Archive for September, 2007

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Team Nicknames Have Interesting Histories

September 27th, 2007 - 10:46am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

I was just sitting here thinking of a blog topic this morning, and my mind started drifting (again) all along the NFL landscape.

We have great interest in all the teams in pro football, but seldom do we give any thought to how any team got its name.

After a while, we are so used to a reference that we give no thought to its origin.

Some of the NFL nicknames are of obvious origin, but there are a few unique aspects to some nicknames that I thought I would share, just for the fun of it.

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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 7 Comments »

Injury Roundup: Inflammation in Knee Keeps Walker Out of Practice

September 26th, 2007 - 4:07pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Add wide receiver Javon Walker to the Broncos’ growing list of walking wounded.

Walker sat out Wednesday’s practice after suffering some inflammation in his right knee — the one that was surgically repaired two years ago when he was still with the Green Bay Packers. Even though Head Coach Mike Shanahan expects the six-year veteran to play Sunday at Indianapolis, he still deemed it wise to take all necessary precautions.

“We thought we’d give him a day’s rest,” Shanahan said. “It’s been sore the last couple of weeks.”

Walker underwent an MRI examination that revealed “nothing serious,” Shanahan said.

“There’s some inflammation, but hopefully it gets better,” Shanahan said.

Five other players did not take part in Wednesday’s practice — safeties John Lynch and Hamza Abdullah, guard Ben Hamilton, defensive tackle Sam Adams and running back/fullback Mike Bell.

Abdullah and Hamilton have already been ruled out, whilst Adams has not practiced on Wednesdays throughout the regular season as the team looks to ease the wear on the 14-year veteran.

Lynch, meanwhile, will “probably” be held out of Thursday’s practice, with Shanahan intending to test him out during Friday’s shorter session. The 15-year veteran strained his groin during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 18-play, 80-yard touchdown trek last Sunday.

As for Bell, had some head pain Wednesday and sat out as a result.

“I’m not sure if it was from the concussion or a migraine, but whichever one it was, (he missed practice) because of his head,” Shanahan said.

Quarterback Jay Cutler, meanwhile, saw a full practice of work Wednesday after injuring his ankle against the Jaguars. The same was true for fullback Paul Smith — who incurred a pinched nerve against the Jaguars — and offensive tackle Ryan Harris, who practiced for the first time since the second week of training camp.

In the weeks in between his practice, the third-round rookie underwent surgery.

“I had bones pinching on my nerves so I had to go in and take some of the bone out and give my nerves some space,” he said. “Then after that it was just a matter of healing and getting back in shape to come out and be affective here on the practice field.

“I feel 100 percent; I feel ready to go; I feel like I healed up well,” he added.

More to come over on the main site as the afternoon becomes evening … I caught up with Curome Cox earlier and talked to him for a while about the possibility of filling in for Lynch this Sunday. Until next time, vaya con Dios.

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The Sun Shines Brightly on the Western Slope

September 26th, 2007 - 12:01pm by cindy_gallowayOther posts by cindy_galloway

Yesterday was a perfectly pristine, sun-filled paradise day in Grand Junction, Colo., as our organization officially unveiled the newly refurbished Stocker Stadium, home to the 4-0 football team from Mesa State College, four high schools on the Western Slope and over 1,000 youth players from the Mesa County Youth Football Association.

President/CEO Pat Bowlen arrived shortly before 12 noon along with vice president of public relations Jim Saccomano and four of our players — Domonique Foxworth, Nick Ferguson, Daniel Graham and Brandon Marshall – to particpate in the program, cut the ribbon and meet these young aspiring NFL players who use Stocker Stadium (just over 40 games a year are played on this new field and we are so glad that it is now turf and not grass to combat the wear and tear).

One of the real highlights was the marching band from one of the local high schools performing the national anthem to start the day’s festivities.  The Grand Junction community really pulled out all the stops with blue and orange snow cones, Broncos Country flags, orange pom-poms in the stands and a beautiful new granite marker at the flagpole that highlights the collaboration of the Denver Broncos, the NFL and the Grand Junction community on this field project.

It was a real privilege to bring our commitment to youth football to Grand Junction and we look forward to visiting again … Grand Junction is definitely BRONCOS COUNTRY!

