More Camp News from 8/2......

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Wednesday, August 2, 2006



Camp Day 6 Report: A Rookie's Progress

Scheffler Pays Heed to Position Coach's Teachings


Tight ends coach Tim Brewster imparts a lesson to Tony Scheffler at a recent practice. "Sometimes he needs to yell at me," Scheffler said. "I'm making rookie mistakes that shouldn't be made." PHOTO: KYLE SONNEMAN / DENVERBRONCOS.COM
BRONCOS TV
Get the highlights from the first few days of camp: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

8/2: Day 6 Highlights
8/2: Day 6 Report: Darrent Williams
8/2: Day 6 Post-Practice: Mike Shanahan
8/2: Day 6 Post-Practice: Keith Burns
8/1: Day 5 Highlights
8/1: Day 5 Report: Meadows Returns
8/1: Day 5 Post-Practice: Mike Shanahan
8/1: Day 5 Post-Practice: Al Wilson
7/31: Day 4 Highlights
7/31: Day 4 Report: The Champ
7/31: Day 4 Post-Practice: Mike Shanahan
7/31: Day 4 Post-Practice: Al Wilson
7/30: Day 3 Highlights
7/30: Day 3 Report: The Champ
7/30: Day 2 Post-Practice: Mike Shanahan
7/30: Day 2 Post-Practice: Champ Bailey
7/29: Day 2 Highlights
7/29: Day 2 Report: Intensity Peaks
7/29: Day 2 Post-Practice: Mike Shanahan (P.M.)
7/29: Day 2 Post-Practice: Jake Plummer
7/29: Day 2 Post-Practice: Mike Shanahan
7/29: Day 2 Post-Practice: John Lynch
7/28: Day 1 Highlights
7/28: Day 1 Report: Cutler's First Camp Practice
7/28: Day 1 Post-Practice: Mike Shanahan (P.M.)
7/28: Day 1 Post-Practice: Javon Walker
7/28: Day 1 Post-Practice: Jay Cutler
7/28: Day 1 Post-Practice: Mike Shanahan (A.M.)

By Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Broncos knew Tony Scheffler could catch the football when they utilized a second-round pick on him.

But as training camp arrived and shoulder pads went on, the $64,000 question regarding Scheffler was a simple one -- can he block?

"(He's) pretty good blocking and that's where you have to keep on making strides -- in that area, because he didn't block a lot in college," Head Coach Mike Shanahan said. "The effort is there, and the technique will come in time."

It will come with daily improvement -- which Scheffler quickly recognized was crucial to his hopes of becoming an immediate contributor in an offense that has frequently features two tight ends in its myriad formations.

"I think each day I go out there and try and do just one thing better -- little things as far as footwork on blocking, just to make improvements each day," he said. "I think I'm adjusting pretty well."

Part of the adjustment meant getting used to the words of tight ends coach Tim Brewster whose exhortations to his pupils rattle throughout the practice fields, audible to the fans sitting on the nearby hillside.

More than a few of those words are directed at Scheffler. But the rookie knows that each lecture comes with a lesson.

"Sometimes he needs to yell at me," Scheffler said. "I'm making rookie mistakes out there that shouldn't be made, and he expects a lot out of me."

Indeed, the learning is part what makes an aspiring professional player into a contributor, and what morphs a contributor into a star -- the level Scheffler and the Broncos believe he can someday attain.

"We took him in the second round because we thought he was unique with his speed," Shanahan said. "There's not too many tight ends that run at that level with that speed, and we thought that he could maybe bring another dimension to our running game because he's a little bit bigger guy. That's not done yet.

"We'll see that when we put the pads on and play in game situations, but he does have a big upside."

And it's one that Scheffler believes that Brewster -- who helped turn Antonio Gates from a raw converted basketball player into a Pro Bowler -- can help him reach.

"A lot of the guys rag on me a little bit because Brew gets on me all the time," Scheffler said, "but really, if he didn't care about me and didn't want the best for me, he'd probably just leave me alone."

