Stokley looks, feels good

Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 31, 2007 at midnight

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On the rebound

Brandon Stokley ran stride for stride down the right sideline with cornerback Domonique Foxworth, jumped and caught Jay Cutler's deep toss a second before safety Hamza Abdullah arrived Monday morning.

The moment was not just one play in a single practice at Broncos training camp. For Stokley, it was a significant post-surgery measuring stick on his right Achilles' tendon.

"That's the kind of thing you judge yourself by," Stokley said about his catch during the seven-on-seven period. "Can I still make those plays? Can I still do it? Obviously, I'm not where I want to be right now and have a lot of room for improvement. But when you make those plays, it shows you you're on the right path."

Coach Mike Shanahan said Monday morning's lone full-team workout was "a great practice by Stokley," adding the receiver, "looks like he is back to full speed."

Stokley won't go that far. But he isn't feeling any pain in the foot, saying his knees are sorer and feels he's getting stronger by the practice.

He even got to experience a little contact when Foxworth got his revenge. The cornerback drilled Stokley in the chest after a short reception, decleating the receiver just before the final practice whistle.

"I was hoping it would happen in a preseason game," Stokley said. "But it was enjoyable, to say the least."

He's the one

As offseason camps were winding down, D.D. Lewis couldn't help but wonder where he stood in the team's plans.

Warrick Holdman and Eddie Moore were getting the important snaps with the first team at strong-side linebacker. And when Lewis looked at his situation as a backup in the middle, it was hard to see past the "55" of D.J. Williams in front of him.

"That wasn't going to work too well," Lewis said with a laugh. "I wanted to come in here and play outside."

With Moore gone because of another knee injury, Lewis' opportunity has arrived. He ran with the first team on the strong side Monday and the competition for the starting job flanking Williams and weak-side linebacker Ian Gold appears to be wide open now after Holdman ran with the starters Sunday.

"I've just got to continue getting comfortable in the scheme and everything and once I grasp it, man, I'm really going to show up," Lewis said. "I've battled injuries the last two years and now that I'm over that, I'm really looking forward to get this thing going."

Bend it like . . . Elam?

The United States got David Beckham.

And for a week, at least, England cast its eyes on one of our best footballers last month.

Broncos kicker Jason Elam's arrival across the pond didn't engender the same type of reaction as Posh's hubby. But he did get recognized while spending about a week working toward his master's degree in global apologetics at Oxford.

"They said, 'You're that American football player. Now, how do you guys play American football?' " Elam said. "They have no idea. No idea. They'd say, 'It's slow. Why do you guys take breaks all the time?' "

The Brits will get some of those questions answered when the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants meet in London on Oct. 28 in the first NFL regular-season game outside North America.

Elam's advice for those traveling parties: They even walk on the opposite side of the sidewalk over there so pay close attention.

Gather 'round

There are few words more hated by players during camp than hearing, "Bring it up," from coach Mike Shanahan at midperiod during practice. After all, he isn't gathering everyone to exchange pleasantries but instead to let his displeasure be known.

Shanahan signaled his unofficial timeout when he had seen enough balls on the ground, false starts and encroachment penalties.

"It's just kind of a call to attention to say, 'Hey, let's step this thing up,' " backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey said. "Sometimes it's needed I think. And, obviously, coach Shanahan can detect that. I think we stepped it up a little bit after that point."

Daily highlights

Nate Webster, playing middle linebacker with the second defense, decked receiver Brian Clark, eliciting oohs and ahhs from the crowd. Webster rose to his feet with the ball under one arm and Clark's helmet under the other.

Kicker Jason Elam was perfect on all 10 of his field-goal tries in his first live session of camp. The team initially brought Elam on the field in late-game scramble mode, with time running down and the offense forced to get off the field quickly. The Broncos are running more situational snaps on special teams.

Dré Bly had a solid morning practice, highlighted by his deflection on a pass intended for Glenn Martinez that caromed to middle linebacker D.J. Williams for an interception. Bly also broke up a slant to Domenik Hixon in red-zone drills.

Injury report

Receivers Brandon Marshall and Rod Smith and tight end Tony Scheffler remain on the physically unable to perform list.

Cornerback Lamont Reid (pectoral) and tackle Doug Nienhuis (knee) are on the active camp roster but are in Birmingham, Ala., rehabilitating injuries suffered in NFL Europa.

He said it

"I'm looking forward to some of Tommy's comments. I think they're going to be a little bit more colorful than some of the other guys, so it's going to be interesting."

Jay Cutler, Broncos quarterback, on the NFL's policy that ended the offensive line's longtime media embargo in Denver and its impact on the team's 14-year center, Tom Nalen, who last year vowed never to speak on the record again.

If you go

Today

The Broncos will hold two full-squad practices. Morning practice starts at 8:30 a.m.; gates open at 7:30 a.m. Afternoon practice begins at 3:50 p.m.; gates open at 2:50 p.m.

Wednesday

The full squad will practice at 8:30 a.m.; a special-teams only session will begin at 3:40 p.m.

legwoldj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2359

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