Brian Dawkins expects to be back on the field on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers after missing two straight games due to a knee injury.
The veteran safety has been on the sidelines for the last two home games, firing up the crowd and inciting his teammates — not a position he wants to get used to.
“It was very tough,” Dawkins said. “I’m not on the team to be a cheerleader. But that was my duty as far as what I felt, anyway, to do whatever I could for my teammates. Whether it be on the sideline telling them what I saw as far as different coverages, helping Nate (Jones) out as much as I can and pumping up the crowd as much as I can. That’s all I could do at that point.
“It will obviously be different this week.”
His teammate in the secondary, Andre’ Goodman, is on pace to return to the starting lineup in London as well after having missed four games and the majority of a fifth with a quadricep injury.
“We feel better about having those guys back in there because of the comfort level we have with their ability to communicate and make sure everybody is playing the same call — that’s always the first thing that the secondary has to do anyways,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. “Both of them are very good players, so it’s a big boost for us. (We) feel good about both of them, in terms of the progress that they’ve made and we’re excited to have them back.”
In other injury news, Robert Ayers, Perrish Cox, Darcel McBath, Kevin Vickerson and Wesley Woodyard will not travel with the team to London. Eddie Royal had limited participation in Thursday’s practice after not participating on Wednesday, and will make the trip. Dawkins and Goodman both practiced fully for the second consecutive day.
For San Francisco, QB Alex Smith and C Eric Heitmann are both out for Sunday’s game. TE Vernon Davis hasn’t practiced on either Wednesday or Thursday. CB Tarell Brown had limited participation on Thursday after not practicing Wednesday. CB Nate Clements and RB Anthony Dixon have been limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, and LB Ahmad Brooks had full participation in Thursday’s practice after not taking part in Wednesday’s session.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
John Elway will serve as an honorary captain for the Broncos on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, while Jerry Rice will represent the 49ers. Both men will take part in the coin toss.
The Hall of Famers will be joined by two British Olympians who will take part in the 2012 games in London. Mo Farah — the 10,000m and 5,000m gold medalist at this summer’s European Athletics Championships — will serve as the Broncos’ other honorary captain. Three-time Olympic gold medallist yachtsman Ben Ainslie will stand alongside Rice for San Francisco.
WHEELS UP
The Broncos will take off for London in the next couple hours and, due to the time difference, arrive at their destination Friday morning.
“We’re telling them to sleep on the plane as much as possible,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. “Once we’re there, we’re trying to treat it like a normal Friday.”
The team will then get checked into the hotel, go through a meeting and watch film from Thursday morning’s practice before holding a practice session Friday afternoon — on a cricket field or a tennis court under a bubble, depending on the weather.
On Saturday, the team will hold one final walkthrough in advance of Sunday’s clash at Wembley Stadium.
DenverBroncos.com will have coverage throughout the entire transatlantic journey.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Brian Dawkins, John Elway, Mo Farah
what is with this team
“We’re telling them to sleep on the plane as much as possible,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. “Once we’re there, we’re trying to treat it like a normal Friday.”
Hey, good to see, maybe all my efforts here did pay off after all in some ways, at least I would like to think so, first I heard McD referring to the sleep on the plane thing and I’ve been mentioning it here for two days straight.
Cool as heck, maybe my suggestions for fighting jet lag had nothing to do with it, he could of very well gotten it from another source, but I’d like to think I helped out in some ways considering McD said they will sleep as much as they can on the plane and treat Friday like a regular day which is exactly what my recommendation was:
Since I have traveled across the pond well over a dozen times, I know everything there is to know about jet lag:
All flights from the USA to Europe leave about 5 to 6 pm local time and arrive in Europe about 8 to 9 am local time there.
It is critical to get a good night sleep on the plane, at the very most eat the meal that they will serve you right after the departure and immediately go to sleep, bypass all the movies and all that stuff. Sleep all the way until they tell you to raise your seat up for landing, that way you will have gotten at least 6 hour sleep in an 8 hour flight (if you need more sleep, skip the meal, eat before you board). Then as you get there spend the day as a regular day and no matter how tired you are do not sleep until that night, you will then immediately be on the local time schedule, not missing a beat by the next day, no jet lag to speak of, GUARANTEED.
How sad and frustrating it was to have gone last week to my 1st ever game live at Invesco Field… and have witnessed that crap of “intent of playing” by the Broncos.
When I think we’ve hit bottom and can’t be worse…
Anyway, go Broncooos!
Bronco`s win 17-16
Glad to hear Dawk will be ready to go,everyone knows he has lost a step,but his leadership is 2nd to none!!!Seems we could use a leader!!!
Goody being back would be great too,Cox just isn’t ready right now,and Jones ain’t panning out like I thought he would.
