Xanders Talks Senior Bowl

January 27th, 2012 - 2:36pm by Gray Caldwell

Back from Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl, General Manager Brian Xanders sat down to discuss his scouting trip to the annual college all-star game.

Xanders, the personnel staff and the coaching staff were all in Mobile from Monday to Wednesday, and the team is now working toward the NFL Scouting Combine.

Why is the Senior Bowl an important part of draft preparation?
“First of all, for our scouts, it’s a great opportunity to meet and interview players for the first time. When they’re on campus, they’re playing football and they’re going to school. But this is a great chance to meet them one-on-one. We get in on Sunday morning and then really chase down players, assigned by scout, and we interview them on all of the questions that we have on their background, football character and personal character.

“The second reason is it provides the first live exposure for a lot of our coaches. They can see the velocity of the football, to see them catch, to see them compete against good players, to see them in person, their body types, see how they work and compete in groups.”

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NFL More Popular Than Ever

January 26th, 2012 - 3:16pm by Stuart Zaas

On the heels of one of the most-viewed NFL seasons in the league’s history, Harris Interactive released its poll that asked adults about their sports preferences.

Among adults who said that they follow at least one sport, 36 percent chose professional football as their favorite. Major League Baseball came in second at 13 percent. The gap between football and baseball widened, from 14 percentage points in the 2011 poll to 23 percentage points in this year’s survey. That 23-point gap is the largest disparity between the No. 1 and No. 2 sports since the poll’s inception in 1985. Professional football has been selected as the most popular sport in each year since the poll began.

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NFL Extends Roger Goodell’s Contract

January 25th, 2012 - 3:45pm by Stuart Zaas

The NFL announced that Commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract has been extended through the 2018 season.

“It is the only place I have ever wanted to work,” Goodell told the Associated Press. “I am grateful for the contributions and counsel of NFL owners in managing our league, the talented staff that supports us, and the players and coaches that perform their magic on the field. It is truly a team effort. I am eagerly looking ahead to the challenge of building on our momentum and doing all we can to improve our game for the fans and everyone that is part of our league.”

Goodell became the league’s commissioner in 2006, taking over for Paul Tagliabue. This past year, Goodell helped negotiate a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA. He also oversaw nine-year extensions of the NFL’s broadcast television contracts with NBC, CBS and FOX. Prior to the start of the 2011 season, the league agreed to a $15.2 billion extension that gives ESPN the broadcast rights to Monday Night Football through the 2021 season.

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Offseason Starts in Mobile

January 24th, 2012 - 1:53pm by jim_saccomano

While there are still two teams that have not yet begun their offseason, for everyone else the path being traveled is that of improvement for 2012.

And that big first step is underway this week.

On Saturday at 3:00 p.m. (CST) the Senior Bowl will take place in Mobile, Alabama but the game itself is an anti-climax for the legions of NFL coaches and scouts who have headed to the southern city this week.

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Key Contributions from 2011 Acquisitions

January 23rd, 2012 - 4:31pm by Stuart Zaas

Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway, General Manager Brian Xanders and Head Coach John Fox completed their first full season together in 2011, which culminated in an AFC West title and an AFC Wild Card victory in the playoffs. Much of that success can be traced back to last offseason, when the team added 19 newcomers that made the 2011 opening-week roster.

Two of those newcomers — RB Willis McGahee and LB Von Miller — made the Pro Bowl. That made Denver the only team in the NFL in 2011 to have a free agent acquisition and a rookie make the Pro Bowl roster.

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Rice: Championship Weekend Preview

January 22nd, 2012 - 10:24am by mike_rice

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

BALTIMORE RAVENS @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

I’m trying to think how the Ravens will be able to beat the Patriots in Foxborough. Barring at least one significant injury, I can’t.

The Patriots are simply too hungry, too powerful and too good.

In 17 games this season, the Patriots have scored 30 points or more 13 times, including eight times in the last nine games. Gulp.

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Dawkins Selected to Ninth Pro Bowl

January 19th, 2012 - 4:34pm by Gray Caldwell

On Thursday, the Broncos’ Pro Bowl headcount jumped to six with the news that Brian Dawkins will be headed to his ninth career Pro Bowl.

The veteran safety was named an alternate in late December, and made the AFC squad in place of Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu, who will not participate due to injury.

Dawkins is now tied with John Lynch, another former Bronco, for the second-most Pro Bowl trips all-time among safeties. They trail only Washington/Houston safety Ken Houston’s 10 trips. Another Broncos safety, Steve Atwater, is next in line with eight.

Dawkins will join five teammates — Champ Bailey, Ryan Clady, Elvis Dumervil, Willis McGahee and Von Miller — in Hawaii, marking the most all-star game selections for Denver since the Broncos had seven in 2001.

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Dawkins Talks 2011, Mulls Future

January 18th, 2012 - 10:38am by Gray Caldwell

Cleaning out his locker Sunday, Brian Dawkins stopped to talk about what he described as “a roller coaster ride” of a season.

“In the middle of that roller coaster ride, there was an up that nobody saw coming from where we started,” Dawkins said. “It was some joy, it was some believing in teammates, it was a character-builder, it was young players growing up, and it did a lot for this team to help us get into the playoffs.”

Dawkins doesn’t buy that the team “backed in” to the postseason.

“No,” he said. “We earned that spot.”

But once the team got there, Dawkins wasn’t able to join his teammates on the field.

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Great Ride Fellas, Thank You!

January 18th, 2012 - 9:06am by mark_cooper

Still getting over the fact that we ran out of time in Foxborough. You never say the “L” word. Brady and the Pats were a better team and we had to win at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to beat the Pats.

Almost a replay of the earlier game in the year and frankly I could have used the first/same post verbatim. That would be cheating though. Playoffs…man.

There’s nothing worse than get knocked out of the playoffs. It’s so incredibly tough to get here and especially the way this group got there with new coaches, no OTAs, different camp, different CBA, you name it. Tebow stepping in and the entire offensive scheme change. When I say WOW it’s an understatement.

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Clady, McGahee Headed to Pro Bowl

January 17th, 2012 - 2:11pm by Gray Caldwell

Left tackle Ryan Clady and running back Willis McGahee, who were named alternates for the Pro Bowl when the rosters were announced in late December, are now officially headed to Hawaii for the NFL’s All-Star Game.

They join Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller as the Broncos now have five Pro Bowlers. Bailey and Miller are starters for the AFC squad, and Dumervil, currently a reserve, might end up a starter since New England’s Andre Carter — who is on injured reserve — is slated to be a Pro Bowl starter ahead of him.

Clady replaces Miami’s Jake Long, and McGahee replaces Houston’s Arian Foster. Both players could not participate due to injury.

Clady announced he would be making the trip to Honolulu on his Twitter account, thanking everyone who voted. The fourth-year player has started all 64 games to start his career.

McGahee ran for 1,199 yards this season and accounted for five total touchdowns as the Broncos set a new franchise single-season rushing record.

The Broncos’ remaining alternates for the Pro Bowl are quarterback Tim Tebow, safety Brian Dawkins, kicker Matt Prater and punter Britton Colquitt. We will let you know if any of the four are called up to the game.

-Gray Caldwell

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