Demaryius Thomas goes high for a pass Friday. (PHOTO: MAXDENVER.COM)
Even the most untrained of eyes noticed the grabs Demaryius Thomas made throughout Friday’s first minicamp session.
There was one where he turned back up the right sideline to make a grab in front of Andre Goodman. There was the usual assortment of smooth grabs in drills. Most notably, there was the catch of the long Brady Quinn pass where he leapt over Tony Carter, showing the blend of physical prowess and athleticism that pushed him into the first round.
On those grabs, he moved smoothly, showed no ill effect from his recent foot injury and displayed fluid body control in mid-air. But beneath the spectacular surface, head coach Josh McDaniels saw more, reminding everyone that while Thomas’s physical gifts and practice performance can inspire an “ooh,” it’ll also yield an exasperated, “oh, man.”
“It’s like a typical rookie day,” McDaniels said. ” He made some big plays … and then made a couple of drops, ran a few wrong routes. He slapped his helmet after the play was over, like, ‘I can’t believe I just did that.
“But we’re really happy to have him out there … He certainly has shown the ability to make a difference when he’s out there.”
GATHERING MOSS: Some work with the first team at outside linebacker the last few weeks — and some moments where he blew by blockers and collapsed the pocket — have provided glimpses that Jarvis Moss can finally show some of the promise that made him a first-round pick in 2007.
“He’s done everything we’ve asked of him. He’s done extra in the weight room. He’s really put forth great effort, both on the field and in the classroom,” McDaniels said. “We’re really pleased with the work that he’s put in so far.”
With Dumervil watching team periods from the sideline throughout OTAs and Robert Ayers also sidelined per a “coaching decision” Friday, Moss found himself quite busy on the first team.
“He’s earned a lot of reps for himself, which is great,” McDaniels said.
WHILE FRIDAY’S WORK WAS MANDATORY as the officially designated “minicamp,” the tenor of the practice was similar to the passing-camp sessions the Broncos have held since the team reconvened May 17. The team remains on a one-practice-per-day schedule.
“It was really the same as the OTAs. We haven’t really changed anything. Our schedule is the same as it has been the last two weeks,” McDaniels said.
PRACTICE NOTES:
- Among the players who did not practice were tight end Marquez Branson and defensive end/linebacker Darrell Reid. McDaniels said Branson was working back from an undisclosed injury, while Reid has no definite timetable. “He may be one of the few that goes into training camp and can’t really participate based on where he’s at right now,” McDaniels said.
- Brian Dawkins had a big day, intercepting a pair of passes off Brady Quinn during a red-zone period.
- After seeing plenty of work at right tackle while Ryan Harris was injured, rookie Zane Beadles worked at left guard Friday alongside fellow rookie J.D. Walton, who has been the first-team center throughout most of OTAs. “We feel like (Beadles) has definitely had more work at tackle,” McDaniels said. “At some point, we will make a determination at where we think he has to sat, so we can focus on him improving and competing for a position.”
- Alphonso Smith continued his trend of intercepting passes when the media is watching, picking off a deep pass from Brady Quinn to Kenny McKinley during a team period early in practice. Darcel McBath followed one play later with a pick of his own off Tim Tebow, who had another interception in a seven-on-seven period when Champ Bailey stepped in front of a sideline pass to Matthew Willis.
- Willis was a part of arguably the nicest play for the offense in the red zone periods, when he responded to a Kyle Orton scramble to the right by reversing his field and veering to the middle right of the end zone, where he found open space to make a touchdown grab just before David Bruton arrived in coverage.
