A second snowstorm in three days blitzed through Dove Valley and the Front Range on Thursday. The first one didn’t affect the Broncos’ work one iota. The second one, however, forced them inside — and not to the nearby South Suburban Sports Dome, which was booked for a youth event.
With the Broncos’ usual inclement-weather option scrapped, they had to settle for working inside the team’s conditioning facility, on a field that is regulation width but is barely 30 yards in length.
“It was more of a walk-through, obviously,” Head Coach Mike Shanahan said. “But I think we got done what we needed to get done.”
The practice was the Broncos’ first inside the truncated indoor field at their facility since Week 16 of the 2006 season, when a near-blizzard kept the team at their facility.
“A bubble (at team headquarters) would be nice today. I was going to fight those little kids off today over at the bubble down the street, but I decided not to,” Shanahan deadpanned.
The weather not only forced the team inside, but postponed the scheduled audition of punters. That will now take place Friday.
“We had a hard time getting those punters in,” Shanahan said.
While the team’s search for a new punter stalled like a low-pressure center over the Texas panhandle, the progress of Jay Cutler did not, as he returned to full practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s work with a sore knee.
“He’ll be ready to go (Sunday),” Shanahan said.
Wide receiver Javon Walker also returned to full practice, while Ian Gold, Daniel Graham and Brandon Stokley were sidelined.
Tags: Brandon Stokley, Daniel Graham, Ian Gold, Jay Cutler, Quarterbacks, Snow, Weather
Wow, looks like that injury to Stokley must be pretty serious.
Yeah, I hope Stokley will be okay sounds like we won’t see him again till next year unless for some odd reason the Broncos trade him too. I hope they don’t he’s been a big factor for us on offense… I kinda like him on the team. As for Cutler, thank God he’s fine and will play Sunday. I’ve got nothing but faith in that kid, even though this season has turned into a dud and it really nothing to be happy about, I’ve been impressed with Cutler at how much he’s improved. He’s going to be a solid QB and that’s exactly what we need… someone who can bring change to this team for the good of things. Go get ‘em on Sunday Orange & Blue!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the update Mr. Mason. In case I don’t get the chance I wanted to say that I think you have done an excellent job this year. Your weekly updates and game day blogs have been fantastic. You’ve done a great job fielding our questions, dealing with our emotional schizophrenia, and handled the unbelievers with in our flock with grace and decisiveness. I hope to see you doing the same jobs next year, as well as any additional work that the Broncos would have you do. One last question. Will you be doing any work for the combine and the draft? If so, will it be posted here?
Great Job this year and to the Broncos, DOMINATE!
Mike in San Diego
A fan Question?
Now I sort of feel bad but right now I want us to loose, and I want us to loose bad. Next year I want the Broncos to come in completely under the radar, and HOPEFULLY with a good draft choice we get more young talent. With a team with a better mind set, and come out the Broncos everyone forgot about in 2005. Is it bad for me to want them to loose, dose that make me less of a fan? Or am I a fan thinking ahead… Come on Denver we are in it for the long run! Young Talent, Good strategies go team!
07elway, why the hell would the Broncos trade Stokley? That’s downright outrageous! He just signed a three year contract with the Broncos.
Stand Ablaze, as I remember our beloved Broncos gave away Al Wilson & Mike Anderson, why the hell would they do that?? That’s downright outrageous! Explain that one to me. If they have the nerve to give away two fantastic players like Wilson & Anderson then anything can happen. Anything can happen in the NFL, you goofball. Teams give away great players for reasons that are in some situations completely not understandable. And don’t get your undies in such a bunch, I just made a simple statement… God only knows what the Broncos will do after this kind of season.
GO BRONCOS!!!!
Given past performances I’d have thought a 30 yard field with a roof would’ve been about the right size for our punters
All free agent punters at the end of this season better book a flight to Denver. Maybe one of them kids in the bubble can punt.
So help me GOD if I see one more person say we “gave away” or “let go” of Al Wilson I’m going to break my computer. AL WILSON IS SERIOUSLY HURT, the chances of him playing again are slim to none. So for all of you “fans” check yourself at the door, get your facts in order and pull your head from outa your @$$. As for Mike Anderson, he hasn’t exactly been a fireball out in Baltimore has he? Shanahan is under the gun the second the season ends. Either admit you need help as a GM and hire some good people to help you or simply hand over the job to another party. I think Shanny can still coach, I’m not sure his decisions in free agency, drafting and coaching staff is as solid anymore.
SHANNY WILL GET OUR TEAM BACK TO WINNING NEXT YEAR WE WILL BE AT LEAST 11- 5 NEXT YEAR . GO BRONCOS!1!
Amen hrdnokd! Al Wilson was a stud, and I miss him as much as anyone. However, the man could not pass a physical with the Giants, and hopefully everyone agrees he should not even try to come back, because maybe someday he will want to be able to play with his kids. It’s not woth the risk of crippling himself. I do think we should have held onto Mike Anderson, though. You are right, he is not tearing it up in Baltimore. He isn’t really getting the carries, though. While he was here, he performed whatever role the team asked of him, and he always did it in a Rod Smith, get the job done type of way. Even when moved to fullback (after a 1500 yard rookie year), asked to split time with Tatum Bell, injured on a punt in the 4th quarter of a preseason game, etc. I think we should have held onto him rather than Dayne or Tatum.
