Trevor and the Browns were missing their main man Wednesday.
Sensing building concern about his ailing back, Trevor Pryce stopped at the cafeteria door, turned and performed one of the more popular hip-hop steps.
“Could I do this if I was hurt?” Pryce said, laughing as he danced.
For Broncos players who don’t participate in special teams, a select group that includes the starting defensive line of Pryce and former Cleveland Browns’ Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown and Michael Myers, there was only one training camp workout Wednesday. Pryce missed it for the most worrisome of reasons: His back was acting up.
Although Pryce and coach Mike Shanahan downplayed the rest as a precaution, it would be understandable if the initial response from Broncos followers consisted of two words: Uh-oh.
When healthy, Pryce is arguably the Broncos’ most dominant player, a claim substantiated by his four Pro Bowl selections. But Pryce was far from healthy in what was virtually a lost 2004 season.
He played some in the first game, a little in the last game, and nothing in between. Nor was he available in the playoffs, when the Broncos got drilled by the Indianapolis Colts. After averaging 9.7 sacks in six previous seasons, Pryce had just two tackles, none of them sacks, last year.
A herniated disc in his lower back was the problem, and while late-September surgery was successful, it can take a while before post-operative scar tissue builds up and breaks away.
Pryce and the Broncos not only hope he can participate in a workout today, but that he’ll continue to get healthier.
“It’s part of the process, according to the doctors, that it will get sore after three, four, five days of practice,” Shanahan said. “It’s natural. It’s a little scar tissue that has built up. It shouldn’t be any type of setback.”
Can Lelie become No. 1?
Jake Plummer’s completions were nothing like old times. During controlled scrimmages, Plummer completed intermediate passes to Ashley Lelie on curls and outs and hit Rod Smith on a down-the-middle fly pattern.
Last season, each of Lelie’s seven touchdown catches were for at least 30 yards, while Smith has averaged 13.7 yards in his 712-reception career.
The past two days it appeared Plummer was purposely looking for Lelie on the shorter, higher-traffic routes.
“Yeah, it did,” Lelie said. “It was good, but it’s a long camp so I can’t dwell on this.”
Perception wasn’t quite reality, however. Plummer has not been consciously throwing more to Lelie.
“Who’s going to get the ball usually depends on the coverages,” Shanahan said. “You can go to one guy more than the other, but usually that’s based on the strength of the corner. With the two receivers we have, we have a lot of confidence in both.”
Footnote
There’s nothing like interrupting Broncos training camp with baby news. Defensive tackle Dorsett Davis missed Tuesday’s afternoon workout in anticipation of the birth of his first child. It turned out to be a false alarm; the baby is expected to be delivered next week. Tight end Stephen Alexander and his wife, Mandie, are expecting their first child, a boy, on Aug. 24.
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
