In Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, Champ Bailey held Dwayne Bowe — the league’s hottest receiver after scoring in seven straight games coming in — without a single catch. Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale called it “one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.”
Bailey’s reward for the effort? The nine-time Pro Bowler gets a Week 14 matchup with Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald — a four-time Pro Bowler who is one catch away from being the team’s all-time receptions leader.
“It is more of a challenge this week,” Bailey said. “He is more of a polished receiver. He is more experienced. So, my hands will be a little full this week.”
Bailey’s work in Kansas City showed why he’s still one of the most respected cornerbacks in the game.
Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel passed for Bowe three times without success. In the fourth quarter, Bailey drew an offensive pass interference penalty when Bowe pushed off while making a 22-yard catch. He finished the game with four tackles, including a sack, and one pass defended.
“It was just his day,” fellow cornerback Nate Jones said. “He won that battle.”
In Arizona, Bailey will likely be battling the more veteran Fitzgerald attempting to catch passes from an inexperienced quarterback. With injuries to the Cardinals’ top two quarterbacks, it’s possible that rookie John Skelton will make his first career start.
Arizona starter Derek Anderson has not practiced this week, and the defense, which held Kansas City to just 10 points last week, has spent the week preparing for Skelton. Martindale said the team has watched tape of him playing in preseason and in Sunday’s loss to the Rams and called him “a big stationary target back there.”
“I wish I knew more about this guy, but it is what it is,” Bailey said. “I know No. 11 (Fitzgerald) is going to run his routes just the same.”
For his part, Fitzgerald said he’s watched tape of each Broncos game and understands he’s in for a tough Sunday afternoon. The only time the pair have played in the same regular season game, Fitzgerald had five catches for 77 yards but Bailey finished with a pair of interceptions in a 37-20 Denver win back in 2006.
“He’s a competitor and every time you play against him, you know exactly what type of matchup you’re going to be in,” Fitzgerald said in a Wednesday conference call. “It’ll be a competitive fight and it’s always fun to compete against people you respect and admire.”
While it might be hard for Bailey to play up to the incredible standard he set last week, Martindale said Bailey’s consistency remains one of his best attributes. The defensive coordinator knows Bailey will be ready to step up again on Sunday.
“I always joke around with (Jets Head Coach) Rex (Ryan),” Martindale said. “I say he’s got his guy, that’s ‘Revis Island’ and I say, ‘Champ’s island is Honolulu, because he’s over there at the Pro Bowl all the time.’ That’s how I feel about him and he goes about it every day.”
MCCOY MAKES THE CALLS
In his first media session since Josh McDaniels was relieved of his head coaching duties, Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy echoed Interim Head Coach Eric Studesville’s message this week.
McCoy, who will assume McDaniels’ play-calling duties, said the move means plenty of small changes around Dove Valley but nothing drastic as the team heads into its final four games of the season.
“I just have a bigger role now, but we are not changing the way we game plan or anything,” McCoy said. “Everyone is still involved, (and) we are going it the exact same way as it was before on a day-to-day basis getting ready for our opponent.”
McCoy said he has a little bit of play-calling experience from his time in Carolina when then-offensive coordinator Dan Henning would give him the responsibility in certain situations. The second-year coordinator gave credit to the offensive system in place and vowed to avoid changes to a scheme that has served him well since his days as the Panthers quarterbacks coach.
In his weekly press conference yesterday, Kyle Orton said he’s “comfortable” with the coordinator. He appreciates the communication that he’s had with McCoy, a former quarterback himself, during games. While Orton said it will be different having a new voice talking to him in his helmet during games, he’s confident in McCoy’s ability to handle the new duty.
McCoy, who called the coaching change “an unfortunate part of the business,” said he’s ready for the new challenges he’ll face down the stretch.
“I have been very fortunate since the day I got in this business back in 2000 to work with some great coaches, and they have prepared me for this opportunity that I have now,” McCoy said. “From the very first day to the last day Josh was here, I have been very fortunate and they have all prepared me for how to plan for games.”
Matt Prater made his first appearance on the injury report this season as he was limited in Thursday’s session with a right groin injury. Andre Goodman (quadricep) and Darcel McBath (quadricep/ankle) also had limited participation in the session.
