NFL Capsules - AFC: Prepared Peyton still on top of all details

ANDERSON, Ind. — Howard Mudd spent five decades playing or coaching in the NFL.

He’s never been around a student such as Peyton Manning.

From the moment Indy’s franchise quarterback walked into Anderson University’s gym in 1998, Mudd could tell this guy was going to be different. The No. 1 pick went right to work studying the playbook, the protections, anything to give him an edge. He poured over film, took meticulous notes and met with teammates regularly to discuss ideas. Heck, he wouldn’t even talk Tennessee football because he was too busy learning the NFL game.

Manning’s thirst for knowledge never could be quenched in his rookie season, and 12 years, one Super Bowl ring and four MVP awards later, it still hasn’t.

“His preparation has never wavered,” said Mudd, the recently retired Colts offensive line coach. “Every single year, his intensity, his preparation is exactly the same — or greater. To me, that is his brilliance.”

Mudd understands what it takes to be successful at football’s highest-profile job.

After coaching with six different teams and working with quarterbacks ranging from Hall of Famers Dan Fouts and Warren Moon to quality starters such as Bernie Kosar and even busts such as Rick Mirer, Mudd knows some win with their physical skills, others with their brains.

But Manning beats opponents with both because he’s rewritten the book on preparation.

Almost anybody in the league, from Ray Lewis to Bill Belichick, will tell you Manning cannot be fooled.

He’s seen virtually every defense, heard every defensive call and expects his teammates to know it all, too.

That’s why last season, Manning spent each Thursday night huddled in a film room for more than an hour with rookie receiver Austin Collie. The goal was to make sure both saw the same things on the field, something that paid dividends when the two hooked up on a beautifully read 16-yard TD pass against the Jets in January’s AFC title game.

Rookies aren’t the only ones being pulled aside.

“The first day you walk out on game week, he’s got about 14 pink post-its up and you know he’s going to pull you over and spend 15 minutes discussing what he thinks is important,” said longtime center Jeff Saturday, a four-time Pro Bowler.

For Manning, the work never ends.

Coach Jim Caldwell, Manning’s former position coach, remembers times during the offseason when Manning would come in and throw at targets. Caldwell charted every throw, and it got to be a long list.

“If he doesn’t hit it right on the spot, he’ll say hey, ‘Let’s do that again,’ and the initial pass might have been good enough for most people,” Caldwell said this spring.

Manning was throwing so many passes during the offseason, that several years ago, the Colts started limiting Manning’s throws to protect his shoulder.

But that’s the easy part of his offseason regimen.

Each spring, Manning sits down with his quarterback coach and watches tape of every snap he took during the previous season. It’s a grueling marathon.

“Let me put it this way, it takes months, plural. It’s a long process,” Caldwell said. “He has great recall, just in terms of remembering everything that happened on that particular play, all the peripheral things. It’s a great exercise. It really is. It’s interesting.”

The results are more incredible.

Since 2002, when Caldwell came to Indy, Manning has led the Colts to eight straight playoff appearances, seven consecutive 12-win seasons, two AFC titles, one Super Bowl title and won a league record four MVP awards.

At age 34, he’s still not showing any indication of declining skills.

Last season, Manning produced the best completion rate of his career (68.8 percent) and threw 33 TD passes, his highest total since breaking Dan Marino’s TD record in 2004.

Manning enters this season with 22 consecutive regular-season wins in games he’s finished, and teammates think they know why Manning continues to improve with each passing season.

“I’ve never been around anyone that works like this, and I don’t know if I ever will be again,” Pro Bowl tight end Dallas Clark said. “He spends a lot of time preparing and that’s what makes him so good.”

Mudd believes there’s another reason for Manning’s success — he gets teammates in on the action and nothing is off limits.

On the game-winning drive of the 2006 AFC championship game, Manning chuckled at first when backup tight end Bryan Fletcher, who had only 19 catches all season, said he could beat the Patriots on a corner route. Manning thought about it, then hooked up with Fletcher for a 32-yard catch-and-run that took Indy to the New England 37.

Four plays later, Joseph Addai scored the go-ahead TD run, and Manning was headed to his first Super Bowl.

It’s the same way before and during games.

“He always like to hear your input,” Addai said. “He’s real, real unselfish and he always listens to other players. It’s not ever about him, it’s always about the team.”

And getting ready for the next week.

Nobody does that better than Manning.