But Brewster, Shanahan and the rest of the Broncos see the potential in Scheffler, who was the first tight end taken by the Broncos in the first two rounds in 15 years.

"Tony's been exceptional," Shanahan said. "It looks like he just keeps on making strides, so hopefully he can keep it going."

SMITH INJURED: A "tweaked" hamstring kept Rod Smith from finishing Wednesday morning's practice, and caution is the watchword regarding the return of Smith to this, his 13th training camp.

"Rod's smart to know that with a hamstring, there is nothing you can do about it except rest it, and we might have to get him an extra day," Shanahan said. "Instead of being two days out, it might have to be three or one might have to be two. I really don't know how bad it is.

"Greek (Broncos Head Athletic Trainer Steve Antonopulos) said it was just a tweak, but it could be a little more serious than that, but I don't think it will be too long, knowing Rod."

Smith isn't the only receiver battling injury; a shoulder injury has kept Todd Devoe sidelined since Monday.

CLOCKED: The Broncos brought out the play and game clocks for team drills on Wednesday morning, opening the work by providing a scenario where there was four minutes remaining, the defense had two timeouts and had to get the football back for the offense.

The No. 2 defense ultimately stopped the first-team offense with just under one minute remaining after Hamza Abdullah recovered a Tatum Bell fumble that popped loose amidst a crowd of players on third-and-5 from the defense's 38-yard-line. Prior to that, the offense had notched two first downs, with running back Ron Dayne amassing 26 yards on three carries before Tatum Bell carried three times.

Denver's first-team defense, meanwhile, stopped the No. 2 offense on three plays, with pressure from Michael Myers and Ebenezer Ekuban forcing a sack of Bradlee Van Pelt.

CAMP BYTES: The Wednesday morning attendance was 1,410, the highest of camp to date ...

... An NFL officiating crew will be on hand at Thursday's practices. Last year, the Broncos' practice work with the in-game arbiters came during their joint sessions with the Houston Texans ...

... Jason Elam was perfect on his field-goal tries; his final attempt banked in off the left upright ...

... Brian Clark made a splendid, one-handed catch on a deep ball in one-on-one work, edging out cornerback Antwaun Rogers for the football ...

... Jake Plummer showed some ingenuity in team drills, rolling left and then shoving a pass to Stephen Alexander a few yards upfield. Anderson also made a nifty catch in seven-on-seven work, reaching low to retrieve a Jay Cutler pass about three inches above the grass ...

... With Courtney Brown out with an inflamed knee, John Engelberger worked with the first team at defensive end ...

... Cameron Vaughn recovered a Ron Dayne fumble in team work, but the play was nullified. "We lose a turnover because we're offsides!" yelled defensive coordinator Larry Coyer at his charges after the play ...

... Two fumbles that did stand up were recovered by Ray Wells and Willie Middlebrooks ...

... In the "move-the-ball" work to end the morning practice, the first-team defense stopped the No. 2 offense just past midfield when Darrent Williams stepped in front of a Van Pelt pass intended for David Kircus and returned it up the right sideline. The No. 1 offense quickly got moving against the second-team defense, converting a third-and-5 and then moving into defensive territory via an 18-yard pass from Plummer to Darius Watts, at which point the drive was called off and the field ceded to the third teams.

Jay Cutler completed a drive-opening, 10-yard pass to Brian Clark, but a pair of incompletions and a sack followed, ending the morning session.

TRAINER'S ROOM: Defensive end Courtney Brown sat out practice with a knee injury ... Others to miss practice included safety Sam Brandon (hamstring), Devoe, wide receiver Domenik Hixon (foot), tight end Nate Jackson (ankle) and offensive tackle Erik Pears (finger).

WEATHER REPORT: Pleasant conditions greeted the Broncos Wednesday, with the afternoon special-teams practice taking place in temperatures that ranged from 79 to 80 degrees. The morning session saw temperatures rise to 77 degrees.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "What's so hard about holding a mic in a guy's face?"
-- Nick Ferguson, accurately describing one particularly mindless aspect of the job for those of us in the mic-and-notepad set