Brian Dawkins (knee), Spencer Larsen (hamstring) and Demaryius Thomas (ankle) missed their second straight workout and Studesville said previously that all three will miss Sunday’s game.
For the Cardinals, Anderson (head) was the lone player to miss Thursday’s practice. WR Steve Breaston (knee), DE Calais Campbell (ankle), K Jay Feeley (right groin), LB Clark Haggans (groin) and LB Joey Porter (knee) practiced with limited participation. CB Michael Adams (shoulder), DT Darnell Dockett (shoulder) and CB Greg Toler (foot) had full participation in the session.
- Eric Detweiler, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: 2010, Champ Bailey, Defensive Coordinator Don 'Wink' Martindale, Denver Broncos, Week 14
so if we get another CB in the draft does that mean Nate Jones is gone? : )
I sure hope nate jones is gone I would rather have a drunk dj wiliams then a sober nate jones
haha if only we could clone champ and make him 5 years younger.
Still dont think he would stay nothing here for him now he wants a ring to bad to waist anymore time here
BFE, obviously defense is where our draft needs to go. The offense just needs THE RIGHT COACHING. I was leaning towards the DL. News of Perrish and Champs drama, IDK.
Feel bad for Cox. Hopefully this is not true.
sndvl,
what do you think we do with cox if these aligations are corect
I have learned NOT to believe everything,afterall a man is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law,so I will give Cox the benefit of the doubt.Besides there are women out there with get rich quick schemes,I’m not insinuating this is the case,but we will see.Hopefully he will be cleared.
Elway dosen’t want to be HC or GM:
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2010/12/john_elway_denver_broncos_new_job.php
Ellis probably isn’t leaving either,I was hoping Elway took his job.
Didn’t know Mr.B was having memory trouble,too bad.
Hey guys. I wanted so say hello to everyone but you were all well into the next blog, so here’s a repost:
Hello everyone long time no see! I’m sure you guys thought I jumped ship because McDaniels is gone haha. I went to Missouri for a week for thanksgiving break. Came back and immediatley devoted what time wasn’t being spent getting ready for finals to moving (which sucked) and then we haven’t had the internet until yesterday. Needless to say I’ve been trying to catch up on everything but I opted for all the post-Mcd firing stuff.
You’re right about one thing, Bay, it is fun to think of all the possibilities. And yes – I was grinning from ear to ear after reading about Elway. That’s where it starts. I will stick to my guns and say I wouldn’t have fired McD, but I certainly understand Pat doing and I fully apreciate his motivations. He has a legacy of not tolerating losing in Denver and bless him for it. I wish McDaniel’s success in his future endeavors and I think he’ll winning HC somewhere down the line.
I haven’t had to throw in my picks for office personnel, but I won’t really focus on that because I won’t mention anybody you guys haven’t already. You’ve heard me talk about Gruden before so I’ll say this: brilliant football mind + hates the Raiders + loves Tim Tebow = Gruden would do well here in Denver.
In conclusion I can say it’s a relief to have the McD debating behind us. I can honestly say it does my heart good to see guys like Bay typing with renewed hope. Of course things aren’t going to change overnight, but I have a good feeling about all this.
Much love, my fellow Broncos fans!
Also it’s really sad to hear about Cox. I thought he was a young guy who could take the reigns in our secondary soon if need be. Maybe he still is. We’ll just have to wait until all the details reveal themselves.
I’ve thought it over,and I know it’s still 4 more weeks left until seasons end,but this is what I’ve come up with,feel free to come up with your own.
Elway-VP (6 years in the AFL,so he has experience now,)
Dungy-GM (knows what it takes to build a winner,great evaluating talent)
Gruden-HC (Great Offensive mind and loves Tebow,knows Defense too)
Dennison-OC (if he is released by Texans,bring back our bread n butter)
John Fox-DC (will be fired as Panthers HC,great defensive mind)
Well you knew this week couldn’t be all good haha just like the season, everytime something good happens, one or two things go wrong. I was reading sndvl’s post earlier about the Tebow thing, I think before anyone says what he is going to do in this league they need to give him a chance! The guy won in Pee Wee, High School, and College idk why he can’t do it in the NFL! sndvl, Do you believe in Tebow?