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It’s Always the Quarterback

September 26th, 2007 - 9:46am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

Jay Cutler’s growth and development have been both very positive and obvious to everyone who watches the Broncos.

It is clear he has a great arm, can make all the throws, and has an abundance of quarterback smarts. 

Members of the coaching staff and teammates have been quick to continuously praise his passion for the game and work ethic, which are vital elements that have to be included in the overall talent and intelligence package.

He is just the same for us in the public relations department.

When people ask me what Jay Cutler is like, I always tell them that is is one of whose guys who “gets it.”  He just seems to have a natural understanding of his role with the team, his role in the city, and the responsibilities that go along with being the quarterback of this team in this city.

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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 4 Comments »

Preparing for the Colts

September 25th, 2007 - 5:43pm by domonique_foxworthOther posts by domonique_foxworth

Tough loss. No one really likes losing; it’s hard to deal with. You work a full week to get ready for the game, and all the time the coaches have put in to get your game plan, the time the players put in to practice the game plan, and to come out on Sunday and not execute as well as we expect is tough. Some encouraging things, we obviously have a talented team, a good team, because as poorly as we played, it still came down to the final minutes of the game. We were still within six points with four minutes to go and we had the ball, we just weren’t able to pull it out.

It was another frustrating week for me. I did not play, once again, but I got a little closer to playing, because I actually had on pads. But that actually might have made it more difficult to deal with, whereas the week before I just had on a sweat suit. I think my ankle was in good enough condition to play, but the coaches said I would only come in in case of emergency, which it got kind of close there with John Lynch getting hurt and a few other things happening. I almost got to play, but I definitely, 100 percent, expect to play this week against the Colts, which we are all looking forward to.

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Tuesday Questions and Answers: Because I Love a Good Argument …

September 25th, 2007 - 4:24pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Every Wednesday when Parliament is in session in London — and at other times in some other nations of the Commonwealth — noontime begins the Prime Minister’s Questions, when members of the House of Commons can query the nation’s leader about all matters, from the ones that are global in scope to more trivial and local concerns like signage along the M1.

Since Tuesday is the players’ day off here … and since this usually brings some time for me to answer questions … I’m going to bring that tradition over here to the blog. While I’ll answer as much as I can throughout the week in the comments section or on the pregame podcast — available Saturdays on DenverBroncos.com — whatever I can’t get to there, I’ll take here.

So keep your comments rolling on the blog posts, or e-mail me, as we begin another Tuesday question-and-answer session … which I will begin with the return of an old antagonist to our blog sanctum. I’m talking, of course, about LetPlummerPlay:

And since compelling drama requires antagonism … and since I love a good written scrum … I’m only too happy to dive in and respond to this individual:

Wow, it’s been a while since I stopped by old Andrew’s blog. After being reprimanded more than once by Mr. Mason, I just stuck to our infamous letplummerplay.com website.

Three words:

Let.

It.

Go.

Click to continue reading “Tuesday Questions and Answers: Because I Love a Good Argument …”

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Posted in Archives | 40 Comments »

Cutler: Hindered By Ankle, Irked By Communications

September 24th, 2007 - 4:20pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

One day after injuring his ankle late in the Broncos’ 23-14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterback Jay Cutler said he felt “good,” although the injury left his leg “a little bit sore.”

Cutler underwent an MRI examination and post-injury treatment on Monday, and figures he should be ready to practice by the time the Broncos return to the field Wednesday after their day off.

“Everything’s fine. We’ve got a lot of time left. I’ll take it easy these next couple of days. Maybe it’ll be a little sore on Wendesday, but I should still be able to practice and get a full week in.”

Cutler said he injured the play on the Broncos’ next-to-last series, when he was sacked by former Broncos defensive end Reggie Hayward back at the Denver 3-yard-line, forcing the team into third-and-11. Two plays after the injury, Cutler’s downfield pass for Daniel Graham skipped in and out of the tight end’s grasp, effectively ending the Broncos’ comeback hopes.

“As soon as I (was sacked), I knew it was pretty bad,” Cutler said. “In the heat of the moment, there’s some things you can play through and some things you can’t.”

