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Well, this year I have been commuting to Denver from Colorado Springs, so I have not been going to as many practices as I would like, but I did go Friday. Here are my thoughts on the proceedings...
Offense
QB's
Jay Cutler continues to flash some amazing ability, but that is still mixed in with some mistakes of inexperience. While he had his moments yesterday, he still was not awe-inspiring....maybe this is a good thing, because I have seen Brian Griese and Jake Plummer in the past have very good camp practices, only to have very average seasons. So maybe it's a good thing Cutler has not looked like a future Hall of Famer just yet. He is still a work in progress to say the least.
The reports of Patrick Ramsey's demise here were greatly exaggerated, IMO. I saw some reports here from others that he was a bad choice as a backup QB for us, etc, etc. I disagree. Could it be he was just going through an adjustment period in his first TC practices with the Broncos? That was more likely the case. I think he will be just fine as a backup to Cutler.
D Hackney will probably get a spot on the practice squad for QB insurance, but I actually prefer Preston Parsons. Parsons looks like he belongs in the NFL as a backup to me, and I wish he had more time available on the practice squad....but since I do not believe he does, it looks like we will be stuck with Hackney to fill that role.
Prediction: Cutler and Ramsey get the (2) roster spots with Hackney taking a spot on the practice squad. Unfortunately for Parsons, he appears to be out of time.
RB's
Travis Henry and Kyle Johnson look firmly entrenched as the starters at RB. Cecil Sapp will probably end up the No. 2 RB due to his ability to play FB in a pinch and his ST's presence. That leaves Mike Bell as the No. 3, and looking squarely at some inactive games this year. Paul Smith did not practice due to a hammy pull, but he will probably get the No. 2 FB spot, again primarily because of his ST's contributions. Troy Flemming got some reps at FB, but
it does not look like he will stick.
The Broncos are obviously being careful with Henry as to not over-work him, and that left some nice plays for Mike Bell and Andre Hall to make. Hall in particular made some very nice plays coming out of the backfield as a receiver. I consider him to be a good candidate for the practice squad. Selvin Young was a kid I had high hopes for coming into camp, but he clearly has a long road ahead of him, not to mention the four other backs in camp, to get any kind of serious playing time with the Broncos.
Prediction: The Broncos will keep (5) RB's with Henry, K Johnson, Sapp, M Bell and P Smith getting the nod. Andre Hall has a shot at the practice squad, and Selvin Young looks like he will be looking for another NFL address.
WR's
Maybe it is my optimism as a Bronco fan, but I was pleasantly suprised with several of the WR candidates, including D Hixon, D Kircus, B Clark and even Q Morgan. I had heard good things about the Martinez kid before I got to practice, and maybe I just missed him Friday, but he was nowhere to be seen.
My personal disappointment was with Marquay McDaniel. He sat out the practice as well, and has not stepped up in Camp the way I had hoped he would.
...and now for the post-mortem, guys. Rod Smith. After watching him limp rather dramatically on the isidelines yesterday, I have a very hard time believing Rod Smith will ever play another down in the NFL. I can't imagine he will be ready in three weeks time to play against Cleveland. This means he will likely remain on the PUP list until week seven of the regular season, at which time he will either have to be ready to play, go on IR, or simply retire. I put the odds at least 50/50 that he won't even get that far and call it a career. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think Rod Smith is done.
The local media here continues to rave about Brandon Stokley, but he did not practice Friday.
Domenik Hixon, Brian Clark, David Kircus and Quincy Morgan all got alot of reps Friday with the first and second teams, and all are making serious runs at rosters spots. If you figure J Walker, B Marshall, B Stokely all have locked up roster spots, that leaves the rest of these players battling for what will likely be three spots assuming the Broncos keep six WR's. I have to believe Hixon will make it, and Kircus has been having an excellent camp as well, so I make them the front runners. Brian Clark has obviously matured with a year in the system and is a very impressive player physically, as he is just ripped to shreds. Quincy Morgan wsas the real suprise to me, as I figured him to be nothing but camp fodder, but to his credit, he is anything but that, and is fighting to make the team. All had their moments Friday and it is an interesting battle going on there.
Prediction: The Broncos will keep (6) WR's with J Walker, B Stokely, B Marshall, D Kircus and D Hixon as the top five, and B Clark and Q Morgan fighting it out for the sixth spot. Rod Smith will either stay on the PUP until week seven or retire, and Martinez will have a look at the practice squad.
