A year ago, Mitch Berger was hitting sky-high punts for the Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sixteen years ago, Berger was doing the same in Boulder for the Colorado Buffaloes.
Now, Berger is back where it all began and ready to be a bona fide contributor for the Broncos this season.
“This is where I kind of started playing big-time football,” Berger said. “It is a great place to be back to.”
When Berger entered the league in 1994 with the Philadelphia Eagles, the scene was somewhat different. The Rams and Raiders were still in Los Angeles. The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars were just named expansion teams. The NFC and AFC Central were two years away from being split into South and North divisions.
Additionally, the NFL adopted a series of rule changes designed to increase offensive production, including the creation of the two-point conversion.
While few players reach the 16-season plateau in the pros, Berger believes he’s far from finished.
“I’m hoping that I still have a couple more … It has been a great career,” Berger said. “Last year was a great year for me — to win a Super Bowl. I hoped that I could still keep playing and I’m glad to get this chance.”
Much of his longevity comes from a mixed bag of tricks. Berger said that’s an essential part of his game — knowing when to keep the ball out of the end zone versus put the ball out of bounds.
That flexibility has helped Berger rank fifth in the league since 1999 in both gross (43.4) and net (36.6) punt average (min. 500 kicks).
“He is a veteran guy who has been asked to punt the ball different ways, different styles,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. “We don’t just tell our punter to kick it as far as you can on every play. We ask a lot of them.”
With heavy snows hitting the Denver area this afternoon, the Broncos moved indoors to practice at their nearby bubble.
Here are some photos from the session.
– Chris Gentilviso, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Mitch Berger, Week 8
Injury update? Thanks
getlynched47 -
Should be out in a few minutes — http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=350
Thank you Kyle. And thanks for the practice blog. Mile high salute to you man.
i am putting my prediction in this week… denver wins by 6! 21-27 overtime…
My prediction is Denver wins by seven…. 31-24….. I also have another prediction………………… Cutler throws only 2 INT’s this weekend.
http://www.illuminategym.com
Back from my bye week. Fresh and ready for more Broncos football.
I just hope BDawk and RFields get better fast for the game. Nice to have SLarsen back (maybe november AFC Special Teams player of the month?). I hope we have a better weather in Baltimore… but bad weather can add difficulty to the test, besides the Ravens.
Fight overconfidence!
Go Broncooos!
I think Berger is here more because of holding duties than punting… and maybe Kern was the “why” we’ve missed all those FGs.
i just hope that the broncos Offense finnaly clicks sooner than the second half..Its kind of hard to watch us kinda slump in the first 2 quarters. I know were capable of scoring 20+ pts in one half..Specialy with mchoodie. So lets get that O moving boys and start helping out our Defense!
Berger looks like a T-1000 (terminator) in Broncos gear.
I dont really have anything to say….
I MISS BRONCOS FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!
This is Broncos Country!!!
I’m more optimistic.. i say 38-20 BRONCOS
I don’t think Cutler will have a bad game. They play Cleveland, they are the cure for every one. I can’t wait till sunday. KICK THE RAVENS BUTT!!!
Maybe Kern could not kick very accurate (out of bounds ,sidelines etc). Maybe it was the holding thing too. Any way Berger is a Bronco now so I have to cheer for him.
I miss WR wearing 80#s. Brandon Loyd is the only one and he is is alway inactive. Only our TE wear 81 ,88, and 89.
I was just on the RAVENS website and they think we are in for a long day, they are going to kill us, they are going to shut our offense down Flaco is going to scread our defesens etc…..Time for a wake up call bird brains.
Mitch is a good add to the team. Fine tuning is what McD is doing. He will be more accurate when needed. Was a great product of the CU Buffalos!!! He was wearing a CU hat at his interview clip on the DB site witch opened with Orton>>Where did he get that Hat? I dug through my old caps collection cuz it looked familiar—Yup, that hat Orton wore all wrinkled, washed, and with that worn look is one of the first hats released after the uniform in 96 or 97 I forget. My question is has Orton been a Broncos Fan even when he was in Chicago? –ha I enjoyed his interview after I got over the cap thing. Brian Dawkins also had a great interview on how Ray and he are alike in Game Mode. Mike Nolan will be prepared as will the Ravens. I say again this will be low scoring and a Defensive game. Broncos 17 Ravens 10 in overtime! Broncos making a TD after winning the coin toss in overtime. This has all the look of being the best game to watch Sunday. Forget the Green Bay and Minnesota game. This is a rare game to watch with both teams coming off Bye’s. There is history on both sides with Nolan. I like this type of game. Momentum for the Broncos vs. Ravens getting their respect due!