If anything, Cutler was more frustated about the balky sideline-to-quarterback communications apparatii than the injury. The technical snafus forced the Broncos to burn a pair of timeouts in the third quarter, and while Cutler remained composed, his words steamed frustration with the in-helmet radio receiver.

“They’re not the finest contraptions they have out. I don’t know. It gets really loud in some stadiums. At some stadiums they cut in and out. In some stadiums you hear concession people. You never know what’s going to happen with those things. (I’m) serious.”

Fortunately for the Broncos, “serious” does not appear to describe the state of Cutler’s ankle … although Wednesday’s practice will provide futher illumination on the subject.

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Jacksonville Came to Play

September 24th, 2007 - 2:51pm by mark_cooperOther posts by mark_cooper

Well some of you called it and some of you expected it and the Jags brought it.

The run defense showed some signs of hopefully what’s to come. Some downs they were all over the run with big stops at or near the line of scrimmage and on others … Well, let’s say we left some holes that a truck could drive through.

Consistency is something that takes time but the next four weeks are here and will be a big telltale sign for the season. Hopefully we can improve on the run and get through these next four games with two or three wins.

Brandon Marshall kept you on the edge of your seat after each catch, that’s for sure!  Boy, is he fun to watch.  But we’ll have to do a much better job of getting drives going and sustaining them to keep opposing offenses off the field over the next four weeks.

Manning, L.T and the Chargers, the Steelers and Favre are a BIG-BIG four weeks. So let’s get fired up and behind the fellas and hopefully we get a bunch out of the films and start pulling it all together.  Right?

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Posted in Mark Cooper | 10 Comments »

Shanahan’s Monday Presser: Week 3

September 24th, 2007 - 1:28pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

1:27 P.M. MDT: Settling in here … thanks to a new broadband wireless card, we are connected and on-line.

1:30 P.M. MDT: Shanahan walks in, wearing sunglasses. “When it’s fourth-and-5 and you’re at your 9-yard-line with four minutes left and you go for it and you come home and your wife hits you,” he joked. It turned out that there’s a cat at his house, and he’s allergic; thus, the shades.

1:31 P.M. MDT: Both John Lynch and Jay Cutler will undergo MRI examinations for their groin and ankle injuries, respectively.

1:32 P.M. MDT: Says for the rushing defense, the team has to “go back to the basics.”

1:33 P.M. MDT: Curome Cox was “not bad” in filling in for Lynch, Shanahan said.

1:33 P.M. MDT: Says that Simeon Rice played 37 plays on Sunday, which was 17 more than last week. Whether he plays more depends on the game situation. “We don’t want to overdo it,” he said.

1:34 P.M. MDT: Offers praise for Elvis Dumervil: “He’s stepped up and met the challenge.”

1:34 P.M. MDT: Agrees with the assessment of offensive players that the offense could be poised for a breakout, but comes back to the failure to score in the red zone from the 3-yard-line. “Either you get it done or you don’t,” Shanahan said.

1:35 P.M. MDT: Says the Colts, next Sunday’s opponent, “are playing extremely well … good on both sides.”

1:36 P.M. MDT: “Hey, smart move,” Shanahan says of Lane Kiffin’s decision to mimic the Broncos’ use of an end-game pre-field goal timeout for the Raiders in their win over Cleveland.

1:37 P.M. MDT: Said that Ryan Harris will be back on the practice field this coming Wednesday … and that there is no update on Ben Hamilton. “It’s getting a little scary now; it’s been a while … he’s still got symptoms he’s had since the first or second week (after the concussion).”

1:39 P.M. MDT: On the communications problems — he says it was between the sideline and Cutler’s helmet receiver; there was static on the signal. “It wasn’t constant, it was just inconsistent,” he said. He added that in the past those problems “never” happen at home but sometimes on the road.

1:40 P.M. MDT: “It was 20-7 after the field goal from the first drive of the third quarter … we felt like we had to get in a little bit different type of rhythm,” said Shanahan of Travis Henry’s lack of carries Sunday; he ended the day with just 11 rushes.

1:41 P.M. MDT: Said that Paul Smith will also have an MRI … and that just touching the cat caused his eye problems … and we’re out.

