Archive for November, 2007

Broncos-Bears Pregame: Walker Active; Young Out

November 25th, 2007 - 2:03pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Bon giorno again from Soldier Field, where the Broncos are warming up … without Selvin Young.

The rookie tailback joined Travis Henry on the inactive list, leaving Andre Hall as the remaining running back. He’s expected to have the first starting assignment of his so-far brief career.

Also expected to play is Javon Walker, who returns to the active roster after being sidelined since Week 4. Walker missed two games prior to undergoing knee surgery on Oct. 9; his last contest was the 23-14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars over two months ago.

Joining Young and Henry — the latter of whom had been ruled out by Head Coach Mike Shanahan on Friday — on the inactive list are fullback Paul Smith, wide receiver Taylor Jacobs, cornerback Jeff Shoate, defensive ends Larry Birdine and Paul Carrington and quarterback Darrell Hackney, who is in uniform as the No. 3 quarterback.

Andre Hall: ‘Ready to Go’

November 25th, 2007 - 12:52pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

It’s quite possible that Andre Hall will become the central figure of today’s game.

He’s the only running back among the Broncos’ three men on the depth chart who is not listed as questionable or worse on the injury report, with Selvin Young only limited in one day of practice with Travis Henry sitting out the week entirely. He’s the Broncos’ first-team kickoff returner, meaning he will be asked to answer Pro Bowler Devin Hester’s game-breaking potential — and also potentially stop him on kick coverage.

It’s no wonder, then, that Hall had put the 62-yard game-clinching touchdown run of last Monday night in his rear-view mirror.

“After we watched film, it was off to Chicago,” Hall said. “It was done.”

So much for the 24-hour rule regarding enjoyment of game-time accomplishments. For Hall, it was barely 12.

Now, Hall is back in the place where he suited up for a pair of preseason games in 2006. He’s a former Bear, but there’s no evidence of his quick passage through the Windy City in their media guide, since he wasn’t with the team for the regular season. They, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier that summer, had let him go.

“In Chicago, before they brought me in, they told me it was just going to be for training camp,” Hall said in an interview earlier this year. “I was going to be a training-camp body.

“Jerry Angelo (Chicago’s general manager) wanted to get me in, get some film for me and work with me a little bit. And it helped me out,” Hall said. “(The Broncos) were able to see me on film.”

All was well that ended well for Hall, who runs with chips on his shoulder from each of the previous stops in his career. But even in the moments following his breakthrough quarter Monday night, he admitted that he’d thought about showing his former team a thing or two about what it let go.

“You know I have,” Hall said, smiling. “You know I have.

“I just want to hit Devin Hester, man. That’s all I want to do. When I was over there, that’s who I roomed with. We were good friends.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t throw a big one on us.”

Indeed, it’s the Broncos’ fondest hope for Week 12 that Hall will throw a big one on the Bears.

“I’m ready to go,” he said.

I Feel a “Draft” in Here - Part 3

November 24th, 2007 - 6:15pm by ted_sundquistOther posts by ted_sundquist

Once again I thank you for your feedback. There were some outstanding points made and some questions brought up that deserve discussion. What I hope to do over the next few entries is to get you caught up on where we’re at, describe some of the thought processes that brought us to this point and then move forward with where we might take the team in the future. I’d like to set a “baseline” so to speak and I do feel a lot of your inquiries will be answered as we move ahead. So just have a little patience, but keep bringing me your thoughts.

Georgia Bulldog George Foster was selected with our first round pick in ’03. Foster was the perfect combination of size, speed and length (6’5” 330 lbs 5.03 40 yd dash, freakish numbers for the position) and had been a 2-year starter for the Bulldogs in the SEC. We were looking to replace Ephraim Salaam and felt firm that we could do just that with the selection of Foster. However, remember no OL has come into our system as a rookie and started right away (1st round through FA). NFL.com and Street and Smith’s both saw George as a first-round pick and Kiper, ESPN and FOX all projected him in the second prior to our own selection.

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Young, Walker Questionable; Henry Ruled Out

November 23rd, 2007 - 3:06pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Selvin Young

As snow flurries fell upon Dove Valley throughout the Broncos’ 90-minute practice on Friday, running back Selvin Young saw his first on-field of the week after suffering a knee strain against the Tennessee Titans.

But Young’s work was limited, as was the case for fullback Paul Smith, who also returned to the field after missing the previous two days, leaving both questionable for Sunday’s game in Chicago.

“We’ll get a chance to work them out before the game and we’ll see where we’re at there,” Head Coach Mike Shanahan said.

There is no such uncertainty regarding running back Travis Henry, who missed Friday’s practice and was ruled out for Sunday’s game.

“Travis is definitely out,” Shanahan said.

Henry has been in recovery from a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament, but on Friday a touch of the flu was added to his list of infirmities.

“I think he’ll be able to go again next week,” Shanahan said.

Wide receiver Javon Walker practiced Friday, but was limited for the first time this week. Even though there was some swelling in the surgically repaired right knee following the Thursday practice, he expects to play Sunday, although his status is questionable.

“Unless there’s any setback there, he should be able to play,” Shanahan said.

