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Archive for 2012

Broncos Blog Scoring Contest: Week 17

December 27th, 2012 - 12:16pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

The Official Broncos Blog Scoring Contest will continue into the playoffs due to popular demand, but here’s a look at the standings entering the final week of the regular season.

Things are tightening up near the top, though The Dane still holds the overall lead in the contest.

In Week 16, the Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns 34-12. There were a lot of great predictions — 27 bloggers were within single digits of the actual score. But only five are taking home points for the week.

Wolfedom and alex4serg tied for first place as both were only one point away from the actual score with predictions of 34-13 and 35-12, respectively. In second were Andyboy31 and tnalen66, who were both two points off from the real score by guessing 34-14 and 33-13, respectively. Jake rounds it out in third with his prediction of 35-10.

UPDATE: My apologies to killerkod, who predicted 35-13 and therefore also receives second-place points since he was only two points off the actual score. He’s now in 11th place with 12 points on the season.

Before we get to the standings, make sure you get your predictions in for this Sunday’s regular-season finale versus Kansas City here. They’ll be accepted all the way up to the scheduled 2:25 p.m. MST kickoff.

Taking last week’s points into account, below are the top 10 bloggers in the standings entering Week 17:

RANK
1
2
2
2
5
6
6
6
9
10

BLOGGER
The Dane
Dbroncos82
strandoftds82
Jake
still1972
footballMANIAC
Andyboy31
Wolfedom
Thomas P
baylinorcrush

POINTS
31
17
17
17
16
15
15
15
14
13

Next is killerkod with 12 points, three bloggers tied with 10 points then six bloggers tied with eight points scored so far this season. There are 54 bloggers that have made the overall standings, with scores ranging from The Dane’s 31 to 12 bloggers with three points on the season.

Working Hard and Having Fun

December 27th, 2012 - 8:54am by Sam DavisOther posts by

One of Head Coach John Fox’s favorite sayings is that the NFL is only fun when you’re winning.

For the past 10 games, the Broncos have done exclusively that. And have been having plenty of fun in the process.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys and it’s just fun to come to work every day when it’s like that,” wideout Brandon Stokley said. “Everybody just works harder and just loves being in the building. I think everybody will say that it’s been a lot of fun.”

The 14th-year veteran added that it’s important to have that loose and relaxed feeling in the locker room because it fuels the hard work and helps the team jell.

Wide receiver Eric Decker said the “camaraderie level” is one of the most improved parts of the Broncos team from prior years to 2012.

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Thomas Next in Line for Pro Bowl Berth

December 27th, 2012 - 8:01am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

In addition to the five Broncos that were named to the 2013 AFC Pro Bowl team, six others were named alternates.

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is a first alternate, guard Chris Kuper is a second alternate, guard Zane Beadles, special-teamer David Bruton, punter Britton Colquitt are third alternates and wide receiver Eric Decker is a fifth alternate.

Thomas, who ranks fourth in the AFC with 1,312 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, is the next man up at wideout if any of the four players named to the position cannot attend the game. A.J. Green, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker are the four receivers currently on the squad.

Only four receivers in league history have matched Thomas’ output and been left off the Pro Bowl team — Ed McCaffrey, Isaac Bruce, Brett Perriman and Robert Brooks.

Players that advance to the Super Bowl do not participate in the Pro Bowl, which takes place the week before the Super Bowl in Hawaii. All four receivers that made the AFC Pro Bowl roster are on playoff clubs, as is Thomas. So, the only way that Thomas isn’t going to the Pro Bowl would be if the Ravens or Broncos advanced to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.

A trip to New Orleans would be a good alternative to Honolulu.

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Elway Talks Pro Bowl

December 26th, 2012 - 6:15pm by Tyler EverettOther posts by

Chris Hall of DenverBroncos.com sat down with Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway for the latest episode of Elway Access on Wednesday afternoon.

The week of preparation for Sunday’s Week 17 finale against AFC West rival Kansas City was briefly interrupted for a celebration of Wednesday’s news that a handful of Broncos have been named to the Pro Bowl. Quarterback Peyton Manning, cornerback Champ Bailey and linebacker Von Miller were named starters on the AFC all-star team, which will participate in the 2013 Pro Bowl on Jan. 27. In addition to the three starters, tackle Ryan Clady and defensive end Elvis Dumervil also made the team. Wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, guards Zane Beadles and Chris Kuper, punter Britton Colquitt and special-teamer David Bruton were named alternates.

