As quickly as Paul Ernster returned to the Broncos, he finds himself outside of the locker room once again.
Denver waived the punter and kickoff specialist Wednesday morning, barely 36 hours after he struggled in the loss to San Diego.
Ernster’s night started badly, as he shanked a 17-yard punt that flew out of bounds at the Denver 44-yard-line, setting the Chargers up in excellent field position for their first touchdown. His second punt covered 59 yards after it bounced and was downed at the San Diego 1, but his final three punts traveled 33, 38 and 31 yards.
“One little thing and it goes to hell,” Ernster said in the moments after the 23-3 loss at Qualcomm Stadium.
“My timing was off. Punting is all timing. It was off tonight. The whole country saw that. I’ve just got to come back and work hard.
“Hopefully I’ll be here this week and get a chance to prove myself again, because you all have seen me punt. You know that’s not like me. I’ll get back and work hard and come out next week and show them that it was a fluke.”
But after being waived Wednesday, next week won’t be in the cards for the third-year product of Northern Arizona.
Tags: Paul Ernster, Special Teams
Any idea who will punt for us?
Elam! lol jk
this is the problem with our team too much turnover. This is a football team not a fast food restaurant. There was a reason he wasnt on anybodys active roster and what do we decide to do resign him. Mike needs to give up on making roster decisions and just stick to coaching because he is really starting to make himself look bad. In order for there to be any progress made we need some stability, and clearly our organization is lacking that.
Worst punts i have EVER seen. I think one of the cheerleaders on the sidelines could have done better. “It’s all about timing?” LMAO. Dude, catch the snap and frigging kick the ball!!! You had a week to practice doing it for Christ’s sake!!!!!!
mmmm, isn’t that what practice is for?
How much did that idiot get paid for those five lousy kicks?
That’s got to be better than winning a punt, pass and kick competition.
Oh, and yes, the ENTIRE Country was watching that latest little embarassing debacle.
Elway used to do better kicking. I’d say let Cutler do it, or maybe Dumerville, it’s not like they could do any worse.
Mason,
I haven’t and don’t usually post during the season, but I’ve got a few questions and you seem like the right guy to answer them.
1) There have been many complaints about Shanahan and his “President of Football Operations” role. Is this something that Sundquist and Bolen may address?
2) The Broncos have several outstanding players on both sides of the ball, but seem to have glaring weaknesses in consistency on offense and stopping the run on defense. Are these player or coaching failures?
3) I’m a “fan”-atic, so I can’t always see clearly, but it seems that, though Shanahan has put together a long run of above average teams, he has lost that intangible feeling you get from the top-tier coaches. Is it just the result of a bad season, or is there something happening between coach and player that we, the fans, can’t see.
4) We’re looking at the 10-15th draft choice this year, if we lose our final game…I sure hope we go hard at the linebacker position (sorry, more of a statement than a question).
Thank God. I was furious when we re-signed this hack. I think we should have just let the guy we picked up off Miami’s practice squad try. Couldn’t have been worse. Glad to see the back of Ernster, and I hope to never see him again.
Wormy: I think he had more than a week to practice. I think he had a couple of months since the Browns 86ed him
Wow! Another player in one week only to hit the waiver wire a week later. I would think that is what PRE-SEASON is for! I understand the circumstances here are a bit different but get your roster set for the season when the games do not count.
I did like Ernsters kickoffs last season, but never his punts. Why did he not kick off at SD? It might be obvious for someone who saw him at practice – maybe he hit the dirt further than the ball.
I tend not to blame an individual player in team sports. However punting and kicking are individual skills, individual responsibilities and Ernster did not deliver.
BTW, why don’t we go for the highest-ever-drafted punter in April?
so what position does everyone think we should draft first and why?
No – I won’t take the punter, unless he can snap and punt at the same time – I would just love to see that.
Most likely a MLB. Williams is a great athlete, but I doubt his “football intelligence” for this position. I prefer him outside.
If that Michigan OT (Jake Long) would fall to us (whishful thinking), I’d take him in a second. Our OT’s get run over, the interior linemen have to help –> the running game suffers. The offensive problems – too many three and outs – are due to our O-line.
If he was waived because he is a crappy kicker ( which he realy sucks) then why does Jim Bates still have a job? He sucks too.
wooops really
fire jim bates, sign lance briggs, and draft sedrick ellis
The Broncos luck out on the upcoming draft: they don’t have to draft for position, they can select the best athletes and place them in positions later — all because there are so many holes in the defense, special teams, as well as offense.
I’d also suggest creating a new coaching postition: “team guru”. The guru would be in charge of actually forming a team; right now, they play as an accumulation of individuals.
well at least he was not on the team long enough to be indicted or suspended by the league . . .
bates must have blackmail material on Bowlen of some sort. Otherwise there is no explanation for his continued employment.
