINE UPS: TUESDAY

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. AFTERNOON: Elvis Dumervil lined up at right DE with Ekuban on one-a-days.

DIME PACKAGE NOTE: Ekuban and Warren were the tackles with ends Jarvis Moss and Elvis Dumervil.

Linebackers:
* With Ian Gold out with back spasms, the 1st Team LB’s were: D.D. Lewis at SAM, D.J. Williams at MIKE and Louis Green at WILL.

Secondary:
No changes here as CB’s Champ Bailey and Dre’ Bly and Safeties Nick Ferguson and John Lynch played on the 1st Team. Foxworth was their Nickel back and Cox joined the 1st Team during work on the Dime Package. Rookie Roderick Rogers did seem 2nd Team action late in the morning practice. AFTERNOON: Domonique Foxworth and Curome Cox filled in for Lynch and Ferguson in the afternoon and Karl Paymah filled in for Champ.

SPECIAL TEAMS LINE UPS: TUESDAY

Kick-Off Return Team:
On Special Teams the 1st kick-off return team looked like this: Safeties Steve Cargile & Hamza Abdullah, RB Cecil Sapp, LB’s Warrick Holdman & D.D. Lewis, TE’s Nate Jackson & Chad Mustard, DE Tim Crowder and O-lineman Chris Myers.

Returners consisted of WR Quincy Morgan and RB Mike Bell, with Kircus and WR Glenn Martinez each fielded some kicks as well. Morgan’s lead blocking was handled by Kyle Johnson, while Troy Fleming worked with Bell.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The Denver Post has another story on Rod Smith, but there’s a great quote that I felt I had to share with all Broncos fans out there. Mike Shanahan has faith that Smith will return to the team this year, but he isn’t going to push Rod into something that could hurt himself or the team. Straight from the article:

It appears Shanahan has joined the legions of Broncos fans out there in proclaiming: “In Rod We Trust.”

The big news from this morning’s Broncos practice – Domenik Hixon is hurt. He got dinged up a little bit in today’s practice – he had a sling and ice pack around his shoulder but said he hoped to play in the afternoon practice. By the sound of the trainer, though, it seems unlikely he’ll be hitting the field today. A slight shoulder separation is the initial diagnosis, with an MRI scheduled to be sure. Our wide receiver depth is looking thinner by the minute, but everyone who sees the field looks impressive. We may have more depth there than meets the eye.

But I spent a little time researching what the other teams in the AFC West are talking about in regards to Training Camp – everyone’s is underway, and it’s worthwhile to keep an eye on our main foes this year. I start real quickly with a tidbit on our first Preseason Opponent.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Ranking the worst to the first in my weekly segment that sounds like “First and 10.” A quick look back today, grading the best (and the not-so-good) plays from the Denver Broncos 2006 campaign. Whether it was a long pass, a big hit, a pick-six, or a lengthy run, all the plays I could muster were under consideration.

Worst

Fourth Quarter Fumble vs. San Diego

As the fourth quarter of our November Sunday Night game against the Chargers wound down, it looked like the Broncos had a real shot at redeeming our 24-7 3rd quarter lead. Jake Plummer drove our team down to enemy territory… and then the entire offense seemed to fall apart. A 15-yard penalty, courtesy Igor Olshanksy, looked bound to be something Chargers fans would swear over for years to come. It moved us up to the Chargers’ 32-yard line, but even when we had help from the other team we couldn’t get the job done. The play was a stupid fumble on a first down – with 24 seconds left, Chargers LB Shaun Phillips made the big play they needed, and Plummer fumbled the ball. Broncos dove on it, but by the time we tried to get another play off, the clock ran down and it was the end of our season. This one hurt more than the Joe Nedney field goal – it was building to be one of those classic Broncos comebacks, the likes of which we hadn’t really seen since Elway retired, and one stupid play cost us the game and the rest of our season.

…and 10

10) Cutler to Scheffler: Threading the Needle vs. Cincinatti

If you want to see accuracy from our young quarterback, this is it. Jay Cutler fires a bullet to the right side of the end zone, aiming for the tiniest of windows that’s going to close in a matter of a second. It showed his accuracy, and told opposing defenses that their regular coverage won’t be enough against this guy. Oh yeah, and Scheffler looked good too.

9) Javon Walker takes it to the House @ New England

Asante Samuel who? Javon Walker split these defenders, found the hole he needed, and took this one to the house in one of the most memorable games from last year. Until further notice, we still have Vegas’ “favorite to win it all”‘s number.

8) Darrent Williams Reveals the Frohawk vs. Baltimore

D-Will, Rest in Peace, helped us put away the then-undefeated Baltimore Ravens with his late interception that all but put the nail in the Ravens’ proverbial coffin. The Ravens game was my favorite game from last year – I love defensive slobberknockers that come down to the wire, and this one fit the bill. Combined with Champ Bailey‘s end zone pick at the end of the first half, we showed Steve McNair that neither side of the field was safe to throw the ball. My heart still aches, and my head still fumes with unbelievable anger at the loss we suffered… a young, blossoming star was stolen from us on January 1. But we can always look back at this play, and see the frohawk, and smile.

Thanks to BroncoTalk member mopatt24 for posting this to YouTube for this article!

Click here to read the rest of this entry »