SANTA CLARA, Calif. --It was intense. Thanks to a DJ stationed in one corner of the field, it was loud.
But only once did the joint practice between the Broncos and 49ers threaten to careen out of control.
That was when 49ers DB Adrian Colbert decked TE Steven Scheu after he made a catch during a seven-on-seven period. Fellow TE Austin Traylor raced over to stand up for his teammate, and several other players from both teams jogged over to the dispute before cooler heads prevailed.
"We had one little skirmish, but other than that, it was very good work on both sides of the ball," Head Coach Vance Joseph said after practice.
Later in practice, Broncos LB Zaire Anderson knocked 49ers RB Raheem Mostert to the ground, but neither was the worse for the wear and practice continued without as much as a hiccup.
... In the "move-the-ball" periods to close practice, the teams' two defenses got the better end of it. With the Broncos offense facing the 49ers defense on one field and Denver's defense battling San Francisco's offense on the other, no touchdowns were scored by either offense.
Denver's first-team offense went three-and-out to open the period, as Lynch missed Kalif Raymond on a quick slant after hitting C.J. Anderson on a pass in the left flat. The second-team offense had more success, as a Siemian-to-De'Angelo Henderson connection, two Henderson runs and a pass to Jordan Taylor moved the Broncos to their 46-yard line.
But from there, the offense stalled, and a Siemian-to-Traylor pass on third-and-7 was 3 yards short of the line to gain, ending the drive. The No. 3 offense then went three-and-out.
On the other field, the Broncos' first- and second-team defenses allowed one first down, but then clamped down on the 49ers. A third-down blitz forced a drive-killing incompletion to close the 49ers' first drive, and a Danny Mason sack ended San Francisco's second series. The No. 3 defense then forced a three-and-out.
A two-minute drill period followed. Siemian took the reins of the first team and led it 52 yards into field-goal range, using passes to Anderson and Bennie Fowler to move the offense downfield. At that point, the drive was called off and the field was reset for the second units.
Lynch was able to guide the No. 2 offense to near midfield, recovering from a first-play sack to guide the offense to the Denver 46-yard line. But Lynch had one pass deflected at the line of scrimmage by Dekoda Watson and then threw a pair of incompletions for A.J. Derby and Marlon Brown, ending the series.
San Francisco's offense did manage to drive into scoring range against Denver's No. 1 defense, but it couldn't get a field-goal attempt off after the snap was bobbled. The duel of second teams ended with a Lorenzo Doss interception set up by pressure from Von Miller, who saw extra work because of the numerous injuries at outside linebacker.
... The full-contact nature of work seemed to help RB Stevan Ridley, who repeatedly ran through potential tacklers, continuing to display the determined style that has defined his work since he joined the team early in training camp.
Ridley made a good impression early with two big runs in three plays. First, he galloped through a huge hole cleared on the right side, with Billy Turner helping make a wide gap.
One play later, after Siemian hit Derby on a play-action pass, Ridley followed Andy Janovich through a hole for a solid gain. Janovich delivered a crunching block on Ray-Ray Armstrong to create a hole through which Ridley raced.
... Turner, Connor McGovern and Allen Barbre also showed some solid work during a one-on-one period. All three of them proved difficult to move during a pass-rush drill.
... Lynch worked with the No. 1 unit during a seven-on-seven red-zone period and hit Derby and Demaryius Thomas for touchdowns. However, those were the only two of the six passes he completed, as he couldn't cash in on the chance to hit some open targets in the back of the end zone. Siemian had one touchdown during the same period, but connected on all five of his attempts.
... Lynch was the only one of the Broncos' three quarterbacks to avoid throwing an interception. San Francisco CB Rashard Robinson picked off a Siemian pass that was high off the hands of Bennie Fowler. Siemian also barely avoided another interception that was dropped in the open field by 49ers LB Brock Coyle. Earlier in practice, 49ers veteran CB Will Davis picked off rookie QB Kyle Sloter during a seven-on-seven period.
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The Broncos took off for sunny California Tuesday afternoon ahead of their joint practices with the 49ers and Saturday's preseason matchup. (photos by Ben Swanson unless noted)
PARTICIPATION REPORT:**
... WR Emmanuel Sanders was pulled out of practice after falling on his shoulder. "He's fine," Joseph said. "We're just being smart with our guys."
... Allen Barbre and Max Garcia split first-team repetitions at left guard for the fourth consecutive practice.
... DE Derek Wolfe (lower ankle sprain), OLB DeMarcus Walker (hip flexor), S T.J. Ward (hamstring), DE Jared Crick (back spasms), RB Bernard Pierce (hamstring), CB Dontrell Nelson (concussion) and OLB Shane Ray (wrist) did not practice.
... Zach Kerr and Adam Gotsis continued working at defensive end in place of Wolfe and Crick.
... WR Cody Latimer (hamstring) did not practice but was in uniform.
