Jake Butt couldn't help but get a little nostalgic over the simple routine of putting all his pads on again.
Reasonable. It's been a while.
The Denver Broncos tight end returned to the field in full gear Tuesday for the first time since tearing his right ACL against Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 [url=http://www.authenticsdallascowboys.com/cheap-michael-gallup-jersey]Michael Gallup Jersey Elite[/url] , 2016.
"I kind of thought about it when I put on the pants. It was like, 'Man, I haven't put on the pads in almost two years,'" the Michigan standout said. "It was exciting. It felt good out there."
Next order of business: Jerseys .
Butt and his family don't mind having a little fun with their last name. And now that he's fully healthy, those No. 80 uniforms will be going fast 鈥?taken by his clan and completely customized (his father had "Papa Butt " on his jersey when Jake was at Michigan).
"We're ordering in bulk," Butt said. "We're building the 'Butt Army' out here, for sure."
It was on hold last season as the 23-year-old recovered from the knee injury that caused him to slip to the fifth round of the 2017 draft. The Broncos were hopeful to have him back for the second half last season, but he wasn't ready and went on injured reserve.
Butt declared Tuesday his knee feels "100 percent" again. He wasn't wearing a protective brace when the team donned full pads.
He could be a big boost to the tight end corps. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Butt won the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end his senior season at Michigan. He had three catches for 28 yards against Florida State in the Orange Bowl before tearing his knee.
His recovery has been somewhat slower than he anticipated. The rehab has been filled with plenty of ups and downs.
"It's not just you're getting better and better every day. You have some days that are better than others," said Butt, who had 138 catches for 1 [url=http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brian-o_neill-jersey]http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brian-o_neill-jersey[/url] ,646 yards while with the Wolverines. "In that sense, you have a mental component. But once you're on the field, for me personally, you're playing football. You're not thinking about any bumps and bruises you might have."
He used the down time in 2017 memorizing his routes and reads. He's putting it to good use now.
"I had a year to observe how pro football really works," Butt said. "Going back to the spring, I really got into the playbook so I can hit the ground running in camp."
Butt has plenty of competition in camp among a tight end group that's got deep Big Ten Conference roots. There's rookie Troy Fumagalli, a fifth-round pick out of Wisconsin. There's also Jeff Heuerman, a third-round pick in 2015 from Ohio State who's currently sidelined by a balky knee. Not to be left out: Matt LaCosse attended Illinois, and Austin Traylor went to Wisconsin.
Fumagalli has an easy explanation for the league's representation.
"Well-rounded," he said. "I can't speak for all of the Big Ten, but a lot of the schools they expect you to be a pass catcher [url=http://www.arizonadiamondbacksteamshop.com/authentic-randy-johnson-jersey]Randy Johnson Jersey[/url] , a pass blocker and a run blocker. They expect you to be well-rounded."
Butt's hoping to display that throughout camp.
"You know you can't come in and take a day off because that next guy up is hungry," Butt said. "Everyone in our room is making plays and doing a great job. That's going to help us in the long run."
He's already developing a solid rapport with quarterback Case Keenum.
Then again, Butt said that's not difficult.
"Case is doing a great job connecting with a lot of guys out there," Butt said. "That's the advantage of having a veteran quarterback. He understands where to go with the ball, where to put the ball, what reads to make. We're trying to take advantage of that."
NOTES: DE Derek Wolfe briefly left practice Tuesday with what coach Vance Joseph described as a small stinger. "He's fine. He came back out. He's OK," Joseph said. ... OT Garett Bolles returned to practice after taking a hit to the chin. "When you have these head injuries, any type of a head injury, it's always going to be on the safe side to check him out," Joseph said. ... CB Tramaine Brock will miss about a week with a hamstring ailment, Joseph said. ... OG Ron Leary on his scuffle with LB Todd Davis during practice: "It's all love."
