Samie Parker update in case you give a d*mn

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In the practice-makes-perfect world of the games people play, Samie Parker never practiced to be fast.

He just was, just is. Fast enough to have competed against and beaten some who have spent parts of their summers in the past two Olympics. Fast enough to have turned in a wind-aided, 10.18-second effort in the 100 meters with little training, and to be a three-time track All-American at the University of Oregon.

"But I'm a football guy, I've always considered myself a football guy, always will consider myself a football guy," Parker said. "Football is where my heart is. I ran track, but I never practiced. I just happen to be one of those lucky guys blessed with some speed."

And in a crowded position group that features plenty of offseason acquisitions like himself, Parker now will learn if he's fast enough for a Broncos roster spot.

At the top of the depth chart are Brandon Marshall and rookie Eddie Royal, who have been running with the starting offense on the outside now that Darrell Jackson is serving as Marshall's backup as a stopgap for Marshall's impending two- or three-game suspension to start the regular season. There's also Brandon Stokley, whom Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has called the "best slot receiver in the National Football League," and Keary Colbert, who got a $2.5 million signing bonus when the Broncos landed him early in free agency.

And that leaves Parker, whom the Broncos also actively pursued, scrapping for an opportunity at a position where the team routinely keeps only five or six players.

"It's a great problem to have, but obviously, at the end, when you have to cut your roster down, it's not as fun," Broncos wide receivers coach Jedd Fisch said. "Obviously, in the end, it's tough to make the call."

Said Parker: "It doesn't feel crowded in there - I enjoy learning things maybe they learned other places. Guys like Darrell, Keary and Brandon Stokley, they've all picked up things in other offenses that I can put in my bag of tricks."

Parker spent four years in the Kansas City Chiefs' offense. He never caught more than 41 passes in any of those seasons, but he averaged at least 13.7 yards per catch in three of the four. Last season, he averaged a career-low 12.4 yards a catch, but the Chiefs were 31st in the league in points per game and 27th in passing yards per play.

Feeling somewhat claustrophobic in that offense, Parker said he looked forward to checking out his options via free agency before signing in Denver.

"(Chiefs coach) Herm (Edwards) was getting his own guys in there, but I just didn't feel like that was the place for me any more," Parker said. "Running the ball is fine, and I'll block, go over the middle - I'll do whatever it takes to win. But I was also looking for the opportunity to have a chance to compete for more in the passing game."

But the Broncos' version of the West Coast offense - for the most part, their scheme emphasizes shorter patterns that give receivers an opportunity to make catch-and-run plays - is like nothing Parker experienced with the Chiefs.

It also is complicated, precise and demanding.

"The learning curve is steep," Fisch said. "It was my first year in it, too, when I got here, so it was steep for me as well. And he's been in a totally different offense for four years, not like some of the other guys we brought in here, who have some experience with it, like Darrell Jackson.

"But Samie continues to learn, and as he continues to get better, the opportunities will present themselves for him more and more. You see the leap that guys made between January and July, and what Samie has, in the three preseason games left, is an opportunity to make another leap."

For his part, Parker believes he can be a downfield option in the Broncos offense, especially if opposing secondaries, as expected, load up to stop Marshall. Broncos coaches already are trying to prepare Marshall for the kind of attention he's going to get from defensive backs this season, so that likely will leave room for other receivers to snare passes.

The Broncos have yet to flash much in the way of downfield looks in the preseason - no Denver wide receiver caught a pass longer than 14 yards against Houston last weekend - but Parker believes it's on the way.

"We're going to get to the deep ball," he said. "We're installing things right now. As far as myself, I'm new to the system, working with the new terminology, slowly working it all in.

"I would think, basically, they brought me in to stretch the field a little bit, to be somebody to help complement (Marshall). They haven't had that type of threat for a while, the last few years since they had Ashley (Lelie) here. He made a lot of plays down the field. I want to do that, too."

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