ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — DeMarcus Ware said the Denver Broncos are being "precautious" with him by holding him out of practice with a lingering bad back.
Ware didn’t take any snaps during the off-season program and began training camp Thursday on the non-football injury list even though he said his back is much better than it was in the playoffs, when he had a dozen quarterback hits and 3 1/2 sacks.
"To be honest with you, I was probably around 70 per cent," Ware said after Thursday night’s walkthrough.
"I was around 70 per cent in the playoffs. Now, knowing everything is right and having some time off in the preseason to get everything stronger and a lot more stable, I’ll be at 94 per cent when all said and done."
That was a nod to his No. 94.
Ware missed five games last season because of his balky lower back, but teamed up with Von Miller to badger Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Cam Newton in the playoffs.
He restructured his contract after the Super Bowl to stay in Denver this season. But the Broncos are being careful with him in hopes he can play a full season.
Ware said he hopes to play later in the preseason so he can shake off the cobwebs before the opener Sept. 8 against Carolina.
"If the game was tomorrow, I’d be out there playing," Ware said. "The timeline is what the trainers think and (GM John) Elway and all those guys think, what they want to do right now and just going from there with their plan."
Asked if a 12-year veteran such as himself even needs training camp at this point, Ware said, "If you do something 12 times, I think that’s enough. This is 12 years for me and I know what I’m doing. It’s all about getting your body ready for the long haul. There is a 16-game season and getting ready for a post-season."