Patrick Mahomes II wants to get out of the huddle without any issues [url=http://www.authenticsarizonacardinals.com/cheap-christian-kirk-jersey]Christian Kirk Jersey Elite[/url] , call the right protections and limit his mistakes, all while leading the Chiefs to a couple of touchdowns when he plays the first quarter of their preseason opener against Houston on Thursday night.
If something doesn't work according to plan? He'll be in coach Andy Reid's ear to stay out there.
"I mean, yes, kind of," Mahomes said with a grin. "I know he's going to keep it where he can try to let everyone play and get everyone. But if I don't score I might say something to him."
There are a few things to unpack from that statement.
First, the Chiefs' new starting quarterback has high expectations for himself, perhaps even higher than those of a fan base that is already fawning over him. Second, he is secure enough to lobby a coach who's been at this for two decades to reconsider his plan. And third, he understands his job is to put up points, especially considering the myriad question marks surrounding the defense.
Oh, and fourth: There is a competitive streak in Mahomes that is nearly unrivaled.
"We are going to try to win. That is the first thing coach Reid said when we were game planning for this week is he doesn't like losing [url=http://www.atlantabravesteamShop.com/authentic-danny-santana-jersey]Danny Santana Jersey[/url] ," Mahomes said. "We're going to do whatever it takes. I am going to try to encourage those guys and help those guys on the sideline. We have a lot of competitors, so hopefully we can win the football game."
The result doesn't matter much, of course. It will likely be decided long after the starters exit following the first quarter, and probably after the backups hang up their helmets at halftime.
Still, the Chiefs hope to begin building some momentum for the regular season right away.
"You're looking for assignment football. You're looking, when the juices get going, how you handle that," Reid said. "You're in the stadium with the fans there. We've had a great turnout here (at camp), but it's a little different with the lights on and it's game time.
"It's one more evaluation period that you have a chance to see these guys in."
This will be Eric Bieniemy's debut as offensive coordinator after the longtime running backs coach was promoted to replace current Bears coach Matt Nagy. He has worked closely with Mahomes throughout camp and will be wearing the headset to communicate with him on game day.
Reasonable. It's been a while.
The Denver Broncos tight end returned to the field in full gear Tuesday for the first time since tearing his right ACL against Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 [url=http://www.authenticsdallascowboys.com/cheap-michael-gallup-jersey]Michael Gallup Jersey Elite[/url] , 2016.
"I kind of thought about it when I put on the pants. It was like, 'Man, I haven't put on the pads in almost two years,'" the Michigan standout said. "It was exciting. It felt good out there."
Next order of business: Jerseys .
Butt and his family don't mind having a little fun with their last name. And now that he's fully healthy, those No. 80 uniforms will be going fast 鈥?taken by his clan and completely customized (his father had "Papa Butt " on his jersey when Jake was at Michigan).
"We're ordering in bulk," Butt said. "We're building the 'Butt Army' out here, for sure."
It was on hold last season as the 23-year-old recovered from the knee injury that caused him to slip to the fifth round of the 2017 draft. The Broncos were hopeful to have him back for the second half last season, but he wasn't ready and went on injured reserve.
Butt declared Tuesday his knee feels "100 percent" again. He wasn't wearing a protective brace when the team donned full pads.
He could be a big boost to the tight end corps. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Butt won the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end his senior season at Michigan. He had three catches for 28 yards against Florida State in the Orange Bowl before tearing his knee.
His recovery has been somewhat slower than he anticipated. The rehab has been filled with plenty of ups and downs.
"It's not just you're getting better and better every day. You have some days that are better than others," said Butt, who had 138 catches for 1 [url=http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brian-o_neill-jersey]http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brian-o_neill-jersey[/url] ,646 yards while with the Wolverines. "In that sense, you have a mental component. But once you're on the field, for me personally, you're playing football. You're not thinking about any bumps and bruises you might have."
He used the down time in 2017 memorizing his routes and reads. He's putting it to good use now.
"I had a year to observe how pro football really works," Butt said. "Going back to the spring, I really got into the playbook so I can hit the ground running in camp."
