FIELDWORK
Passing intrigue
There was a lot of individual
work going on Friday morning
with plenty of intrigue toward
the end. The highlight of the
morning session was an end
zone drill as quarterbacks tried
to connect with receivers over
cornerbacks in the corner of
the end zone.
Quarterback Jake Plummer
hit Rod Smith and Javon Walker
on two nice passes. Cornerback
Champ Bailey made the
play of the morning by knocking
down a Plummer pass to
Walker at the last possible moment.
Bailey watched the ball
all the way.
The offensive and defensive
lines tangled in one-on-one
drills, always entertaining to
watch. Among the highlights
were center Tom Nalen eating
up undrafted rookie Antwon
Burton and defensive end
Courtney Brown schooling
backup tackle P.J. Alexander.
CUTLER WATCH
Learning curve
Rookie quarterback Jay Cutler
had extensive work Friday
morning in his first training
camp practice hours after
signing a six-year, $48 million
contract. He was working as
the No. 3 quarterback behind
Plummer and Bradlee Van
Pelt.
Cutler had his moments but
also threw his first camp interception,
a pass that hit defensive
tackle Demetrin Veal in
the gut.
“That’s going to happen. I’m
going to throw more picks in
here, and I just got to keep going,”
Cutler said.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Rookie praised
“He looks good but sometimes
I think he throws the ball
too hard but he’ll learn,” – Denver
Pro Bowl middle linebacker
Al Wilson on Cutler.
SHANAHAN BAROMETER
Early temper
Coach Mike Shanahan had
his first eruption of the camp
Friday afternoon when he
yelled at Burton, who pounded
quarterback Van Pelt to the
grass after jumping offside.
Burton was taken off the field.
After practice, he waited for
his coach and apologized to
him.
“It’s the first time in the NFL
that I have seen that,” Shanahan
said. “I can guarantee he’ll
never do it again.”
CAMP FACTS
Saturday
Practice begins at 8:30 a.m.
and will run approximately
two hours. The afternoon practice
begins at 3:50 p.m. and will
continue until about 5:30 p.m.
Gates open an hour before
each practice. Admission is
free. Parking at the Broncos’
headquarters is on the west
side of the practice fields, and
is open on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Nonalcoholic beverages will
be available for purchase at
training camp.
