Players Show Up At Broncos Headquarters

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -- The lockout's been lifted. Soon all those weights will be, too.

The NFL told teams to resume football operations, informing them that they should open their facilities to players Friday morning to work out.

"That's great news," said linebacker Joe Mays, one of 10 Denver Broncos players who showed up at the team's headquarters Thursday. "It's something we've been trying to do, get back to work."

In a memo released Thursday hours before the draft, the NFL said players could resume voluntary workouts at team facilities, meet with coaches and go over playbooks. As for signing free agents, trades and other roster moves, the NFL said it will distribute a "comprehensive set of procedures governing such transactions" -- likely on Friday.

"That's great news, especially for the Broncos," Mays said. "With a new coaching staff, they have new systems they're going to implement and we need enough time to learn the playbook and the systems before we go to training camp. It's big for us.

"I'll be happy to go in and meet with the coaches and find out what my role's going to be next year," Mays added.

Before the league's memo was issued, Mays and nine other Broncos visited their facility Thursday and met with team President Joe Ellis in the team cafeteria for about 10 minutes. At that time, Ellis explained to the players they couldn't work out or do anything football related at the team's headquarters while the Broncos awaited guidance from the league.

Several of the players left right after the meeting, which team spokesman Patrick Smyth described as "professional and cordial. The tone was very pleasant." Others stuck around for breakfast.

The players arrived at 8 a.m. in a gathering organized by safety Brian Dawkins, who was active in the players union that was disbanded in March, allowing them to seek legal recourse over the labor impasse.

"He texted everyone last night and said whoever's in town, let's try to come work out," Mays said. "We're definitely trying to show we're trying to work right now. Everybody's tired of sitting around, laying around. We've had enough of that. Now, we're trying to get back to business."

The NFL took its fight over the now-lifted lockout to a federal appeals court Thursday. The league said that while its appeal of a judge's ruling lifting the lockout was being pursued, starting Friday players would be allowed to use club facilities for physical exams, rehab and medical treatment as scheduled by the team.

Also, clubs are allowed to distribute playbooks and game film and coaches may meet with players to discuss those materials. Voluntary offseason workout programs may begin and players will be allowed to work out on their own on days there are no official offseason workouts or practices scheduled.

In addition to Mays and Dawkins, defensive end Robert Ayers, fullback Spencer Larsen, running back Knowshon Moreno and center J.D. Walton were among the players who gathered at Dove Valley on Thursday, one day after defensive end Kevin Vickerson visited the facility briefly, the first player to do so during the league's labor impasse.

While Ellis was meeting with the players, the Broncos' new brain trust of John Elway, John Fox and Brian Xanders were busy finalizing their plans for Thursday night's draft, where they owned the second overall selection, their highest pick ever following a franchise-worst 4-12 season that led to a front office shake-up.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)