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Pro Bowl: Quotables

December 26th, 2012 - 5:48pm by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Five Broncos were named to the 2013 Pro Bowl, the league announced on Wednesday.

Below are what the players had to say about the honor:

CORNERBACK CHAMP BAILEY (12th Career Selection)
“I do my thing and I’ve done my thing over the years, but when you’re on a team like this and you play well, people are going to notice. It’s really just part of my team and what we’ve done. That’s pretty much why I’m in there. It’s definitely a team thing. At some point I want to be able to tell the people at the Pro Bowl that I’m not coming because I’m playing in the Big Game. That’s really what my eyes are on, just making sure we keep winning and get to that Big Game.”

QUARTERBACK PEYTON MANNING (12th Career Selection)
“It’s a tremendous honor and I am very humbled to receive this recognition. Being voted to the Pro Bowl by your opponents, their coaches and of course the fans means a great deal to me, especially when you consider how many other quarterbacks in the AFC are having outstanding seasons. This recognition shows that our offensive line did a great job with protection. It shows that our wide receivers and tight ends made a lot of plays. My goal has always been to go out and help the team win and play at a high level. Anything that comes along with that, like being honored as a Pro Bowl selection, is very humbling.”

On if this year’s Pro Bowl selection means more to him
“Well it’s certainly very humbling anytime you’re voted for something special like the Pro Bowl by your peers, by your fellow opponents and coaches, and then of course by the fans. It really means a great deal. It’s certainly been a unique year for me with a ton of change and transition so I’m very humbled and honored to receive this recognition.”

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Broncos vs. Chiefs: Wednesday Injury Report

December 26th, 2012 - 3:04pm by Tyler EverettOther posts by

Below are the injury reports for the Broncos and Chiefs after Wednesday’s practices.

 DENVER BRONCOS

PLAYER
WR Trindon Holliday
CB Tracy Porter
G Chris Kuper
S Jim Leonhard
FB Chris Gronkowski
S Mike Adams
WR Matthew Willis

INJURY
Ankle
Concussion
Ankle/Head
Thigh
Hamstring
Knee
Knee

WEDNESDAY
DNP
DNP
DNP
Full
Full
Full
Full

 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

PLAYER
T Branden Albert
RB Jamaal Charles
WR Terrance Copper
LB Tamba Hali
DE Tyson Jackson
C/G Ryan Lilja
TE Tony Moeaki
OL Donald Stephenson
G Jon Asamoah
S Eric Berry
S Abram Elam
G Russ Hochstein
OL Rich Ranglin

INJURY
Back
Illness
Knee
Illness
Foot
Back
Head
Illness
Thumb
Hand
Quadriceps
Back
Knee

WEDNESDAY
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Full
Full
Full
Full
Full

Chiefs’ Ground Game a Bright Spot

December 26th, 2012 - 11:55am by Sam DavisOther posts by

Only three running backs have surpassed the 100-yard mark against the Denver defense in 2012. The last one to do it – the Chiefs’ Jamaal Charles — is coming to Denver on Sunday.

Denver has faced a handful of elite rushers in 2012 and has fared well enough to stand as NFL’s the third-ranked rush defense heading into Week 17.

But five weeks ago, Charles ran it 23 times for 107 yards against the Broncos. The Chiefs hope to feed them another heavy dose of Charles on Sunday.

“Jamaal has done a really nice job for us, has a chance to become a 1,500-yard rusher and that’s something that doesn’t happen every day,” Kansas City Head Coach Romeo Crennel said in a conference call. “Everybody can’t do that. He has good ability and he’s helped this team quite a bit.”

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2013 Opponents Set

December 26th, 2012 - 10:35am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

With Baltimore’s Week 15 win against the New York Giants, the Ravens clinched the AFC North Division title, which means the Broncos’ 2013 opponents have been finalized.

Denver’s 2013 schedule includes games against the other three teams in the AFC West, all four teams in the AFC South, all four teams in the NFC East, a home game versus the AFC North champion — Baltimore — and a road game at the AFC East champion — New England.

That means plenty of rematches from the 2012 slate next year. In addition to the six games against the AFC West — in which the Broncos have gone 5-0 so far — the Broncos lost to the Patriots in New England this season in Week 5 and defeated the Ravens in Baltimore in Week 15.

