In the 2015 preseason opener against the Seahawks, the Broncos gave their vets a chance to sit back and watch the young boys do work in Seattle. Preseason week two saw the return of DeMarcus Ware, Demaryius Thomas and Brandon Marshall, among others, as the Broncos took down the Texans.
Marshall, in his first game back since having surgery on his foot after the 2014 season, finished the game Saturday night with three tackles and two passes defensed. He has been a consistent starter during the team's practices and says that his work during this offseason and the start of preseason has him at almost 100 percent.
"I think I'm pretty close," said Marshall on Saturday. "I'm aiming to be better. I don't want to be the same as I was last year; I'm aiming to be better. But obviously it's kind of tough to be better coming off surgery. I felt good today. I think I read the ball well, I read the plays well; so I think I'm right there. Just a couple of more steps away, and I'll be fine."
Demaryius Thomas saw his first game-action since the 2014 season, also. He averaged eight receiving yards on three receptions Saturday. Going into his sixth year, the wide receiver, after missing offseason workouts, has been using training camp as an opportunity to get back to into football condition.
"I'm getting there," said Thomas after the preseason victory in Houston. "I'm probably about 90 [percent]. That's with conditioning and on the playbook, but for the most part, I know everything on the offense, and I'm basically just going out and executing."
Demarcus Ware also stepped back on the field in game fashion. The eight-time Pro Bowler said he looks forward to utilizing the preseason to get back to game-speed.
"The first game back against another opponent instead of practicing against our own teammates felt really good," he said Saturday. "Physically my body did what it wanted to do but mentally, you've got to, each week get a little more keen on a lot of the tendencies and being able to be a lot more effective.
"It's a short period of time that you're out there," said Ware. "As the game goes on you get in a groove and things get a lot more like home."
