Storylines from OTAs: Cheating at fishing and quarterback updates

Week 2 of organized team activities has wrapped up and the Denver Broncos are officially 98 days away from the beginning of the NFL season.

There were lots of storylines to follow with the Broncos this week, so here are the biggest takeaways you should remember:

Dre’Mont Jones doesn’t “give a s***” who the quarterback is

This was probably the best quote so far from OTAs. Broncos defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones was asked about the quarterback competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater and he kept it real.

“I don’t give a s—,” Jones said. “Whoever’s the quarterback is the quarterback. I wish the best for Teddy, I wish the best for Drew. I don’t know what they’re doing. I can’t see anything. I haven’t been over there. It is what it is.”

Well, there you have it.

The defense (understandably) should be somewhat frustrated with the quarterback play. The Broncos have not averaged 21 points per game since Peyton Manning retired.

Fans back at Empower Field is very important 

Broncos Country will be out in full force this fall, as Empower Field at Mile High has been cleared for full capacity games and no one is more excited by this news than Broncos players.

Wide receiver Tim Patrick said the experience on game day is completely different when fans are in attendance.

“They add everything—energy. They are what keeps us going,” Patrick said. “Early in the season last year, we really didn’t have any fans. It got to a point where I started to have to take pre workout before games. Having the fans in there, I don’t think I’ll need pre workout anymore.”

There is “no ceiling” for the defense in 2021

2021 has the potential to be a big year for the Broncos’ defense. According to Spotrac, the Broncos rank No. 1 in defensive payroll this season with $125.878 million.

It’s no question that general manager George Paton is focused on stopping the Chiefs, not outscoring them.

Linebacker Malik Reed will finally get Bradley Chubb and Von Miller back on the field together and says nothing will be able to stop them.

“It’s exciting because the ceiling is very high,” Reed said. “I feel like we added people to the defense that will continue to elevate. The bond is going to take us far. There is no limit to what we can do.”

No 11-on-11 until next week

Head coach Vic Fangio is sticking with 7-on-7 team drills until next week. This could be a result of the NFLPA “boycott” since safety Justin Simmons did tell the media that players and coaches spoke about changing some portions of OTAs.

Fangio said that 11-on-11 drills won’t begin until mandatory mini-camp starts next week.

“We’re going to put some team work in there. We’re going to mix it in there through different parts of practice,” Fangio said. “Next week timing wise and schedule wise—it will look similar, but some of the ‘skelly’ plays will be turned into team plays.”

Von Miller cheats at fishing

Yup, you read that right.

Everyone knows that Von Miller is competitive, but it might have reached a new level when Reed told the media that he went on a fishing trip with Miller who tried to cheat to catch more fish.

How does one even pull that off?

“Let me tell you first of all, Von cheats. It’s like a competition when we go out there of who can catch the most fish,” Reed said. “I’d be in one spot catching fish and he starts coming into my area and casting his rod into my space.”

So let it be known, if ever invited on a fishing trip with Miller you must be aware of your surroundings.