The Denver Broncos opened up training camp with record attendance and a lot of excitement (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE).

At the first day of training camp on Thursday, there was a discernible energy floating around Dove Valley.  Perhaps it was the record 4,372 fans who endured the July heat to get their first glance of offseason acquisition bombshell Peyton Manning.  Perhaps it was the reciprocal show of enthusiasm from the players – at one point new Bronco Andre Caldwell badly beat bubble player Tony Carter during one-on-one passing drill and proceeded to linger in the endzone, hamming up the first unofficial touchdown of the season.  Perhaps the magic of last year has renewed fans’ passion for their Denver Broncos.  Whatever the reason, football is back and the Denver Broncos are ready to defend their AFC West title.

In case you weren’t able to make it to the team facility to get your fix, here are a couple of quick notes from the first day of Training Camp 2012:

Tempo: Despite the heat, that aforementioned energy led to a great tempo during practice.  Players were moving so seamlessly in and out of drills that the session ended six minutes early.  Coach John Fox mentioned that practices are based on a preset to-do list, not necessarily an end time.

Quarterbacks: Manning was just as advertised.  He was fast-paced and he was accurate.  It is, of course, way too early to judge his overall health and rust factor, but today was an excellent foundation.  Many of today’s passes were short to intermediate, so it’s tough to tell who of Caleb Hannie, Brock Osweiler, and Adam Weber will challenge for the backup role.

Injuries: Receiver Brandon Stokley did not attend practice with flu-like symptoms.  Knowshon Moreno and Chris Kuper are the two most notables coming off substantial injuries; both practiced on a limited based, but their mere presence this early in the season is an encouraging sign.

Weakside Linebacker: D.J. Williams is the kind of player you want on your football team.  He been the team leader in tackles since 2009 and a former defensive captain.  There is no doubt that the Broncos’ defense is better with him on the field.  The only variable is whether his antics will preclude him from being there.  Williams will serve a six-game suspension to start the season for the use of performance enhancing substances.  Fox wasted no time in prepping Jack Del Rio‘s defense for this upheaval and put Wesley Woodyard on the first-team defense.  Williams wasn’t really even involved with the second-team defense, often getting his conditioning work in by mimicking plays.

Return Game: With Eric Page‘s torn ACL resulting in him being waived from the team, Tracy Porter, Drayton Florence, Syd’Quan Thompson, and Eric Decker took repetitions returning punts.  Don’t be surprised to see one of the litany of cornerbacks on the Broncos’ roster stick around specifically to handle returns.

Here are a couple pictures from today’s practice:

Quarterbacks Caleb Hanie (16), Adam Weber (2), Peyon Manning (18), and Brock Osweiler prepare for a drill. prepare for drills.

Peyton Manning scrambles in a quarterback drill.

Demaryius Thomas finishes up a route.

Greg Orton lays out for a sensational touchdown catch.

Friday’s practice is open to the public and will run from 2:20-5:00pm at Dove Valley.

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My piece with the Joel Dreessen interview has been pushed back a couple of weeks in order to include an interview with Loren Landow (A sports trainer who has worked extensively with Dreessen). Keep your eyes peeled; it’s a can’t miss. Thanks for reading!

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is going to lead the organization back to greatness. (Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

While flipping through the channels on Sunday morning, I came upon a replay of the 2011 Denver Broncos-Chicago Bears game. Naturally I watched every second. Not only did it take me back to the emotional highs and lows of the 2011 season, but it had my head spinning for the rest of the day thinking about the future.

No team in the NFL has improved as much as the Broncos this offseason. They improved about as much as you possibly can at the most important position in the game when they signed Peyton Manning. Add to that some new offensive weapons such as Joel Dreessen, Jacob Tamme, and Andre Caldwell; some reinforcements for the defense with Mike Adams, Ty Warren, Tracy Porter, and Drayton Florence; some talented youth through the draft such as Derek Wolfe, Ronnie Hillman, and Omar Bolden; and the 2012 team will look drastically different than the one we saw in 2011.

We won’t see the Broncos being shut out through three and a half quarters before springing to life like last year, and the defense will not be under an immense amount of pressure to hold the opponent below 17 points anymore. We are entering a new era of Denver Broncos football, and it is going to be better on all fronts.

Think about where the Denver organization was 2 years ago. They struggled through the worst season in franchise history in 2010 with quite possibly the worst head coach/general manager football has ever seen. Since then, the franchise has added John Elway, John Fox, and Peyton Manning. That is quite a trio, and they have made all the difference. Broncos’ fans who were praying for an unlikely turnaround have had their prayers answered. Denver has seen a legitimate championship window open up in front of them and it will be open for as long as Manning is healthy and playing. My feeling is that Manning can give this franchise four good years. If that is the case, they are going to get back to the success that the Broncos fans have become accustomed to during most of their lives.

Broncos Country is flying high right now. Most everyone is counting down the days to the season opener on September ninth, and oh how glorious it will be to see Manning throwing touchdowns in a Broncos uniform! If you take the temperature of the fan base on Twitter, you will see a level of enthusiasm for the coming season that has been missing since Johnny himself was playing quarterback. Many fans, including myself, are already busy making travel plans to see the team play live in multiple locations. Season ticket holders who used to sell tickets to a few games every season will be holding on to all of them very tightly this year. The opportunity to see an elite quarterback playing for your favorite team doesn’t happen every day, and it has been a long time coming for this fan base.