We need better Dline and LB play too.The run D looks like last years,what happened to the multimillion dollar Dline we bought????
Okay lets get back on track here, get over there have a good day of practice and show up on sunday, both physically and mentally. If we can string together a few wins here we are right back in the hunt for the division, the chargers made it going 8-8 last year, why not us? We need a good showing from Orton which I think he will unless the condotions are just that terrible then its time for our run game to show something. I think the D has to be fired up this week after last weeks loss(tyring to be nice). Good news gettin dawk and goody back, sucks about cox though. Hopefully eddie can play. Now lets try and get some broncos pride back this week. Go Broncos!!!!!
Build a Defense thru the draft……….I get kinda nautious thinking about all the Defensive players we passed on the past 2 drafts,I just hope next years draft will be loaded like the past 2 years,because we might have high draft picks,but we still won’t have better picks because the past 2 years we had 2 #1s each year.You have to have management willing to commit to drafting Defense,the bandaids fall off after a while,just saying.
DEFENSE.DEFENSE.DEFENSE.
@ BFE… thats the million dollar question compadre! my guess is it went out the door when our linemen recieved their aarp cards! jk but honestly we need an infusion of youth in our front 7 if we are going to ever have a decent D again! age is only good to a point! but what do i know? ive never coached the broncos to a 59-14 loss at home to the raiders so my knowledge is probably lacking!
keep on buckin broncos (and fans)
THE BATTLE IS WON IN THE TRENCHES
Broncos win 27-17 by loading the box and making a young QB beat our secondary!!!!!!!!!!GO BRONCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 4 Horsemen will rise again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BFE92… I think you are right on. We play this like we played the titans and the Jets and hold the run game to under 75yards. Then dare Troy to pass to our veteran Dbacks.
It will be a good game. 27-20 Broncos must win!
Just remember Troy Smith can run as well got to keep containment
Get Patrick Peterson or Kelvin Sheppard from LSU! On another note….. What color jersey will we wear on Sunday. I’m asking so I can have on the right color.
Baylin
Glad to see u fixed pound to pond in this repost lol
BFE
Makes me nautious too bro. Especially in the front seven not to talk about safeties … when i think of orakpo, cushings, maulaga, McClain, suh, mccoy, pierre paul, dan williams (hows he doing btw) and etc … drives me crazy (admittedly some of the poeple i listed were out of range)
I agree about the all out D approach but i also think we should get Mike Pouncey (Maurkice brother). He is an OG … always wanted us to have both pouncey brothers especially since we were dying at both Center and OG. But yea I agree. Defense. Starting with a credible DE.
marshis
we need the titans approach. not only did we win we contained Vince Young (Troy Smith) and CJ (Frank Gore) … That was probably just a fluke tho seeing as how we couldnt last week against mcfadden and campbell … not to mention Gore is gonna run through us instead of around us … This game might get real ugly, real fast lol
Where Gore is concerned we just need to keep plugging up the middle and force him to go outside he is a real downhill runner. Crabtree is dangerous don’t underestimate him
It sounds as if the talk has switched to yet another re-build already, come on guys, we will have an entire off season to speak about that and I already get tired of it just thinking of how big of a prospect it’s going to be, I’m too old for this kind of a workload already, I’m just going to enjoy whatever the rest of the season brings before I start talking of who we should bring in at each position, you guys are already wearing me out!!!LOL.
Well, this is a tiny bit of good news for the ones who knew Moreno had yet another setback, and bad news for the ones who didn’t, LOL:
Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels said this morning he believed running back Knowshon Moreno would ready to go for at least some duty in Sunday’s game against the 49ers in London. In the early portion of Wednesday’s practice, Moreno grabbed his right hamstring and consulted with Broncos head trainer Steve Antonopulos.
Broncos 31 – 17
I had 27 – 17, BFE … but – I’ll take 30 – 20, so we don’t have 2 winners … truth is, w/ all the travel, it could be an all field goal game … and, by the way, what’s wrong with AARP??? …
lmao… nothings wrong with aarp… unless you are a defensive linemen!
HAHAHA! BTW ties don’t matter, you get your points the same if you place, but only first pick counts, so I still have you down for your 27-17 Bronco win.
Just give me a W. I don’t care about the score anymore.
Go Broncooos!
WC…If we win I’ll share the glory with ya.LOL
Points and glory, or shame, LOL.
Points refresher:
1st place…7 points
2nd place…4 points
3rd place…3 points
4th place…2 points
5th place…1 point
Wall of shame…minus 5 points
So if we have two first place, equal glory and both get 7 points each, but no 2nd place, next up is 3rd place for 3 points, etc…
Baylin sorry for getting ahead of myself and talkin’ bout next year bro!
we still have to worry about getting thru this year,but I guess there is a big cloud looming over my head for the rest of this year,but we are still in it!
