DENVER -- Wes Welker is not with an NFL club right now, but the former Bronco's presence is still felt with his former team -- never moreso than when Jordan Norwood runs a route with the first team out of the slot.
Norwood's cuts are crisp. His ability to find space underneath and on intermediate routes improves with every opportunity. And with Emmanuel Sanders nursing a hamstring injury, Norwood has become a constant presence in the first team's three-wide receiver package, which the Broncos used to good effect in their 19-12 preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.
Ever the coach's son -- his father, Brian, is the associate head coach at Tulsa -- Norwood studied Welker last summer before he succumbed to a torn anterior cruciate ligament during a joint practice with the Houston Texans. But his search for ideas from the standard-bearer of slot receivers in recent times goes back years.
"I have a lot of Wes Welker film on my iPad right now that, if I'm looking for something to watch, I'll just watch 2007 Wes Welker film, literally," Norwood said. "He's somebody that I look up to."
The results are obvious. His back-to-back receptions nine minutes into the third quarter turned second-and-17 into a first down, and he led all Broncos with 38 yards on four receptions.
His extensive work on the first team has allowed him to build cohesion with QB Peyton Manning -- perhaps the most crucial aspect to success in this offense for a wide receiver.
"I think it's repetition," Norwood said. "It takes a little bit for a quarterback and a receiver to get some chemistry. Hopefully we're building that."
FYI - don't click on the video in the link unless you want to hear Peyton Manning's post-game press conference.
http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-a...the-slot/4fd2eb1e-9e96-434c-a1ac-9e1dd0fa8ea4
Norwood's cuts are crisp. His ability to find space underneath and on intermediate routes improves with every opportunity. And with Emmanuel Sanders nursing a hamstring injury, Norwood has become a constant presence in the first team's three-wide receiver package, which the Broncos used to good effect in their 19-12 preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.
Ever the coach's son -- his father, Brian, is the associate head coach at Tulsa -- Norwood studied Welker last summer before he succumbed to a torn anterior cruciate ligament during a joint practice with the Houston Texans. But his search for ideas from the standard-bearer of slot receivers in recent times goes back years.
"I have a lot of Wes Welker film on my iPad right now that, if I'm looking for something to watch, I'll just watch 2007 Wes Welker film, literally," Norwood said. "He's somebody that I look up to."
The results are obvious. His back-to-back receptions nine minutes into the third quarter turned second-and-17 into a first down, and he led all Broncos with 38 yards on four receptions.
His extensive work on the first team has allowed him to build cohesion with QB Peyton Manning -- perhaps the most crucial aspect to success in this offense for a wide receiver.
"I think it's repetition," Norwood said. "It takes a little bit for a quarterback and a receiver to get some chemistry. Hopefully we're building that."
FYI - don't click on the video in the link unless you want to hear Peyton Manning's post-game press conference.
http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-a...the-slot/4fd2eb1e-9e96-434c-a1ac-9e1dd0fa8ea4
