August 2, 2008 12:47 PM
Prater is Saturday star
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By Lee Rasizer
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
ENGLEWOOD -- In March, when the wounds were still fresh, Champ Bailey lamented the Denver Broncos' losing kicker Jason Elam in free agency.
"There better be a guy who really impresses me when camp rolls around because it'll really, really bother me then," Bailey said at the time.
The Pro Bowl cornerback, at least for one hot summer day Saturday, could take a deep breath and enjoy the show put on my unheralded Matt Prater, Elam's likely replacement.
In the day's lone practice, Prater made all 10 of his field goals during the morning session, capping the period with a 68-yard attempt that would have been good from 5 yards deeper. Then, with the team running a live, two-minute drill to cap the workout, Prater blasted a 54-yard field goal through the uprights to send the players and coaches into their 11/2-day break happy.
"It's good," Bailey said of Prater's excellent showing. "But the difference between practice and games is there's not a lot of pressure. He's looking good so far, but you really can't gauge until crunch time --- down by two with two seconds left. Those are kicks Jason Elam used to make."
Prater has now gone 31-of-34 in his four live camp sessions and has generally been killing the ball on kickoffs.
"I don't want him to do bad because Jason's not here," Bailey stressed, adding having a clutch kicker can only benefit the team in the anticipated close games to come. "Don't get me wrong, I wish we could have kept Jason. But we didn't so let's move on."
No doubt, Prater knows there's a wait-and-see mode among the team's veterans that won't completely be answered until the regular season, where he has limited career experience.
"I totally agree. It's until I do it in the game," he said. "Practice is practice."
Still, Sunday's showing was a confidence boost not only for him but to show the coaches and teammates the possibilities.
"I think it was really big for me because of all the questions," Prater admitted. "And I think the biggest kick for me was the last one, in the two-minute. They said we were down by one with three seconds on the clock and if I hit it we win, if I miss it, we lose. That was a huge kick."
Prater hit pairs of kicks from 35. 40, 43 and 46 as well as a 58-yarder that got the largest crowd of the summer at Dove Valley cheering before the 68-yarder that struck the base of the hydraulic camera stand to end the field-goal practice period.
"I kind of liked the last one, when we put all the pressure on him - game-winning field goal, three seconds left. But he's been doing that pretty consistently since he's been here so it doesn't really surprise anybody. But it's sure nice to see him do that in his first live two-minute drill."
And would Shanahan send out Prater for a 68-yarder come the regular season?
"You just watch him kickoff. He's kicked it10 yards out of the end zone," the coach responded. "His length is probably 75-78 yards. And he doesn't kick any harder. He has the same swing consistently. Hopefully he can make the ones inside 45 and every once in a while, depending on the situation, the guy gets a chance to attempt one of those. But usually that's at the end of the half or the end of the game."
On the job training
Rookie guard Kory Lichtensteiger has been forced to play catch-up on the run during training camp. He missed off-season team activities because of surgery to repair a torn right labrum February 20, necessitating a five-month recovery period.
"There's no way to really learn something and get it through your head without actually doing it," the fourth-round pick out of Bowling Green explained. "I guess from that point of view, I was a little behind. But I think I'm catching up now and coming along O.K."
Lichtensteiger has been sharing second-team snaps at right guard with Mitch Erickson. Montrae Holland's absence in order to make playing weight has given the coaches more looks at the rookie, who battled through initial fatigue as a result of his down time.
"But really, there's no complaints with my shoulder," he said.
Injury report
Boss Bailey missed his second straight day of practice with a sore right knee but expects to return to practices when they resume Monday morning.
"It didn't swell up or anything. It's just the fatigue factor," said Bailey, who had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the same leg in 2004.
Safety Hamza Abdullah (groin), Holland (conditioning) and center Tom Nalen (left knee) also missed the workout.
Rookie linebacker Spencer Larsen was absent because his wife is expecting.
Et cetera
--- The NFL rejected contract language in first-round pick Ryan Clady's contract but the deal was re-signed Friday.
--- Domonique Foxworth continued his grip on the starting nickel job by ending the second-team offense's move-the-ball period with an interception in front of receiver Lorne Sam.
--- Brandon Marshall continued to be the offensive star of camp. He went up high on a corner route in red-zone drills and came down with a touchdown following an initial bobble with Foxworth in tight coverage.
--- Tight end Tony Scheffler had a couple of long catches, beating zone coverages.
--- Denver continues to give Andre Hall and Ryan Torain looks behind the first-team offensive line, even while Selvin Young continues to top the depth chart.
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