Everyone wants to talk about the Seahawks.
The Broncos took the field at Dove Valley on Tuesday for their last full day of practice before Thursday’s preseason opener against Seattle, and all anyone wanted to know was: Are the Broncos ready?
Are they ready to face the team that destroyed them 43-8 in February?
Do they expect an intense meeting at Sports Authority Field at Mile High?
Will this game finally shut the big mouths of those Seahawks?
Right, everyone wants to talk about the Seahawks. Except the Broncos.
“Like every year, no matter who your opponent is, you get tired of banging on each other for 14 days,” Broncos coach John Fox said after Tuesday’s morning workout. “You use preseason as kind of a measuring stick where you are, because you haven’t hit anyone since the earlier season.”
“Really, last year’s forgotten. Everybody is 0-0. This is the 2014 season. It’s no different than any other years. A year ago we lost to Baltimore (in the playoffs). I’ve said many times if you don’t win the last game there’s disappointment. That’s behind us. We’re so far along now, with different players and different schemes that we don’t think about (the Super Bowl) much.”
After losing starting running back Montee Ball for at least the first couple of preseason games because of an appendectomy, Fox faces the prospect of playing without his No. 2 receiver, Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders strained his quad during Monday’s camp and was held out of Tuesday’s session.
Fox said he doesn’t plan to play his starters more than the first quarter, meaning the younger players and the team’s revamped (and stacked) defense will all be on display.
Ronnie Hillman is expected to take over the starting running back job while Ball is out in the preseason.
But it will be the team’s revamped defense, with offseason acquisitions of T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware, who will likely garner the most attention.
Ware, who was brought on as much for his defensive talents as well as his leadership, put the latter to work Tuesday, schooling offensive lineman Ryan Clady in blocking and hand placement while on the sidelines during 11-on-11 drills.
Defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson admitted it may be too early to tell if the team’s new-look defense is coming together, but expects everyone to jell.
“We’re all getting in our spots in practice,” he said. “At the end of the day, everybody knows what their responsibilities are and where they’re supposed to be on each call. With everybody doing their job and playing fast and physical and violent and doing the things on this side of the defense, I think that’s where we get out cohesiveness.”
The Broncos will go through an evening walkthrough Tuesday then another walkthrough Wednesday before the opener Thursday, when more will be revealed about the Broncos’ depth on both sides of the ball.
But don’t get carried away.
As linebacker Von Miller said: “It’ll be a preseason game.”
Injury update: RB Montee Ball (appendectomy), DE Chase Vaughn (knee), DE Greg Latta (hip), WR Emmanuel Sanders (quad strain), DB Charles Mitchell (hamstring).
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickijhabvala
