ENGLEWOOD
Andy Janovich Jersey , Colo. (AP) —showed off his strong right arm Tuesday as the Denver Broncos kicked
off their three-day minicamp , throwing frozen ropes over the middle and deep
passes down the sideline.“He looks like a Super Bowl MVP to me,” Von Miller
said. “Today he had a play-action, rolled out to the right and threw the ball
from the opposite 20 to the opposite 15. Now, I don’t know how far that
is.”Sixty-five yards — and just out of wide receiver Brendan Langley’s reach.“He
threw the ball far,” Miller said. “He can throw 80 yards, easy.”Another time,
Flacco hit rookie tight end Noah Fant in stride for a 50-yard gain.Asked
afterward how far he can still throw it, Flacco said, “I have no idea. I hope I
don’t have to throw the ball too, too far. You want to get the ball out and
throw it in rhythm. So, hopefully, 50 yards downfield and you won’t push it down
much further than that.“But I would think that the air up here, you actually can
get a few more yards further. I mean, I have no idea how far I can throw a ball
up here. I haven’t really tried and I don’t really plan on going out there and
trying to do it.”Well, he did it once.Back in the playoffs in 2012, he hit
Jacoby Jones with a 70-yard touchdown throw in the final minute of regulation
that sparked Baltimore’s stunning double-overtime win over Peyton Manning and
the Broncos.“That gets pumped up,” Flacco said. “If you go back and look at that
throw, it was only like 50 yards. It could have been more. Jacoby didn’t think
the ball was coming to him. I was getting ready to wind up and fire it. Next
thing you know I had to kind of take some off. I don’t think I threw the ball
that far there. But, whatever you want to say
Max Garcia Jersey , it sounds good.”What the Broncos want to get out of their three-day minicamp that caps their offseason program is confidence that Flacco
can hit his targets all over the field, short, medium and long.The Broncos’
hopes of ending a three-year playoff drought rest on Flacco being the steady
veteran they thought he was when they traded for him this offseason and not
having to rush rookie Drew Lock.So far, coach Vic Fangio likes what he sees in
Flacco.“He still has a big arm, the ball still comes out of his hand with a lot
of liveliness to it,” Fangio said. “It’s a very catchable ball. I think the guys
like playing with him. I’ve been happy with Joe.”Of course, Flacco flashed
Tuesday during 7-on-7 drills and without the likes of Joey Bosa or Chris Jones
bearing down on him. But his passing prowess is a welcome change after the
Broncos quartet of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch and Case Keenum
over the last three seasons.The key come September is keeping Flacco upright,
and that’s why the Broncos are excited about the changes they’ve made up front,
drafting LG Dalton Risner, signing RT Ja’Wuan James and hiring O-line coach Mike
Munchak, who will try to fix LT Garett Bolles.When Manning visited the Broncos
practice last week he mentioned how having Fangio as his defensive coordinator
early in his career in Indianapolis made him a better quarterback because Fangio
tried to win every practice.“There’s no doubt, you can see it, man,” Flacco
said, suggesting Fangio still has a bit of that defensive coordinator in him as
he transitions into being a head coach for the first time.“I think it’s a good
thing. It creates that competition every day in practice,” Flacco said.Flacco
said he was a bit awed by Manning’s visit.“I don’t really know Peyton that well.
So, it’s still cool for me,” Flacco said. “He’s still a guy that I grew up
watching play. Now
Domata Peko Jersey , I’m on the same football field as him. So, I really don’t lose sight of that. Shoot, it’s Peyton Manning, I’m still watching him do
Nationwide commercials, just like (everyone else). So, anytime I get a chance to
talk with him it’s pretty neat.”Some of Flacco’s teammates have said similar
things about how they grew up watching him, especially members of his
exceptionally young receiving corps.Not that it makes Flacco feel old.“I forget.
I think I’m 23, too,” Flacco said. “And it really does happen. I’ll be sitting
in there and we’ll be shooting the breeze in the cafeteria or locker room or
whatever and you really do forget, oh my God, these guys are 10 years younger
than I am, at least some of them. It doesn’t really dawn on me. I really don’t
see it that way. Everybody wants to talk about age. But in this sport it really
doesn’t matter that much. It’s just about going out there and performing.”
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Von Miller said he’s unaffected by the new NFL rule
prohibiting defenders from landing on top of quarterbacks, requiring them
instead to shift his weight to the side to avoid a flag.“None of the rule
changes affect my game. I don’t really tackle quarterbacks with all my weight
anyway. With all 185 pounds? No, I wouldn’t treat a quarterback like that,” said
Miller, who’s actually 250.“I like going for the ball. If you’ve seen me play
over the years, I’m not really (going to) lower the head or try to injure a
quarterback,” Miller said. “The most I’ll do is fake handshake.”That move cost
Miller a personal foul at key moment last year and led to a loss at
Buffalo.Miller said he has no issue with the league’s new helmet rule that’s
causing so much consternation at training camps this summer as teams wonder what
all will constitute a foul.Broncos coach Vance Joseph said the new rules
designed to protect players will affect the offense more than the defense
because defenders have been taught for years to see what they’re hitting
whereas, say
Ronald Leary Jersey , running backs naturally duck their heads and linemen bang helmets all the time.Defenders, though, will get flagged for crushing
quarterbacks if they don’t break their fall by turning to the side to avoid
landing on top of the passer.An example of the hit that’s now prohibited is the
one Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr put on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in
Week 6 last year that broke Rodgers’ collarbone.The rule now requires defenders
to “strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player’s arms and not land
on the passer with all or most of his body weight.”Line judge Julian Mapp was
among the officials who visited the Broncos this weekend to discuss the rule
changes. Asked how difficult it would be to determine whether a pass rusher has
put more than half his body weight on a quarterback, Mapp said, “I’m a line
judge but talking to some of our referees, what we’re looking at is that — I’m
not a University of Florida fan or anything — but we’re looking for what we call
a ‘Gator Roll.’ We want you to take your weight off of the quarterback.“Also, to
guys, when they tackle their quarterback and you see their hands in the air like
this,” he said, spreading his arms out like an airplane, “that does not take
them off. A lot of the time they think, ‘Well my hands weren’t on them.’ But
it’s the body weight. So, basically they’re looking for some type of roll, some
type of (move where) you’re trying to keep all of your body weight off of the
quarterback.”Miller said the changes won’t affect him at all.“I’ve been good
when it comes to all of those rules,” Miller said. “I respect the game. I know
we need to keep our quarterbacks healthy. Those guys make football what it is,
so we’ve got to take care of those guys.“They’ve put in rules to take care of
all the players, as well. So, I’m good with all the rule changes.”