BFE, I like them all accept DC. How about bringing back Nolan as DC.
What about rob ryan as hc
Thats a bummer about Cox. I hope he`s inoccent. You never know, she might of been a gold digger.
I don`t know. If he`s flamboyant like his brother than I say no way. No filthy trashmouths.
If Ryan is like his bro I say we should snag him in some capacity. Rex has made the jets a very good team. The way he acts rubs off on players and it shows on the field, I wish we could nab Rex for that matter.
Still not happy about McDaniels tho have a feeling we might regret that later.
I think I’m just numb all over.
DenverOranges – Rob Ryan has crossed my mind a few times as well. He’s more humble than rex and still get results.
strandoftds – Nolan won’t come back to just be DC. He might throw his name out for one of the vacant HC jobs.
BeastFromEast92 – If what you said were to happen….. Count us in the AFC Championship game no latter than 2 years from now. Barring a lockout!
strandoftds,I don’t see Nolan leaving a DC job to come back here and have the same job,I think the only way he leaves Miami is to be a HC somewhere,but that’s just me.
I just want a defensive minded coach and I think we could land ryan pretty cheap leaving more money for high prospect faculty and staff
If Rob is more humble he could be a good prospect. If he`s ready To HC give him a two year deal. I still like Gruden though. And you guys are probably right about Nolan. The only way he would come back to Denver is if he got the HC job. I don`t see that happening though. He wasn`t a good HC for S.F. I thought his O play calling for S.F. was vanilla.
I need to know what they are gonna do with Cox ASAP bc that’s gonna determine if I use Denver’s D/ST in my fantasy this week.
caramelloo,
Dude we play the Cardinals we might not win but are d will still hold them under 17 Guaranteed I would start um man
way to go BFE with your all star cast but it might be too rich for Bowlens blood. Not just might…it is lol. Dungy and Gruden…talk about expensive…we will be lucky to land even one. But a man can dream lol. Like everthing else tho. Except I would like Nolan backs as DC…guys know him, guys respect him and our defense was great under him. Would like Gruden but if no Gruden I will take Kubiak and Dennison ofcourse. And if no kubiak….well, whoever likes Tebow lol.
Bay said no to kubiak. but yes to dennison. Said he wants a Defensive minded coach. And I agree on the whole defensive minded coach thing but still like kubiak. Says dennison is what makes the broncos zone what it is…I agree but if the new HC doesnt do zone, then dennison will be useless hence why i want dennison and kubiak. But whoever it is will get my full support. I just never liked McDaniels…
Most likely nothing will be done until next year. They have got to find out about what really took place. This is going to be a long proccess. And like BFE said your innoccent until proven guilty. It may be another Koby Bryant situation. She might have led him on and she`s then part of the problem. It could be anything. He may be guilty as hell. We just have to let the Lawyers determin if he`s guilty or not. Regardless this sucks.
I just dont understand the man cruch you guys have on Nolan we were 8 and 8 last year are d was good for 6 games then colapsed and we found are selfes loosing because at the time orton couldn’t throw the deep ball.
new blood on d is just as good as watered down blood any day
A source from the Broncos said that money is no object for the next HC. Bowlen wants to win and put the Broncos back on the map.
DenverOranges,
You have a point. I was starting them based on them being AMPED up bc of Stud’s positive energy. The fact that they are playing the Cardinals is lagniappe. I think the next four games are gonna be exciting and take us into the off season feeling good. Time for us to play spoilers!
oh my god thats great Gruden most be on his list then thats a good sign
Michelle Kivela, the public information officer for the city of Lone Tree, Colo., said Cox was arrested Thursday night following an investigation into an Oct. 28 incident and was transported to a nearby county jail.
Cox appeared Friday in Douglas County Court in nearby Castle Rock wearing a gray prison uniform. His feet were shackled and he was escorted by an armed sheriff’s deputy.
A judge declined a defense attorney’s request to reduce a $50,000 bond but did say that Cox can leave the state two times — apparently to play in Broncos away games. Cox waived extradition, meaning he agreed not to fight transport back to Colorado if for some reason he were arrested out of state.
