Broncos reporter Bill Williamson provides news, notes and anecdotes from the team’s training camp
Sunday:
CAMP FACTS
If you go …
Schedule: Morning practice begins at 8:30 a.m. The afternoon practice begins at 3:50 p.m.
Admission: Practices at Broncos headquarters in Arapahoe County are open to the public during training camp. Admission is free.
Parking: Fans can park at Broncos headquarters on the west side of the practice fields, on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited, so arrive early. Parking lots open one hour before each practice.
CUTLER WATCH
One pick, one beauty
Jay Cutler followed his spectacular preseason debut with another solid day. He threw an interception early in practice when safety Sam Brandon pulled in front of receiver Todd Devoe. However, Cutler and Devoe later combined on a beautiful pass play.
THE POINT AFTER
Eye on the big prize
The Broncos’ players and coaches held their annual bowling tournament Sunday night. The winning team received a large trophy. Coach Mike Shanahan quipped that the trophy is “20 times” larger than the Lombardi Trophy, given to the Super Bowl winner.
BIOGRAPHY
Free agent battling
On the second day of camp, An-
twon Burton made his presence felt when he was yelled at by coach Mike Shanahan after nailing quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt to the grass after jumping offside.
Burton, a defensive tackle, has stayed in the spotlight with solid play. He is working with the second unit and has a good chance to make the 53-man roster. The undrafted free agent from Temple is a stout run stuffer and has impressed the coaching staff with his work ethic.
FIELDWORK
M. Bell has full plate
The Broncos hastily moved practice up two hours Sunday to begin at 12:45 p.m. Denver coach Mike Shanahan said he opted for the earlier workout because the team was ahead of schedule. It also gave the players some extra time off Sunday afternoon.
Among the things Denver worked on was red-zone offense. The team was 0-for-4 on TD conversions inside the Lions’ 20-yard line in a 20-13 loss at Detroit on Friday night.
During a special-teams portion of the workout, rookie Mike Bell – who is working extensively on special teams despite being the No. 1 running back – was being instructed, loudly, by unit coach Ronnie Bradford. Bell was playing the punt protector position and made a mistake. It just shows rookies are rookies and they will be treated accordingly when mistakes are made.
In one of the more humorous moments of camp, quarterback Jake Plummer scared the wits out of a woman watching practice. The woman was in the crowd on a hill when an errant Plummer pass zoomed toward her. Her screams echoed throughout Dove Valley, but there were no reported injuries.