Can we draft a defensive coordinator? Hell, let Miles and Thunder coach the defense, they can’t do any worse. In fact, a troop of drunken howler monkeys could probably do better.
what happen to all the ernster fans?????lmao!!!!The ones who said Ernster is alot better then saurbaun….lol….my 7 year old son can punt farther then 30 yards…lol..great job shanny…
Bad season , to forget quickly but i’m concerned when i see how bad our team is that one offseason won’t change many things . No other season like this one , please !!!Win this damned game against Minnesota and restore hope in broncoscountry ! concerning Ernster , my arms are falling : one week in , the other out , who will punt then ? Yes , he was bad but wasn’t he before this game ?????It’s the end , hopefully of a series of bad decisions coaching staff wise ( Rice , Warren , Adams etc , etc ….. ) , it’s time to pick football player , i know iyt’s not an easy job but when i see the vet acquisitions in New England …..
Wow ! Where do I begin. I seriously feel bad for Ernster, believe it or not and even though HE STUNK UP THE PLACE ! I kind of feel as though he was a scapegoat, I mean REALLY take time to think about it he WAS NOT the reason we got THROTTLED ON NATIONAL TELEVISION ! Let’s see where ever can we start ? VERY OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY !!!! I think Cutler just got sacked again !!!! LACK OF A RUNNING GAME….see offensive line play !!!! Cutler completed like 3 of 38 pass attempts (just kidding), but it seemed that bad, again see offensive line play, YES A THEME HAS DEVELOPED !!!! Where else can we go…hmmm ? How about the lack of an interior pass rush (DEFENSIVE TACKLES), that we haven’t had since the glory years of ’97 and ’98, which now seems soooo long ago !!!! Hey we have Three of four All-Pro players playing in the secondary, but it matters not because we can’t rush the passer without blitzing every other play ! Let’s face it my follow Bronco fans we are not a very good football team right now and we need lots of help on both the offensive and defensive lines ! On the bright side of things we will have help returning next year with players along the offensive with the return of the injured players. I also agree with the follow Bronco Denverrules5201 fan that said Coach needs to be a little less involved in the personnel decisions and focus more on the x’s and o’s. I think that some of Coach’s decisions have resulted in a lack of consistency for our squad which hurt us overall !!!! Again Ernster did SUCK, but again REALLY ask yourself, was he the sole reason we GOT POUNDED ? Side note yes he was a contributing factor, but he does block, pass, catch, or throw the ball !!!!
hey maybe if we start chanting fire bates at the game or we want koyer back(dont know if i spelt that right) maybe well have a nother plumber/cutler situation happen when the senile guys caves in to fan pressure. i like cutler alot i think he is the future of the franchise but i love how it seemed like every person last year for got that it was plumber who took us to the afc championship game the season befor. we were fine with koyer last year we only allowed like 1 touchdown i the 1st 7 games or somthing like that, and the second indy comes along and lights us up(which they do to alot of teams) koyers gone then fastforward a bit we get stuck with this jack hole. seriously if this guy can have this job they should let me give it a shot i call way better d-plays on madden online lol, theres even 10 year olds that call better d-plays
Hey I will be at the Vikings game….anybody care to join me?!?! How about the end of the 3rd quarter if we are getting pounded….”FIRE BATES FIRE BATES FIRE BATES!”
I don’t think anyone thinks Ernster is a better punter than Sauerbraun. It’s just that he’s at least nicer and not likely to be an @$$ or commit a crime. Sauerbraun had a great leg and no brains at all. Ernster was terrible on Monday though and they could clearly do better. Maybe they shouldn’t have waived Nick Harris a couple of years ago after all.
Gee, it seems we started going downhill when Greg Robinson moved on. We need a defensive coach and a special teams coach. The two we have don’t know what they are doing.
Broncoryan count me in i will be at the game as well
Broncoryan i would love to join you if you got an extra ticket
granted this year has been pretty lousy, BUT, it’s eveybodys doing not just the individuals
seems like when the boys are doing crappy everybody and anybody is being critized
normally i just read the commends, but i feel this time my two cents should be posted here
well thank god next season we should have all our players from the IR back
and there are alot of good prospects available during the next draft
and to all the armchair-quarterbacks out there:
it looks alot easier on Tv
do you really know how much planning and thinking is involved to make the playbook each and every week ?
of course we all want that the broncos are successfull every year, but let’s not kid ourselves, that’s just possible
every team wants to win every year
and last but not least, we are not the worst team in our devision or in the nfl
I am just as dissappointed as the next fan, but lets not go nuts! I still think Bowlen, Sundquist, and Shanahan will get this figured out! !3 years, 2 losing seasons and you are ready to throw in the towel? Mike is a good coach! He wants a championship team. So do we as fans, let’s not make it worse with all the violence and negative B.S.! Let’s stand behind the Bronco’s all the way. It will come! The Championship is on the way! I am confused about the kicker though! Maybe they could look at Dirk Johnson from Montrose , that kicked for the Eagles! That is a thought! Colorado boy on a Colorado team! Could work!!! Let’s not give up! We had a lot of babies playing this year, next year they will be a little more grown up and a little smarter!!