“He understands that not everybody can process information as fast as he does, so he compensates for that,” Mudd said. “He’ll find a way to get a younger guy up to speed, and that’s where I think his creative genius is — getting everyone up to speed.

“Bernie Kosar prepared because he knew he had to beat you with his brain, this guy is like that and the guy in New Orleans (Drew Brees) is that way, too. But I’ve never around a guy that’s more prepared than Peyton.”

Titans’ younger D work in progress due to injuries

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Safety Chris Hope sees an aggressive defense. Tackle Tony Brown thinks Tennessee is ready for a track meet this season thanks to all the fast, athletic guys around him. Linebacker Stephen Tulloch believes the Titans are group of unknowns ready to make their reputations.

So how much better is Tennessee’s defense? Well, a full eight days into training camp, it’s tough to tell for sure.

The Titans wrapped up the first week Saturday with Brown and linebacker David Thornton, starters in 2009, still on the physically unable to perform list. End Derrick Morgan, the top draft pick, has yet to practice with the full defense because of an injured calf.

This is a defense that must improve after ranking next to last against the pass last season.

“I think pride makes you improve in that,” linebacker Will Witherspoon said Saturday.

Witherspoon, signed in March, wasn’t part of the defense that struggled in 2009 with injuries, pressuring quarterbacks and allowed 258.7 yards passing per game.

The Titans went younger on defense this season, letting end Kyle Vanden Bosch leave for Detroit and linebacker Keith Bulluck sign with the Giants after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last December. Cornerback Nick Harper is a third starter no longer here.

Tennessee invested in Brown, giving him a new contract in May, signed Witherspoon and used six of nine draft picks on defense starting with Morgan.

But Brown has yet to practice this offseason as he recovers from surgery on his knee. Neither has Morgan, at least not with the full defense thanks to first a hamstring and separate injuries to his same left calf. At least the Titans got tackle Jason Jones back to start camp, fully recovered from shoulder surgery last December.

Not that coach Jeff Fisher is concerned, not with four weeks left in the preseason.

“We’re in good shape. We’re going to make the assumption that Derrick is going to return and Tony is going to return with ample time before the season starts. Our front is playing pretty good ... We’ll have a lot of competition, there will be some tough decisions we’ll have to make there, but when it’s all said and done and the dust settles, we’ll have a good rotation,” Fisher said.

Tackle Sen’Derrick Marks is looking much improved going into his second season. Tackle Jovan Haye is 25 pounds lighter and said he hasn’t felt this good since 2007 when he had six sacks for Tampa Bay. Fisher said ends William Hayes and Jacob Ford also are doing well.

Hope said the Titans will be very aggressive.

“We’re going to be a fast athletic defense, run to the ball. Once Tony Brown and David Thornton and guys like that return, it’s only going to add depth to us,” Hope said.

With Thornton out, Jamie Winborn, Colin Allred and Gerald McRath, suspended for the first four games of the season, are getting plenty of work. In the secondary, rookie Alterraun Verner is competing against Jason McCourty and Ryan Mouton to start at cornerback opposite Cortland Finnegan.

Tye Hill, another offseason signee, hurt a hamstring in the opening minutes of camp and also is working hard to return.

Tulloch said players must step up.

“This is a no-name defense right now. We have to make a name for ourselves. We didn’t finish as good as we should’ve last season. ... People don’t know who we are, and we want to make a statement this season,” Tulloch said.

Notes: Chris Johnson has a new pair of shoes thanks to Nike sitting in his locker Saturday. On the back of the red and white shoes? “CJ2K” is written on the back of the left shoe, and “KNOWS” on the right. He said he will use the shoes for workouts and running. ... The Titans were walking off the field after a padded practice when Hayes tossed a tray of ice water onto Johnson’s back for a quick cool down. ... Offensive line coach Mike Munchak was back at work Saturday after getting Friday off to take part in Hall of Fame celebrations in Canton, Ohio. ... The Titans’ first day off of camp will be Sunday.

-- Teresa M. Walker

Jets’ Folk earning trust of once-skeptical coaches

CORTLAND, N.Y. — Nick Folk was booming kicks through the uprights with such consistency, Rex Ryan felt comfortable enough to issue a declaration.

“I want to go on record to say I’m officially not worried about our Pro Bowl kicker anymore,” the New York Jets coach said. “I think that Nick is back in form and that is always great to see.”

You couldn’t blame Ryan for his concerns. Folk was wildly inconsistent throughout offseason workouts, causing many to think the Jets made a major mistake by letting consistent veteran Jay Feely walk away as a free agent.