Next year’s campaign features five 2012 playoff teams — Houston, New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis and the winner of the NFC East (Washington, Dallas or New York).

The actual schedule should be released by the NFL in April.

 BRONCOS 2013 OPPONENTS

HOME
Kansas City
Oakland
San Diego
Jacksonville
Tennessee
Philadelphia
Washington
Baltimore

AWAY
Kansas City
Oakland
San Diego
Houston
Indianapolis
Dallas
N.Y. Giants
New England

Fox Joins Elite Coaching Company

December 26th, 2012 - 9:55am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

With a win on Sunday against the Chiefs, Broncos Head Coach John Fox would become the seventh active coach to reach 100 career wins.

A win would also give the Broncos the best record of Fox’s coaching career – 13-3.

“It’s not one guy,” Fox said on Monday. “There are a lot of efforts and I appreciate all those efforts. A lot of different assistant coaches, owners, general managers, players, you name it. We’re just trying to worry about this week.”

When Fox took over as the Broncos’ head coach in 2011, he inherited a team that had gone 4-12 the year before. In his first season at the helm, the team posted a 4-win improvement to earn a division title with an 8-8 record in 2011. This year, the team has again improved by four wins and has guaranteed at least a 12-win season.

Only three coaches in NFL history have had their teams improve by four wins in each of their first two seasons – and Fox is the only one to do so with two teams. His Carolina Panthers team went from 1-15 the year before he got there to 7-9 in his first season and then 11-5 the next year.

Under Fox, the Broncos have earned back-to-back AFC West titles, making him just the 10th coach since the NFL merger to accomplish that feat in his first two seasons with a team. He became only the third coach to take over a team with a losing record and lead it to consecutive division championships.

Broncos vs. Browns: Participation Breakdown

December 25th, 2012 - 11:28am by Sam DavisOther posts by

 Playtime Percentage

 A breakdown of Broncos’ players participation in Sunday’s Week 16 win against Cleveland

PLAYER
G M. Ramirez
G Z. Beadles
T O. Franklin
T R. Clady
QB P. Manning
C D. Koppen
WR E. Decker
WR D. Thomas
TE J. Dreessen
WR B. Stokley
RB K. Moreno
WR M. Willis
TE J. Tamme
FB J. Hester
RB R. Hillman
TE V. Green
T C. Clark
C/G C. Davis
QB B. Osweiler
DT M. Unrein
CB C. Harris
LB W. Woodyard
CB C. Bailey
S R. Moore
S M. Adams
LB V. Miller
DE E. Dumervil
DE D. Wolfe
CB O. Bolden
DT K. Vickerson
DT J. Bannan
LB K. Brooking
DE R. Ayers
LB D. Trevathan
S J. Leonhard
DL M. Jackson
LB D. Williams
CB T. Porter
S D. Bruton
LB N. Irving
RB L. Ball
LB S. Johnson
K M. Prater
P B. Colquitt
LS A. Brewer
WR T. Holliday

OFFENSIVE PLAYS
82 (100%)
82(100%)
82 (100%)
75 (91%)
75 (91%)
75 (91%)
73 (89%)
66 (80%)
60 (73%)
58 (71%)
58 (71%)
28 (34%)
27 (33%)
13 (16%)
13 (16%)
10 (12%)
9 (11%)
7 (9%)
7 (9%)
2 (2%)

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

DEFENSIVE PLAYS

















-

20 (31%)
64 (100%)
64 (100%)
64 (100%)
63 (98%)
62 (97%)
60 (94%)
57 (89%)
54 (84%)
37 (58%)
29 (45%)
29 (45%)
24 (38%)
21 (33%)
20 (31%)
16 (25%)
10 (16%)
7 (11%)
3 (5%)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYS
6 (23%)
6 (23%)
6 (23%)
6 (23%)
-

1 (4%)
1 (4%)
10 (38%)


17 (65%)
7 (27%)
15 (58%)

13 (50%)
6 (23%)
6 (23%)

5 (19%)
6 (23%)
2 (8%)

8 (31%)
6 (23%)


2 (8%)
13 (50%)


2 (8%)
2 (8%)
14 (54%)
12 (46%)
2 (8%)

1 (4%)
20 (77%)
20 (77%)
18 (69%)
17 (65%)
13 (50%)
9 (35%)
9 (35%)
5 (19%)