The Return of Kyle Johnson

November 22nd, 2007 - 1:51pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Kyle Johnson

Thirty-six hours ago, Kyle Johnson figured he’d spend Thanksgiving like most Americans — hunkering down at a dinner table, enjoying the warmth of food and family.

Then came Wednesday morning, when he saw that the Broncos had left him a message.

“I saw that I had a voicemail from the Denver Broncos, and I (thought), ‘I really thought it was Betsy Klein (the team’s director of player programs) calling about tuition reimbursement.”

Not exactly.

“When it was Ted Sundquist,” Johnson said, “I knew there was something going on.”

What was going on was a slew of injuries to the Broncos’ backfield. Fullback Paul Smith hasn’t practiced all week after missing Monday night’s game with a calf injury. Travis Henry and Selvin Young also remained sidelined with knee injuries that continued to keep them out Thursday, leaving the Broncos with only three healthy backs out of a complement of six.

“We have to have some depth at that position,” Head Coach Mike Shanahan said. “We’ve got a few guys playing a lot of positions right now, and it’s a big question of who’s going to be ready. Whoever is ready — at least we’ve got a little more depth.”

For that, the Broncos turned to Johnson, who was surprised at receiving an NFL team’s call so late in the week.

“After Tuesday you think there’s not going to be too much action,” Johnson said. “Then the phone rings.”

And with that, Johnson had returned, taking the spot of guard Isaac Snell, who was waived to make room for the veteran fullback.

OTHER PRACTICE NOTES …

The Broncos moved their work inside to the South Suburban Sports Dome on Thursday. It marked their first session there in the current regular season. Since the Broncos last visited the facility simply dubbed “the bubble” this past summer, a new FieldTurf surface has been installed there … Javon Walker worked fully for a second straight day. “To practice on this turf today was a good sign; it didn’t set him back,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully he’s full go tomorrow, and if he is, then he’ll be ready to play on Sunday.”

I Remember the Titans (the New York Titans)

November 22nd, 2007 - 9:36am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

On Thanksgiving Day, I suspect that even the most football crazed fan (I think I have accurately captured Broncos fans with this description) is thinking more about turkey than this blog.

However, just on the odd chance that you are giving it a quick read, I thought Thanksgiving Day football would be a legitimate topic.

And on that score, I remember the Titans.  No, not the fine Denzel Washington movie, and not the Tennessee Titans whom the Broncos defeated Monday night, but the original football Titans, the New York Titans of the American Football League.

Those lucky enough to have watched the AFL—and I am certainly among that group–will love it forever.

It was a wild and crazy offense minded league that gave us a tremendous rush of offensive football, changing the way many fans looked at the sport and the way those fans wanted to watch it in the future.

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Walker: Full Practice; ‘Should Be Ready’ for Bears

November 21st, 2007 - 3:44pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Javon Walker

In many ways, it is as though the Broncos are at the cusp of a new season, since they hold a share of first place in the AFC West after coming from two games below .500 to get back to all square at 5-5.

The same is true for Javon Walker, who not only returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since Oct. 17, but went through a full afternoon of work in his initial session following knee surgery 33 days ago.

“It’s like coming in the first day to start workouts again,” Walker said. “Obviously I’m very excited to come back at a time like this where we’re tied for first.”

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Walker in Uniform; Henry, Young Sidelined

November 21st, 2007 - 2:08pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

We’ll find out after practice ends this afternoon just how much Javon Walker was able to do, but he was back in a practice jersey Wednesday for the first time since undergoing knee surgery on Oct. 19.

Walker’s last practice work came on Oct. 17, when he was limited in a Wednesday afternoon session prior to the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The wide receiver spent the following three weeks recuperating from the procedure on his right knee, and then did some light work prior to last week’s practice sessions, running some routes and catching passes in the warmup period before retreating to the sidelines in sweats.

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I Feel a “Draft” in Here - Part 2

November 21st, 2007 - 12:25pm by ted_sundquistOther posts by ted_sundquist

Before I continue with some more draft thoughts, I wanted to point out a few things from some of your responses to my first posting.

References to Mel Kiper or any other national publication’s projection of a draft choice is only to emphasize what the prevailing thoughts were at the time on a player. Never have the Denver Broncos used one of these prognosticators to select a draft choice. It’s from these same sources that we catch the most criticism and yet many seem to forget what their own viewpoints were at the time.

Next, I greatly appreciate the feedback, both positive and negative, from the fans. I expect and accept both. My goal is to provide you with a “method behind the madness” that you sometimes don’t get from other sources.

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Check Out the New Blogger

November 21st, 2007 - 9:25am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

I still can’t get used to the term “blogging.” I don’t know its origins, but I definitely like what it is, what it represents. But it is here, and that’s why I think it is vital that the Broncos and other teams be at the forefront of embracing it.

Fans want to comment, and read as much inside comment as possible about their favorite teams. There is no better place for that information flow to begin than from within the team itself.

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, and while the expressions of experts in various fields is never de-valued, so too must it be said that those people do not have a monopoly on opinion.

And sometimes the greatest expert of all is the one who chooses to say the least, who prefers to work quietly behind the scenes.

With that in mind as an absolute concept, it is fascinating to welcome our newest blogger to the Denver Broncos’ web site, General Manager Ted Sundquist.

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