Both Ryan and special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff wondered publicly about Folk, issuing a challenge to him to get better. And quick.

“I struggled,” Folk said, “and I’ll admit it.”

Folk was a Pro Bowl selection in his rookie year in 2007, kicking the Dallas Cowboys into the playoffs. He set the team’s rookie mark with 131 points, and seemed on his way to establishing himself as one of the league’s top kickers.

He went 20 for 22 the following season, but his third year in the league appeared, at times, as though it could be his last. Folk went only 18 for 28 and missed at least one attempt in six straight games — including a 24-yarder against New Orleans on Dec. 19.

Two days later, Folk was out of a job and wondering what his future held. He insists he understands that it was a business decision, and harbors no resentment toward the Cowboys.

“I mean, they were making a playoff run,” he said. “So they have to do what they have to do. I had a great run there. It is what it is. I still have good friends on that team. I wish them well.”

There was a good reason for Folk’s struggles. He hurried himself back from having a torn labrum in his right hip repaired a few months before the 2009 season. There was competition in camp after the Cowboys drafted David Buehler, and Folk didn’t want to lose his spot.

“I felt just really rushed to get back to training camp and to kick,” Folk said. “I felt like I had to push to go compete against him when I come to find out that wasn’t the case at all. I could’ve kind of taken it back in camp and got into a good rhythm then.”

Instead, Folk got into a funk and kicked his way off the team.

“You’re the hero,” Folk said, “or you’re the goat.”

In February, the Jets made a tough decision by not re-signing Feely, even though he was reliable and a strong presence in the locker room. Feely is in Arizona now, and Folk realizes he has big shoes to fill.

“He’s done well in his career wherever he’s been, really,” Folk said. “He did great up here, he kicked well in the old stadium. So it will be a new challenge kicking in the new place. Obviously, that coupled with my year last year, I mean ... But, I’ve been kicking well and just keep it going and keep a good rhythm.”

Folk said his misses, the few he has had since camp started, are due to small inconsistencies with his angles on his approach to the ball.

Westhoff has worked closely with Folk since the Jets signed him, tweaking technical issues and trying to clean those up. The Jets had their grounds crew measure Folk’s steps, marked them off and built a huge T-square-shaped contraption to help him kick the same way every time.

“Now the league probably won’t let us carry it out on the field and lay it down, but we actually have it to help him every now and then check himself to make sure it’s always as consistent as possible,” Westhoff said. “But we’re trying anything. We’ll do anything we can.”

Ryan said Folk reminds him a lot of Matt Stover, who was in Baltimore when Ryan was there as an assistant. Stover would often struggle in minicamp, missing several kicks, before making adjustments on his way to becoming one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history.

“I’m hoping that’s the way Nick is,” Ryan said. “When you look at him, it’s like, ‘No problem.’ Just lines up, he’s got that little earring in and all that jazz, and boom, right down the tubes.”

With all of New York’s Super Bowl talk, Folk wouldn’t mind going back to Dallas in February and showing off his leg at Cowboys Stadium for a shot at kicking the Jets to a championship.

“Oh, that’d be awesome,” Folk said with a big smile. “I’ll go back there anytime to play. That would be a great accomplishment for this team and that’s the goal for the year. So hopefully, we’ll get there.”

-- Dennis Waszak Jr.

Sanchez, new stars shine for Jets in scrimmage

CORTLAND, N.Y. — The new guys put a new wrinkle in the Jets’ offense.

LaDainian Tomlinson and Santonio Holmes had standout performances in New York’s scrimmage Saturday night for an offense that quarterback Mark Sanchez says is “big play by committee.”

“That offense is much better, and I think it’s going to be great for our team,” coach Rex Ryan said. “We’re going to be able to beat you in several different ways this year.”

The Jets led the NFL in rushing last season, using a ground-and-pound approach. By adding Tomlinson and Holmes to a group of receivers that includes Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards, Brad Smith, Laveranues Coles and tight end Dustin Keller, Sanchez will have plenty of targets.

“I think that’s going to be the fun part: game-planning for the defense and also trying to figure out how to get everybody the ball because they all can do so much,” Sanchez said. “The right mix will be a perfect formula for this offense.”

Ryan said the offense outperformed the defense in the 67-minute practice in front of 9,500, and Tomlinson and Holmes were a major reason.

“It’s hard to put into words,” Tomlinson said when asked about how good the offense could be. “But I’ll tell you what: Explosive is one word that comes to my mind.”

