We’re rapidly approaching 2015 Training Camp for the Denver Broncos, and my mind is running wild with football thoughts. I don’t know about you, but for me, the offseason has gone incredibly quickly. Now that we’re almost ready for football again, here are some things that have been consuming the orange section of my brain as we eagerly anticipate that first pre-season game, the first domino of them all to fall.
Is this the year of Cody Latimer?
With Demaryius Thomas out of the picture for the time being, Cody Latimer has been receiving a lion’s share of reps, even though he too has missed some time this offseason due to injury.
When we get to the start of training camp, it’s entirely possible that he’ll be running with the number one offense, which begs the question of whether or not this is the year of Latimer?
There has been speculation recently that Latimer has the best hands on the team, and if his Indiana days are any indication, that wouldn’t be a surprise in the least. Latimer was called the best blocking receiver in the draft by John Elway a year ago, and now someone’s saying he’s got the best hands on a team with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders, in particular, might take up an issue with that comment.
At any rate, we all saw Latimer dominate last year at camp, and were all extremely disappointed when he didn’t barely play a down in the regular season. Hopefully this year is the year for Latimer, who has a chance to be major part of the Broncos’ offense.
Is Peyton Manning ‘done’?
There are a lot of people who want the answer to that question to be ‘yes’.
For whatever it’s worth, no one was complaining in the first half of last season when Manning was shredding teams and going off for three touchdowns before halftime against the 49ers. No one was saying Manning was done at that point, but that’s none of my business…
In the NFL, players have injuries. Players who play through those injuries don’t play as well. To me, that’s what happened to Peyton Manning. He played through an injury when he shouldn’t have, and his play suffered exponentially because of it. He wasn’t the same Peyton Manning.
So, is he done? I really don’t think so, but we won’t find out until this season.
What do we know about Manning? Well, he wins with his brain and preparation more often than he does with his arm, but he can still beat you with his arm as well. He has one of the quickest releases in the NFL, and gets rid of the ball faster (from snap to throw) than any quarterback in the league.
As a result, guess who is the least touched quarterback in the NFL?
The fact is, Manning is on the final stage of his career. This year could and probably will be it for him. If there’s any player in the history of this league that I would have bet money on years ago to play into his 40s, however, it would have been Manning.
Even with all of his neck procedures, he’s excelled and been an MVP with the Broncos, putting together one of the most ridiculous displays of offense I have ever seen in my life back in 2013. Those days might be gone, but this is still Peyton Manning.
I’m really excited to see the pass rushers in action
But I think we need to be cautious with our optimism since they are going to be going up against an offensive line that might as well be working behind construction tape.
The offensive line is a work in progress, but the pass rush under the tutelage of Wade Phillips combined with the star power of Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Malik Jackson, and rookie Shane Ray, is going to be absolutely riveting come time for the pads to come on.
When fully healthy, I think the Broncos put up a front seven defensively that is as talented as any in the league at getting to the quarterback, and Phillips calling the shots is only going to amplify that. With that kind of star power from top to bottom, the Broncos are going to be getting to the quarterback — a lot.
Not to mention, guys like Derek Wolfe, Sylvester Williams, Vance Walker, Marvin Austin, Shaq Barrett, Lerentee McCray, and Kenny Anunike have all shown they can get heat on the QB. It’s just a matter of how much time it’s going to take before those guys get touched.
It might be a long training camp for the offensive line.
Guys we don’t know about…yet.
I think there are a few guys on the team that we don’t know much about that could be making some waves come training camp. For one, I look at Danny Mason, the linebacker that formerly played indoor football.
The Broncos saw some pass rush capabilities in him, and brought him on with a futures contract. We don’t know much about that guy, but when we get to training camp, he’ll have an opportunity to stand out in team and one-on-one drills to try and make at least the practice squad as a developmental rusher.
How about Tevrin Brandon, the guy who was shockingly hit by a car earlier this offseason? We had a chance to talk to Brandon this offseason, and he talked about the Broncos’ plans for him at the nickel cornerback spot.
It’s a position that seems overly loaded, but this is a really athletic, speedy, physical player that showed scouts he could compete in the NFL while participating in the FXFL this past year, and he could surprise.
How about Solomon Patton, the waiver pickup from Tampa Bay?
The Broncos obviously placed enough of a priority on bringing him in that they didn’t want to risk him getting to free agency and possibly choosing another team. He was claimed with the intent that he might be able to be the team’s kick and/or punt return specialist.
Looking at his Florida tape, he’s not a bad receiver either.
Breakout performances
Training camp is always a fun time because guys come from nowhere to have breakout performances. One player that I see taking a huge leap this year is running back Kapri Bibbs.
Bibbs has that killer instinct about him, a type of resolve and drive that not every player in this league has. Bibbs was picked up as a UDFA in 2014 out of Colorado State, and now has a chance to make the Broncos’ active roster, a group that’s likely going to be keeping four or five running backs again.
There might be a tough road ahead for Bibbs, but I’m excited to watch him play. I think this could be his year.