ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – After the Broncos left the field after training Monday, head coach Vic Fangio was not entirely happy.
“It was just OK,” he said of the team’s first padded exercise. “It wasn’t as fierce as I thought it would be. It was just OK.”
The Broncos’ defense certainly didn’t have that Tuesday. A day after Drew Lock and the offense blossomed, Von Miller’s defense caused leadership under both 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 work.
In the first 11-on-11 action of the practice, Mike Purcell bulldozed his way through the offensive line and he would have a case on Lock in game conditions. It would not be the last sec of the day. Miller and Bradley Chubb almost clashed as they worked hard not to hit Lock, after they each struggled past the team’s offensive approach. On the scene, Miller tossed a block from Elijah Wilkinson and then paired a chip block to get to Lock.
“I think he had a good day today for the most part,” Filler said of Miller. “Of course I have not seen the tape yet, but I thought he did well. I think Von is in good shape. He is a little heavier than he has been in the past, but not drastically. I think he is in good shape. “The offseason has worked hard to get his body where it wants to be and where it feels it should be. I think it has already shown dividends on the training ground.”
On the first game of 7-on-7 action, Kareem Jackson interprets a Lock-pass after Jerry Jeudy slipped in his route. Isaac Yiadom also added two solid pass breakups during the period, as well.
In a later period of 11 on 11, De’Vante Bausby underwent a Jeff Driskel pass intended for Tyrie Cleveland. Miller continued to dominate in one-on-one scenarios and joined Lock on several occasions. As that period drew to a close, Michael Ojemudia of the third round almost picked up another interception for the defense.
The quality of play continued when the Broncos moved to the red zone for the first time in training camp.
“You have to take advantage of every rep and every exercise, because as soon as you know it, Monday night comes,” Bouye said. “Yesterday was our first day in pads and it did not go the way we wanted. It was not really a message, it was just Vic coming in who showed us our keys, what we should look for, how we should play certain things and we’ve just implemented it. Like I said, it’s going to be around the corner. No preseason games, so you can not get your technique right. Everything we do in practice, we do it at full speed “Offensive, defensive and special teams. We have to simulate games in one way or another.”
As teams move to the red zone, everything is magnified. The plays happen faster, the windows close earlier and the margins are smaller. During a few periods on Tuesday, the Broncos’ off-team offense and defense fired off the first team to take advantage of that work.
“You’re seeking execution,” Fangio said of his expectations of the red zone. “Men understand what they have to do on both sides of the ball and can now work in tight quarters. Sure in the red zone, it’s not good on defense to be in the red zone, but it’s a defensive work advantage if the field is condensed.We need to know how to adapt our game on defense to take advantage of that. [The] offense must realize that things are condensed and play sharp, play fast and fit the ball into it where he needs to be fitted. Running must be performed efficiently. Red zone is a big part of the game. Once you get under there, whether you get three or seven or give up three or seven is crucial. “
Lock made his best throw of the day in the first period of the red zone, when he drove a touchpass over the head of Alexander Johnson to Melvin Gordon III in the far corner of the end zone. The coverage was unreachable, but throwing and catching were even better as Gordon appeared to get both feet within bounds for the score. Lock would also find Courtland Sutton for a score, but the attack was not perfect. Lock completed a short pass to Sutton from the 5-yard line in the second period of the red zone, but his next pass to Phillip Lindsay was defeated by Bryce Callahan and the Broncos were unable to score. Lock also had a pass from Jeudy’s fingertips and another throw to Noah Fant which was passed into the hands of AJ Bouye by Justin Simmons. Kicker Brandon McManus, who was standing at the scene, signaled that Bouye did not get both feet in boundary, but the cornerback disagreed.
“I think it was an interception,” Bouye said. “We said we were going to watch it on film. Brandon just gave us a hard time because we gave him one on special teams. The coaches have been doing a great job since day 1 with the emphasis on how we need turnover. when it’s in the red zone, it’s going to be big. If it’s top five in turnovers, our team will help get where we need to be, and that’s one of us goals. “
Also while working in the red zone, converted security Alijah Holder came up with an interception from Driskel.
