Broncos Training Camp Day 4 Report: The biggest change at practice

Jul 30, 2022, 4:33 PM | Updated: 9:45 pm

Senior Broncos Writer

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It was “go time” Saturday. And compared with Friday’s “jog-through,” the intensity did ramp up in front of a record UCHealth Training Center camp crowd.

But this year’s training camp saw a stop to something typical of training camps: seven-on-seven periods.

This is one of the areas in which Nathaniel Hackett’s first training camp doesn’t look like those of his predecessors. More team periods. Fewer seven-on-seven reps.

Since time immemorial, teams have worked seven-on-seven periods into practice to hone the passing game. In these, the quarterback, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends line up against seven defensive backs and linebackers.

Mike Shanahan ran seven-on-seven periods. So did Josh McDaniels, John Fox, Gary Kubiak, Vance Joseph and Vic Fangio. If you’ve been to training camp over the decades, you’ve seen it.

But you haven’t seen it this year. And don’t hold your breath to anticipate it, either.

“I feel like seven-on-seven is not real football,” defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said.

“It’s a true statement,” concurred offensive coordinator Justin Outten.

So, what’s wrong with it?

For starters, seven-on-seven gives an advantage to the quarterbacks. They function without a pass rush.

“The quarterback will hold the ball longer,” Evero said. “It’s not the same lanes in terms of what the quarterback is looking at. So, I just feel like as much real football as we can play as possible — that’s what I love about what we’re doing.”

Seven-on-seven allows those involved in the passing game to work on their timing. It also is a decision-making exercise for the quarterbacks: make a choice in a specific time. Eating the football — choosing not to decide, as it were — means you still have made a choice.

But with the freewill to craft a different type of camp, Hackett and his coaches chose what they believe is a path that’s clear: getting those same scenarios with all 11 players on the field.

“We can jerry-rig some of those other things that you might do, whether it’s a pass period, a man period, a zone period, a pressure period,” Hackett said. “But besides that, in the end, it’s about those guys being in the huddle and going out there and playing and executing together, so, I just want to create that as soon as possible.”

Added Evero: “Our first period is normally a run/play-action pass period, where we’re going on first and second down. To me, that’s real football, and we’re working on things that we’re actually going to do.”

The same logic applies to the use of nine-on-seven and one-on-one periods. In nine-on-seven, the offense lines up without wide receivers against the defensive front seven to focus on the run. One-on-ones are obvious and can take place between wide receivers and defensive backs, safeties and linebackers against tight ends and running backs, and offensive linemen versus their defensive counterparts.

The first four days of training camp saw none of those types of matchups

“It takes all 11 in this system.” Outten said. “So, we really like to include everybody in it. It’s something we believe in.”

***

PARTICIPATION/INJURY REPORT

Cornerback K’Waun Williams underwent an MRI on his knee after practice, but the results showed no structural damage, per a report from KUSA-Ch. 9’s Mike Klis. Williams pulled up late in practice during a team period while covering rookie WR Montrell Washington. Williams immediately went to the sideline to receive medical attention, then went back to the locker room. He is expected to miss “a few days,” per the report.
TE Greg Dulcich continued working on the side field as he recovers from an offseason hamstring injury. “Those things are finicky when you’re dealing with hammies, so we want to be sure that we’re real good and he’s 100 percent,” Hackett said. “But we’re hoping to see him real soon.”
OLB Randy Gregory and WR KJ Hamler also continued their work on the side field. Both are on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
Rookie OLB Christopher Allen saw some individual repetitions as he continues to work his way to full participation. The Broncos activated Allen from the non-football-injury list Friday. His practice work the last two days was his first since he suffered a Lisfranc injury for Alabama against Miami (Fla.) last season. “We want to have an acclimation period for him,” Hackett said. “We try to do it now, so that he got this practice, a little walk-through to get his mental [side] right, a little bit of action today, and now he can come back on Monday.”

***

PLAY OF THE DAY:

On the last play before the double horn, Trey Quinn flashed open downfield on a post route. Brett Rypien hit him just past rookie safety Delarrin Turner-Yell for what would have been a roughly 40-yard completion in a game.

***
NOTES:

Peyton Manning attended practice with his son, Marshall, in tow. “I actually love him being around,” Hackett said. “If that doesn’t get you fired up to practice and just be part of the game, I don’t know what does. … I absolutely love when he’s around. I mean, it’s Peyton Manning!” Manning watched part of the practice alongside former teammates Knowshon Moreno and Orlando Franklin, who had a live broadcast on 104.3 The Fan.
Second-and-long and third-down situations provided the thrust of the work Saturday. One thing that jumps out is the offense’s confidence on third downs — and Wilson’s ability to quickly fire a pass to the sticks and keep the line moving. He hit an array of receivers on short targets at the sticks, including Albert Okwuegbunam, Eric Saubert and Jerry Jeudy.
Okwuegbunam’s catch saw him get a step past ILB Josey Jewell. Jewell got his arm out to try and break up the pass, but Wilson threaded the needle to Okwuegbunam, hitting him in stride for what could have ended up as a gain of at least 20 yards in game conditions.
Saubert’s catch, on a third-and-6 play, saw him do a great job adjusting to the pass in flight. Wilson’s toss was just behind Saubert, and he had to adjust his body and get low to bring in the football. Saubert’s catches so far in camp have usually involved an impressive degree of athleticism and ball-tracking ability.
Cornerback Ronald Darby logged the first interception of training camp. Darby’s theft came after Courtland Sutton slipped while running a route. Darby grabbed Wilson’s pass and took off on a long, cross-field gallop.
Safety J.R. Reed broke up a Brett Rypien attempt to end the first team period of practice.
Backup WR Jalen Virgil had perhaps the best catch of practice with a one-handed grab of a Rypien pass. Virgil continued downfield for what could have been a touchdown in game conditions.
Cornerback Pat Surtain broke up a pair of deep passes — one to Courtland Sutton and another to Tim Patrick down the right sideline.
Backup edge rushers Nik Bonitto and Baron Browning both got pressures that had a chance to be sacks in game conditions. Browning got his pressure when he stunted inside against Graham Glasgow; Browning quickly stopped to avoid contact with Rypien.
Netane Muti and Quinn Meinerz continued splitting repetitions at right guard.
Russell Wilson had a long gain on a scramble during the first team period of the day. Pressure from Bradley Chubb on the left edge and Dre’Mont Jones up the middle against Lloyd Cushenberry forced Wilson to step up and out of the pocket.
Hackett likes where his offensive line stands through four days of training camp. “They’re really communicating well. They’re passing off stunts like I’ve never seen before this early — which is great,” Hackett said. “Now, it’s not full pads. I think that’s when you’re going to be able to see more.”
Punters Sam Martin and Corliss Waitman each got work during a special-teams period. Martin had six punts with an average hang time of 4.21 seconds, including two with hang times beyond 4.5 seconds. Waitman’s four punts had an average hang time of 4.82 seconds, including one that stayed aloft for 5.06 seconds. Both also did well at directional punting.
Kicker Brandon McManus missed a long field-goal attempt during the placekicking period, but hit the rest of his tries.
Sunday will be the first off-day of camp, and Hackett doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to how players will handle the respite. “Some guys will do extra; some guys might need to completely get away,” he said. “I think the idea is, that’s when they get to find out the type of guy that they are and what they need.”
Country-music star Kenny Chesney attended practice a few hours before his concert at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday night.