Go Broncos!!
FTR
My predictions for this week…. which have been frightenly accurate all season long ha.
Denver 24
Baltimore 13
Kyle Orton: 21/38 256 yds 2 TD 1 Int
Knowshon Moreno: 12 car 78 yds 1 TD
Correll Buckhalter 9 car 67 yds
B Marsh: 5 Rec 107 yds 1 TD
Gaffeny: 3 Rec 32 yds 1 TD
Royal: 8 Rec 97 yds
Joe Flacco: 24/41 302 yds 1 TD 1 Int
Ray Rice: 15 car 96 yd fum
Willis McGahee 6 car 26 yd
Derrick Mason: 6 Rec 73 yds
Ray Rice 9 Rec 104 yds
Broncos win with field position, and controlling the clock. And Finishing drives.
What do you guys think?
GO BRONCOS!
Nice numbers. I really think it will be a frighteningly close game or a blowout. Not being pessimistic, but if someone gets blown out, it would probably be us. We just don’t seem to have a consistent offense throughout a game, and our defense needs to finish turnovers into touchdowns. Kinda like Baltimore. HA!
Wow >Thebroncoguy I have never seen such detailed predictions before!
I am impressed to the point I can not wait to see how the stats at game end match yours. You are a True Broncos Fan!
FTR
I’ve noticed something today, and I know that’s kind of shocking after reading my posts, but Baltimore’s offense is better in the second half and same with Denver all over. It should be a really interesting matchup.
time to kick some raven @$$ this is going to be such a good game go broncos!!
Nice LaVell Edwards impersonation by Coach McGenius! Of course, it’s nice to know the stoic demeanor is just a facade. The Broncos are going to come out on fire against the Ravens and improve to 7-0. The Ravens are a stiff test but we’re the better team. GO BRONCOS!!!
This is going to be a test for us. GO BRONCOS 20-17.
I think this is the 2nd best D we’ll face this season, the 1st is the Steelers. The Ravens have hit a rough patch, losing their last 3 games. We still want to continue to prove the critics wrong. While this game will probably be close. This is a well rounded team so we’ll have to be ready. I’m hopeful we get Buck and Moreno rollin’ early, along with Marshall. This could very well be a good game for him. We have to watch Reed, man can “Jedi” QBs into mistakes. Hopefully Kyle is ready to go. This is going to be the best game yet this season. The Ravens record doesn’t show it but they are a very good team, probably could be 6-0 also. We need to show up ready to play, cuz they’ll be gunnin’ for a win on their turf in front of a home crowd.
Flacco..Flatto on his back!!
Go Broncos!!!!
LOL!! No wonder by Berger is such a good tackling punter, look at him in that pic. He looks like he’s ready to tear someone apart.!!!!
FTR, you already had made a 17-13 pick, now you say 17-10, as usual we stick with the first pick. I got you down for 17-13.
Brian, when the season schedule came out, this might of been the 2nd best D we’ll face this season, but I have my doubts now. I mean look at what teams have scored on them so far, KC 24, SD 26, N-E 27 and Vikings 33. That’s not exactly stellar. I think, along Pittsburgh, Cinci is definitely playing better D and the NFC East teams, Dallas, Philadelphia and the Giants are at least right up there with the Ravens as far as D is concerned. I think we have a tendency to rate their D for this game by what they have done for so many years, but hopefuly the game will prove me right that they are starting to lose some of that top tier D rating.
Even the Redskins are probably playing better on D (I forgot about them, their record is so bad, but it’s only because of their O), they are rated 5th in total D (YPG) while the Ravens are 19th.
baylinorcrush: Yeah you’re probably right. They have been struggling this season. One thing I think we’ll try to take advantage of is running outside the tackles. The Ravens D is pretty stout up the middle but the edge is where they stuggle stopping the run the most. I could see some tosses, sweeps, maybe even an end around or something like that. I think maybe we can take advantage of the secondary. While Reed is still a huge threat, they have given up some big deep plays 40yds+. That has Royals and Marshalls name all over it.