TE's
For all the 'RNJ' haters, let me just re-assure you all that Nate Jackson WILL make the team, probably at the expense of Stephen Alexander. Jackson is just too prominent on too many of the Special Teams units, that he is very likely to make the team yet again. He aslo ran witrh alot of the first and second team Offensive receiver sets yesterday, so the Broncos obviously like him. Stephen Alexander is probably the odd man out here, because unlike Jackson and Chad Mustard, he does not figure into a ST's role. Mustard is also a prominent in-line blocking presence, ala Dwayne Carswell, so I believe he will make it as well.
Daniel Graham is the real deal and IMO will be quite the revelation for us as a TE. Absolutely a GREAT signing!
We all know Mike Leach will make it as the long snapper, and Scheffler will be back soon....so...
Prediction: Look for the Broncos to keep (5) TE's again this year with Graham, Scheffler, Mustard, Jackson and Leach all getting the call. Unfortunately for Stephen Alexander, he just lacks the versatility as a ST'er that backups need to keep their job. So, unless an un-expected injury buys him a spot, Alexander will likely be among the final cuts.
O-Line
I saw less of this unit yesterday than any other. For whatever reason, they always seemed to be on the far side of the complex from where I was standing, so I only caught glimpses of them. But here's what I noticed...
Tom Nalen is still freaking amazing...dude just keeps on trucking. Look for another outstanding year for a guy who, IMO, should be a lock for Canton five years after he hangs it up.
Chris Kuper and Erik Pears look like they are entrenched as the starters at RG and RT, respectively. Kuper in particular will be an uprade over Cooper Carlisle, IMO, and looks like a ten year vet. He just looks like an unusually mature kid and the Broncos O-Line will see the benefit of him starting. Word is, the Broncos really believed he could start last year, but since they had Carlisle signed for a year, there was no need to rush Kuper into service. Look for Kuper to be the starting RG for the next ten yrears or so.
Lepsis looks like he is fully recovered. Myers is on alot of special teams and he can play three positions, so he will make it.
I did not see too much of anyone else.
Prediction: Look for the Broncos to once again go lean here and keep just (8) players, and use that spot to go deep somehwere else, ala WR or TE.
Nalen, Hamilton, Kuper, Lepsis, Pears, Eslinger, Myers and rookie Ryan Harris make the team.
Kickers:
Yesterday was the Jason Elam show. He kicked several FG's in the 40 to 45 yard range, and looks like, well, Jason Elam.
Todd Sauerbrun looks like he could hit a satellite if he wanted to.
The only question here is if the Broncos keep (3) kickers, one, such as Paul Ernster to kickoff....I hope they don't.
OK, while you digest that, I will move on to Defense in Part, II.
Offense
QB's
Jay Cutler continues to flash some amazing ability, but that is still mixed in with some mistakes of inexperience. While he had his moments yesterday, he still was not awe-inspiring....maybe this is a good thing, because I have seen Brian Griese and Jake Plummer in the past have very good camp practices, only to have very average seasons. So maybe it's a good thing Cutler has not looked like a future Hall of Famer just yet. He is still a work in progress to say the least.
The reports of Patrick Ramsey's demise here were greatly exaggerated, IMO. I saw some reports here from others that he was a bad choice as a backup QB for us, etc, etc. I disagree. Could it be he was just going through an adjustment period in his first TC practices with the Broncos? That was more likely the case. I think he will be just fine as a backup to Cutler.
D Hackney will probably get a spot on the practice squad for QB insurance, but I actually prefer Preston Parsons. Parsons looks like he belongs in the NFL as a backup to me, and I wish he had more time available on the practice squad....but since I do not believe he does, it looks like we will be stuck with Hackney to fill that role.
Prediction: Cutler and Ramsey get the (2) roster spots with Hackney taking a spot on the practice squad. Unfortunately for Parsons, he appears to be out of time.
RB's
Travis Henry and Kyle Johnson look firmly entrenched as the starters at RB. Cecil Sapp will probably end up the No. 2 RB due to his ability to play FB in a pinch and his ST's presence. That leaves Mike Bell as the No. 3, and looking squarely at some inactive games this year. Paul Smith did not practice due to a hammy pull, but he will probably get the No. 2 FB spot, again primarily because of his ST's contributions. Troy Flemming got some reps at FB, but
it does not look like he will stick.
The Broncos are obviously being careful with Henry as to not over-work him, and that left some nice plays for Mike Bell and Andre Hall to make. Hall in particular made some very nice plays coming out of the backfield as a receiver. I consider him to be a good candidate for the practice squad. Selvin Young was a kid I had high hopes for coming into camp, but he clearly has a long road ahead of him, not to mention the four other backs in camp, to get any kind of serious playing time with the Broncos.
Prediction: The Broncos will keep (5) RB's with Henry, K Johnson, Sapp, M Bell and P Smith getting the nod. Andre Hall has a shot at the practice squad, and Selvin Young looks like he will be looking for another NFL address.
