Bronco notes: Practice served on indoor tennis courts

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — As the biblical rain crushed the Greenbrier Resort here Friday, Sean Payton had his team of human beings gather on shuttle buses, two by two.

Or so the Broncos’ players could have.

Heavy rain, which locals say was the impediment spillage of Hurricane Helene, began hitting the area early Friday morning and relentlessly continued until Payton, the Broncos’ head coach, said, ‘uncle,’ to his team’s scheduled noon practice at the outdoor artificial turf field and moved the final workout to the Greenbrier’s indoor tennis and pickleball courts.

There was consideration to playing outdoors in the elements.

“At first we did and then the change was made relative to the lightning forecast,’’ Payton said from a modified press area outside the tennis and pickleball courts.

Nil, nil? Payton would call it, ‘love, love.’’

“I kind of like it,’’ Payton said, more or less saying it helps keep the team on its toes. “I didn’t realize they had this facility.”

At least there were four, hard-surface tennis courts, plus three pickleball courts proportionally spread out so the Broncos could conduct their walkthrough in preparation for their game Sunday against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. After the contracted practice, the Broncos packed up their gear and bused to Roanoke, W.V., where they will fly to Newark, N.J., arriving at their team hotel some time Friday night.

This was a revised travel plan. Sure the day was a series of disruptions but remember the COVID season of 2020? Practices were cancelled all the time. Yet, the games played on. And practicing in the tennis complex wasn’t much different from those indoor team workouts Mike Shanahan held in the bubble for his Broncos during inclement times. Although there was no running and cutting on the hard, cement-like surfaces here.

The rain that fell hard Friday followed four days of intermittent showers during the Broncos’ stay at the Greenbrier. But nothing about this mountain resort, where Payton helped design the football facilities, can leave the Broncos’ coach with any negative thoughts.

“Everyone was great, hospitable,’’ Payton said. “(West Virginia) Governor Justice was over here today, talked to the team. Can’t thank these guys enough, they did a great job. They’ve done this nine times now so it went smooth.”

When the Broncos’ 2024 schedule came out and Payton saw four road games in the Eastern Time Zone – two hours ahead of where the Broncos live, train and have their biological clocks set — he requested two be placed in back-to-back Sundays so he could spend the midweek here.

“I like the time together,’’ he said. “I think early in my career when we went to London and then having done it I like those trips where you get a week. … Because I just think it’s good for your team.

“The depth of it is just avoiding — all the experts, sleep, avoiding the time zone change back and forth. That’s why we requested a couple games back to back.”

Most of the players said they have held previously held walkthroughs on basketball courts and hotel ballrooms. But a tennis court was a first.

“I was just more curious on what the venue was about,’’ said receiver Josh Reynolds. “I’ve never been out in this area. I mean it’s beautiful, man. You see the scenery, mountains everywhere, trees everywhere.

“Other than today having to move into this tennis-slash-pickleball courts, we kept the schedule similar to what we would have in Denver.’’

Cody Barton, who had been starting at the inside linebacker spot next to Alex Singleton, said he will now take on the latter’s defensive play-calling responsibilities.

“It’s not new to me,’’ Barton said. “I’ve done it before. Did it all last year, did it in Seattle.’’

Singleton suffered a torn ACL in the first quarter of the Broncos’ 26-7 win Sunday at Tampa Bay and is finished for the season. Singleton wound up finishing the game without missing a play before he notified the medical personnel.

“It happens fast,’’ Barton said. “Nobody really knew what happened. It’s pretty amazing, it happened in the first quarter and he played the whole game on it. That’s pretty amazing. Yeah, when one guy goes down, another guy’s gotta step up.”

While Barton takes Singleton’s inside linebacker spot, Justin Strnad figures to get action at Barton’s former position.

Reynolds says he has been dealing with Achilles tendonitis that has kept him out of the past two Wednesday practices.

“It’ll flare up every once in a while,’’ he said. “Ultimately it’s solid.” 

Broncos’ special teams safety JL Skinner has been ruled out with an ankle injury that will cause him to miss his second consecutive game Sunday.