Broncos camp report: Mexican player translating playbook

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 30, 2008 at 6:06 p.m.

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Photo by David Zalubowski © AP

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said about rookie receiver/return man Eddie Royal, above, "He's got a lot of talent, a lot of confidence. . . . He's been very impressive.''

ENGLEWOOD — No matter where Manuel Padilla goes, football means, well, football.

"This is football, I always play this football, from the time I was in Pop Warner, college and now," Padilla said. "I love this. Football is a dream come true."

The 24-year-old from Mexicali, Mexico - a city just over the U.S. border from southeastern California - is one of 16 players leaguewide in NFL training camps as part of the international practice squad program.

Padilla, a linebacker, was assigned to the Broncos and will spend the season on the team's practice squad. He can play in preseason games but cannot appear in a regular-season game.

Padilla played four seasons at Tec de Monterrey, a private university that includes football in its athletic program, and was an all-league selection twice before leaving with a degree in international business. He spent time in some training camps for NFL Europa, but that league was folded last season by the NFL.

"So this is now the best way to play," said Padilla, who had spent his high school years in El Centro, Calif. "I wanted to go to UCLA to try to play, but for an international student, the tuition was very expensive. After I talked to my parents we decided the best thing would be to go to Monterrey. I think there will be more players who try, there are a lot of kids who play football in Baja, too."

Padilla said Broncos coaches have discussed playing him at fullback as well and that he might be getting some work on offense before the end of training camp.

"Right now, I'm just trying to learn the playbook as much as I can," Padilla said. "My family is so excited about all of this, a lot of people, they are Cowboys fans or Steelers fans, but I think there will be a lot of Broncos fans now."

Surprise meeting

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler said he has heard from "a lot of kids" since his diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes during the offseason.

Wednesday, he surprised an Elbert girl who wrote him one of the first letters of support he received after it became public he had the disease.

The Broncos arranged for Ashlea Carothers, who also has Type 1 diabetes, to meet Cutler after Wednesday's morning practice.

Carothers believed when she arrived to the Broncos' Dove Valley complex that another note she had written was going to be given to Cutler - she signed it "keep fighting." Instead, she got to meet him as well.

"I've heard from a lot of kids, a lot of letters of support," Cutler said. "You hear from them and know there are so many people out there dealing with what you're dealing with and a lot of times they have dealt with it a lot longer."

Nalen held out

Broncos center Tom Nalen, who had surgery to repair his left knee in June, was quickly removed from the morning practice because of pain in an area coach Mike Shanahan said "was just below the knee."

Nalen opened the practice in uniform and tried initially to participate, but then took his gear off and watched the remainder of the workout from the sideline. Casey Wiegmann worked with the starters in Nalen's place.

"(His) knee is still a little bit sore," Shanahan said. "He wanted to practice, he just had a little pain in that area and we told him to stay away and hopefully he'll be able to come back (today)."

Etc.

* Shanahan exploded at safety Hamza Abdullah during the morning workout for tackling running back Selvin Young to the ground in an 11-on-11 drill. Defensive players are supposed to make contact and wrap the ballcarrier in practices but then release them so they can finish their runs.

"These guys are all competitive and you've got to protect each other," Shanahan said. "I don't mind that, it's just part of football. But if you don't make a statement out there, it gets to be full speed and somebody gets hurt."

Abdullah had an interception minutes later.

* Running back Michael Pittman was held out of practice with a tight hamstring and fullback Peyton Hillis (hamstring) again was held out, while defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson (knee) also was given the day off.

* Cutler hit Brandon Marshall for a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown in team drills, while Darrell Hackney later hit rookie Eddie Royal for a 50-yard score.

* Broncos players were given a presentation by a group of officials about new rules Wednesday night. The officials were scheduled to participate in today's practices.

