FIELDWORK
Camp closes with big plays
The final day of training camp at Dove Valley was well attended and rowdy. The players were into it and the fans were fired up as well.
The practice included big pass plays from quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Patrick Ramsey. Ramsey, who will get most of the snaps in the Broncos’ preseason opener Monday night at San Francisco, hooked up twice with wide receiver Brian Clark.
Ramsey also hit tight end Mike Leach, who separated himself from linebacker Nate Webster and safety Steve Cargile. Webster was backing up D.D. Lewis at strongside linebacker. That position battle got more interesting Saturday when coach Mike Shanahan said Warrick Holdman will need three months to recover from a spinal cord injury he suffered Aug. 2 during a practice. Holdman’s injury likely ends his season. Lewis and Webster will battle with Louis Green and Cameron Vaughn for the starting job.
JIM ARMSTRONG
Lang reigns as king of quips
Kenard Lang is listed as a third-string defensive end on the Broncos’ official depth chart. Which reminds me …
Don’t even think about it, Mike Shanahan.
The Broncos can’t cut my man Kenard. And they can’t trade him, either. If Shanny is coach for life, then Special K ought to be defensive end for eternity.
Not only is Lang a good player, he’s a righteous dude. And, I might add, he’s the best quote on the team. (With apologies to John Lynch.)
Oh, sure, a great sound bite doesn’t matter to Shanahan, but it comes in handy if you’re a media geek. Desperate for a story idea? Can’t come up with an angle to save your life? Stick a tape recorder under Lang’s chin and – voila! – the Pulitzer committee is holding on line 2.
So does he know he’s a great quote or does he just play one in the newspapers?
“No, I’m just articulate,” Lang said. “I did graduate from the University of Miami.”
Articulate, huh? So, Kenard, how do you spell that?
“A-R-ticulate.”
See what I mean?
I’m not sure what he’s worth on the trade market, but, to some of us, the man is priceless.
BIOGRAPHY
John Lynch, safety
Lynch is a Bronco and always will be a Bronco. He never thought he would feel this way about another NFL team when he departed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 11 seasons and after he and his wife Linda became prominent members of the community there. But he does.
“When I came here, I didn’t think it could be the way it was in Tampa again,” Lynch said. “I didn’t think we could get so emotionally involved in another city. I didn’t think it could happen again twice. … I am a Bronco.”
Entering his fourth season with the Broncos, the eight-time Pro Bowl safety is one of the most recognizable faces in the organization and is wildly popular with fans. Like it did in the Tampa Bay area, the John Lynch Foundation, which focuses on student achievement, has been a big hit as a Denver-area charity.
“I’ve always focused on what’s happening now and not the past,” Lynch said. “Tampa was a special place for us. … But it seems like years and years ago.”
POINT AFTER
Billups watches workout
Denver’s own Chauncey Billups was a spectator at camp Saturday morning. Billups spent time with players and coaches after the practice, including Mike Shanahan.
“He’s a nice guy,” Shanahan said of the Detroit Pistons’ all-star guard.
MARSHALL STAYS FIT DESPITE INJURY
“Brandon has looked very good. He kept himself in very good football shape.”
Coach Mike Shanahan, on second-year receiver Brandon Marshall, who practiced for the second straight day Saturday after missing the first 12 days of practice with a quadriceps injury. Marshall won’t play Monday at San Francisco, but he will play Saturday at Dallas.
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