DALLAS - It is somewhat strange, Champ Bailey mused.

Of all the places in the NFL, this is the landing spot for the Broncos for joint preseason workouts.

"There were 30 other teams we could have practiced against," the cornerback said last week.

But here come the Broncos for two straight days of two-a-day workouts against the Dallas Cowboys, beginning today and leading to Saturday's preseason game between the clubs.

Eight months ago, the Broncos were in the area not to mesh as a club but to mend. Darrent Williams' funeral was held in nearby Fort Worth in early January, a big part of an agonizing offseason for many in the organization.

Being here only serves as a reminder of that time and that player.

But to hear some of the players tell it, geography change, or a helmet sticker worn each day by every player in tribute, isn't necessary to get the memory banks rolling when it comes to recalling the stunning situation that took "D-Will" away from them.

"I think everyone for the most part will be focused on practice, but even in practice now, whatever you do from this point on, it's still something that's affected all our lives. So it's going to be with us," safety Nick Ferguson said about the Broncos' return to North Texas. "You might think about it every day every so often at some point in time. It may not be something now to where it brings you down to where you can't focus on certain things. But it's taken its toll on each one of us in different ways."

None had it worse than Rosalind Williams, Darrent's mother.

Yet in the hours after her son's death in a limousine after a New Year's Eve party at a downtown Denver nightclub, she served, in team owner Pat Bowlen's word, as a "rock" under the worst of circumstances.

Rosalind Williams' role in helping the team heal, in particular in the immediate hours after the tragedy, when individual players recalled their memories of their former teammate with her present, is a big reason why players hoped to see her during their four-day stay in the area.

Nothing formal has been set up this week, in part for fear it might prove a significant downer for all involved. But the prospect hadn't been entirely ruled out, particularly by many of the players closest to Williams - his position- mates, who had hoped to set up a reunion with "D-Will" 's mom while they're nearby.

"I absolutely want to see her," said cornerback Domonique Foxworth, who has been active for months in the planning and funding for the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center in partnership with the Denver Broncos Boys and Girls Club.

"She's been incredibly strong in this situation. She's been amazing. And I think seeing her face to face would be a lot better than at the funeral. It's definitely going to bring up some emotions for all of us. But I think it's something we need to deal with."

Plans are in the works to pay tribute to Williams, along with running back Damien Nash, who died suddenly after a charity basketball game in March. A memorial plaque will be unveiled at Invesco Field at Mile High. And Rosalind Williams and Nash's mother, Kim, will be invited to a game, where they'll be introduced to the crowd.

Any meeting between Williams' mother and the team would be on a more informal basis.

"It's not distracting," Bailey said. " 'D-Will' was part of our family and I feel like she's the closest thing we have to him, so why not? She's a good lady, as strong as she was through the whole process."

While there hasn't been much direct contact in recent months between Rosalind Williams and Broncos players, Foxworth has communicated with her by e-mail through his involvement in the teen center.

A group spearheaded by linebacker Ian Gold gave her a gift package on Mother's Day. Safety John Lynch was among those receiving personal thank-you notes in response for the way everything was handled during the past several months.

"She's going to be watching the team, all that," Ferguson said. "Yeah, her son was taken from us, but he's still a part of this team and so she is. She lost a son but she gained like 58 others."

The Broncos are scheduled to practice once in the morning and again in the late afternoon today and Thursday against the Cowboys before conducting their own workout Friday. Team meetings will also consume a good portion of their time.

Foxworth isn't worried about the team's ability to focus properly under the circumstances, whether the players are reunited with Rosalind Williams or not.

"It's going to be emotional, but I think as professional athletes we've learned to separate what's on the field from what's off the field and what's important and what's not," he said.

rasizerl@RockyMountainNews.com

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