The Denver Broncos on Monday signed safety Roderick Rogers to their practice squad, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

With Rogers' signing, all eight spots on the Broncos' practice squad are now filled.

Rogers (6-foot-2, 187 pounds) is a second-year player who rejoins the Broncos after he was waived on Sunday. He spent his rookie season with Denver, which signed him as a college free agent from the University of Wisconsin on May 2, 2007.

The safety was on Denver's practice squad for the first 15 weeks of the 2007 season before appearing in the club's final two games of the year. During the 2008 preseason, he tied for fifth on the Broncos with nine tackles (8 solo) while appearing in all four games (1 start).

At Wisconsin, Rogers was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection.

Rogers attended Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., and was born on Sept. 7, 1984.

2008 DENVER BRONCOS PRACTICE SQUAD

S Roderick Rogers
S Josh Barrett
DE Ryan McBean
RB P.J. Pope
WR Travis Wilson
QB Darrell Hackney
OG Mitch Erickson
DT Steven Harris

The Denver Broncos on Sunday signed safety Josh Barrett, guard Mitch Erickson, quarterback Darrell Hackney and defensive tackle Steven Harris to their practice squad, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Barrett (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) is a rookie from Arizona State University who was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round (220th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played in all four Denver preseason games in 2008, ranking fourth on the club in defensive tackles (11) and tying for third in special-teams stops (2). A two-year starter at Arizona State, Barrett attended Reno High School in Reno, Nev., and was born on Nov. 22, 1984.

Erickson (6-foot-6, 290 pounds) is a rookie from South Dakota State University who entered the NFL with the Broncos as a college free agent on April 28. He appeared in all four preseason games for Denver in 2008 following a collegiate career in which he received first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior at SDSU. Erickson attended Hutchinson High School in Hutchinson, Minn., and was born on May 14, 1985.

Hackney (6-foot-0, 248 pounds) is a second-year player from the University of Alabama-Birmingham who spent the final eight games in 2007 on Denver's 53-man roster after beginning that season on its practice squad. In four games (1 start) with the Broncos in the 2008 preseason, Hackney completed 24-of-38 (63.2%) passes for 285 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions (94.7 rtg.). A first-team All-Conference USA selection at UAB as a senior, Hackney attended Douglass High School in Atlanta and was born on Aug. 7, 1983.

Harris (6-foot-5, 305 pounds) is a second-year player from the University of Florida who entered the NFL with the Broncos as a college free agent on May 2, 2007. Harris, who saw time in all four preseason contests for Denver in 2008, played four games for the Broncos in 2007 and totaled six tackles (all solo). A member of the Gators' National Championship team in 2006, Harris attended Coral Gables High School in Coral Gables, Fla., and was born on Aug. 14, 1984.

The Denver Broncos on Saturday made several transactions to reduce their roster to the 53-man limit, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

The club waived 17 players while placing running back Anthony Alridge (left foot) and fullback Cecil Sapp (left quadriceps) on its reserve/injured list. Denver also moved tight end Brett Pierce (left ankle) to its waived/injured list.

Beginning Sunday, the Broncos can establish a practice squad of up to eight players.

The following 17 players were waived by the Broncos on Saturday:

Player                                     NFL Exp.               College                           

G P.J. Alexander                            6                      Syracuse

S Josh Barrett                               R                     Arizona State

LB Jordan Beck                             4                      Cal Poly/San Luis Obispo

DE Larry Birdine                            2                      Oklahoma

DE Paul Carrington                       3                      Central Florida

CB Wale Dada                              1                      Washington State

G Mitch Erickson                           R                     South Dakota State

G Dylan Gandy                              4                      Texas Tech

QB Darrell Hackney                      2                      Alabama-Birmingham

DT Steven Harris                           2                      Florida

WR Glenn Martinez                       3                      Saginaw Valley State

WR Marquay McDaniel                 1                      Hampton

TE Chad Mustard                          5                      North Dakota

P Sam Paulescu                           2                      Oregon State

CB Tyrone Poole                          13                     Fort Valley State

WR Clifford Russell                      6                      Utah

S Vickiel Vaughn                            2                      Arkansas

For the Official List, CLICK HERE!

Player                                     NFL Exp.               College                           

G P.J. Alexander                            6                      Syracuse

S Josh Barrett                               R                     Arizona State

LB Jordan Beck                             4                      Cal Poly/San Luis Obispo

DE Larry Birdine                            2                      Oklahoma

DE Paul Carrington                       3                      Central Florida

CB Wale Dada                              1                      Washington State

G Mitch Erickson                           R                     South Dakota State

G Dylan Gandy                              4                      Texas Tech

QB Darrell Hackney                      2                      Alabama-Birmingham

DT Steven Harris                           2                      Florida

WR Glenn Martinez                       3                      Saginaw Valley State

WR Marquay McDaniel                 1                      Hampton

TE Chad Mustard                          5                      North Dakota

P Sam Paulescu                           2                      Oregon State

CB Tyrone Poole                          13                     Fort Valley State

WR Clifford Russell                      6                      Utah

S Vickiel Vaughn                            2                      Arkansas

       @       

  Dallas Cowboys 13      @          Denver Broncos 23

August 16th, 2008 - 7:00pm MST
Invesco Field @ Mile High
Denver, CO

DENVER BRONCOS COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

General --
"I was pleased with the effort of our entire football team. They did great work against the Cowboys both Wednesday and Thursday. We got a lot of things done, especially with our young guys. During that second drive today we had a couple penalties and we overcame a few of our mistakes. But overall, I thought we played extremely hard from start to finish. I thought we did better tonight."

