Broncos linebacker Warrick Holdman was back on the practice field Saturday, but now he's says he's ready to get back in the action.

Holdman, who spent Thursday night in Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree with a spinal cord concussion, did not practice with the team and there is no timetable for his return.

However, Holdman said he feels "a lot better'' and just wants it to be sooner rather than later.

"I'm in a battle for a starting position,'' Holdman said. "I don't have no time for letting up, not with guys like Nate Webster and D.D. (Lewis) out there working hard showing what they could do. I don't have time to sit around.

"I have some tingling in my hands, but it's going away. I'm just waiting for the doctors to clear. But I'm ready to go.''



During an 11-on-11 team drill Thursday morning, Holdman moved up to make a tackle on running back Mike Bell. Bell lowered his left shoulder hitting Holdman near the top right side of his helmet. Holdman's neck was bent somewhat awkwardly and he fell to the ground.

Holdman then "went numb for 30, 40 seconds,'' according the Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.



The team's medical staff and paramedics strapped Holdman to a backboard and he was taken to the hospital. The ninth-year linebacker had feeling and movement in all of his limbs -- he also initially put his knees up when trainers rolled him over on to his back -- he was taken to the hospital but he was still kept overnight for observation.

"I just went numb,'' Holdman said. "I couldn't move my arms and legs for a little while. I could have got up, but they wanted to make sure. . . It had never happened to me before but I was on the ground trying to get up, but I couldn't.

"But when the feeling came back the first thing I wanted to do was hop up, but they said you've got to be patient make sure nothing's wrong or broken.''

Holdman said all the Broncos linebackers visited him in the hospital as well as linebackers coach Joe Baker and Bell. Shanahan called the linebacker as well.

Saturday Holdman said he was still experiencing what he called "tingling'' in his hands as some of his left side of his body. Shanahan said he would not return to the practice field until Holdman is symptom free.

"Until that numbness goes away, obviously he's not going to practice,'' Shanahan said. "We'll evaluate that on a day-to-day basis. He thinks he's going to practice Monday, you talk to him he's going to say 'I'm ready to go.'

"But we're not going to say that before the doctors look at him.''

Holdman is currently among the players trying to win the team's strong side -- across from opposing tight ends -- linebacker job. He signed with the Broncos as a free agent this offseason and has been a starter in Washington, Cleveland and Chicago in his previous eight years in the league.

"We'll be very cautious,'' Shanahan said.

"It was scary, I'm not going to downplay it,'' Holdman said. "I was trying to get up but I couldn't move ? But I'm not going to think about it. It could happen to anybody, I'm just going to go out there and play.''

Etc.: Tackle Matt Lepsis was scheduled to go for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on his knee after colliding with center Tom Nalen in practice. Lepsis is coming off knee surgery and the Broncos have monitored him closely. . . Running back Travis Henry briefly left practice with a sore leg, but returned. . .Linebacker Louis Green and defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban briefly left practice as well, but Shanahan said he expected both players to practice Monday. . .The Broncos said 3,089 people attended Saturday's practice, an all-time high since the team started having training camp at its Dove Valley complex. . .Shanahan canceled the Saturday afternoon practice and the players had Sunday off as well.



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