• July 30, 2008

  7:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dynamicdave writes:

  The RB's need to watch those hamstrings. We can't afford to be losing them all before the season even starts. I hope Nalen is going to be ready for the season. I'm glad we have Casey to fill the void if Nalen goes down. Cutler and Marshall seem to be in sync and I've been hearing nothing but good about Royal. I just worry about what will happen if Marshall gets a suspension? He is a huge part of our WR's corp., especially in gaining yards after the catch. He is an impact player for us.

• July 30, 2008

  10:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  bigbadthor writes:

  I agree Ddave, but hamstrings are probably more an issue with start of training camp and the heat than anything else, I am sure they will be ready to go for the season, I wonder why the kid from Mexico can't play in the regular season, what if he actually can play, why waste him on the practice squad, everyone should have the oppurtunity if they can play.

• July 30, 2008

  11:24 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Welcome2Boise writes:

  I meant thor, got my peeps mixed up sorry

• July 30, 2008

  11:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Welcome2Boise writes:

  And it seems my original post didn't show up anyway, so here goes.
  bigbadthor, maybe they don't let him play because he is a roster exemption. If that is the case then all the team would have to do is formally sign him to the active roster so he would count against the 53 man limit. However, that is just a guess and I would also like informed clarification.

• July 31, 2008

  7:43 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  MarcoPolo writes:

  From the NFL Media website:

  To enhance the development of elite football talent from around the world, NFL clubs have agreed to expand the league’s International Practice Squad Program. The action was taken at the NFL Spring Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on May 20.

  The initiative, which enters its fifth year in 2008, will for the first time feature 16 players joining the practice squads of NFL teams.

  The players will be selected and assigned to teams in the AFC North, AFC West, NFC South and NFC West in time for training camp. Participating players will be announced in mid-July.

  Since the program’s inception in 2004, 22 players have participated, including 11 last year and nine that have participated twice.

  One player, guard Rolando Cantu of Mexico, graduated from the International Practice Squad Program to see action in the NFL the following season. Cantu spent 2004 on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad before being elevated to the active roster by the club in 2005.

  Cantu played in one game that year, the club’s season finale against the Indianapolis Colts, and was on the field when kicker Neil Rackers connected on his record-setting 40th field goal of the season, the most in a season in NFL history.

  Cantu is now retired from football and serves as the Cardinals’ manager of international business ventures.

• July 31, 2008

  11:23 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dynamicdave writes:

  Welcome2Boise & bigbadthor, MarcoPolo is correct. These players are not going to top colleges (like Padilla who went to Tec de Monterrey). The program is not top standard. So his ability to play and compete in the NFL needs honing, as well. My concern is this, though. We keep "reaching out" to International players and we keep reaching out to let other countries in on our sport. Now we are going to begin playing regular season games in other countries. That is just wrong. It cuts the Americans out of our home games (home, meaning the US). They will more then likely pay less for tickets so the NFL takes a hit on costs. Guess where that revenue will be made up at? Our pockets. They want to increase the revenue so we know the costs will be lower for the out of country tickets so they can bring in the bodies to fill the seats. To attract the interest. This is all in theory, of course, but logical. The playing out of country, however, is fact. Any thoughts on this?

• July 31, 2008

  2:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jar74 writes:

  whatever cutler, for those who don't know that our lovely QB blew off a special needs kid at bronco fanfair and only does things BECASUE HE HAS TO !!! so seeing cutler try and act like he cares, grow up junior and then maybe you deserve all the children to proudly wear # 6 on their back, till then my kids are staying away from you.

• July 31, 2008

  2:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jar74 writes:

  * maybe our children would be proud to wear #6, but that won't happen soon

• July 31, 2008

  2:19 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dynamicdave writes:

  Jar74, I've requested this from you before. Could you please tell us where you heard or read this? Or did you personally witness it? I'm not saying it didn't happen, but I won't believe it on hearsay. "Someone told me"....or, "I once read somewhere", won't satisfy or change most peoples opinion without the facts to back it up. Was it a story in the the RMN? Any info is helpful. Thanks.

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