GO BRONCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS:If were wearing you out,what are you gonna do if we start losing,and everybody starts focusing on next year,just saying.
hometeam007…thanks for the props.
Easy, I’ll wait until the final whistle in the final game, then I’ll join you in those discussions, no prob just go at it all you want, I myself just want to keep fresh material for the off season, this blog can be repetitive enough as it is sometimes, specially in the off season if you remember..
I with you on waiting on team rebuilding. Got to believe that the team that was ahead of the Jets and lost on a PI can still show up this week. A poor team doesn’t (almost) beat the No. 1 team, and then lose by 45. It’s all about being consistent and overcoming the injury bug to gain some cohesiveness. Sounds like an excuse, but it is injuries that has killed this season so far. The other point–McD finally came to his senses and played Tebow in the RZ. The Broncos are in the bottom of the league in trips into the RZ and TD’s scored . . . the answer is wearing number 15.
I heard that bro!
Chip chip cheerio! Shine ya shoes govena’? Should be a swell match of American Football. Too bad Elway wasn’t lacing it up.
Tick Tock McD…
Bay I would say maybe you have McD’s ear with the jet lag suggestion. Where else is he going go to for correct information but right here Bro! Nobody else will talk to him LoL. At least not this week!!
ILMSDB
FTR
BTW, this Mo Farah I take it is a long distance runner?
I would love to see some Jarvis Moss this Sunday!
UK
You must fill all of us in on your Bronco experience at the game!! You have posted looking forward to this game several times and I hope you enjoy yourself!! My Bronco Brother from a another Country. I will be looking for your detailed post. Like whom was the favorite team of the people sitting around you? Stuff like that.
FTR
FTR, I believe you are right about McD and the jet lag thing, it’s kind of like OC and the orange towels, we plant the ideas, they use it, in my case great because it was my intent, in OC’s case not so great because he was planning on doing it himself but he is ok with it too, but somehow what would be appreciated is just an acknowledgment from the organization, a thank you note if you wish.
Anyhow I hope UKBroncos won’t mind, but he already posted some insights about the game in Wembley as you asked, here it is:
The coverage in the UK has all been about the 49ers, Alex Smith and the 49ers legends (who were great), but it’s pretty funny that they are doing worse than us with no injury crisis to blame. I’d love to smash them up and kick start our season just when we need it.
I’ll be shouting for all of you, but I will be outnumbered. However, most of the UK fans aren’t that smart and they cheer for their team when they’re on offence, so the niners glory fans (from the UK NFL high of the 80’s) will do my job for me and our defence will do the rest.
And another British blogger brought up a good point saying at Wembley there will be about 5,000 SF fans and 5,000 Bronco fans and about 70,000 who are fans of neither but just american football fans so they will be screaming for both teams, so both teams will feel like they will have the homefield advantage. I thought that was interesting stuff.
DEN-17
SF- 13
Bay my score is Broncos 20- s.f. 13
This note is addressed to Coach Josh…
Coach Mac… Please trust your friendly OC and play Tebow.
You are at a point of nothing to lose. Even now, just as we were at the end of the fourth qtr on Black Sunday.. We have nothing to lose…. I know you heard me Coach…..? I wasn’t trying to disrespect you at all… I was trying to be the voice of reason wedging through the crowd of stinking Raider fans in the 4th qtr when most Bronco fans were gone….
With respect, this has nothing to do with Orton.. Just everything to do with winning fan support…. changing it up…. taking chances on 3 to 1 odds… If the rulett wheel hits Black enough times, eventually I put my money on Red because I know that change must happen in the KEY POSITION on the Field….
If nothing else, you will make the rest of the season interesting to the fans and win my support for the 2011 season……
Coach Josh, GIVE US SOMETHING INTERESTING, EXCITING, DIFFERENT…. ENTERTAINMENT! IN THE NAME OF TT…….
ILMSDB!!!!!!
Bay
Thank you for reposting UKBroncos comments. As always kudos man; you are like a wiki. If I remember he was posting during the off season also. Hope he is our live inside man at the game!! And has a good time! UK you go man cuz we all will be shouting also!!
FTR
Hey – socalbigbroncofan … where do you watch the games??? …
LOL @ Bay YA DREAMN!!! You thin an organisation as large as the Broncos with the extensive international travel that they would not have advised the players of ‘Jet Lag’?? I think on this one case, you and others give you unwarranted credit. I do express a little concern over the fact they have left so late in the week. I would have flown the team over Wednesday (US) to acclimatise.
Why would we play TT?? Orton has been doing just fine up until last weekend. He has played well and I don’t see any reason to push the panic button just yet. Orton will do fine. Its the stretch after the bye I’m worried about with a log jam of AFC West games to play.