For the first time in a long time Denver has a very real chance to compete for a championship. While watching the Broncos offense look so inept during the game replay yesterday, all I could do was shake my head. The 2011 season was awesome. It was a year I will remember for the rest of my life, and I was so grateful the organization became relevant again. But the realist in me knew that they still had a long way to go in order to actually contend for a Super Bowl. As they stand today, the Broncos have covered a lot of that ground faster than I ever could have dreamed. I still can’t believe that Peyton Manning plays for Denver, and I expect that he is going to take us all on a memorable ride. Get ready Broncos fans, the Manning Era is about to begin!

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John Elway needs to put together another quality draft class to help Peyton Manning win a Super Bowl in Denver. (Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

Now that things have quieted down around Dove Valley, The Denver Broncos have shifted their focus to the 2012 NF Draft.

Denver has already made dramatic changes to their starting lineup by bringing in 6 new players via free agency who will see significant playing time next season. The changes will continue in a few weeks when the Broncos draft a horde of young talent who will hopefully fill the remaining holes on the roster and add much needed depth.

Let’s take a look at where the Broncos stand at each position right now and how they might address those positions in the draft:

• Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks I don’t need to spend much time talking about the quarterback position. However, the signing of back-up Caleb Hanie has been the source of some angst among the fans recently. At this point I’m not even sure Hanie is going to make the team, so I didn’t read too much into his signing. There is no doubt that Denver will take a quarterback at some point during the draft. That quarterback, along with Adam Weber and Hanie, will compete for the backup position and one of those 3 players won’t make the 53-man roster.
• Willis McGahee is still the man at running back going into 2012. Although his age and the fact he wore down as the 2011 season went along means Denver is going to need a solid #2 to help carry the load. Knowshon Moreno is expected to return from injury and compete for that job, but almost everyone is running out of patience with him. It is a near guarantee that Denver will pick a running back in a few weeks, and I would bet it will happen very early in the draft. Some targets for the Broncos are Doug Martin, Boise State; Lamar Miller, Miami; Lamichael James, Oregon; and David Wilson, Virginia Tech.
• At wide receiver and tight end, the free agent additions of Andre Caldwell, Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen have filled the voids at those positions. The Broncos feel very good with the trio of Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Caldwell at receiver and they believe they will excel with Peyton Manning behind center. I tend to agree with that line of thinking. I’m not expecting anyone to get drafted at these positions, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them add someone late to compete in camp and add some depth.
• The offensive line will look very similar in 2012 as it did in 2011. I feel like Denver has a great pair of tackles in Ryan Clady and Orlando Franklin that will anchor the line for years to come. It is important that Manning has talented guys who can protect him on the edge and these two fit that bill. Where I have some concern is right up the middle (this concern exists on both sides of the ball). Look for Denver to draft at least one interior offensive lineman at some point. At the very least they need to bring in a quality backup.
• The front 7 of the defense is where this team needs the most work, and so far this offseason they have lost impact players from this group rather than add them. They did re-sign middle linebacker Joe Mays, but losing Brodrick Bunkley at defensive tackle was a big loss. As of right now, no one really knows who will start at tackle next season. That is not good. I am hoping Ty Warren can return from his injury and assume one of those starting jobs, but there is no mistaking the fact that defensive tackle is the biggest hole on the entire Broncos’ roster. Denver subscribes to the strategy of drafting “the best available player at all times regardless of position”, but they should go defensive tackle with their first pick of the draft. Luckily, this draft is loaded with quality interior defensive linemen. If there was ever a year to be in the market for a tackle, this is it.  In no particular order, the best tackles available are Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State; Michael Brockers, LSU; Dontari Poe, Memphis; Jerel Worthy, Michigan State; Kendall Reyes, UConn; Devon Still, Penn State; and Brandon Thompson, Clemson. I expect that the Broncos will draft one of these players with the 25th pick, and by the end of the draft I will be surprised if they haven’t added at least a couple D-linemen.
• Denver has added a few quality names to their defensive backfield during the free agency period. Safety Mike Adams and cornerback Tracy Porter will help bolster a group that was exposed at times last season. I love the signing of Porter. With Champ Bailey on the other side of the field the Broncos now have a fearsome duo at cornerback. Although Denver does have some talented youth in their backfield with Chris Harris and Quinton Carter, there is no doubt that this is an aging group overall, and the possible loss of Brian Dawkins means they will be missing some valuable experience and leadership. I would like to see the Broncos use multiple draft picks on this group to provide some depth and increase the competition. I would also like to see them extend Porter’s 1-year contract if he plays well early in the 2012 campaign.
• As far as special teams go, Denver will be returning all of their specialists this season and don’t need to address it in the draft. Matt Prater and Britton Colquitt were 2 of the top performers in the league a year ago and they will have a big impact going forward.
• At the end of the draft, I would like to be able to report that the Broncos used most of their picks on the defensive side of the ball and sprinkled in a few offensive selections at quarterback, running back and/or offensive line. The Denver defense needs to take the next step and move into the top half of the league rankings, and a strong showing in this draft can help them do just that.
• In the big picture, the Broncos hopefully have as many as 4 seasons with Peyton Manning at quarterback. Every draft class is important for every team, but this draft is more important to Denver than most. The players brought in this year will be integral if the Broncos are to make a serious Super Bowl run in the next couple of seasons. So set your DVR’s and grab some popcorn; this year’s draft is must see TV for all Denver fans. Go Broncos!

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