Gary Kubiak had more on his mind than he was letting on. Terse answers followed Monday’s practice, one of the last before the Broncos go on hiatus for about a month.
He had a reason. Many actually.
There were the missed field goals. Multiple missed field goals.
The dropped passes. Multiple dropped passes.
And the general uninspiring play that seemed unfitting for a team that had touted its progression in recent weeks.
“To be honest, we didn’t practice good today,” Kubiak said. “It was kind of sloppy. We were down some people, and we did get going and practice better at the end of practice. We have to push through. It wasn’t our best today, that’s for sure.”
There were some bright spots, though.
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The offensive line is as settled as it can be ahead of training camp. It could get shuffled once the pads come on, but Kubiak said he is confident in the five guys he had up front in minicamp and again on Monday: Chris Clark at right tackle, Louis Vasquez at right guard, Gino Gradkowski at center, Ben Garland at right guard and rookie Ty Sambrailo at left tackle.
“We are going to line up just like we are right now,” Kubiak said. “I don’t think there’s anything etched in stone. It’s going to be very competitive. The biggest thing is that at tackle it is really hard because you are trying to settle Ty down. But somebody is going to be a swing player, too. They are still moving around. We are very competitive all the way across the front. Louis is the one guy, the steady guy, and really after that we are going to be competitive across.”
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The other bright spot was Peyton Manning.
The 39-year-old quarterback continues to get acclimated with the new offense, but Kubiak is so far pleased with his progress.
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“He’s getting really comfortable with what we are doing,” Kubiak said. “Then there’s times we are turning him loose with what he’s done, and obviously that’s an easy comfort zone for him. He’s been steady in what he’s doing.”
The Broncos have two more practices before going dark. Training camp is scheduled to begin July 30.
Foonotes: Safety T.J. Ward was absent from Monday’s voluntary practice. Ward on Monday from Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Oakland Sunday night, but Kubiak said he was not aware Ward attended the game. “That’s where he was?” Kubiak said. “It’s voluntary, like I said.” … Nathan Palmer got first-team reps as the Broncos were short receivers Monday. Cody Latimer, Kyle Williams and Jordan Norwood were held out with hamstring soreness, and Demaryius Thomas was still absent.
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickijhabvala
