Broncos rookies report for training camp: "It's about to get real. It's about to go down."

[Elite_video_player id=”2″]

ENGLEWOOD, Co – That familiar smell is in the air, freshly cut grass, crisply unboxed leather and. . . sweat—football season is upon us.

The Denver Broncos rookies reported for training camp on Monday to get settled in for a few days before the veterans come barreling in on Wednesday. In conjunction with that, safeties Justin Simmons and Will Parks, as well as offensive lineman Connor McGovern spoke to the media on their first official day back.

“That’s a big help [to come in before the vets]. If you’re not looking forward to this, you’re crazy,” Parks said. “It’s a big help just getting a head start, just getting back to doing things on a normal routine as we’ve been doing the past two months. I’m pretty sure all of the rookies have been home working out, training well and doing what they’ve got to do. Justin Simmons will probably tell you the same thing. Just being accountable and making sure that you know what you’re doing.”

“It’s definitely nice to refresh,” McGovern added. “You can watch as much film, do as many steps and work out as much as you want. . . But there’s nothing like being in the building, getting your feet wet, hearing quarterbacks set the plays and cadences. It’s definitely nice to get a couple of days back in the swing of things, getting the routine of meetings and meals here along with practice. I think it’ll definitely help, and I’m happy for that.”

It’s a time for the rookies to cherish their last few days with their slick, unmutilated haircuts, their last few days before they become pack mules for veteran pads, their last few days before the haze.

“You’re a rookie. You do what every rookie had to do in the past. That’s the way I look at it,” Simmons said of the inevitable initiation. “In the grand scheme of things, though, you are here to take someone’s job. However you have to get that done, you get that done. You are a rookie. You do have a lot of respect for the guys that are in front of you, that have been here, have done it longer and obviously have done it better than you have, seeing as you haven’t played a snap yet. You take all of that into account.”

It’s that mindset that is part of what makes this rookie class so exciting for those around Broncos headquarters. These kids aren’t just here to smell the roses; they seem dead-set on making an impact instantly.

“I’m excited to finally put the pads on, showcase what I can do and showcase how I can help this team in any way possible,” Parks said. “I’m just ready to get out there and get after it.”

“That’s the goal—to come in and play. It’s not college. You don’t redshirt,” Simmons explained. “You don’t just get to take a year and see how things work. It’s a job now. You’ve got to come in and compete for those spots. If you’re not [competing], the guy behind you is. That’s definitely the goal to make sure I get out there by any means necessary.”

Any means necessary means any means necessary.

“I’m expecting [special teams] to be the launching pad into the Broncos organization,” Simmons explained. “You do so much as a defensive player, but to be able to add that special teams part to your resume and to be able to actually commit and make plays in that area of the game, that’ll help you to be able to stick around for a long time. As important as it is to get on that field to play nickel, dime, safety, whatever it is that they ask me to do is just as important as playing special teams.”

That comes from the mindset these guys brought in when they were drafted, but it also comes from the veterans who aren’t exactly patient in bringing them along.

“Those guys demand a level of excellence and a way to do things in the secondary,” Simmons stated. “They are not going to let a couple of rookies come in and lower the bar. There is a standard already set, being that they are already the best secondary in the league. We have to come in and match that; not come in, feel it out and see how it goes. We have to come in and match that mindset, that mentality and get out there and compete.”

It’s that level of expectation that had all three of these guys saying they didn’t get too far away from the game of football during their “break”, and it’s that level of excellence that has this team ready to defend their title.

“It’s about to go down,” Parks said with a smile. “It’s about to get real.”