ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The initial song that played during the Broncos' first team stretch of their first 2018 training camp practice offered hope. Post Malone's "Better Now" blared across UCHealth Center, a less-than-subtle hint of the fresh outlook following last season's dumpster fire.
The second song? Not important. But if the Broncos had a sense of humor, a heavy rotation of the Baha Men's "Who Let The Dogs Out" would have worked. Two days into camp, players continue to respond to former teammate Aqib Talib's assessment of his former team.
"Talib is my guy. But we still have dogs here. Chris (Harris Jr.) is a dog," outside linebacker Von Miller said. "I am a big dog."
Harris responded to my Denver7 tweet on the matter, clarifying that he's a "nasty dog."
Nasty Dog https://t.co/Lx0THAPKzg
— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) July 28, 2018
The topic traces to Talib's stinging comments a few weeks ago in Sports Illustrated. Traded to the Los Angeles Rams in March, a move he orchestrated after balking at a deal to the San Francisco 49ers, Talib said of the Broncos, "Maybe they should stop firing all the dogs. That team was full of dogs, and now they're all gone. So stop firing all the dogs."
Talib's comments are traced to a pair of moves. In the span of eight months, the Broncos cut popular veteran safety T.J. Ward at the end of training camp and shipped out Talib. Both served as the soundtrack of Denver's defense during the Super Bowl 50 title run. They were deemed expendable because of blossoming of young players Justin Simmons and Bradley Roby.
I asked coach Vance Joseph about his assessment of the secondary in light of Talib's comments.
"I have had secondaries where it wasn't name brands, but they played really (well) together. That's what it's about in the back end. It's no different than offensive lines," Joseph said. "You take four or five guys who will do it right and not give up big plays. You watch the good teams last year and some of your top five teams, you couldn't name the four guys playing together. I am very comfortable with our secondary right now."
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Want Broncos news? Denver7 Broncos insider Troy E. Renck is your source. He talks to the players, covers the games and reports scoops on Denver7 and the Denver7 app. He is a CU grad who has covered pro sports in Colorado since 1996, including 14 years at The Denver Post. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and TheDenverChannel.com’s Broncos page. Troy welcomes most of your emails at Troy.Renck@kmgh.com.
