Mile High Monday: The Broncos starting offense has begun to emerge

The Denver Broncos opened training camp last week at UC Health Training Center. I am going to be there every day for camp and covering this event is always a whirlwind of activity.

I like – no, love – when training camp is here. I’ve been a credentialed media member covering camp since 2004, and watching practice is so much fun while also being incredibly informative.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Crisis Averted

Over the first four days of training camp, the Broncos have stayed relatively injury free. That’s not the case for every team across the league, and we’ve seen some key players go down to injury with other teams. On Saturday, the Broncos did get a scare with starting cornerback K’Waun Williams.

He slipped in coverage, leading to a big touchdown throw from Russell Wilson to rookie wide receiver Montrell Washington. On that play, Williams injured his knee but was able to walk off the field. An MRI was done, and fans were on bated breath before the news came out that Williams was going to be okay after a few days.

That’s great news for the Broncos because Williams is arguably the best slot corner in the league when healthy. Williams is smart, and he always seems to be around the play in camp. He’s fast enough to stay with receivers down the field, and he’s quick enough to redirect with smaller receivers on underneath routes. We haven’t even seen the best part of Williams’ game yet – his tackling ability. Williams is a physical player who is not afraid of doing the dirty work, and that includes blitzing the quarterback at times. He was a great addition to the roster, and they don’t have anyone who could replace everything he can do.

Broncos get good news. Per source MRI showed no structural problem in K’Waun Williams knee. He’s sore and will miss a few days. Same knee he had meniscus repair earlier in his career so there was concern but he came out OK. #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) July 30, 2022

The Broncos have time to ease Williams back into action. He’s sore after the knee injury, but after a few days of rest he will be back in action. Williams is a creature of habit, so getting back into a routine is important to him. That should be able to happen before the team’s first preseason game.

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Good Looking Huddle

All the starters on the Broncos offense are not set. Over the course of training camp, positions will be solidified. Right now, the offensive line has the most question marks of any position group on the team. Unlike other teams, the Broncos do have quite the collection of talent – but injuries have clouded their future. Don’t even get me started on what’s going on at right tackle, because the true competition hasn’t been able to start yet because Billy Turner has yet to practice.

Right guard seems to be up for grabs between Quinn Meinerz and Netani Muti. During mandatory minicamp, Muti was rotating with Dalton Risner at left guard. During training camp, Risner is set at left guard, but the right guard position seems to be open. Of the four days of practice so far, Muti has been in one day with Meinerz in for three days when the first team comes out for their first set of reps.

Javonte Williams is the first running back with the first team. They’ll go through a whole set of reps with Williams in the lineup. However, the next time the first team comes out we see Melvin Gordon on the field instead. Saying this is going to be “just like last year” is incorrect. Saying this is going to be Williams getting 80 percent of the work is also incorrect. However, looking at the way reps are being split you see a clear favorite in Williams. That means Gordon could get 30 percent of the work compared to the 70 percent that Williams gets as the starting running back in 2022.

👊🏾⏳ pic.twitter.com/7SR99jqE9v

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) July 31, 2022

Wilson gets the best group of players around him that he’s ever had, and that could lead to great things for the Broncos this season. During training camp, this good-looking huddle will work itself out. The Broncos will work during the month of August to find the best 11 on offense.

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Almost There

Football is life. My job is covering this great game, and it keeps me busy – really busy – all year long. I feel blessed every day to have made my dream of covering the NFL come true. Because football means so much to me, it means I miss it after the Super Bowl and before the start of the preseason. We haven’t seen NFL football since Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022. That’s almost five months without seeing the game I love.

On Thursday, August 4, we get to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars versus the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2022 Hall of Fame Game. The Jaguars are not going to be any good this year, but they do have a second-year quarterback in Trevor Lawrence who could develop into a tier1 quarterback someday. Regardless of how much he plays on Thursday, it will be fun to see him out there honing his skills. As a newcomer in 2021, Lawrence did not look good at all. Outside of a Week 18 game against the Indianapolis Colts, Lawrence struggled mightily as a rookie. I am anxious to see what he looks like beginning his second season.

The Raiders should push for the playoffs again. Many see them as the No. 4 team in the AFC West, but some forget they went to the postseason as a Wild Card team in 2021. They lost to the eventual AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 26-19 in that game. After the season, the Raiders pulled off a huge trade for superstar wide receiver Davante Adams. He is going to be reunited with his college quarterback Derek Carr this season, and that offense could be one of the best in the league. It is unlikely we see Carr and Adams in the Hall of Fame Game, but I want to see players like rookie running back Zamir White to see what else the Raiders could be attacking the Broncos (and others) with this season.

Good morning #Sports fans and welcome to #Sunday. It’s only a matter of time #NFLSunday will be back. pic.twitter.com/oJUry6v9vF

— Nuts & Bolts Sports (@NutsAndBoltsSP) July 31, 2022

I can’t wait for the Hall of Fame Game. As someone who has every preseason game on tape, DVD, or digitally saved on a hard drive since 2000 you can say I’m a bit of a fan. I know I’m not the only one. Football fans – the game we love is almost back!

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That Was Quick

Running an independent comic book company is quite fun, but it’s a lot of work. I’m about to launch three of my Intellectual Properties on crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo and Kickstarter. My plan is to build a fan base for Smokin Gun Comics, and then keep pitching these IPs (I have nine in total) to Hollywood as movies and/or streaming shows. Growing up, I wanted to be a comic book artist, but life took me in a different direction. When my best friend, and co-collaborator, Eric Hoffman got cancer in 2014, I decided to pursue the dream we’d always dreamed about – making it in comics. Eric went through chemotherapy, and I’m happy to say he is cancer free at this time. We’ve gone back to our roots and writing stories with him is one of the joys in my life.

As aforementioned, football keeps me busy, but I have found some good people to hire to help me get my comic book company off the ground. It’s amazing with the power of comic book fans and crowdfunding how quickly you can get a product into the hands of the consumer. There has never been a better time to be an independent comic book creator. Through the power of the fans, projects can take off quickly and become household names in comic book circles (look at the instant success for Boom! Studios “Something is Killing the Children” starting in 2019).

That success has hit with a popular YouTube personality who wanted to create his own product. Eric July, aka “YoungRippa59” on YouTube, recently launched his comic “Isom” as the first title coming in his “RippaVerse” of titles. He’s crowdfunding on his own website, and as of this writing has raised over $3.3 million from around 38,000 backers. Not only has July hit a homerun with comic book fans, he’s seeing characters from “Isom” – which has not yet been released – at comic book conventions from passionate cosplayers. That must be a great feeling when you see the response from the community, which has been overwhelmingly positive. I would love to have that kind of response for my upcoming titles, not just the money but the excitement and energy around this project.

Yaira cosplays already! The hype you all have generated and the enthusiasm you've maintained for this universe are extraordinary – THANK YOU! #RippaVerse #isom #yaira #WeWillWin #comicbooks pic.twitter.com/F6d3CBDem6

— Rippaverse Comics (@TheRippaverse) July 31, 2022

What independent comic book are you most excited about? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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Follow @CecilLammey