The Daily Sentinel from Grand Junction, Colorado • 14

SPORTS RIDE: Tebow generating Elway-like buzz at camp Continued from page 4B He be blasted by his own teammates; that kind of contact come until the preseason. may be a negative of mine, that I look forward to that and a quarterback, so you kind of have to stay Tebow said. it is fun once Sunday gets out here and everybody is hitting. get excited If Tebow can do it, the Broncos could use a healthy dose this season of the wildcat, the newfangled version of the old-fashioned single-wing employed by several NFL teams, notably the Miami Dolphins. In Denver, they call it the Wild Horse, and Tebow might even throw out of the funky formations.

McDaniels said never used a quarterback rotation before but would give it a shot if Tebow is up to the task. people have speculated about how we may or may not use him in those roles, but since we really done any of it in pads, I had the opportunity to evaluate what that may do for our McDaniels said. going to be some things that he can obviously do that the other two in that regard. How much we do or do will depend on how productive we are at At any rate, McDaniels appreciates tough-mindedness. think part of his demeanor.

I think that is also part of what he brings to your football McDaniels said. think that may be a little unique in terms of the contact part of Tebow is generating the kind of buzz that John Elway did during his rookie season in 1983. Tebow nearly as polished as Elway was coming out of Stanford, and not only cramming the NFL playbook, but been working tirelessly on tweaking his techniques and mechanics as he adjusts to the pro game. Although his detractors say he measure up in the NFL even if he was a great college player, supporters, who include Elway, suggest his athleticism, work ethic and pedigree will translate into success. McDaniels said he going to try to tamp down expectations for Tebow, who planned to work late Friday and rise early today to catch up on the practice plans he missed while his agent hammered out a contract worth $11.25 million over ve years.

other expectations are of him or how much play or contribute or compete to play early, I really McDaniels said. not that worried about it. I think if the best player at some point in some area, then be able to affect the PRAISE: Broncos already starting to plan for trip to London on Oct. 31 Continued from page 4B meticulously study the system and improve his technique. His steady progression drew the attention of the coaching staff.

what impressed them the most, my knowledge of everything I was supposed to be Branson said. Not to mention his ability to mimic the moves of San Diego Pro Bowl tight end Antonio THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BERNHARD LANGER SHOT A 2-UNDER-PAR 68 on Friday at the U.S. Senior Open and has the lead as he tries to win back-to-back majors. Langer has two-shot lead at U.S. Senior Open By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAMMAMISH, Wash.

Bernhard Langer waited much of Friday morning for the soupy fog on the Sammamish Plateau to nally lift. He spent the evening waiting for someone to make a charge up the leader board. In between, Langer put himself in position for a second consecutive major championship. Langer overcame a shaky front nine with an eagle and birdie on the inward half to take the lead at 3 under in the second round of the U.S. Senior Open as many of the other contenders simply tried to stay close entering the weekend.

After a fog delay of more than two hours brought play to a halt just before 8 a.m., Langer shot a 2-under-par 68, making a number of key putts on the back nine when his round easily could have slipped away. never quite know. the type of golf course that any hole can get to said Langer, coming off a victory last week in the Senior British Open at Carnoustie. just got to be careful and hit good Langer was careful, not to mention a little fortunate with the putter Friday. the only player with two rounds in the 60s on the par-70 layout at Sahalee Country Club, and takes a two- shot lead into the third round.

Although Langer managed to tame the ball-hawking tree limbs of Sahalee, others were far less successful. Only four players nished the second round under par, with another four sitting at even. First-round leader Bruce Vaughan gave back all of his 66 from Thursday before he made the turn. He shot 82. Former Grand Junction resident Scott Sullivan shot an 81 in the second round and missed the cut.

BRITISH OPEN SOUTHPORT, England Yani Tseng shot her second straight 4-under-par 68 to open a four-stroke lead. The 21-year-old Tseng, playing in calm, dry morning conditions at Royal Birkdale, had ve birdies and bogey in the second round. She won the Kraft Nabisco in April for her second major title and third LPGA Tour title. LPGA Championship winner Cristie Kerr (67), Brittany Lincicome (71) and Amy Yang (71) are tied for second. Michelle Wie (76) is 10 strokes behind Tseng.

Rain washed over Royal Birkdale in the afternoon, making things cult for the late starters including defending champion Catriona Matthew of Scotland, who missed the cut by seven strokes after making a 10 at the par-four 13th hole. GREENBRIER CLASSIC WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. Jeff Overton shot an 8-under-par 62 to take a four- stroke lead. Overton, winless in ve years on the PGA Tour, shot the low round of the tournament, using wedges on all but one approach shot during a bogey-free round on the Old White course. He is 14 under.

Boo Weekley, nally healthy after tearing a labrum in his left shoulder a year ago, is 10 under after a 63. Jimmy Walker (64) and double heart transplant recipient Erik Compton (68) are 9 under. DENNY HAMLIN, TOP, AND RYAN NEWMAN, RIGHT, were fi ned for criticizing NASCAR, something the sport is trying to crack down on. Both drivers understand the reason for the fi nes and are OK with what NASCAR is doing. Photos by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Shhhh Newman, Hamlin say they were ned for criticism By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS I want to talk about the negative, NASCAR want to talk about the negative.

There are people in the garage area that want to talk about the negative aspects of our sport and not Juan Pablo Montoya might be on the right track. Asked why he speak to the media af- ter a wreck took him out late at the Brickyard, Montoya said he in the right mood. say something dumb and regret he said. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KEVIN KOLB IS ONE OF several new faces on the Philadelphia team, which started practice Friday without several recent mainstays. New-look Eagles start training camp minus familiar faces By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BETHLEHEM, Pa.

