Broncos know that Super Bowl 50 is in the past
Denver – Super Bowl 50 is in the past, preseason football lies ahead and the 2015 Denver Broncos?
“Dead,” according to quarterback Trevor Siemian.
“I see a few of them still out here,” coach Gary Kubiak said, laughing.
Most were, in fact, present Thursday as the Broncos began training camp at Dove Valley. Reporters constantly brought up the past, but Denver is looking ahead.
New faces (Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch) and old (Von Miller, C.J. Anderson) practiced Thursday morning in front of an orange-clad crowd. The message they put forth was clear: This is (well, kind of) a new team.
“When you look at this defense and the guys that we’ve lost and the guys that we’ve added, we have not only young guys that are able to step up and play bigger roles, but our chemistry hasn’t left,” linebacker Shane Ray said.
And the Super Bowl? They celebrated accordingly, met the president and got their enormous diamond rings. It’s time to move on.
“We all understand that (Super Bowl 50) is over, it’s gone,” Kubiak said. “There are going to be some new leaders and some new people and we’re going to have a new identity. I don’t know what that identity is going to be yet. We’re working on it each day.”
Miller, who signed a six-year, $114.5 million contract earlier this month, was greeted with “M-V-P” chants from the crowd and rapper Jay Z’s song, “On To The Next One” boomed over the defending Super Bowl champions’ loudspeakers.
The Super Bowl MVP missed all offseason training and practiced for just 40 minutes Thursday, but Kubiak said the coaching staff is working on getting Miller back to full strength as camp goes on. Miller is the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL and Kubiak expects him to live up to the paycheck.
“He loves to play,” Kubiak said. “I know the concern is that he wasn’t here for the offseason, but he sure moved around good … He looks good and I’m very proud of him. Like I said, I expect a great deal from him.”
The quarterback situation is far from settled as all three, according to Kubiak, took equal snaps. It looked as though Lynch and Sanchez took a majority, but the coach noted that they all will take snaps with the first team.
Sanchez has dealt with plenty of criticism during his stints as a quarterback for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, and Denver has been no different. Despite returning nearly the entire 2015 defense, the defending Super Bowl champions are a 15-1 longshot to go back-to-back, according to Vegas oddsmakers.
“I don’t really worry about the outside noise,” Sanchez said. “I’m just here in the building. The people in this building are what really matter.”
A few players wore their Super Bowl 50 undershirts Thursday morning. The rings are mostly safely stored away in players’ homes. The memories have been pushed back, waiting to be enjoyed in the future.
Thursday was about a new(ish) Broncos team. Peyton Manning is gone. Sanchez and Lynch are here to fight for his old spot. Miller is back to hearing Broncos fans cheer his name and Aqib Talib looked just fine pacing the sidelines on his bullet-ridden right leg.
“(Super Bowl 50) is something we can cherish for a long, long time,” Kubiak said, “but we’re all smart enough to understand it has nothing to do with today.”
On to the next one.
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Von Miller signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Mark Sanchez is pictured during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterbacks Trevor Siemian, left, and Paxton Lynch watch Mark Sanchez during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Eddie Yarbrough runs the ball during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Mark Sanchez is pictured during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Mark Sanchez looks to hand off the ball during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Paxton Lynch makes a pass during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Paxton Lynch looks to hand off the ball during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Paxton Lynch makes a pass during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Trevor Siemian makes a pass during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Aqib Talib jokes with T. J. Ward during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Von Miller runs onto the field during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Mark Sanchez stretches as fans mimic the moves during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Fans cheer as Von Miller runs onto the field during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Fans mimic the players as they stretch during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Players get warmed up during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Paxton Lynch walks out onto the field during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Trevor Siemian walks out onto the field during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Mark Sanchez is pictured during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Paxton Lynch looks to hand off the ball during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Eddie Yarbrough is pictured during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Aqib Talib is pictured during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Aqib Talib is pictured during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterbacks Trevor Siemian, left, and Paxton Lynch watch Mark Sanchez during the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Vontarrius Dora signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Vontarrius Dora signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Fans yell for autographs from Von Miller after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Fans yell for autographs from Von Miller after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Von Miller signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Fans wait to get autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
DeMarcus Ware signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
DeMarcus Ware signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Von Miller signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Von Miller signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Quarterback Mark Sanchez is pictured after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Vontarrius Dora signs autographs after the Broncos training camp at the UCHealth Training Center on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette