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Denver Broncos News

BTV Minicamp Report | DenverBroncos.com
Derek Wolfe rejoins the Broncos and the offense continues to establish its identity.

Peyton quickly working off the rust as Broncos kick off their minicamp| CBS Sports
It is a question the football world wants to have answered: Is Peyton Manning the same Peyton Manning? The answer is no.

Broncos’ Derek Wolfe “expects to contribute” as a rookie | Denver Post
There is an earnest quality to Derek Wolfe that the Broncos hope never dissolves. He is a conscientious sort, dedicated to his craft. He wants to do well. It bothers him that he doesn’t know the playbook as well as he should. But with all due respect to Wolfe and his top-grade characteristics, he is a defensive tackle.

Peyton Manning’s presence has changed everything for Denver Broncos | Sporting News
In 10 years in the NFL, Broncos running back Willis McGahee thought he had figured out what was and was not important.
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The Denver Broncos began their first session of a four-day offseason minicamp on Tuesday.  Here are some quick hits on today’s events:

Participation report — Only three players — kicker Matt Prater (disgruntled), guard Chris Kuper (ankle) and tight end Julius Thomas (ankle) — did not participate in practice today.  In Prater’s absence, the Broncos tried out kickoff specialist Adi Kunalic.

Injury report —   Click here to read the rest of this entry »

(Image courtesy of Ron Chenoy/US Presswire)

The Wolfe has joined his pack.

The newest member of Denver’s Orange Carnivore defense, rookie defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, practiced with all of his teammates for the time on Tuesday.  Wolfe signed a four-year deal with the team in May, but was not allowed to participate in offseason workouts with the team until college class graduated last Thursday.

Since then, Wolfe has received his physical from the team (he’s listed as 6-5, 300 lbs.) and has already been labeled a base defensive tackle and a nickle defensive end by Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio.  All of that aside, Wolfe was focused on his first day on the job Tuesday.

“It’s good to finally be out there with my teammates and working and getting better,” Wolfe said after practice.   Click here to read the rest of this entry »

During practice earlier today, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas appeared to have suffered a minor finger injury.  Though alarming, the injury was indeed minor.

“(Thomas) had a little finger jam, and that’s all part of the game,” coach John Fox told media members after practice Tuesday.

Thomas and his teammates will be back on the field tomorrow as the team continues mandatory minicamp which runs through Thursday.  Stay tuned throughout the week for more coverage.

Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee catches a pass during NFL football practice at the team's training facility in Englewood, Colo., on Monday, June 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Just because the Denver Broncos brought in one of the NFL’s all-time greatest passers this offseason doesn’t mean they will be abandoning the run game. The common message from the Broncos coaches and players following the team’s first Mini-Camp practice today: fear Peyton Manning, but be ready for the Broncos ground game to punch you in the mouth as well.

“I think they’re going to sleep on the running game because we have Peyton coming in and he’s known for throwing the ball,” running back Willis McGahee said when asked what he expects from opposing defenders. That’s a situation that has to excite the 2011 Pro Bowler, but has also rightfully caught the attention of offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.

“I think Coach McCoy has addressed the team, and he’s really preaching balance,” Manning said. “(We’re) trying to be three-dimensional, where on any down and distance, you can drop back, you can hand the ball off or you can run play-action. If the defense can be thinking about all three of those things, hopefully that gives the offense an advantage.” Click here to read the rest of this entry »

We told you on Friday that D.J. Williams‘s Twitter mishap won’t damage the Denver Broncos‘ defensive plans this season. Today, coach John Fox said as much.

When asked if the security “breach” would affect the Broncos’ defense, Fox replied, “Not very much.”

Fox continued, “All our guys do a great job of keeping our fans informed, and you’re going to have a couple of mishaps and you move on.”

D.J. has an uphill battle when it comes to recouping the approval of Broncos fans, but this tweet really shouldn’t be among the ammo used against him. Let’s take Fox’s advice on this one and move on.

(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Broncos’ oft-injured third year wide receiver Demaryius Thomas may have scarcely avoided disaster during Denver’s first minicamp session of the offseason on Tuesday.  During practice, a ball deflected off of Thomas’ hand and caused the receiver to head towards the sideline while favoring one of his fingers.

Fortunately, Thomas returned to practice after being checked out by Denver’s trainer.  Thomas went on to catch a few more passes but favored his left arm on a blocking play.

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(Al Behrman/AP Photo)

The Denver Broncos are trying out a kicker in Matt Prater‘s absence. Prater, the Broncos’ franchise-tagged player, is holding out as he and the Broncos hammer out what he hopes is a five-term deal.

In the meantime, the Broncos have given someone Prater’s position, and they’ve given him Prater’s predecessor’s (Jason Elam‘s) number.

Adi Kunalic is an undrafted second-year player who was on the Carolina Panthers‘ roster for a few games at the end of last year. A “kickoff specialist” at Nebraska who didn’t even handle field goal duties, there’s little chance Kunalic replaces Prater, but he has a leg the Broncos can use in practice.

The guy in No 1 is kicker Adi Kunalic, here for a tryout #broncos

— Lindsay Jones (@PostBroncos) June 12, 2012

Tight end Jacob Tamme (right) will benefit from having quarterback Peyton Manning (left) running the offense in Denver this season. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Denver’s acquisition of quarterback Peyton Manning earlier in the offseason will affect much more than the win and loss column next to the Broncos’ 2012 season schedule.  It will also affect all of us at home sitting on our buns watching games while following our respective fantasy football teams on Sunday afternoons this fall.

Due in large part to Manning’s presence — and his past history of producing high numbers in fantasy football — several Broncos players, including two receivers, have seen their fantasy stock take a huge jump this offseason.  In 2011, neither Demaryius Thomas or Eric Decker were ranked among NFL.com‘s top 80 fantasy receivers.  This offseason, they’re both ranked in the top 23.

Of course, Thomas jumping to 14th and Decker jumping to 23rd isn’t solely due to Manning’s arrival, despite the fact that he scored 288 fantasy points in 2010 (the last season he played).  Heading into last season, few people outside of Denver expected Thomas or Decker to show flashes of brilliance in their sophomore seasons.

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Denver Broncos News

Derek Wolfe eager to get his NFL career started with the Denver Broncos | Denver Post
Derek Wolfe was given a three-week free pass. He didn’t have to endure the drudgery of the Broncos’ offseason practices. He wasn’t asked to take copious notes during those boring position meetings.

Broncos Prepare For Practice Without K Matt Prater | SBNation Denver
The 2012 Denver Broncos minicamp is about to get under way, but the mile high team will possibly be sans three of their players. The trio of K Matt Prater, QB Brock Osweiler and RB Ronnie Hillman remained unsigned heading into minicamp and may not participate in the team’s first mandatory practices — unless something changes soon.
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