Eric Detweiler « DenverBroncos.com

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A Simple Formula

November 11th, 2010 - 3:51pm by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

To Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, it’s no secret what makes the Kansas City offense successful.

But that doesn’t make it any easier to stop.

“It’s going to be just like coming to your Friday night high school game when you are seeing a ‘Wing-T’ team,” Martindale said. “They run the ball, run the ball, run the ball. And that is what is making them a good team because they are feeding off of their defense’s turnovers and takeaways and they do some good things with it.”

Running backs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones are both on pace to top the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season, leading the league’s top ground attack and taking the pressure off quarterback Matt Cassel, who has thrown 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his last six games.

Those stats have proved the key ingredients in the Chiefs’ unexpected rise to the top of the AFC West this season.

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Tags: 2010, Brian Dawkins, Britton Colquitt, Denver Broncos, Don "Wink" Martindale, Kansas City Chiefs, Week 10
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 194 Comments »

Coats Added

November 9th, 2010 - 4:51pm by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

Daniel Coats arrived in Denver on Monday and almost immediately started studying his new team’s playbook.

By this morning, the fourth-year tight end was adequately pleased with his progress.

“It’s difficult because it’s a lot different than what I’ve been doing, but a lot of it makes sense, so it should come pretty quickly,” Coats said. “Right now, I’m just working on it.”

As the Broncos began gearing up for the season’s second half Tuesday, they added Coats to the active roster and waived defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith.

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Tags: 2010, Daniel Coats, Denver Broncos, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Tim Tebow, Week 10
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 53 Comments »

Taking Care of Business

October 29th, 2010 - 11:23am by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

Unlike many of his teammates, Kyle Orton has made the journey from Denver to London before.

The Broncos quarterback and his wife, Bridget, vacationed in the city a few years ago, giving Orton — who majored in history at Purdue — a chance to take in many of its most famous sites.

After making the more than nine hour flight from the Mile High City to London’s Heathrow Airport this time around, the expectations for the trip are a little different.

“You want to have a great combination of having fun and enjoying your time over here, no question about that,” Orton said. “But for us it’s such an important game, that’s going to make the trip one way or another. If we can come out and play well and win the football game, we’re going to have a fun trip.”

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Tags: Denver Broncos, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton, London, San Francisco 49ers, Week 8
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 73 Comments »

Certainty Under Center

October 27th, 2010 - 3:52pm by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

Last week injuries to his top two quarterback kept Oakland Head Coach Tom Cable from announcing a starter until gameday.

This week, the Broncos have the luxury of knowing who will be under center to begin Sunday’s game in London.

With No. 1 quarterback Alex Smith out with an injury, San Francisco Head Coach Mike Singletary has picked Troy Smith to lead his team. Singletary decided on the former Heisman Trophy winner who has spent the season as the No. 3 quarterback rather than backup David Carr.

“I just feel that (Troy Smith) gives a chance to win football games, I really do,” Singletary said in a Wednesday morning conference call. “So, I am excited about the opportunity for him and for us.”

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Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Mario Haggan, Week 8
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 67 Comments »

Smith Rejoins Roster

October 26th, 2010 - 10:11am by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

The Broncos turned to a familiar face to bolster their defensive line Tuesday, signing Le Kevin Smith. The fifth-year defensive lineman replaces Diyral Briggs, who was waived yesterday, on the active roster.

Smith played 13 games, including two starts, for the Broncos last season after being acquired in a trade with New England. The 28-year-old registered 10 tackles, including his first career sack. He spent training camp and the preseason with the team this season before being waived on Sept. 7.

Overall, Smith, a former sixth-round pick out of Nebraska, has recorded 35 tackles in 44 career games.

Smith will wear No. 90.

- Eric Detweiler, DenverBroncos.com

Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, Le Kevin Smith
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 51 Comments »

Learning Experience

October 21st, 2010 - 2:51pm by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

Last week Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale needed to devise a gameplan without a pair of starters in the secondary with a combined 25 years of experience.

The defensive coordinator acknowledged it’s not easy to replace Brian Dawkins or Andre’ Goodman, but being able to plug in improving rookies Perrish Cox and Syd’Quan Thompson — who came up with his first career interception in the 24-20 loss — made the process a lot easier.

“There’s a lot of young players that we feel are very good football players and they need to step up and play, and they have done that,” Martindale said.

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Tags: 2010, Defensive Coordinator Don Martindale, Denver Broncos, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Perrish Cox, Syd'Quan Thompson
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 61 Comments »

Pair Added to Practice Squad

October 20th, 2010 - 9:50am by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

The Broncos brought their roster back to capacity on Wednesday morning, adding tight end John Nalbone and defensive lineman Mitch Unrein to their practice squad.

Nalbone, a fifth-round pick of Miami in 2009, played in a pair of games this season for the Dolphins and also spent time on Minnesota’s practice squad. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound tight end did not record any regular season catches. As a rookie last season, the Monmouth University grad was inactive for the Dolphins’ first six games before spending the rest of the season on the team’s practice squad.

Unrein, a rookie defensive lineman, spent the 2010 preseason with Houston after signing as a college free agent out of Wyoming. Unrein recorded one tackle in two preseason contests before being waived on Sept. 3. The Colorado native was a three-time All-Mountain West selection at Wyoming.

- Eric Detweiler, DenverBroncos.com

Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, John Nalbone, Mitch Unrein
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 56 Comments »

Happy to Help

October 18th, 2010 - 5:41pm by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

A day after scoring his first NFL touchdown in his first game action in more than a month, Tim Tebow had no interest in speculating on the future of the package of plays designed to get him involved in the offense.

The rookie quarterback, who finished Sunday’s loss to the Jets with six carries for 23 yards and a touchdown, was just happy to have been back out on the field, taking hits and playing the sport he loves.

“I’m just going to do whatever they ask me to do and try to do it with all my heart,” Tebow said with a smile.

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Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Matthew Willis, Renaldo Hill, Tim Tebow, Week 7
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 44 Comments »

Snap Judgement

October 14th, 2010 - 3:36pm by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

At times throughout the offseason, Broncos Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy saw his unit confused by unusual blitz schemes designed by Defensive Coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale.

When that happened, the players and coaches would get together and talk about how best to protect if they saw a similar look again.

With the New York Jets coming to INVESCO Field at Mile High on Sunday, McCoy said those situations were good practice for what Kyle Orton and the Broncos offense are going to face.

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Tags: 2010, Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos, Kyle Orton, Lee Robinson, New York Jets, Week 6
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 95 Comments »

Five Defenders Out

October 11th, 2010 - 12:21pm by Eric DetweilerOther posts by Eric Detweiler

Robert Ayers, Brian Dawkins, Andre’ Goodman, Darcel McBath and Wesley Woodyard will miss Sunday’s home game against the Jets due to injury, Head Coach Josh McDaniels announced Monday.

The head coach did not rule out Demaryius Thomas, who left Sunday’s loss at Baltimore with a head and neck injury after a second-quarter kickoff return.

McDaniels did not discuss the nature of the injuries or how long the players might be out. McBath left Sunday’s game in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return, while Dawkins went down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter and didn’t return, according to press box injury updates.

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Tags: 2010, Andre' Goodman, Brian Dawkins, Darcel McBath, Denver Broncos, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Robert Ayers, Week 6, Wesley Woodyard
Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 57 Comments »