Butt has plenty of competition in camp among a tight end group that's got deep Big Ten Conference roots. There's rookie Troy Fumagalli, a fifth-round pick out of Wisconsin. There's also Jeff Heuerman, a third-round pick in 2015 from Ohio State who's currently sidelined by a balky knee. Not to be left out: Matt LaCosse attended Illinois, and Austin Traylor went to Wisconsin.
Fumagalli has an easy explanation for the league's representation.
"Well-rounded," he said. "I can't speak for all of the Big Ten, but a lot of the schools they expect you to be a pass catcher [url=http://www.arizonadiamondbacksteamshop.com/authentic-randy-johnson-jersey]Randy Johnson Jersey[/url] , a pass blocker and a run blocker. They expect you to be well-rounded."
Butt's hoping to display that throughout camp.
"You know you can't come in and take a day off because that next guy up is hungry," Butt said. "Everyone in our room is making plays and doing a great job. That's going to help us in the long run."
He's already developing a solid rapport with quarterback Case Keenum.
Then again, Butt said that's not difficult.
"Case is doing a great job connecting with a lot of guys out there," Butt said. "That's the advantage of having a veteran quarterback. He understands where to go with the ball, where to put the ball, what reads to make. We're trying to take advantage of that."
NOTES: DE Derek Wolfe briefly left practice Tuesday with what coach Vance Joseph described as a small stinger. "He's fine. He came back out. He's OK," Joseph said. ... OT Garett Bolles returned to practice after taking a hit to the chin. "When you have these head injuries, any type of a head injury, it's always going to be on the safe side to check him out," Joseph said. ... CB Tramaine Brock will miss about a week with a hamstring ailment, Joseph said. ... OG Ron Leary on his scuffle with LB Todd Davis during practice: "It's all love."
Patrick Mahomes II wants to get out of the huddle without any issues [url=http://www.authenticsarizonacardinals.com/cheap-christian-kirk-jersey]Christian Kirk Jersey Elite[/url] , call the right protections and limit his mistakes, all while leading the Chiefs to a couple of touchdowns when he plays the first quarter of their preseason opener against Houston on Thursday night.
If something doesn't work according to plan? He'll be in coach Andy Reid's ear to stay out there.
"I mean, yes, kind of," Mahomes said with a grin. "I know he's going to keep it where he can try to let everyone play and get everyone. But if I don't score I might say something to him."
There are a few things to unpack from that statement.
First, the Chiefs' new starting quarterback has high expectations for himself, perhaps even higher than those of a fan base that is already fawning over him. Second, he is secure enough to lobby a coach who's been at this for two decades to reconsider his plan. And third, he understands his job is to put up points, especially considering the myriad question marks surrounding the defense.
Oh, and fourth: There is a competitive streak in Mahomes that is nearly unrivaled.
"We are going to try to win. That is the first thing coach Reid said when we were game planning for this week is he doesn't like losing [url=http://www.atlantabravesteamShop.com/authentic-danny-santana-jersey]Danny Santana Jersey[/url] ," Mahomes said. "We're going to do whatever it takes. I am going to try to encourage those guys and help those guys on the sideline. We have a lot of competitors, so hopefully we can win the football game."
The result doesn't matter much, of course. It will likely be decided long after the starters exit following the first quarter, and probably after the backups hang up their helmets at halftime.
Still, the Chiefs hope to begin building some momentum for the regular season right away.
"You're looking for assignment football. You're looking, when the juices get going, how you handle that," Reid said. "You're in the stadium with the fans there. We've had a great turnout here (at camp), but it's a little different with the lights on and it's game time.
"It's one more evaluation period that you have a chance to see these guys in."
This will be Eric Bieniemy's debut as offensive coordinator after the longtime running backs coach was promoted to replace current Bears coach Matt Nagy. He has worked closely with Mahomes throughout camp and will be wearing the headset to communicate with him on game day.
.