Tomlinson, who signed with New York after nine seasons in San Diego, took a perfect pass from Sanchez over David Harris and ran down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown on the first play.

“That was kind of my plan, just to show people that I can still play this game,” Tomlinson said. “I think coming out here, people are starting to see that I’ve got a lot left in the tank.”

Tomlinson is coming off the worst season of his career after rushing for 730 yards and averaging 3.3 yards per carry for San Diego, but feels rejuvenated.

“This guy is, as I call him, the best third-down back in the league,” Ryan said.

Holmes, acquired from Pittsburgh, had two catches of 20-plus yards — one each from Sanchez and backup Mark Brunell. The 2009 Super Bowl MVP reported for camp Wednesday after spending time in the hospital with his son, Santonio III, who had his spleen removed.

“I mean, the guy shows up and he’s making awesome plays from Day 1,” Sanchez said.

Ryan also raved about Sanchez, who is completely healthy after offseason knee surgery.

“He’s got a great grasp of our system now, and he’s recognizing defenses and he’s ready to go,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt when you have that corps of receivers that we have.”

NOTES: CB Darrelle Revis missed his sixth day of practices while in a contract dispute with the team. ... Nick Folk missed two field goals, but Ryan acknowledged that he changed the play schedule, and the kicker was rushed onto the field. ... Wide receiver David Clowney missed the scrimmage to deal with an undisclosed personal issue. He also missed practice Friday, but Ryan expects him to rejoin the team in time for Monday’s practice. The team has no practice Sunday. ... Ryan said the team got through the scrimmage without injuries — except for defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s son, Ryan, who had turf toe, and Ryan’s son, Seth, who went up for a ball with Antonio Cromartie and was hit in the face by the cornerback. “No stitches required,” Ryan said. “He had a little cut there. Would’ve knocked out most guys, but he hung in there. We did give him a standing-eight count, though.”

-- Dennis Waszak Jr.

Sanchez, Holmes in playful roommate-gate for Jets

CORTLAND, N.Y. (AP) — The Jets have their first big controversy of training camp: roommate-gate.

CLEVELAND — Jake Delhomme took an immediate liking to Cleveland Browns Stadium while playing for the Carolina Panthers five years ago in a preseason game.

While Saturday’s encounter was only an intrasquad scrimmage, Delhomme enjoyed his first experience at the stadium as a member of the Browns.

“It’s great,” he said. “You can feel the energy and passion of the fans. We’re trying to win. I think it’s building. There’s a nice feel.”

Delhomme, slated to be Cleveland’s starting quarterback, threw a 5-yard scoring pass to tight end Ben Watson in the fourth quarter for the Brown team, which defeated the White team, 14-6. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 78 yards and no interceptions.

Cornerback Brandon McDonald, also playing for the Brown team, returned an interception for another score.

All eyes in Cleveland are on the 35-year-old Delhomme, a 12-year veteran signed by the Browns after being released by the Panthers. The scrimmage, in which there was no tackling, came at the end of the first week of training camp.

“You have to be realistic about what happened out there,” Delhomme said. “For the most part, we did some decent things. I’m sure there’s a lot to work on.”

The Browns play their first preseason game next Saturday at Green Bay, something Delhomme is looking forward to, although not for the reason people would think.

“You need to get hit,” he said. “You don’t like quarterbacks saying that, but you need to get hit. You need to have that feel. You need to have that pass rush coming at you and that blitz because we’re not live in practice. We’re the only ones. That has to get you sharp.”

Browns coach Eric Mangini wanted to simulate actual game conditions as much as possible. The teams dressed in separate locker rooms, there was a halftime, and NFL referees officiated the game, which was played with 10-minute quarters. Although there were 15 penalties, Mangini was pleased with what he saw.

“It was really good work,” he said. “It was a nice opportunity for us to do it in a game setting before we have to go do it next week.”

McDonald, also playing for the Brown team, intercepted Colt McCoy’s pass in the second quarter and returned it 40 yards for the only touchdown of the first half.

McCoy, drafted in the third round after a standout college career at Texas, completed 7 of 12 passes for 31 yards and threw two interceptions. His sideline pass to Syndric Steptoe in the second quarter was underthrown and picked off by McDonald, who weaved his way across the field and into the end zone.

McCoy’s other interception came on a Hail Mary pass into the end zone on the last play of the half. McCoy, who is behind Delhomme and Seneca Wallace on the depth chart, was sacked twice and had two passes knocked down.