WR's
Maybe it is my optimism as a Bronco fan, but I was pleasantly suprised with several of the WR candidates, including D Hixon, D Kircus, B Clark and even Q Morgan. I had heard good things about the Martinez kid before I got to practice, and maybe I just missed him Friday, but he was nowhere to be seen.
My personal disappointment was with Marquay McDaniel. He sat out the practice as well, and has not stepped up in Camp the way I had hoped he would.
...and now for the post-mortem, guys. Rod Smith. After watching him limp rather dramatically on the isidelines yesterday, I have a very hard time believing Rod Smith will ever play another down in the NFL. I can't imagine he will be ready in three weeks time to play against Cleveland. This means he will likely remain on the PUP list until week seven of the regular season, at which time he will either have to be ready to play, go on IR, or simply retire. I put the odds at least 50/50 that he won't even get that far and call it a career. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think Rod Smith is done.
The local media here continues to rave about Brandon Stokley, but he did not practice Friday.
Domenik Hixon, Brian Clark, David Kircus and Quincy Morgan all got alot of reps Friday with the first and second teams, and all are making serious runs at rosters spots. If you figure J Walker, B Marshall, B Stokely all have locked up roster spots, that leaves the rest of these players battling for what will likely be three spots assuming the Broncos keep six WR's. I have to believe Hixon will make it, and Kircus has been having an excellent camp as well, so I make them the front runners. Brian Clark has obviously matured with a year in the system and is a very impressive player physically, as he is just ripped to shreds. Quincy Morgan wsas the real suprise to me, as I figured him to be nothing but camp fodder, but to his credit, he is anything but that, and is fighting to make the team. All had their moments Friday and it is an interesting battle going on there.
Prediction: The Broncos will keep (6) WR's with J Walker, B Stokely, B Marshall, D Kircus and D Hixon as the top five, and B Clark and Q Morgan fighting it out for the sixth spot. Rod Smith will either stay on the PUP until week seven or retire, and Martinez will have a look at the practice squad.
TE's
For all the 'RNJ' haters, let me just re-assure you all that Nate Jackson WILL make the team, probably at the expense of Stephen Alexander. Jackson is just too prominent on too many of the Special Teams units, that he is very likely to make the team yet again. He aslo ran witrh alot of the first and second team Offensive receiver sets yesterday, so the Broncos obviously like him. Stephen Alexander is probably the odd man out here, because unlike Jackson and Chad Mustard, he does not figure into a ST's role. Mustard is also a prominent in-line blocking presence, ala Dwayne Carswell, so I believe he will make it as well.
Daniel Graham is the real deal and IMO will be quite the revelation for us as a TE. Absolutely a GREAT signing!
We all know Mike Leach will make it as the long snapper, and Scheffler will be back soon....so...
Prediction: Look for the Broncos to keep (5) TE's again this year with Graham, Scheffler, Mustard, Jackson and Leach all getting the call. Unfortunately for Stephen Alexander, he just lacks the versatility as a ST'er that backups need to keep their job. So, unless an un-expected injury buys him a spot, Alexander will likely be among the final cuts.
O-Line
I saw less of this unit yesterday than any other. For whatever reason, they always seemed to be on the far side of the complex from where I was standing, so I only caught glimpses of them. But here's what I noticed...
Tom Nalen is still freaking amazing...dude just keeps on trucking. Look for another outstanding year for a guy who, IMO, should be a lock for Canton five years after he hangs it up.
Chris Kuper and Erik Pears look like they are entrenched as the starters at RG and RT, respectively. Kuper in particular will be an uprade over Cooper Carlisle, IMO, and looks like a ten year vet. He just looks like an unusually mature kid and the Broncos O-Line will see the benefit of him starting. Word is, the Broncos really believed he could start last year, but since they had Carlisle signed for a year, there was no need to rush Kuper into service. Look for Kuper to be the starting RG for the next ten yrears or so.
Lepsis looks like he is fully recovered. Myers is on alot of special teams and he can play three positions, so he will make it.
I did not see too much of anyone else.
Prediction: Look for the Broncos to once again go lean here and keep just (8) players, and use that spot to go deep somehwere else, ala WR or TE.
Nalen, Hamilton, Kuper, Lepsis, Pears, Eslinger, Myers and rookie Ryan Harris make the team.
Kickers:
Yesterday was the Jason Elam show. He kicked several FG's in the 40 to 45 yard range, and looks like, well, Jason Elam.
Todd Sauerbrun looks like he could hit a satellite if he wanted to.
The only question here is if the Broncos keep (3) kickers, one, such as Paul Ernster to kickoff....I hope they don't.
OK, while you digest that, I will move on to Defense in Part, II.
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