BRONCOS AT BEARS
We’re live from Soldier Field in Chicago for the much-anticipated kickoff to the Broncos’ 2012 preseason. With kickoff approximately an hour away, the tarp has been taken off the field and a few players have already started warming up. This blog will keep you updated on all the action from tonight’s game.
BRONCOS ON TWITTER: Fans can also follow the action on Twitter via the Broncos’ official gameday account. @BroncosGameday will keep fans updated with live, in-game updates throughout tonight’s contest.
PRESEASON LIVE: You can watch tonight’s game on KUSA TV’s sister station, KTVD-TV (Channel 20) in Denver. The broadcast will feature Dave Logan (play-by-play) and Ed McCaffrey (color commentary), with Rod Mackey providing reporting from the sidelines. Fans outside the Denver area can watch the game live online in high definition here.
READY FOR SOLDIER FIELD: The players are excited for tonight’s game to kick off. Click here to see some of their tweets.
LIGHTNING CLEARS FIELD: The players have left the field due to thunder and lightning in the area.
BRONCOS AT BEARS ROSTER UPDATE: A few Broncos players are not expected to play in tonight’s preseason opener.
COIN TOSS, CAPTAINS AND STARTERS: Denver won the toss and elected to receive to start the game.
MANNING LEADS FIRST DRIVE: The Broncos’ first drive of the season sees quarterback Peyton Manning go 4-for-7, but the drive ends when a pass intended for wide receiver Brandon Stokley is intercepted by Chicago’s Major Wright.
MILLER’S FUMBLE RECOVERY LEADS TO FIELD GOAL: Broncos linebacker Von Miller scoops up a fumble by the Bears’ Michael Bush. Denver takes advantage of field position inside the Bears’ 10-yard line on a 28-yard field goal by Matt Prater.
BRONCOS PUSH LEAD TO 10-0: The Broncos made it 10-0 on a seven-play, 57-yard scoring drive capped by a two-yard touchdown run by running back Lance Ball.
BRONCOS AT BEARS: HALFTIME RUNDOWN: Denver leads the Bears by a substantial margin in several key stats at halftime of the team’s preseason opener.
FOX’S HALFTIME QUOTES: At halftime, Broncos Head Coach John Fox talked about what he thought of quarterback Peyton Manning and his team’s defensive effort.
BRONCOS LEAD 17-0 AFTER OMON’S TD: Denver has stretched its lead to 17 thanks to a seven-play, 52-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Xavier Omon.
BRONCOS STRETCH LEAD TO 24-0: Denver makes it 24-0 as rookie quarterback Brock Osweiler hooks up with wide receiver Jason Hill for the Broncos’ first passing touchdown of the evening.
BEARS ON THE BOARD: Chicago has cut Denver’s lead to 24-3 on a 47-yard field goal by Bears kicker Robbie Gould.
DENVER AHEAD 31-3: Denver’s lead is now 31-3 thanks to a five-play scoring drive that ended with a 25-yard pass from quarterback Adam Weber to tight end Cornelius Ingram.
Skillz I’m gonna kill you! What happened to 10-6?
Haha no problem there… On another happy note Looks like Mathews is gonna miss a good amount of time the guy is worse than Moreno with health… Looks like Ronnie Brown will have to save their run game! BAHAHAHA
Thats good Lax.
No date for the wedding yet. And were having twins do end of November.
I didnt get to watch the game live but am watching it now. Omon looks great!
Lax… how about Osweiler? He looked sharp!!
IMO to get the best look at Omon is have rim in with 1st stringers vs the 1st stringers. Hes playing hard this game so why not? If not 1st then the 2nds. Just give him a chance to show what he can do.
lol sorry cat after watching tonights game and thinking about it the last 2 and 1 half hours i gave em an extra game lol sorry we will share the prize i promise
osweiler zipped that touchdown through a tight window pretty good performance i would say. Hanie was downright awful
BT, you ought to give me credit for that. I had no itchy trigger finger! LOL! Love it, skillz. We think the same way!! 11-5 all the WAY TO THE SUPER BOWL!! GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good night!
night he will have to make two prizes !!!!!
AB! I agree–Omon was fantastic and deserves a shot to play against 1st or 2nd stringers.
Skillz, you win fair and square man! You at 12 and me at 12:01. The numbers don’t lie! LOL!
Ozzy??? Love the kid glad he is our developmental guy and that is what I want him to remain as. Dump Hanie once Matt Moore is cut he is a more than adequete backup and is familiar with McCoys Offense. Hanie could not muster anything against us and our 10 point output last year and that scares me! Osweiler needs more time under no circumstance would I like to see him thrown in this year due to injury.
Is it wrong that I still want to stay up and watch the fourth quarter of this game for the second time tonight?
NOPE GO BRONCOS!!!!!
Cat not at all!!!! I would say there was something wrong if it was the other way around.
