Peyton Manning and Eric Decker lingered on the Broncos' practice field for more than 15 minutes Wednesday, playing catch long after the rest of their teammates had headed into the locker room.
The Broncos were back for the second round of organized team activities after a long Memorial Day weekend, and the rust showed. Manning and Decker appeared to have several miscommunications during the practice, and the pair worked extra to fix the problem.
They were still discussing routes and passes as they finally headed back inside Dove Valley.
"I think it was evident, particularly offensively, that we were coming off a 4 1/2 day hiatus," coach John Fox said. "But that's what happens. We gave them a little break, and I think
they enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend. We've just got to get back to business."The Broncos will hold two more practices this week, and four more days of OTAs next week. The only mandatory minicamp is June 12-14.
Other notable items from Wednesday's practice:
• Starting running back Willis McGahee did not participate. With McGahee missing, Lance Ball took the first-team running back reps. Knowshon Moreno, who had surgery to repair a torn ACL on Dec. 1, is not cleared to participate in full-team drills yet.
• Other absent players include defensive tackle Ty Warren and kicker Matt Prater, who continue to sit out because of contractual issues; rookie defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, who cannot participate until his class at the University of Cincinnati graduates June 9; right guard Chris Kuper and tight end Julius Thomas, who are both recovering from ankle injuries; and running back Jeremiah Johnson.
• The big play of the day came from backup quarterback Caleb Hanie — taking the No. 2 reps behind Manning — who hit receiver Andre Caldwell for a deep touchdown. Caldwell sprinted past cornerback Chris Harris to get open.
• Cornerback Tracy Porter had two pass breakups on
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• Rookies Eric Page and Ronnie Hillman were among the four players practicing as punt returners. Hillman, a third-round running back, dropped two punts and had to do pushups.
• Defensive tackle Sealver Siliga lined up with Justin Bannan as the first-team defensive tackles throughout Wednesday's practice. Kevin Vickerson, who was with the starters during the open OTA last week, was with the second team.
• A large group of high-ranking law enforcement officials from various departments around Colorado toured Dove Valley on Wednesday morning and watched practice.
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