On the offensive line being pushed around by Dallas' defensive line --
"To be honest, we played really well against them a couple days in a row, and I felt pretty good about our run defense. I thought we fared well. I think we played pretty well against a Houston team that will do well this season. We made some strides, but obviously we're not there."

On playing the starters for the entire first half --
"Yes, we planned on playing them the entire first half. I wasn't going to do it after that second drive. We wanted to get them in a game situation. We got a lot of young people out there. We have a new tackle and a new guard out there and we want to build cohesiveness."

On the offense and if he is surprised by how far along they are --
"I've said that I believe in these guys - they have a lot of fight, but they don't have a lot of experience. So what we have to do is keep on getting guys in there to learn."

On WR Eddie Royal --
"He's got exceptional ability and great speed, and great quickness. You guys saw him the first day, he wanted the starting role, and he embraced the challenge. He has been very consistent in practice, and done pretty well in the game."

On QB Jay Cutler's chances of improving --
"You can always get better, that's why you practice, that's why you work. You always try to improve. Jay is going to be hard on himself. There's not a lot of perfect games out there, so if you think you're perfect, you're going to be embarrassed pretty quickly."

On being a passing team or a running team --
"We're going to do what we're going to do. Jay's doing a great job of passing the ball. He's doing a good job of spreading the ball around. Against the Dallas Cowboys, you better be able to throw it because they have an excellent front seven, and their safety support is doing well."

On holding anyone out because of the rain --
"TE Daniel Graham had a tight hamstring, so he came out after the first series, and hopefully there's no setback there. And the guys that got banged up during practice were kept out for obvious reasons."

On S Josh Barrett --

"He tweaked his ankle on the opening kickoff. He came back later on. I'm not sure how many plays he played."

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       @       

  Dallas Cowboys      @          Denver Broncos

August 16th, 2008 - 7:00pm MST
Invesco Field @ Mile High
Denver, CO

   To Follow The Week From The Cowboy's Perpective, Check Out Blogging The Boys! 

Welcome to an exhibition version of MHR Game Prep! How does this work? Simple. I'll be providing the game preps for you this year, but the pre-season will be a little different.

In the pre-season, it is hard to gauge what will happen. Neither team plays for the win, but instead calls in plays and substitutions designed to test out potential starters. Because the game is competitive on an individual level (but not so much at the team level), it is very difficult to provide a match up for the game. There's no telling who will play and for how long, nor what kind of program will be run under coaches wanting to call "vanilla" plays.

So what we will do is provide a game prep based on the concept that the game counts, is a part of the regular season, and that the starters are playing four quarters. Call it a preseason practice for the "game prep" author to get up to speed if you will. By reading the articles in the preseason as if they were regular games, the predictive value is worthless, but the value in gauging the strengths and weaknesses of our players and system should provide some good insight on what to expect this year.

The big treat (I hope) is that students of the reloading season series "MHR University" will be able to recognize the terms and concepts in the game preps, and watch the game of football with a trained and discerning eye. If you missed the series, no worries mate! Just click the links in the story to read up on the terms.

Read on...

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      @      

  Denver Broncos      @       Houston Texans

August 9th, 2008 - 6:00pm MST
Reliant Stadium - Houston, TX

At last the time for talk is over and the time to play is upon us.  Regardless of what you personally think the Quest is all about it starts for you and the Broncos tonight with their first pre-season game against the Houston Texans. 

Sure, the first game is usually a time to get your starters in and out without getting anyone hurt, and it is no different for the Broncos, but there are a lot of battle up and down the roster that games like these will help determine.  There aren't many guaranteed roster spots out there once you get past the top 12-15 players.  That means there are 65 guys battling for 38 spots.  Good times to be sure.

As a new practice, I reached out to the main contributors here at MileHighReport to see what they would be watching for tonight.  They are included after the "fold", but here are a few things I am focusing on tonight against the Texans --

1.  Ryan Clady and the O-Line -- I'll start with Clady because he is playing the most important position on the O-Line if you have a right-handed QB - Left Tackle.  The Texans have an elite pass rusher in Mario Williams and he will be a good first test for Clady.  I also expect Clady to see a bit more playing time since he is playing such a high-profile position as a rookie. 

I am also looking to see how Chris Kuper fares with a huge cast on his hand.  While the injury is unfortunate, and Kuper is a true warrior for trying to play through it, if he struggles it could open the door for someone else. 