The case filing was sealed at the request of the district attorney’s office. Cox’s next court hearing was set for Jan. 7.
Broncos media relations director Patrick Smyth said the team is “currently in the process of gathering information and reviewing the facts.”
Maybe that’s why he has been getting beat so much lately bc he had whatever happened with the incident on his mind (whether he’s guilty or not).
you guys are the best at updates im glad i signed on for this. Thanks caramelloo
You’re welcome DenverOranges, just trying to help my fello Orange and Blue family out.
so when will the NFl get involved with this
I’m not even going to begin to speculate about the charges. I will say these are serious allegations. It’s really a double edged sword. This young man has more to worry about then football. The stigma attached to such allegations alone is tough enough to deal with. Never mind the legal process. Good luck Mr. Cox.
Strand, I think you can say I’m a skeptic about Tebow. I’m not for one second underselling his collegiate accomplishments and accolades.
The NFL is a completely different beast. I’m rooting for him to succeed as a Denver Bronco, because Denver Bronco success is awesome!
Where my concern comes in, has to do with what made him successful in college and thats his ability to run/scramble. This level the defenders are stronger and faster and all you have to do is go back in the preseason when he took the goal line shot.
Anyway, it’s only a matter of time before he gets his shot. As far as the info I provided about Tebow earlier, just being realistic as to what other quote unquote experts are saying. And believing!
GO BRONCOS!!!
Elway, Dungy and Gruden sounds fantastic but to good to be true. Surrounding your organization with winners is a great idea but i have my concerns with Dungy. I always felt McD was trying to turn our broncos into version 2 of the Pats. The pats were a great “TEAM”. They didnt have huge name players (before Brady got big and Moss was brought in) but they played tremendous as a whole. They had good players who were good character guys. I think that was a good thing McD was trying to do. He drove all our superstars out except Bailey who isnt a big head player. I worry that just like McD tried, Dungy would try to turn us into the Colts version 2. I think Dungy is a very level headed, dedicated guy but i would have my concerns about anyone who is still loyal to another team. McD obviously was still loyal to the Pats and i think Dungy will always be loyal to the Colts. The Colts have been a great team for years thanks to Dungy. We are not the Colts. I am not saying i would not want Dungy but i would be a little worried. McD worried me when the first thing he did as coach was go after an average QB when we had a good one already in place. I think Dungy is much smarter and would just try to inprove the team as is, not emplode it and start over.
DenverOranges that’s a good question bc the so called incident happened on Oct. 28th so who knows. He probably will get punished by the team before the NFL. Plus they are probably looking into it as well.
I to wish him good luck with everything and hope the truth comes out regardless of what happens.
Sndvl, I understand where you are coming from and I respect that. But many of these socalled media experts have written him off as if it`s a matter of fact. I just want to see him play. Don`t hold him back. Lets see what he can do. The young man has fire. Shear will to be the best at whatever he doe`s. My guess is that the Broncos are going to start him at home against Houston. We`ll see. I`m just a Tebow fan is all. But above all things in the world of football, it`s the Denver Bronco`s that comes first. I wanna win!!
New Blog alert
The Cox incident allegedly occured on Oct 28th, 4 days after the Oakland game when Cox suffered a concussion deemed bad enough by the doctors for the Broncos to leave for London on the same day (Oct 28) without him since he was declared unfit to play the Wembley game. Obviously his degree of concussion could rightly so be questioned, LOL. Way to manage your concussion recovery Perrish…. Of course this is all alleged but even if the escapade was consensual, I hope it wasn’t rough for the sake of the concussion, haha. Maybe that’s something the NFL should look into with concussions, how soon can you return to such activity and at what level of intensitty, LMAO!!!
Time for me to hit the Pub!
Thnx sndv, but I really just wanted to changw the subject and thought denverbroncos.com might post one in a blog.
Thnx again Bronco Brotha.
I would say that any problem with Cox is McDaniel’s fault. The whole point is you draft players with the right character, work ethic and maturity. So if they get into trouble that is down to the Head Coach because in this case he not only managed him but picked him.
Before we get into the draft of defensive linemen we need to know what system is going to be played.
I prefer a 4-3 defence.