Kicker Phil Dawson, who played for both teams, connected on field goals of 48 and 35 yards for the White team’s only scores.

The scrimmage was interrupted in the fourth quarter when a fight broke out between guard Scott Kooistra of the White team and linebacker Marcus Bernard of the Brown team. Both players were ejected.

“We’re not going to fight at practice,” Mangini said. “We’ll have plenty of chances to show how tough were are.”

Josh Cribbs, one of the league’s top return men, appeared at several positions. He lined up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation and was used at wide receiver and running back. Cribbs even lined up at safety on one play and had Wallace in his sights on a blitz.

While the final results aren’t significant, there was something at stake in the scrimmage. Members of the Brown team had no curfew Saturday night and are allowed to report late for the team’s next practice, which will be on Monday. Members of the White team had curfew Saturday and have to report early on Monday.

Notes: P Reggie Hodges, subbing for the injured Dave Zastudill (knee), also kicked for both teams. ... Delhomme and Brett Ratliff shared quarterback duties for the Brown team while Wallace and McCoy played for the White team. ... LB Blake Costanzo made a leaping interception of Ratliff’s pass in the second quarter. ... RB Peyton Hillis (leg) didn’t play ... No. 1 draft pick Joe Haden dropped the opening kickoff in the end zone and didn’t attempt a return. He later had a 27-yard return. ... DB Chris Roberson (leg) was placed on injured reserve. John Bowie, also a defensive back, was signed.

Groves adds spark to Raiders defense

NAPA, Calif. — Quentin Groves gathered the Oakland Raiders’ linebackers together after meetings Friday and talked about making the unit the heart of the defense.

Groves then went out and got into a fight with fullback Alex Daniels at practice Saturday, flinging his 6-foot-4, 260-pound teammate to the ground and landing a few punches before trying — and missing — with a kick.

“I was just trying to provide a spark,” Groves said while taking a break between practices. “I talked to my ‘backers last night and said we have to come out and be one of the most feared groups in the league. That’s what the Raiders are known for ... that’s what we are.”

Groves has extra motivation, too. He’s trying to find a spot on Oakland’s 53-man roster and is listed behind strongside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley on the depth chart.

It’s not hard to find Groves on the field. He’s one of the most vocal defensive players and routinely takes verbal jabs at his offensive teammates.

After Saturday’s altercation, Groves joked with some of his defensive teammates about the skirmish and later smiled when talking to reporters about it.

“It’s what we needed,” Groves said. “Anytime you go live on goal-line or short-yardage, there’s going to be fights. Who wants it more? We’re both in the same position, trying to make a spot on this team. Either I’m going to eat or you’re going to eat. One of us has to win.”

Daniels, who is splitting time between the defensive line and fullback, shrugged off the fight.

“It was a little scuffle and then that was it,” Daniels said. “We shook hands, we hugged, we talked in the locker room. It was a good play and then after that it was over.”

Raiders coach Tom Cable has said in the past he had no problems with players fighting in practice but acknowledged Groves attempted kick was over the line.

“Sure it is because that would probably get him thrown out of the game,” Cable said. “We talked about that and they handled it as a team right afterward.”

Groves’ message was clear, though.

If the Raiders are going to have any shot at ending their streak of seven consecutive seasons with double-digit losses, the defense has to improve.

Oakland targeted the linebacking corps in the offseason as part of its makeover.

The Raiders acquired Wimbley from Cleveland in March and sent a fifth-round draft pick to Jacksonville in April for Groves. They used the eighth overall pick in the NFL draft to get Alabama’s Rolando McClain and immediately dubbed him the starter at middle linebacker.

They also traded leading tackler Kirk Morrison, McClain’s successor in the middle, to Jacksonville.

It’s part of Oakland’s effort to fix a defense that was 26th overall and 29th against the run in 2009. Since their last playoff appearance in 2002, the Raiders haven’t finished higher than 22nd against the run.

“We can do a lot,” Groves said. “One moment you might see us in a 3-4, the next you could see us in a 4-3, the next one you could see us in the 5-2, maybe even the 4-6. We just have to tune in the game plan and that keeps teams on edge.”

NOTES: QB Bruce Gradkowski has a sore groin but was able to practice. ... RB Darren McFadden left the morning workout with hamstring tightness. ... FB Luke Lawton has been officially diagnosed with a concussion and the Raiders are putting him through a battery of tests before he returns to practice. ... Cable expects to unveil his quarterback rotation Monday for the preseason game against Dallas next week.