Ben Hamilton will get his first live action since New Year's Eve 2006 when he laces them up tonight.  He has shown no ill-effects of the concussion that ended his 2007 season before it began, and more importantly he has not looked timid at all.  Even as important as Tom Nalen is to the offense, I look at Hamilton as the most important piece.  If he goes down again, the line really has to start shuffling bodies around.

2.  Rookies Get Their Shot -- So far so good for the rookie class of 2008.  Eddie Royal is going to start at #2 receiver tonight, his first real test of whether he can be a factor on offense as well as special teams.  While some will lead you to believe Royal's promotion is a statement against Darrell Jackson, I think Jackson is firmly entrenched as the #2, and will likely be the #1 while Brandon Marshall serves his suspension.  If Royal proves to be effective at the #2 spot, Jackson, who is already comfortable as a #1, will slide over to fill Marshall's spot. 

I also expect Jack Williams and Josh Barrett to see extended action tonight.  I am high on both players, especially Barrett, and think both can make an impact in some way, shape or form in 2008.  This will be their first chance to prove to everyone they have what it takes to play at this level and I expect both players not to disappopint.

3.  Revamped Defense Needs To Make A Statement -- We've heard a lot of talk from the defense about how much they like the system being installed by Bob Slowik.  Now it is time to prove it works.  The Broncos will only go as far this season as it's defense allows, despite having a solid offensive group.  The Texans do not have a stellar run game, and the Broncos need to start building confidence in their run-d. 

The front 7 also needs to generate pressure on the quarterback to assist what I consider to be an underrated secondary that has a lot more athleticism and speed now that John Lynch is no longer around.  You guys are really going to like Marlon McCree, and his acquisition could be a steal once this season plays out.  Trust me.

4.  Kicking Game - Not just field goals, but kick-offs and punts as well.  The Broncos have been the worst, deal last, horrible, awful, etc when it comes to special teams and starting field position.  An extra 10 yards on a kick return is one less first down the offense needs to try and move the ball down the field.  Same goes for the coverage teams.  The Broncos need to consistently win the field position battle, whether that is by forcing turnovers or by simply turning over the field with solid punt and kick coverage.

Now let's see what Styg50, HoosierTeacher, Zappa and MDierk think about tonight's game --

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First, my apologies for the tardiness of this report.  With the Broncos taking the afternoon off to celebrate Gary Zimmerman's induction into the Hall of Fame, I was fortunate enough to get an early flight back home Saturday afternoon/evening.  Then, of course, I had to get involved with being a dad again, something all fathers know whenever they are away for a few days.  That left little time to get this out and for that I apologize.

That said, I want to take a moment to thank the Denver Broncos Media Relations staff, including Patrick Smythe and his folks for making me feel welcome and giving me anything and everything I needed to make my job easier.  I also want to thank the Broncos internal Media staff, including Kyle Sonneman, Dave Gaylinn and others for making sure I didn't feel the wrath of Fred, the resident bad-ass security guy for the Broncos.  We have talked many times about the CLASSY type of organization the Broncos are, and it doesn't stop on the field.  These guys and gals are all class off the field as well, and it starts at the top with Mr. Bowlen and goes all the way down to the interns in the media room.  Thanks to all of you again!

With all the Thank You's out of the way, let's break down what I saw on my final day of seeing practice up close and in person.....

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Shanny readies for practice

My first practice and my goal was to take in as much as possible.  It was great to see the Orange and Blue close up and get a real feel for just how fast, how big, and how powerful alot of these men are.  I have read through the comments and will try and touch on as much as possible.  I focused on the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, wanting to see how the team looked when simulating game action.  As the week/weekend moves on I will focus on different parts.

There is hope, with the off-day following on Sunday, that the team may go full-pads on Saturday morning.  I certainly hope that is the case.

Here are some of my musings, in no real order....

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8:00 AM mst - Good Morning from the Press Room at the worldwide headquarters for the Denver Broncos.  With The Denver Post on one side of me and the Rocky Mountain News on the other, MHR has taken the next big step towards complete respectability.  I know the Broncos read this site, so let this be my public Thank You!  It means a lot to this lifelong fan to be given a tremendous opportunity and I plan to make the most of it!

In true Guru fashion, I have once again stumbled onto this day at the perfect time.  John Lynch has left the Broncos, though there will be a press conference with him after the morning practice.  I'll listen in, and give you my thoughts afterward.

A few things I am going to watch for this morning include -

--Who is running with the first team at safety now that Lynch is gone? 

--Just how awesome does Josh Barrett loook in person?  People have been raving about him throughoout camp and I want to lay eyes on him for myself.

--What is the general mood of the team during the workout.  Players will aways say the right things to the media, but find it hard to mask it when it comes to their enthusiasm and effort.  There will definitely be a letdown, especially in the leadership department, and how quickly the players get over it is something to watch.

--I'm just psyched to watch some football!!!

Stay tuned to MHR all day.  Today more than ever, MileHighReport is YOUR SOURCE FOR THE DENVER BRONCOS!