I just saw where Shanny said he was kicking this week. He said he could average 30 yards. Funny so can I so can I get paid?
Bummer. I know Ernster blew it Monday night, but so did nearly everyone else. I stand by my earlier post… he has a very powerful leg and just needs someone to work with him. I wish that Elam could have been that mentor. Oh well, there’s always next year. I just wish I didn’t have to say that so often. I guess that Elway and TD spoiled us!
I really feel bad for Ernster. He became a nationally televised joke. Few people deserve that.
Andrew, in the time that you knew Ernster, from a last year, and his brief showing this year, did you ever see any indications as to why he seems to choke when the chips are down? After beating out Sauerbrun for the punting job last year during preseason, he went on to underperform during the regular season. Now, in his (probably last) chance to make an impression in Denver…well, the performance speaks for itself.
He seemed dedicated to getting better, and seemed to think that Denver was his preferred destination, yet he didn’t follow through int he one area where it mattered. Why? In my experience, guys who try to hard fall prey to this routinely. Is Ernster not a pro level talent?
Yeah, Very very disappointed! WE the fans are ALWAYS Going to have HIGH hopes for the Broncos! We BLEED ORANGE AND BLUE! Thats wat we do. but, this is a very sad year. I love Mike but i think he just needs to be the Coach of the Denver Broncos. Concentrate on the X & O’s! Defense & Offensive lines NEED TO BE THE FIRST THING ON THE LIST THIS OFFSEASON, followed by Linebackers! Take care of that and WE WILL BEAT CHARERS FOR THE AFC WEST DIVISION! LEts take it in, and HOPE that this offseason is gonna make us smile. LEts Go Broncos! “Never Give Up The Hope.”
P.S. Lets GO Nuggets!
I’m just wondering where all of the Denver Broncos fans went. As I read through these posts I can’t believe some of the things I’m reading. A few of you guys still support the team but they seem to be a minority. Seriously, there are people on here who want the team to LOSE so we can have a slightly better draft pick. That’s right kids just give up when things don’t go your way. I hope I never have to depend on anyone with that kind of attitude.
champbronc, according to that story, apparently elam might actually punt for us. no joke, but it also said prater led the nation in punting in college, maybe he should do it
It feels good to know though, that had Jay Cutler smacked a cab driver, he would have been released to…right Mike? RIGHT?
LetPlummerKick!
letplummerplay, do you plan on making a page for coyer and kubiak? that would be nice, seriously. They were true masters at their craft.
let plummer play…I always wanted to ask..just curious…are you the real jake???…just wonderin…damn..wouldn’t be a surprise to me….lol…he was a child…
coyer i do want back..or atleast Robinson…..just think if we had anyone of them two this year…..our defense would have been #1…no joke…the joke is on shanny..for being hustled by Bates….just look how many people he signed and then cut…….lmao…I guess we don’t run a class organization like we seem to think…
i hope we beat the vikings…….who wants to go 6-10…..another win ain’t gonna change the draft….the way our first round picks go..lol..we can trade it away..for where shanny is better at..middle round picks….
sorry i am rantin..but i will always love the broncos…just madd thats it..i have to hear it everyday at work….lol..i miss living in denver again…
Sorry guys but next year will be worse than this year. This team might get its act together in 3-4 yrs. I had a dream recently about Shanahan being fired after next year when we go 4 and 12. He just doesn’t have it any longer. He had one lucky short period of life as a coach and that my friends is going to be it (period!!!).
The sooner Bowlen parts ways with Mike and finds someone who can instill work ethics into the team the better. Mike is just one of those “good ole boys” with that sort of mentality. He prays that the “Mile High Magic” will last forever and probably watched one too many episodes of the Mickey Mouse and the Mousketeers as a child. Great teams are built and talent often has to be cultivated and not just found. I don’t see Mike having the motivating ability to cultivate enough good players to make up for the lack of good talent and win another superbowl ever again.
I should have let everyone know that I’m not a young kid. I’m almost 50 yrs old and know a great deal about the sport of football. I won’t get into my credentials but wish someone would listen to at least one request. I have two which if followed could turn the team around.
One…draft a top rated offensive linemen
Two….find a new athletic trainer.
Antonopolous has to go. You can mail him letters, visit when in town and still refer to him as family. But you owe him nothing further. Please cut losses here and find a trailblazer candidate who has advanced medical training as it pertains to sports.