With Keenum taking reins, Broncos humming in OTAs

The Denver Broncos like what they are seeing so far in organized team activities from new quarterback Case Keenum.

"Yeah, he's a great leader," Broncos veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. "Every day -- the majority of the days -- he'll come in and ask me and (Demaryius Thomas) to go and watch practices and we'll sit in the back room and watch film and go over what he's thinking and what we're thinking."

Sanders knows a thing or two about playing for good quarterbacks, starting his career in Pittsburgh with Ben Roethlisberger before winning a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning.

"I've been a part of two Super Bowl teams and that's what it takes," Sanders said. "That extra work that's not mandatory, where guys are in there working out or working on their mental game. That right there, when it's fourth quarter or when it's fourth-and-5 or third-and-8. That's the stuff that gets you over the hill."

Keenum's impact is being noticed by players on the other side of the ball as well.

"I always say I'm not a quarterback coach, but just from what I've seen, he looks comfortable," Broncos safety Juston Simmons said. "The guys have already rallied around him. I know he talks about how he wanted to come in and earn that leadership spot. I'm not speaking for him or for anyone on the offensive side, but I feel like he is definitely earning it, if not has earned it.

"Day-by-day already, just in OTAs, he's taken full steam of the offense and has really gotten them going. He looked good. He's starting to look a little comfortable."

Denver's offense has looked good so far in camp, with a number of players being involved.

"It's going good," Sanders said. "I tell you what, everybody -- like at practice today -- everybody was making plays on the offensive side. A lot of big-time plays. We went off (as) wide receivers, and (had) great balls by the quarterbacks. I'm optimistic; I like what I'm seeing. I think offensively, from a schematics standpoint, you have so many different options in how we can attack people. I like that, so I'm optimistic about the season."

Sanders sees the team evolving under offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, who took over the role last season but now can put his stamp on the team.

"I think right now we're just trying to find the formula," Sanders said. "That's what OTAs is about. We're trying different ways -- how we can attack people in different ways in two minutes, in no huddles. Just to see our vision. But it's going to be hard to really find out the direction we're going to go until we put on pads, obviously. See how the O-line can handle the run blocking and the pass blocking, and the whole nine yards.

"So, we'll see, but I think right now from a package standpoint we're sitting pretty good."