The Sports Xchange

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For the second consecutive day, when the horn blew after individual work, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning led a cadre of veterans back to the locker room, from which point they went to the team’s conditioning center on the other side of team headquarters to work out and lift weights.

Manning and most of the Broncos’ starting lineup didn’t take part in the seven-on-seven or team periods. And while the lack of on-field work may make it seem like they’re getting off light, the reality is a bit different.

“It’s not like we’re in there resting by any means. We’re in there actually doing more intense lifting than the guys that are doing the team work,” Manning said.

And that reveals another key aspect of a minicamp that looks different than any other in Broncos history: a focus on conditioning for the veterans, which the Broncos believe will help them more than a handful of extra repetitions. Meanwhile, the younger players, who need the on-field work, can get it.

When the veterans were on the field Wednesday, they focused on some specific situations. The quarterbacks threw under pressure, with offensive coordinator Rick Dennison serving as the “blitzer” on Manning and backups Brock Osweiler, Zac Dysert and Trevor Siemian. Dennison was a linebacker for the Broncos in the 1980s, so he has a bit of experience in that role.

“We’re doing walkthrough on blitzes, and so I still feel like we’re practicing. We’re just doing some alternate things,” Manning said. “I think there are some positives in it. That’s what we’re working towards.”

–The fate of the Broncos’ protection scheme for Manning might rest on two players who have never started in the NFL.

At left tackle is rookie Ty Sambrailo, replacing the injured Ryan Clady. Next to him at left guard is Ben Garland, an Air Force product who was a defensive lineman two summers ago and a backup offensive lineman last year.

Garland has the raw tools to succeed in a zone-blocking-intensive scheme; he’s athletic, smart and possesses quick feet. What he doesn’t have is experience.

“Work habits, effort and all those things, there is no question about Ben. Really the thing that we’ve got to see is the playtime,” Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said. “Everybody is very impressed with Ben and how he’s handled himself here. It’s time for Ben to become a player, but we’ve got to find out when the lights come on. But he’s doing everything he possibly can do.”

“He’s made significant improvements in the time that he’s been here,” added Manning. “He’s going to fight and scratch and claw, and those are the kind of guys that you like in there with you trying to protect you and trying to help you.”

The potential of Sambrailo and Garland as a duo is already evident; even in the non-contact workouts, the two have improved their cohesion on the tandem pulls and blocks that the scheme demands. But if the Broncos use a left flank comprised of two newcomers, they will have to be prepared for some inevitable hiccups, especially early.

“It’s June and we’ve got until September to figure this thing out,” Dennison said.

But Garland’s work on the first team shows what the Broncos think of his potential.

“If right now we went to camp we would have a pretty good idea how we’re going to line up and go,” Kubiak said.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Changes — instead of being stymied by any type of change, you can be stimulated by them. That’s been true for me and I think that’s been a real positive, to tell you the truth.” — Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.