Notes from Broncos minicamp, Day 1

[Miles]

... Flacco and the first-team offense got two cracks at the defense, as a relatively quick end to the first series allowed Head Coach Vic Fangio to add another series to practice. In the first series, the defense stepped up to stop the offense on downs at the defense's 47-yard line. Flacco got the drive going with a pair of completions to Royce Freeman that moved the ball from the offense's 30-yard line to its 45. But after a 4-yard run and a 4-yard pass from Flacco to DaeSean Hamilton, the defense forced a pair of incompletions, with Shelby Harris sealing the stop by deflecting Flacco's pass at the line of scrimmage.


"We're going to put that pressure on [Flacco], and it's just going to make him better for game day," Harris said. "If we can put that pressure on him in practice -- it's nothing like he's going to see in the game, but he's going to be used to at least having people in his face."


The second attempt for the No. 1 offense went better, as Flacco opened with three passes to TE Jeff Heuerman that moved the football 24 yards to the defense's 46-yard line.


"You've got a progression, and you've got the defense maybe determining a couple of parts of that," Flacco said. "Jeff's one of those guys that probably doesn't get a ton of chances in the pass game, but when he does, he's in the right spots. He gets there in the timing of the play, and he knows where to be and how to sit down and when to keep going. It's credit to him; he probably doesn't have a ton of chances, but when he does, he makes the most of it."


Flacco kept the drive going with a quick pass to Devontae Booker, making a quick read in reaction to pressure from DB Kareem Jackson. Then, after an incompletion forced in part by pressure from safety Will Parks, Flacco hit Booker for 10 yards to move the offense to the defense's 29-yard line. Another completion -- this one to RB Royce Freeman -- ended a series in which all of the yardage came on passes to the tight ends and running backs.


... QB Kevin Hogan and the offense eventually found more success, although the defense lost an opportunity for a pick-6 when a De'Vante Bausby could not quite corral an interception on the third play of the series after the offense had gained a first down on Hogan completions to Juwann Winfree and Austin Fort.


Given the reprieve, rookie RB Devontae Jackson kept the drive alive. He gained 9 yards on a second-down pass from Hogan, then moved the chains on a fourth-down carry after Su'a Cravens deflected a third-down attempt to Fort. RB Khalfani Muhammad then provided the next push forward, galloping 24 yards down the right sideline with a third-and-10 pass from Hogan two plays later. But a chance for a touchdown went astray three plays later. Hogan had WR Fred Brown open for a fade in the back right corner of the end zone, but the pass sailed too far.