Right, I think McD is licking his chops on this one. He is giving all his respect to the Ravens D in his press conference, but I bet he is telling his O in the game planning that we could really do a number on these guys.
So will Fields and Dawk be ready to go for Sunday? Haven’t heard much on their hamstring injuries.
Yea, I agree with you baylinorcrush…
The Ravens D has been slipping recently this season and they have kind of been off course! They are going to rush more, I suspect, in this game but Kyle is one of those people who gets the ball out as quick as possible. Of course if they’re going to blitz people there are going to be people open and I am very comfortable knowing how great Orton’s instints are with his awareness and taking care of the ball. We could easily score 30-40 pts this game. But hey, anythings possible! I think as long as we always have Rice, Magahee, and Mason in check, we’ll be just fine!
Lets move to 7-0 boys!
GOOO BRRRRROOOONNNNNCCCCOOOOSSSS!!
BRONCO COUNTRY IT’S TIME FOR SOME FREAKIN’ FOOTBALL!
Baylinorcrush,
Great points, very good points my friend! I agree with you totally. As I was reading all the great posts I kept thinking about an article that I read around week 4. It spoke to your very point.
The article stated the following :
Perception among “analysts” typically leads them “branding” teams good or bad not because of the product on the field but rather what history has shown. It goes on to point out the Ravens. A team in the past to have a solid defense continued to thrust them into high power ranks although their opponents had a below .500 record.
On the other hand. The article also suggested that this was the very reason more “experts” don’t recognize Denver as a legitatmate football team. They looked at the past vs. the now.
Lastly, it pointed to Tennessee. Suggesting in 2008 they went 13-3 and now what?
Baylin, as I said I agree with you. Baltimore is a sound football team because of what they are doing NOW! However, IT IS NOT THE TEAM FROM YEARS PAST!
Our Broncos however, are! This defense is for real and the stats back it up. From opposing 3rd down conversions, to pts. allowed, to total defense, and lastly to the record of our opponents.
The bottom line is Denver has faced a tougher schedule than most other teams in the NFL thus far and by far tougher than the 3 remaining unbeaten teams! It’s in the numbers and they don’t lie!
I believe Denver uses this game to solidy once again that they believe in themselves and they can know this is a huge game. One that will be used to take one more step towards a very special season. Not for you or me, but for themselves!
Just my thoughts
GO GET EM’ BOYS!
Guys, it’s kind of nice that we all agree on something, LOL. With the wide array of opinions here, it doesn’t happen very often… That’s what makes it fun anyway.
Which brings up this other point that has been on my mind of late, A VERY SERIOUS POINT:
Where are you guys who were completely talked into hiring either Steve Spagnuolo or Raheem Morris as our HC and got real ticked off and dumbfounded that we hired McD. Just a friendly reminder both your HC picks are now a whopping 0-14 combined! Spags, 0-7 with the Rams, Raheem, 0-7 with the Buccs.
I just think it would be manly of you guys, you know who you are /I won’t call anybody out, to give us a little bit of your insight on how this thing has turned out for you, what you learned from it and if it might or might not change how you perceive future key changes in our team.
tnalen – WR’s wearing numbers in the teens is only a fad…I think….
Honestly, I miss the old WR numbers as well.
On second thought, I wish they would allow more than the QB’s and the kickers to wear single digit numbers.
baylinorcrush: Even though those HC are 0-7 it may have something to do with talent. Compared to the Bucs and Rams, we have some better players and talent on our team.
People forget it isn’t all about the HC, the players need to be held responsilbe also. Zorn got the play calling taken away from him, ok, didn’t help them any. If you watched the game Jason, he needs to protect the ball. That’s not the HC’s fault.
Players want big money and no responibility nowadays. Russell, prime example.
Sorry Brian, 6-0 vs. 0-7 doensn’t have to do with talent in the NFL. Every player is good at the NFL level, the odds of having so little talent on a team as to go 0-7 and having so much talent on another as to go 6-0 are just non existant. Talent will not explain such drastic record difference, but coaching does. Here we go, everything is back in order, we are disagreeing again, LOL.
existent
Brian, where you one of them, Spags or Morris guy?
As far as Zorn not being responsible I also disagree with that, he is trying to put in a west coast offense with the personel of a team that has been smash ball run oriented football for years (Gibbs), that’s where his problems come from, and he has to take full responsibility for that and whether Jason is good or not won’t make a difference over there at this point, IMO.
