If Brandon Marshall has any concerns about an impending ruling on his off-field troubles from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he’s not bringing them to the practice field.
Marshall, the Broncos’ No. 1 wide receiver, had perhaps his best day of the 2008 training camp Saturday morning, showing off for more than 1,700 fans.
Marshall was quarterback Jay Cutler’s favorite target in team drills, and the pair connected for several big plays, including at least two touchdowns. Both scores were impressive catches by Marshall: He juggled the first pass twice before securing it while falling to his back, and dived to catch the second.
While other players hurried off the field to take advantage of a rare afternoon off, Marshall remained on the field for nearly 30 extra minutes to sign autographs and mingle with fans.
Marshall has not spoken to reporters since camp started, but Saturday he cheerfully said he would talk “real soon.”
“Man, I’m having a good time out here playing football,” Marshall said as he walked toward the locker room.
Goodell, who met with Marshall in New York on July 18, is expected to announce early next week if Marshall will be suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Absent.
Linebacker Boss Bailey missed his second consecutive day with a sore right knee. Bailey has a long history of knee problems dating back to his senior year of high school. He also blew out his knee during his sophomore year of college at Georgia and during his second year in the NFL with Detroit.
Bailey, who signed with Denver as a free agent in March, said the right knee felt “a little aggravating” during warm-ups on Friday, so coaches and trainers decided to let him rest as a precaution. He wore a light brace on the knee and showed no limp on Saturday.
“I’m just trying to be smart about it, not trying to push it over the limit,” Bailey said. “It didn’t swell up or anything like that. It’s just a fatigue factor.”
Bailey, 28, said he expects to be back in uniform when the team returns to the field Monday. Louis Green has filled in for Bailey with the first-team defense at strongside linebacker.
Players were given Saturday afternoon off, as well as a full-day reprieve from workouts today.
The break is especially helpful to the veterans, Champ Bailey said.
“Coaches take care of us, make sure we’re doing things right,” Champ Bailey said. “If we’re practicing well, they’re going to throw us a bone here.”
Punt battle.
The team will release its first depth chart Monday, and one of the most intriguing position battles to watch is between punters Sam Paulescu and Brett Kern.
After the most recent special teams-only practice Friday evening, special-teams coordinator Scott O’Brien said he won’t know which punter is in the lead until after the first preseason game, Saturday at Houston. O’Brien said both players will play in that game.
Paulescu, in his second year out of Oregon State, has played in one NFL game, in the Broncos’ season-finale against Minnesota last year. That is more professional experience than Kern, a rookie free agent from Toledo. Paulescu appears to be better at directional kicking while Kern has the stronger leg.
“Sam, it has helped him being in a camp before, being at a professional level, knowing what it’s like, but I think Brett has done a really good job of adjusting to this point pretty well,” O’Brien said.
Camp shorts.
Fullback Peyton Hillis and running back Michael Pittman both returned to practice Saturday morning. Both had been recovering from injuries to their left hamstrings. Hillis missed five days, and Pittman missed four. . . . Safety Hamza Abdullah was out with a sore groin but said he would return Monday. . . . Center Tom Nalen missed his fifth consecutive day with pain in his left knee. . . . Rookie linebacker Spencer Larsen was excused from practice to be with his pregnant wife. . . . Denver replaced John Lynch on the 80-man roster with safety Vickiel Vaughn, who had previously been waived by the Broncos in mid-June.
Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post
