The first day of Training Camp 2008 is in the books and has already left us with more questions.  Each day I'll give my thoughts on the previous day's work and try to sum up what we saw, what we heard, and what we read. 

1.  Call The Exterminator -- The injury bug is back, that is, if you thought it had left in the first place.  Before the first ball was snapped we found out the DT Carlton Powell would likely miss the season with a torn Achilles tendon.  Then, reserve WR Edell Sheppard injured his knee and missed the afternoon session.  If one reason could be targeted for the team's play in 2007 it would be injuries.  Even Jay Cutler's diabetes is injury related in some ways.  While the team does possess depth in several areas, I wouldn't term depth as a team strength.  Every team tries to avoid getting hurt in Training Camp, for the Broncos it is even more important.

2.  A Couple of Starters Out of Shape -- Brandon Marshall has been in the news most of the off-season for all the wrong reasons.  We'll likely find out early next week his status for the early part of the season.  On the field, Marshall is also making news looking "gassed" after every pass route.  Sure, Marhsall's arm injury inhibited his off-season training, but he was cleared to run in April.  Despite not being able to catch a football, there is no excuse for Marshall to come into camp out of shape. 

Starting RT Montrae Holland is even worse off than Marshall.  Coming to camp heavier than the team's required reporting weight, Holland will have to work out on his own until he gets the weight off.  With the O-Line one of the big questions coming into the season the fact that one of the known starters will not be working with the group early in camp should not be overlooked.  Holland played great last year, was rewarded with a contract extension, and talked during the off-season how he was as strong as ever.  Hopefully this is just a hiccup for Holland and not an indictment of his work ethic.  The Shanahan Doghouse is not a place you want to spend any time and it appeared Holland might be the first to take residence.

3.  Diabetes Be Damned -- Sure, I was confident that Jay Cutler would be able to come into camp and play well despite being diagnosed with Diabetes, but until he actually puts the pads on and get to work you never can be sure.  After 1 day of Cutler firing passes all over the practice field.  It goes without saying that any success the Broncos have in 2008 is directly related to how Cutler and the doctors handle is medical condition and the results after Day 1 are, I'm happy to say, positive.

4.  Playing Through Pain -- It has been reported that OL Chris Kuper suffered a broken hand during the morning practice and missed the afternoon workout.  The hand, when fitted with a cast, should not keep Chris from practicing.  Kuper is battling for a starting job along the offensive line and needs to be on the field.  There is no questioning this kid's toughness and I hope the injury doesn't slow him down.

4.  Ex-Bronco Sighting -- Former Broncos RB Mike Bell will receive a try-out with the New England Patriots.

The Denver Broncos on Monday waived running back Mike Bell and kicker Garrett Hartley, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Bell, a third-year player, rushed for 680 yards on 163 carries (4.2 avg.) with eight touchdowns in 20 games (3 starts) as a Bronco. He entered the NFL with Denver on May 8, 2006, as a college free agent from the University of Arizona.

Hartley, a rookie, entered the NFL with the Broncos on April 28, 2008, as a college free agent from the University of Oklahoma.

Most of the "originals" know my feelings on Bell, or any undrafted FA in a big time role so I won't get into it.  Well, maybe I will on MHR Radio Wednesday.  Let's face it, when a player can't even get to camp without getting cut it really isn't that big of a loss.

I wish both men the best.

This post is an historic one for me as it is my 100th since joining Mile High Report almost a year ago.  I am currently working on several different upcoming posts and I was wondering if I should make a certain one my historic post, but then I thought I should just stick to what my original schedule was.  This was planned to be my next post, therefore, it will have to be my 100th post. 

I recently posted my positional comparison for the defense along with grading the performance of the 2007 group and also applying a preliminary grade for what I see as potential upgrades or downgrades for each position.  I felt incomplete not having done the offense as well, so here it is.

The 2007 offensive group had a solid core surround by a couple of glaring deficiencies.  The story of our season was told best by a series of posts called “NPTB” or No Points Left Behind that can be found all over the MHR Community during last season.  Our offense racked up the yardage without scoring very many points. 

The Quest for the offense this season is about one thing, getting into the end zone!

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