Baylin,
I will admit like many others considering our opportunities through the years, a defensively minded coach was possibly a wise choice. I was good with JMac but here is what I failed to realize.
With JMac’s success in New England, I over looked the concept of a successful offense can certainly stem from a strong concept of a defense. JMac’s ability to understand defenses and utilize that knowledge to build a staff and players not only on the offensive side of the ball but on the defensive side got me from the blind side!
LOL!
GO GET EM’ BOYS!
And obviously Dan Snyder is out of his mind for hiring a west coach offense HC with a smash ball run oriented personel on the field. But then we all know he is right up there with Al Davis for the worst owner in the league award, as he has shown with every move he’s made since owning the team. I’m glad I am not a Redskins fan.
Maybe everyone should stop praising Belichick and start respecting McDaniels!
This week’s predictions:
First off, Broncos 34-24 final.
Orton 19/26, 227 yards, 2td’s, no picks
Flacco 25/38, 303 yrds, 1td, 2int.
Moreno 16rush, 94 yds
Marshall 9rec, 129yds, 2td’s
Ray Rice, 140 total yds, 1td
Mason 4rec, 34 yds, no td’s
ROYAL – return TD of some kind
Dumervil – 2 more sacks
I just hope our guys dont get cocky. Confident is one thing but cocky is a totally different issue. Either way should be a good game and since I actually get a day off on Sunday I can watch the Broncos game. Let me tell you watching a game on a phone in an Air Force hummer while holding an M-4 is not as good as on a big screen.
Broncos 17 – Ravens 7
Broncfalls, good point, I’ll put it this way to make it very easy to understand why it turned out good defensively for us: 1) Nolan and the rest of the D coaches, 2) VERY IMPORTANT, McD’s O in N-E went against arguably the best D in the land through 8 years of training camp and for at least 16 games of game planning and practice weeks every year. That would go a long way into teaching you how a good D operates.
baylinorcrush I said the same thing few weeks ago its funny isnt it McD starts winning now everyone is like oh I said it would work even though half of them were crying because they wanted steve or Morris. what I found so weird about wanting Morris is that we wasnt even a coordinator he was just a skills coach.
If you are going to give out a worse owner award you cant leave Jerry Jones out I know some people think he is a good owner but I just think he is horrible I mean he hasnt been able to win a playoff game since 1996.
baylinorcrush: No I’m just saying that some of the blame for poor performances needs to be placed on the players as well. I wasn’t one of those who wanted Spags or Morris, I was honestly one of those guys that really like Shanny and was sad to see him fired, but supported the choice of hiring McDaniels. I’m not saying that to brag myself up, but I don’t think Bowlen would’ve hired an idiot for a HC.
Well, my computer is up and running. Wasn’t cheap to fix but gotta have it. Threw some more memory/ram in while we were at it.
Big game coming up. I don’t think it will be high scoring with these two tough defenses in it. Flacco-Gumbo will get sacked twice and throw a pick. Kyle will get sacked once and throw 0 picks. Denver will dink and dunk and run the ball often.
Denver 24
Ravens 17
It’s not all Zorn’s fault.( Wondering why I’m talking about the Redskins) It’s the players. Especially Portis! When you every yr going up to the owner office. Just to tell on player and coaches to get a raise in your contract. Something is wrong there. Snyder got a west coast O coach cuz of the WR and TE they have. The O line is smash mouth. The wr are not built for that. Moss , El and Cooley are not built for smash mouth. So a change had to be made. Their D is ok. The O just either keep turning it over or not getting field position. So it make the D look bad. If Snyder gets rid of his GM. Then hire someone else. He will be fine. Just like Mami’s Owner. He hired the right GM. Look at them now. Far from the 1-15 team they had.
DD good to finally see you’re back.
I’ve been readin’ a lot of posts on the ESPN website and it seem like we’re getting blasted for our “Dink and Dunk” playin’ style. Does it really matter how you win as long as you win??
greatness007, you’re forgetting one thing in your equasion of Snyder would be fine if he hired a new GM. Snyder, Al Davis and Jerry Jones are of the breed who don’t delegate authority, they are it, everyone is in handcuffs, that’s why they are all going nowhere of late. A new GM won’t change anything in Washington, just my opinion. It worked in Miami because Parcell was giving full authority. And no decent coach or GM wants to work with the aformentioned owners anyway.