Orton’s INT, Dawkins’ injury cast pall over Broncos’ camp
By Hunter Ansley on August 4, 2009 · 7 Comments · 
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CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that Kyle Orton threw two interceptions during 11-on-11 practice Tuesday. One of those interceptions should have been attributed to rookie quarterback Tom Brandstater.
Sometimes there are just those kinds of days. Nothing seems to go right. Sometimes your life just plays out like the theme song from Friends.
Wednesday wasn’t quite the apocalypse, but the dark news coming out of Dove Valley was enough to overshadow some of the brighter points.
And not even the return of Denver’s favorite striped son, Ed Hochuli, could prevent a few big name additions from causing a cringe or two.
Of course, Hochuli received a warm welcome from fans who still remember his infamous call in last season’s week two game against the San Diego Chargers that sealed a 39-38 win for the Broncos.
“Yeah, he’s one of our favorite guys,” coach Josh McDaniels said. “The whole team was excited to see Ed Hochuli today. … As soon as I introduced him there was a big cheer. They haven’t forgotten last year against San Diego.”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t overturn Kyle Orton’s interception during the 11 on 11 portion of the practice. Orton was picked by Jack Williams, the current first team nickel corner, who plucked one at the goal line before returning it 99 yards for a score. Williams’ first interception of the day came earlier in the same drill against rookie quarterback Tom Brandstater. Orton did connect with Tony Scheffler, Peyton Hillis, and Eddie Royal for multiple touchdowns throughout the day, and he displayed nice arm strength on more than one occasion, but the Broncos have seen red zone turnovers before, and they’re not a welcome site.
Still, it’s not like there wasn’t a silver lining of some sort. Orton’s slight trash was the secondary’s treasure, and he certainly made up for it in a few flashy ways during the session. But the celebration didn’t last long. Perhaps the Broncos’ biggest offseason acquisition, Brian Dawkins, was seen leaving the field alongside a trainer with an apparent upper body injury. Dawkins wasn’t limping, and the injury doesn’t appear to be anything damning, but you never want to see a leader and an absolute force in the defensive backfield trot off due to an ailment of any sort.
Losing Dawkins for the day put a damper on the return of outside linebacker Jarvis Moss who had recently missed time after questioning his dedication to the game. Moss’ return was promising on the surface, but it’s possibly not as concrete as Denver fans would hope. If Moss retires, he would owe the organization $3.6 million, but if he’s cut he keeps his signing bonus as well as the contract money he’s already earned. Call me skeptical, but once a player goes public with a lack of desire to continue his career, the situation doesn’t look great.
Moss’s impending absence could open things up for rookie Robert Ayers who practiced for the first time today behind Elvis Dumervil, though the Broncos could use all the help they can get at one of the most crucial positions in their new 3-4 scheme. Especially considering linebacker Nic Greisen was officially placed on injured reserve today.
Here’s hoping that while today wasn’t Denver’s day, the bad luck won’t continue for a week, a month, or even a year. Are you listening, Knowshon?
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One of those interceptions was thrown by Tom Brandstater and the other by Orton. Get your facts straight.
Didn’t Orton only throw 1 interception I thought the other one was thrown by Brandstater? I guess you didn’t point out that Orton also threw 6 touchdowns yesterday and has looked pretty solid.
You’re absolutely right. One of his INTs came from Brandstater. My mistake. And I have been a big advocate of Orton’s since his arrival in Denver. He did look good yesterday on multiple occasions. Guess I saw Bradstater’s 3 and thought it was Orton’s 8. Here’s hoping they both have more reliable eyesight than I do come the regular season. Thanks for the heads up guys. It should be fixed within the next few minutes.
Hunter
Maybe Moss’ misgivings has come to something, and maybe it hasn’t. I’m not taking anything from that at the moment. It may be BECAUSE he cares, rather than a lack of desire. I remember when Elway became so frustrated he very nearly quite. He really did. Of course, we know the rest of the story. So I believe we need to let this play out for Moss. This little respite may be what he needed to gain a fresh perspective on his career. We’ll see . . . but I’m not prepared yet to say it is a bad sign.
I hope you’re right. McDaniels seemed very adamant that the whole Moss deal was over, and that Moss is dedicated and ready to compete and contribute. I just thought it was worth mentioning the monetary details. I would love to see what he can do from the OLB position in the 3-4, however, and really hope this will relight his will to play.
Donkeys are in for a rough year. The Raiders and the Chargers are going to duke it out for the west this season.
Raiders? Are you serious? lol Everybody is already counting out the Broncos this season and saying maybe in a few years we’ll be good. No. We did not make the moves w made to be good in a few years. Look at the Dodgers in the MLB. They don’t have the all-stars that somone like the Yankees have but yet they have the best record n the league. We have solid players everywhere on the field this year. Not to mention a coach that is young but knows his way around a football field. I’m excited and looking forward to a good race between us and the Chargers.