Broncos limp through first week of camp

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The busiest man at the Denver Broncos’ training camp so far has been head trainer Steve Antonopulos.

In the week since the Broncos started camp, they’ve lost their top two tailbacks, the NFL sacks leader from last season along with his primary backup and their right guard who was the team’s only returning starter along the battered offensive line.

On Saturday night, top draft pick Demaryius Thomas, a wide receiver from Georgia Tech who has made several spectacular plays so far, limped to the locker room with the trainers after injuring his left foot or ankle when he came down awkwardly after catching a touchdown catch from Brady Quinn.

The most devastating of the Broncos’ injuries is the torn chest muscle that Elvis Dumervil suffered Wednesday while blocking Tyler Polumbus in a 1-on-1 drill.

Dumervil, who signed a $58.332 million extension just two weeks ago, is expected to miss up to five months, effectively ending his season and forcing the Broncos to reconsider their 3-4 alignment in favor of the 4-3 so they can take advantage of their depth on the defensive line and make up for their bad luck at linebacker.

Dumervil led the league with 17 sacks last season, when Robert Ayers and Jarvis Moss had zero. In just his second practice since replacing Dumervil in the starting lineup, Moss broke his right hand Friday. He’ll need surgery to fix the break and will likely miss two weeks of practice.

Right guard Chris Kuper (ankle) and newly acquired tailback LenDale White (apparent leg injury) also got hurt Friday.

The Broncos’ misfortunes actually began in the offseason when All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady injured a knee while playing a pickup basketball game and required surgery. Special teams star Darrell Reid had radical knee surgery this year, too.

Midway through the first practice of training camp, tailbacks Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) and Correll Buckhalter (back) went down minutes apart.

The trips to the trainer’s room haven’t slowed down since.

Not counting Clady and Reid, 13 players, including star linebacker D.J. Williams and Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins, have missed time at camp so far for medical reasons and two players — wide receiver Kenny McKinley and safety Josh Barrett — have suffered season-ending injuries.

“It happens from time to time,” Dawkins said. “You know, obviously, this is my 15th year in the league and I’ve had camps similar to this in Philadelphia. You hate it when it happens and you hope it stops pretty soon and nobody else goes down. Those guys that step in have to just step up and we all collectively have to do a better job.”

Coach Josh McDaniels can’t put his finger on why the Broncos have been the most snakebit team in the NFL this summer. Last year, they made it through camp healthy and started the season 6-0.

“We didn’t change our conditioning program from one year to the next, we didn’t change the way we get ready for practice, we didn’t change our stretching routines or anything like that,” McDaniels said. “It’s just sometimes I think those are freak things that happen. I think our job is just to manage them the best we can and handle them and move forward and try to keep getting better.”

McDaniels took his players out of pads Friday night and canceled the morning practice Saturday but still planned for a full-pads, hard-hitting open workout in the evening at Invesco Field.

“Obviously, we’re not going to put players out here that we would risk injuring further and we’ll try to monitor and manage everybody the best we can so that we’re ready to go for September, while still trying to get better out here,” McDaniels said.

Dumervil’s injury is the most devastating to the Broncos. Not only do they lose his ballyhooed bull-rush and playmaking ability, but his loss means several of his teammates will have to shift around and play in spots they weren’t expecting to.

Linebacker Akin Ayodele looked at the bright side: at least Dumervil went down early in camp, “and guys can get reps,” he said.

The pressure is now on every other defensive player to put pressure on the quarterback.

Of the 39 sacks the Broncos racked up last season, 35 of them were recorded by players either hurt or no longer on the team. And of those four remaining sacks, three came on blitzes by defensive backs.

The Broncos beefed up their defensive line through free agency and the centerpiece of that rebuilding project was 13-year veteran nose tackle Jamal Williams, who missed most of last season with a triceps injury.

He sat out most of the first week of practice, although McDaniels refused to say whether it was for physical or fitness reasons. By the time he finally got on the field, Dumervil was gone and the Broncos’ defensive front seven was a mosh pit of bodies.

And their misfortune hasn’t been limited to the playing field.

Adding insult to their rash of injuries: the Broncos lost Barrett (shoulder) to the New England Patriots, who claimed him during the 24-hour waiver period before he could go on Denver’s injured reserve list.

-- Arnie Stapleton

Shear genius as Broncos vets shave rookies' locks

DENVER (AP) — Tim Tebow was all the buzz Saturday night at the Denver Broncos' practice.