get too excited about how guys look this time of year.”You really can’t put too much into OTAs,” Miller said Tuesday when asked how much improvement he saw in Denver’s revamped offense. ”Last year, I thought during OTAs we were
https://www.broncosfanstore.com/Peyton-Manning-Jersey going to win the Super Bowl.”Asked what it was like playing with a healthier Shane Ray and with rookie Bradley Chubb, the top defender in last month’s draft whose selection sent him into a tizzy , Miller again demurred.”I mean, it’s the same thing that I said about the offense, you really can’t put too much into it,” Miller said. ”You really can’t get too high off a `sack’ in practice out here. I mean, I think that’s a joke.”If you really want to get Miller going, however, bring up his pass rushing summit.Miller is hosting his second annual gathering of the league’s top quarterback tormentors June 27 to June 29 at the Bass Pro Shops’ Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Missouri.”Some guys said they were coming but I don’t want to say their names yet. You know how it is when you’ve got big-money guys walking around they commit to something two months out,” said Miller, who was all smiles now. ”We should have a good group of young guys. We got a good group of vets and retired guys that are going to come talk about pass rush and come up with ways on how to beat up some quarterbacks.”Miller’s first such summit came about organically last year in California .At the behest of his former position coach Richard Smith, Miller contacted Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley so they could work out together at Stanford University during their summer break between OTAs and training camp.When word got out, ”the media kind of dubbed it the Von Miller Pass Rush Summit,” Miller said. ”I was reading the article and I’m like, I should make this happen. So, I invited all the guys that I knew.”On short notice, he lured Khalil Mack, Olivier Vernon, Malik Jackson, the recently retired DeMarcus Ware, Shane Ray, Cassius Marsh and Cliff Avril, among others.Miller’s inspiration was former teammate Peyton Manning, whose family holds an annual quarterback camp and who used to gather receivers along with brother Eli at Duke University during his playing career.”That definitely was the blueprint,” said Miller, who figured if quarterbacks could gather in the offseason to share trade secrets, why shouldn’t pass rushers?”Whenever you can get guys together who do the same thing that you do to share thoughts, it helps develop you as a pass rusher,” Miller said. ”It helps develop the young guys and it’s better for our sport. It absolutely helps the game of football.”He told The Associated Press at the Super Bowl in Minneapolis that he’d obtained a title sponsor and expected his second annual camp to be even bigger and better than the first. He said he’d invite offensive linemen, too.”It’s a great space where we can go share knowledge
Brandon McManus Color Rush Jersey ,” Miller said. ”It’s the only place where you can do that, it’s the only place where you can get Khalil Mack and Vic Beasley in the same spot – other than the Pro Bowl – and talk about just straight pass rush, what it takes to be a great pass rusher.“It’s great for everybody around.”Miller doesn’t have a head count yet, but he’s not worried about nobody showing up to his party.”I just call the guys around the league. It’s a small fraternity of guys. I know guys on every team,” Miller said. ”So, Justin Houston, I can just call him and tell him to invite Dee Ford and the other guys. Andre Branch with the Miami Dolphins, I can just call him and tell him to invite all the guys. Aric Armstead and Cassius Marsh with the San Francisco 49ers, they were already there last year, so tell them to invite the other guys.”You put the word out and it’s like the `Justice League,’ all the (pass rushers) just come out of nowhere.”— ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) 锟斤拷锟?Jackhammers and buzz saws nearly drowned out the coaches hollering during OTAs this week at Denver Broncos headquarters, which is undergoing a makeover this spring.Upgrades include a massive new theater for team meetings and an expansion of the training room.Another thing the Broncos are remodeling is their backfield.It’s hardly recognizable following the departures of veterans C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles along with longtime position coach Eric Studesville, one of six assistants fired after last season.Curtis Modkins, who tutored 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Howard in Chicago last season, replaced Studesville, Miami’s new run game coordinator who served four head coaches in his eight years in Denver.Charles wasn’t re-signed after one season in Denver, and the Broncos released sixth-year pro Anderson , their leading rusher, to save $9 million. He signed with the Carolina Panthers.That leaves not a single running back in Denver who has ever posted a 100-yard game in the NFL.It’s a backfield bursting with energy, if not enthusiasm.“We’re all young,” third-year pro Devontae Booker said. “We can go out there and take it to the house at any time.”Booker didn’t start a single game last year, and second-year pro De’Angelo “Hop” Henderson carried seven times as a rookie. But with fullback Andy Janovich known more for busting helmets than tackles, they’re the ones getting peppered with questions from a trio of rookies.“It’s crazy,” said Booker, who turns 26 Sunday. “I think Hop’s the same age as me, but I’ve been here longer.”The Broncos selected Royce Freeman from Oregon in the second round of the NFL draft and Arkansas’ David Williams in the seventh before adding Colorado’s Phillip Lindsay, who went undrafted.Booker isn’t acting like he’s suddenly ascended to the top of the depth chart, either.“We’ve got four or five backs competing to be the guy, so he’s got to come out and work and earn the right to be the guy,” coach Vance Joseph said. “Obviously, he understands that with C.J. gone
Shane Ray Jersey , it’s a wide-open race. He’s excited about that and he should take a step forward.”No matter who emerges as the Broncos’ lead back, there will be plenty of carries to go around.“Someone’s got to be the starter, but I think to have a great running game, you have to have two or three guys,” Joseph said. “I think also (important is) having a third-down back, a guy who can be great in protections, catch the ball out of the backfield and beat linebackers one on one.”Booker, for one, wouldn’t mind sharing snaps.“Running back by committee,” Booker said. “If it happens like that, I’m all for it.”Here’s a look at the running backs jockeying for carries in 2018
EVONTAE BOOKER : Coming off an injury-marred season, he was expecting to share snaps this season – with Anderson.“It was crazy, because the first day we got back, that’s when everything happened. I had just seen him. We were doing physicals and the next thing I know” he’s been released, Booker said. “It was shocking to me, but at the end of the day it’s a business. Best of luck to C.J.”DE’ANGELO HENDERSON : The speedster from Coastal Carolina escaped serious injury when a drunken driver totaled his Jeep last week.“It definitely makes you appreciate everything more,” Henderson said. “After I stopped, I was like, I’m lucky. I’ve got a newborn son, I got a fiancee. I’ve got a family that really cares about me and teammates that are counting on me this year.”ROYCE FREEMAN : Freeman’s high football odometer – 947 rushes, 79 catches in college – didn’t scare off the Broncos: “What it shows to us is he’s durable,” general manager John Elway said.Freeman agrees his college workload shouldn’t be a concern.“It is not often you get backs playing as many games or taking as many carries,” Freeman said. “I feel like the fact that I was able to do so proves I am a durable running back.”DAVID WILLIAMS : He’s embracing the crowded running back room, saying he enjoys competing for carries.“It’s actually a great situation,” Williams said. “If it was me in college, I would go to this school, if this was a school, because the situation is good. I’m just blessed to be able to have the opportunity to be in this situation.”PHILLIP LINDSAY : In all but one of the last 14 seasons, an undrafted college free agent has made the Broncos’ 53-man roster, and this Denver native is a good bet to continue that trend.He’s out to wow the coaching staff as a rusher, receiver and returner.“I’m just going to showcase everything,” said the former Buffaloes standout known as the “Tasmanian Devil” for his relentless motor.—
