ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- After seven years in Oakland, 
With three Broncos running backs currently being held out of practice, Fargas joins training camp with an instant chance to impress. Being thrust into such a competitive situation could be an overwhelming prospect for a 30-year-old running back eager to show he can still produce.
Luckily, Fargas credits several years bouncing around Oakland's depth chart with granting him a refreshing perspective on how to approach a position battle.
"I understand how to work with other guys and just take advantage of my opportunities," Fargas said after his first Broncos practice Wednesday morning. "I'm not here to work against anybody. You know, there's competition and things like that, but I know the better you are as a corps, the better the offense is."
The Broncos hope the 6-foot-1, 220-pound running back can return to the form he exhibited while topping the 1,000-yard rushing mark in 2007. In his first practice and media session since officially signing Wednesday morning, Fargas took a good first step, showing a commitment to picking up the offense quickly and vowing to work hard to carve out a niche on his new squad.
"It's a new offense, a new system, a new team, a new city so I'm just getting adjusted," Fargas said. "I'm expecting to learn fast and get in there and contribute."
It's the fresh start the former third-round pick out of USC has been seeking.
After being released by the Raiders in March, Fargas, who has amassed 3,369 career rushing yards, began looking for options to continue his career.
With
Fargas got right to work Wednesday morning, hitting the Dove Valley practice field for his first two workouts.
After participating in morning position drills, Fargas spent most of the 11-on-11 drills near running backs coach Eric Studesville as he tried to grasp the team's offense. During an afternoon session in which the players practiced in shells and shorts, Fargas got more involved, taking reps during the team periods.
"(Fargas) came out here and worked," Ball said of his new teammate. "He's a hard worker. He wants to learn. It's all about being a sponge right now, so he can help us out in this offense."
Those familiar with Broncos football likely are not surprised by that news after getting a first-hand look at Fargas' Raiders career. In 12 games against Denver, the running back totaled 419 yards on 108 carries with a touchdown, including two 100-yard efforts. That success, Fargas ventured, might have helped him end up in orange and blue.
"He's a very physical runner,"
Head Coach Josh McDaniels has not addressed Fargas' status for Sunday's preseason opener at Cincinnati, and the running back said he wasn't yet sure if he would play.
But whether it's sooner or later, Fargas said he's embracing the chance to contribute to an increasingly competitive running back group.
Ball said it's becoming clear that the best running back is going to get the most reps in the preseason and beyond.
Thanks to experience and excitement for a new environment, the newest Bronco thinks he has a chance to factor into that mix.
"From what I understand, (this opportunity is) just going to be whatever I make it," Fargas said. "I'm just looking forward to working hard, learning as much as I can and just helping the offense."
SCRATCHING FOR LONDON
Fans entering the Dove Valley practice facility on Wednesday were greeted by two Buckingham Palace guards.
Sporting red suits and furry black hats and flanked by a pair of giant scratch-off lottery tickets, the pair cut an imposing figure for fans hoping to see the morning workout.
But unlike their silent, stone-faced counterparts in London, the guards didn't turn anyone away. In fact, they handed visitors aged 18-and-over complimentary Broncos-themed scratch-off lottery tickets.
The promotion launched the new instant win game from the Colorado Lottery, which promotes the team's Oct. 31 game against San Francisco at Wembley Stadium in London.
It is the second straight year the two organizations have partnered together on an officially-licensed scratch-off game. This year's offering includes more than $7 million in prizes, plus a pair of second-chance online drawings to win a trip to London or one of 15 pairs of club level season tickets for the 2011 season.
"That should be a fun time over there," Broncos Chief Operating Officer Joe Ellis said after Wednesday morning's practice. "We're excited as an organization to go over and represent our city and our league, and we're proud that the lottery is able to partner with us on that."
Last season's Broncos-themed Scratch game generated $8.5 million in sales and $1.3 million for Colorado State Parks, Great Outdoors Colorado and the Conservation Trust Fund.
Boosted by the tie to the London game and several new prizes, Colorado Lottery Director Abel Tapia -- one of several state lottery officials who also attended the practice -- said he expects this year's partnership to be just as successful.
From the Broncos' end, Ellis said renewing the partnership was an easy choice.
"We hope people go out and purchase it," Ellis said. "It benefits a lot of great things in Colorado as everybody knows. We're excited to have the second year of this partnership underway."
For more information or to register non-winning lottery tickets for the second-chance drawings, fans can visit www.coloradolottery.com.