Oh, and Mikebirty, you forgot one thing. A 30 yard field would be great for the offense too. Let’s face it, we would have a record-setting offense if not for that pesky red zone. A 30 yard field would eliminate that problem….
thanks for a great year Andrew!! YOu do a great Job
Broncos will be back better next year..we will win the west!!
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the marine and thought Shanny honestly wasted him at FB for all those years. Portis came on the scene and we all know what he could do, but Anderson should have been the goal line back. Dude wasn’t afraid of contact for sure. I’m terrified Petterson is about to trounce us and set ANOTHER NFL single game rushing title. Come on D, play some friggin’ ball out there!
Get rid of the tired ,the lame and the uninspired,fire the D coach,and have a great draft. Id like to get Darren McFadden from Arkaknsas he is a 3 for 1,He can throw the Ball,that takes care of a back up quarterback,He can Block,improves the D,and He can run like #@&%. Go Broncos in 08
LOL… Who is Petterson? Could you possibly mean Adrian “Peterson”… unless you mean the defense-line coach Andre Patterson who we fired last year, in which case I could see you being afraid as he looks like he could eat you (see…. http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=357&contentID=4092). I gotta go with 07elway on Mike Anderson though, dude was a team player, I think part of the reason we underachieved this year was because we didn’t have enough of those. Mike Anderson & Rod Smith are both guys who are very unselfish & I think you saw how we missed them. As for Al Wilson I agree if he isn’t medically doing well he should focus on that, after all even though many of us in Broncos Country think so sometimes, football isn’t life. The only thing I don’t get is why didn’t we presue Jeramiah Trotter when Philadephia released him in the offseason, he’s with the Bucs now & there run defense is tops in the league. In any case I think the answer this offseason is to get rid of Bates, heck get even Robinson back and then we need another Pro Bowl calaber MLB, it’s impairitive to this defense. Mike has his hands full for sure & I think next year will be the true test for Mike, will he be able to rebound? — All of that being said, excellent job this year ‘Drew, keep up the good work & tell Mr. Bowlen he owes you a raise… (what’s the NFL minimum?) =)
Hey guys, this is my first ever entry after being a broncos fan all my life and I really look forward to keepin up with mason and all of you guys. You are all like my other family and if theres anything i can get you guys or any help I can be please just me know. My heart has been totally crushed this year, I really expected our broncos to do alot better. My first big concern our defensive cord. Gates. They fired our old cord. coyer and put gates in charge and the defense got even worse. Somebody please tell me they have some inside info. on rather or not denver is going to do something huge about the defense and the offensive line because their breaking my heart to keep watching them just not having any dang chemistry, especially watching them get beat bad by the chargers. I really feel we got our quarterback of the future with cutler guys, because our team isnt playing well at all this season but he still seams to put up decent numbers like today going 26-37 246yards and 2 TDs, and i really like what i see in selvin young, i really hope to see some big changes in the off season and hope the broncos build some chemistry next year, and it all starts in the trenches, geting protection and blocking for our backs and pressure and run stoping on the defensive side.
Im so happy to see that everybody is on the same page when it comes to our defensive problems and geting rid of our defensive cordinator, our defensive line coach and even the def. backs coach, cuz that defense all year was hard to watch and it shouldnt hve been that way with players like bailey, ble, lynch, and etc. etc. I think offensivly we started off slow but showed some potential even though it was inconsistent, especially against the lions and chargers. That was sick to watch!!! I really liked what the rookie selvin young gave to he team, him and henry can be a great one two punch like alot of teams are doing with two backs. If you look at the numbers and some of the game changing plays young and henry had, its pretty good. I dont think we need any running backs in this draft, we need lineman. We also need A cordinator that will get all these guys on the same page. We showed so much inconsistency and sloppy play this year and with the great players we have, it should NOT have been that way. Ive also got to say that i was really inpressed with Cutler in his first full starting season, i was also impressed with Brandon Marshall and Selvin Young. they played great and had a good season, and Young wasnt even a starter. The biggest changes that need to be made are on the line on both sides of the ball and In the coaching. They have alot of work to do!!! And if anybody in the front office or the broncos coaching staff or organization are reading this, PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!! im begging you, DO SOMETHING!! it breaks my heart to be a die hard broncos fan or a bronco fan period and watch a season happen the way it did when we should have been alot better. There is no excuse for a 7-9 season. PERIOD!!! The Denver Broncos are a HUGE part of my life and ive been by the team through the lowest and highest points of the teams existence and even when weve come so close to superbowl rings only to fall. So please for all of us fans!! We want another championship. I live here in Cali and love slamming bragging rights in the faces of all raider and charger fans. So please!!For all of us Broncos fans, The team has potential to be back to greatness and the elway era again, do whatever you have to in order to get the team to that point, and that will be real fan appreceation enough. Thank you… Jeff Vandyke, (209) 818-7249 I look forward to the off-season and the 08′ Season. Bronco Fans are the greatest fans around. Period