Bay ~ My Score DEN 31-9 SF
Haha..funny Samoan…
“Just fine” is just not good enough in the NFL….
If you have a QB that is just okay, well, you dan’t have a QB..
just sayin… lol
dan’t = don’t in the mountain country….lol
Okay Bay,
I’ve done some thinking and decided on my pick.
24-17 Broncos
I think McD could’ve played Tebow in last weeks game. After you get your teeth kicked in so much you know when you play some backups. Not because you’re “giving up” but because why take the risk of injurying your starters when the game is out of reach. The season isn’t done yet so I don’t think we should just throw Tebow in for because we resigned Orton to a 1 year extention benching Orton and starting Tebow wouldn’t look good and probably wouldn’t sit well with Orton. Tebow will get his chance I guarantee it.
Our team is a lot better than on paper shows. We have a lot of injuries at key positions. I just really hope that after this season the orginization takes a hard look at the strength and conditioning aspect of our team.
baylinorcrush: you know you could be a sports writer because you’re already doing two things right. 1. You know the facts before your start talking so it doesn’t sound like you’re farting from your mouth, and 2. you’re writing interesting tidbits before they even get be actual news. I mean sports writers now just read our blogs and comments and then make up a story about wha we’re talking about to keep us reading they’re crap. Just thought’d I share that with you.
Oh and for the jet lag thing here’s what mcd will say:
“They had to deal with the same thing (jet lag), they just dealt with it better than we did and out performed us on the field, I’m not going to use that as an excuse because I never use excuses.” At least if you give us an excuse it maybe will sit better, maybe after last weeks game if you just said anything like “we overlooked ‘em, he really thought that Boller would start and it would be a cake walk, then Campbell started and we’re like oh crap what do we do now.” Give u something, by not giving us an excuse or reason for the poor performcance means you don’t know why we’re performing poorly. Ok rant over, still in the car McD but you better start driving better.
Go Broncos!!!!
Ets please the govna with a W.
LMAO @ FTR’s 7:02pm post….haha
jus give me a 2 game winning streak into da bye week and leave the bye week healthy and ready to win some football games…. robert ayers n darcel mcbath need to hurry up and come back maybe that will be after by week
That’ll be a 1 game winning streak……Broncos are on a bye after this game elwayallday.
Brian, thanks for the compliments, coming from you it means a lot since you could easily be any kind of writer you want, you have a vivid imagination as I have said in the past and anyone with imagination recognizes it when someone else got some. Hey, I’m here nearly daily so if I just put out the run of the mill stuff that’s everywhere bloggers would file a petition with the blog administration to have me shipped to some far away deserted island without a computer, haha.
That being said I’m writing like I have always lead my life, personally or professionally, pushing the enveloppe to try to get the most of whatever it is I get myself into, and pushing the enveloppe meaning looking at things with no pre-conceived ideas about anything, rather looking at anything and everything with a brand new fresh neutral eye and try to see what can be done to push it further along, meaning never staying with what’s there simply because it’s the way it is or the way it’s done. One of the main thing I learned to be able to accomplish that is it’s necessary to be able to step out completely of whatever you are engrossed into and looking at it from the other side of the street sort of speak, as if you were seing it for the first time, no better way to assess where things are at.
Unfortunately it seems to be a big part of what is holding McD and Xanders back, at least McD for sure, the young coach is such a workoholic that in no way no how does he ever take the time or even would have the thought to actually step out of his business once in a while and separate himself from it to make an honest assessment. What proves my point is the “better late than never” nickname I have given him. He is so engrossed in the x’s and o’s and the daily routine that he is always the latest to realize the obvious, stuff even some of us dumb fans see weeks and even months in advance. However that type of ability to separate being in the daily grind from being able to see the big picture only comes with experience.
I too used to see no further than the tip of my nose, but that was many moons ago. This is all part of growing up, young you think you are the center of the world, then life experiences take away some of that blind self centered bravado so then you can start seeing things around you with more clarity, seeing things about whatever it is you are doing in your life with more clarity, seing things about yourself with more clarity. For now McD is just so self engrossed the whole picture escapes him, in time it should slowly start appearing to him, experiences like last week’s loss are humbling things that should hurry up that process if he is paying any attention, somebody is trying to tell him something, open your mind, you have the smarts, if you start getting over yourself the sky is the limit for you, but the thing is; will that happen on our clock?
That is the million dollar question, no matter how you look at it though, McD has so far burned many bridges with his self centered ways of doing things, treating players and coaches badly and it didn’t even occured to him having been so self engrossed. The result is he lost the team last year, and he is in the process of losing it again, maybe a mea culpa is his only way out of this mess at this point. The status quo certainly is not going to cut it. McD is running out of time to make things right in Denver.