I’m gonna do it. Chat with you tomorrow. my computer is dying. Weber is a beast!!!!!!!!!
Impressed with the game. I like what I see on both sides of the ball. We seem deeper then we have in the past. Especially at WR and LB. Loved the field position dominance. Really impressed with Irving, Wolfe, and Trevathans play. Peyton was solid. I blame part of that pick on Stokely. It looked like it could have been caught but was tipped. D Line played well. Ayers bull rush was nice on that sack. Thought Oman and Johnson ran well. Knowsho was underwhelming. Willis ran well. Line blocked well. Liked Osweillers poise. Henne was just ok for me. Thought Weber threw well. Not impressed with Green or Robinson due to their drops and Robinson got worked at the line then didn’t complete his route on that Weber over throw. Bolden didn’t do much for me, but didn’t go at him much. Maybe it’s a sign of good coverage? Nice game Broncos!
*Season Prediction Contest*
10-6
Well I can not really comment on the game because I only had time to watch what was shown on NFL network but based on all these comments things went about as well as they could of for the first preseason game with plenty of new faces on the roster. Very excited to hear Wolfe had 2 sacks he may end up being von and dooms best buddy this year! Solid game guys and as for peyton, he is jus setting the bar low so he will be ready to go come week 1!!
GOOOOOOOO BRONCOS!!!!
*****Season Prediction Contest*****
9-7
Morning Scalp!
I got a chance to watch the first half this morning before coming into work, and I must say I was pretty impressed overall. From top to bottom, guys were making plays………..and that’s really all you can ask for in the first pre-season game.
I think our D is gonna be something special this season. They’ve started strong and can only get better. Really impressed with how the Wolfman played! We might just have another DROY on our roster.
I think the Manning led offense looked great at times. Of course there’s gonna be rust and they still need time to gel……..but overall it looked very promising………..specially overcoming that holding penalty…………getting those are key. It would’ve been great to see them score on that drive but it’s a process.
Great to see Os toss his first TD…………I think he’ll beat out Hanie for the number 2. Hanie had a couple decent plays, but didn’t really impress me much at all.
Bring on the SeaChickens!
Turtle………..I don’t think there should be a tie-breaker for the season prediction contest. It’s not fair to those who don’t get on quick enough to post it. I don’t see a problem with people sharing first place. It’s all about who guesses the right season record………not who predicted it first. Just my opinion.
What’s the tie breaker rule he established?
***Season Record Prediction Contest****
10-6
*Season Prediction Contest*
12 W’s- 4Ls
*Season Prediction Contest*
12 W’s- 4 L’s
oops
Bronco_Turtle says:
August 9, 2012 at 9:38 pm
Yeah… I date the entries, and the earliest entry with the proper prediction gets the tie-break
Anyone heard anything about Carter?
KK I was impressed with the D also. Kevin Vickerson was on fire. Wolfe is gonna be great. I even thought Os played pretty well for his first action too. We basically agree on every point you made.
***Season Record Prediction Contest****
10-6
I’m very pleased with the game last night. Of course, as we all know, we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves given it’s just the preseason. It’s tough to properly evaluate players when they are going against the 3′s and 4′s. With that said, a couple of things that stuck out to me:
1. Derek Wolfe is stud. The kid is a straight up workhorse, has a nonstop motor, and plays with aggression all the way to the whistle. I expect big things from him, and I’m impressed with how he is coming along, even after he missed some time due to his graduation.
2. Drafting Brock Osweiler was brilliant. I must admit, I was skeptical when we first drafted him, but it was pure genius for Elway to snag him in the mid to late 2nd round. If not for massive coaching changes at ASU, Brock would have returned to school to mature for another year, and consequently making him a 1st rounder in 2013. He’s got a great arm, has good mobility, and seemed to have poise in the pocket last night. Couldn’t be happier with Brock Osweiler this far.
3. Overall defense. I think anyone who watched that game had to notice how we wrapped up tackles. HUGE improvement in this area, even on specials, and I’m shocked at how much we’ve improved in such a short time. We had a consistent pass rush all game, which had me grinning ear to ear. Our secondary also played great, and we didn’t give up any big plays. I saw flashes last year, but all the 3 and outs killed us. With the improvements we’ve made, the sky is the limit with this group, and even with Peyton Manning on the team, the Denver Broncos might just become known as a defensive football team – once again.
4. Peyton Manning. A 19 yard completion to Eric Decker, for a 1st down, on 3rd and 17. Enough said.
5. Run game. Got off to a slow start, but managed to get it going. Not sure if last night was a good gauge, and I’m still a little concerned with depth over a long season, but I’m glad we had some success, and hopefully it won’t be a concern.