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Broncos-Jaguars: Fourth-Quarter Notes

September 23rd, 2007 - 4:31pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

4:15 P.M. MDT: The crowd boos, looking for a pass-interference penalty against Jaguars cornerback Brian Williams after an incompletion for Brandon Brarshall.

4:16 P.M. MDT: One play later, on third-and-4 from the JAX 35, Jay Cutler finds Brandon Stokley … who makes the catch in spite of the pass-interference penalty that was called. Denver now at the Jaguars 19.

4:18 P.M. MDT: Broncos with their first rushing first down of the game, via a Travis Henry run …

4:19 P.M. MDT: Broncos with their first touchdown of the second half, as Henry takes a toss pitch and sprints into the end zone for a 6-yard scoring run. Denver trails 20-14 with 12:41 remaining.

4:22 P.M. MDT: Outstanding kickoff coverage for the Broncos, but Mike Bell gets shook up at the end of Jacksonville’s 20-yard return … he walks off the field under his own power … Jaguars will start at their 17, and the crowd is finally back into it.

4:24 P.M. MDT: D.J. Williams tackles Maurice Jones-Drew up the middle … now second-and-7 for the Jags at the 20. The table on which I type is shaking.

4:25 P.M. MDT: Now … no more shaking. David Garrard finds Marcedes Lewis for 18 yards, moving the Jaguars to their 38 with 11:21 to play.

4:26 P.M. MDT: Second-and-9 for the Jaguars forthcoming at their 39 … Crowd back on its feet … waiting to feel the table shake … it’s loud, but no shaking … there it is, but not as much as before … and the crowd is silenced again by a 23-yard Garrard-to-Greg Estantdia connection just past Ian Gold.

4:28 P.M. MDT: Jaguars now at the Denver 26 … and a Jones-Drew run takes them to the 24. Less than nine minutes left now.

4:29 P.M. MDT: Good open-field tackle by Nick Ferguson on George Wrightster limits the Jaguars to a 5-yard-gain; now it’s third-and-4 at the Denver 20. Crowd on its feet again … Garrard under center after being in the ‘gun … he keeps it on the draw for 19 yards to the 1-yard-line. Clock will dip under seven minutes before the next play.

4:30 P.M. MDT: Jones-Drew knocked back at the goal line on first down from the 1 … Garrard pressured and floats a pass into the end zone on second-and-goal, but Karl Paymah is called for pass interference after making contact with Wrightster.

4:31 P.M. MDT: The Broncos need a miracle …

4:32 P.M. MDT: … and they got it … a loose football upon which Curome Cox falls. Nick Ferguson forced the fumble.

4:34 P.M. MDT: 6:11 left, and a long way to go … 96 yards with no timeouts, and a touchdown needed.

4:35 P.M. MDT: Now 97 yards to go after Cutler is sacked by Reggie Hayward.

4:35 P.M. MDT: Cutler finds Javon Walker for six yards, but the Broncos still have fourth-and-6 at their 9 … punt team not taking the field.

4:36 P.M. MDT: Incomplete … Cutler found Graham at the 30-yard-line, but he couldn’t quite bring it in … Graham then spikes the football in frustration; that penalty will be assessed as half-the-distance for the Jaguars, giving them the football at the Denver 4.

4:38 P.M. MDT: Jaguars now inches from the goal line after Jones-Drew nearly scores.

4:39 P.M. MDT: A delay-of-game and an end-around later, the Jaguars are back near the goal line, about a yard and a half away. The clock bleeds precious seconds; it’s now down below three minutes.

4:40 P.M. MDT: Garrard keeps it and is stopped by Dre’ Bly and a host of Broncos at the 1-yard-line. The Jaguars will let the clock sill to about the 2:10 mark before kicking a 19-yard field goal.

4:43 P.M. MDT: The field-goal attempt is from 18 yards … and it’s good. Denver trails by two scores, at 23-14.

4:47 P.M. MDT: Many fans streaming for the exits as the Broncos attempt to mount a late-game drive … Denver gets to its 45 with 1:48 left after Selvin Young goes 20 yards.

4:50 P.M. MDT: Cutler intercepted by Sammy Knight … and with no timeouts left, that’s game.

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