Donovan McNabb wears different colors. Brian Westbrook is job-hunting. Sheldon Brown and other veterans are gone, too. These the same Philadelphia Eagles who dominated the NFC East for much of the past decade. A new era for the Eagles kicked off Friday when the team conducted its rst practice at training camp.

Fans who gather to watch the rst practice in full pads this morning might need a program to gure out who is on the eld. For the rst time since 1998, No. 5 out there. McNabb, the six-time Pro Bowl quarterback, was traded to Washington in April after 11 very successful seasons in Philadelphia. That familiar No.

36 also is missing from camp. Westbrook, the former All-Pro running back, was released after several injuries slowed him the past two seasons. He remains unsigned. No. 24 now belongs to Victor Harris instead of Brown, the hard-hitting cornerback who never missed a game in eight seasons with the Eagles.

Brown was dealt to Cleveland for draft picks. Despite winning 11 games last season, the Eagles completely restructured their roster in the offseason. Trading McNabb was the biggest move, paving the way for fourth-year pro Kevin Kolb to take over. During tenure, the Eagles reached the playoffs eight times, won ve NFC East titles and went to ve conference championship games and one Super Bowl. But they win the big game.

So the organization decided it was time to move on from McNabb. Now turn. ready for the challenge. think excited, not only the players, but the fans and the coaches Kolb said. is a sense of the un- known a little bit, so anxious to see what we got, including ourselves, so keep working hard and hope that will be a positive Kolb has a talented supporting cast.

He has one Pro Bowl wide receiver in DeSean Jackson, and Jeremy Maclin a rst-round pick last year has star potential. Tight end Brent Celek is coming off a breakout year, and depth behind him. The eld includes promising second-year running back LeSean McCoy, backup Mike Bell, who earned a Super Bowl ring with New Orleans, and Pro Bowl fullback Leonard Weaver. LONG POND, Pa. Asked the amount of his NASCAR ne, Ryan Newman kept quiet.

What did he do? Shrugged shoulders. Hey, maybe the threat of secret nes for speaking out against the stock car series is working after all. NASCAR expects omerta (the code of silence) from its drivers when it comes to publicly lashing out against the sport. If they do, be ned. Ask Newman or Denny Hamlin.

Both Sprint Cup star drivers acknowledged at Pocono Raceway they were the ones ned by NASCAR for making critical comments about the racing series. not a good thing by any means for our Newman said Friday. less we talk about it, the more we can talk about the Newman refused to disclose the amount of the ne or what he said. He implied that it was for comments he made after he crashed at Talladega Superspeed- way. Newman said in April that winning was lottery, racing for a championship be a He added the wreck- heavy races at Talladega our championship because not He was one of a few drivers Friday who blamed the media for stirring up controversy and an easy willingness to criticize the sport.

Newman suggested if he was left alone for a few moments after his wreck instead of being instantly forced to answer questions, he might have cooled down and not been so quick to pop off. you get a microphone stuck in your face when the still rushing, expect everything to be Newman said. Or, he could have said Hamlin said he was punished for comments he made on Twit- ter. He also did not reveal the amount of the ne. People familiar with the penalties told the AP this week nes were levied because the comments were considered disparaging to the sport.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because NASCAR was not publicly identifying the ight drivers it ned. They say one driver was penalized as much as $50,000. Newman said the penalties are me. behind Denny right He was frustrated about the ne I understand what it was or why it Hamlin understood why he was ned. you agree with it or not, it happened.

in he said. The decision to ne competitors for critical comments puts NASCAR in line with many other professional sports leagues. The NFL and NBA both routinely issue nes for criticism of of- ciating. sports do the same thing, they just do it in different Newman said. It also backs up season-long effort to rebuild the slumping sport through an improved on-track product and off- track promotion from its drivers.

all in it together, and I understand Hamlin said. nitely understand, I really know what it was, but more than likely it was the Twitter comments more than anything that kind of got me in trouble with What irked fans and others in the sport was how NASCAR handled the nes. There was no press release or public announcement. They handled it privately in an era where most news leaks out somehow anyway. Drivers seemed to support the discretion in the decision.

secret part of it is a good Newman said. what people need to understand. Gates. He would play the role of an opposing tight end in practice to give the defense a feel for what it would be like on game day. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Branson particularly excelled at emulating Gates.

He was that hard to cover. Branson will be competing for a roster spot with tight ends such as nine-year veteran Daniel Graham and Richard Quinn, a second- round draft pick last season who have a catch. There are also two rookies in camp in Eastern Nathan Overbay and University of Colorado and former Fruita Monument High School standout Riar Geer. just got to come out and work as hard as I can, do everything they want me to do to the best of my said Branson, who caught 82 passes for 1,236 yards and 18 touchdowns in two seasons at Central Arkansas. can make that leap (to the active roster).

But going to take a lot of hard work and LONDON CALLING: Although their trip to London is still three months away, the Broncos are already devising a game plan. The team intends to practice in Denver most of the week leading up to the game against San Francisco on Oct. 31 at Wembley Stadium. They will arrive in London on Friday morning and go through a quick walkthrough that afternoon, followed by meetings. After that, the Broncos will squeeze in some rest to attempt to eliminate jet lag.

teams have done it McDaniels said. had some different people take some different trips over there and kind of help us measure the time and how quickly going to be able to get from the plane to the hotel, how quickly we can do all that stuff and then get back into a normal routine during the course of the 6B The Daily Sentinel Saturday, July 31, 2010.