6. Nate Irving. I was very impressed with how much he has improved. I was beginning to wonder about him, especially since we really haven’t heard anything about him for awhile. Several people have said that the signing of Brooking was an admission by the FO that Irving was a bust, but that was not the case last night, with Irving leading the team in tackles. It also looks like Irving put on some serious muscle as well. Perhaps there is a silver lining with the DJ suspension, giving other guys a chance. I still like the idea of getting a fresh DJ, 6-8 games into the season.
7. Luke Richesson. It looked like our guys were in great shape last night, and were all over the field. It could just be a coincidence, but I have to believe that the complete overhaul to our strength and conditioning department, starting with Richesson, had a lot to do with it. I think the new philosophy that he brings is going to help drive our success moving forward.
Season Prediction Contest 11-5
Defense looks good and Irving played with some intensity. Derek Wolfe showed power as he fought thru blocks to make some great plays!! He’s the type of football player that will eat you up & spit you out !!
It’s only pre-season but Broncos showed some great depth last night.
Season Record Prediction Contest
10-6
Wow!!
I was impressed with Wolfe, Os, Trevathan, Omar. Loved Wolfe power rushing Chicago’s first stringer to get to the QB.
Came away feeling good about depth. DB’s and safetys really not tested last night.
Season prediction Contest (13 – 3)
If we stay healthy could be more.
Anyone catch why Cutler didn’t take any snaps last night? You would have thought he would play for at least one series….
Apparently it was a coaches decision due to the weather and field conditions…………….He always seems to dodge the Broncos! lol
Rbf1 they said it was due ti weather conditions but come on. Peyton Freaking Manning played for ten snaps. Jay Cutler is no where near as valueable as he is… its likebhe does whatever he can to avoid playing.
I think turtle wanted a single post with nothing other than the title Season Prediction Contest and the prediction. Putting it amongst a regular post makes it easier to get lost and having a single post with the prediction makes it easier for him to scan the blog.
Morning Cat………..I can only imagine how proud you were of your man last night. My fave moment was him overcoming a penalty for a 19 yard gain for a first down. Now that’s what I’m talking about. I don’t really think that INT overshadows how well he played in the previous snaps.
Two things I woke up thinking about. 1. Peyton was pretty average last night but he hadn’t played for 19 months and converted a few third downs that made me real happy since we didn’t convert many last year. 2. This team believes in each other and has obviouslsy worked their butts off this off season.
I’m real proud of how we came out there and played with heart and enthusiasm!
“U kno the world is waiting waiting waiting” -McGahee
2012 Depth Chart after seeing some action:
QB: Manning, Hanie, Osweiler
RB: McGahee, Moreno, Hillman, Omon
FB: Gronkowski
WR: Thomas, Willis
LT: Clady, Clark
LG: Beadles, Grant
C: Waldon, Blake
RG: Kuper, Ramirez
RT: Franklin, Harris
TE: Tamme, Dreessen, Green
WR: Stokley, Hill
WR: Decker, Caldwell
LDE: Wolfe, Hunter
DT: Warren, Vickerson
NT: Bannan, Siliga
RDE: Dumervil, Ayers
SLB: Miller, Irving
MLB: Mays, Brooking
WLB: Williams, Woodyard, Trevathan
CB: Bailey, Harris, Bolden
CB: Porter, Florence
SS: Adams, Carter
FS: Moore, Leonard
K: Prater
P: Colquitt
Thanks cat ! I didn’t catch the pre-game on why he was not taking any snaps. I initially thought maybe he was home with wife/girlfriend and baby. Then I did see him on sideline and was wondering why he wasn’t in there.
Kod I was so nervous and didn’t realize how badly until the game was delayed. He did good. Proud of him for going out there and not being afraid. And as far as I’m concerned… Franklin can do all the holding he wants because we can get out if those long downs now that we have Peyton Manning! LOL
Are the QB wearing more pads than ever or what? They all look completely uncomfortable and not nearly as snazzy as years past.. fat and all! All of them. Brees Brady Peyton Cutler Rivers Bob they all look weird. Is it the Jersey?
Von, I don’t like Hanie. I think it should be Os and Weber.
i dont like hanie either but i think fox and elway are set on him being the backup… he didnt do horrible last night… and i think elway isnt worried about O getting any PT soon thats why he stays at 3
If I remember correctly, it didn’t seem as if Doom’s hands to Campbell’s helmet was intentional. Seemed to me as though the defender kind’ve drove him up into the QB. I know he’ll prob still get fined either way. Thoughts?
cat – are you referring to more than the flac jacket/ rib vest ? Think these new Nike Jerseys also have a different fit which seems to be tighter. jmo.
Os showed some great poise in the pocket last night……….and that bootleg was sweet………..too bad the TE didn’t hang on. I think he’ll win the number 2 spot when it’s all said and done.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl–peyton-manning-emotional–thankful-after-first-live-snap-in-nearly-two-years-.html
Von then Weber should be 2 because Imo he played better than Hanie