It’s wet in Oakland.
It’s raining today, and there’s at least a 60 percent chance of rain on each of the next five days — including a 70 percent chance of precipitation on Sunday.
In other words, as Justin Bannan put it, “it might be a mud bath out there” as the Broncos take on the Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
“We have talked about the weather,” Interim Head Coach Eric Studesville said, noting that the team hasn’t spent much time dwelling on it. “At this point in time, we have not adjusted any of our game plan for that — although we do have things in the game plan that would be good for this kind of weather that we are anticipating.”
One player in particular who has an eye on the weather is kicker Steven Hauschka, who will play in his second game as a Bronco with Matt Prater officially listed as out for Sunday’s game.
At Middlebury College in Vermont, Hauschka said he kicked in snow, sleet and rain, so he has plenty of experience playing “in a lot of slop.”
“You’ve just got to trust it and kick the ball with confidence,” he said. “You can’t really come into the ball as fast and you can’t plant as hard or you’ll slip. It’s the same things the rest of the players are going through.”
To combat the conditions, Hauschka plans to wear longer cleats on his left shoe — but he’ll never change the kicking shoe on his right foot.
Britton Colquitt, who could have to deal with wet footballs for punting and holding, said the long delay in Jacksonville in Week 1 for a thunderstorm was good experience for the club.
Everything was soaked on the other side of the delay, but “our guys did a pretty good job.”
“You’ve just got to make sure you catch the ball is the biggest thing, and after that, everything is the same,” Colquitt said. “That’s why we work on all the drills and do all the fundamental things, so when adversity comes or weather comes, your muscle memory takes over.”
QUARTERBACK UPDATE
With Kyle Orton limited in practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with a rib injury, Studesville has addressed all week whether the veteran will remain the starter at quarterback this Sunday, even without taking many reps at practice.
“He knows this offense well — he has been in there for two years,” Studesville said. “But, at this point in time we have not made any decisions.”
Meanwhile, Tim Tebow has taken the majority of the first-team reps, and Studesville said the coaching staff has been pleased with his progress.
“Tim has continued to develop. He has the game plan, he has been out there and been getting a lot of reps with the situation of Kyle not being able to practice,” Studesville said. “He has looked good getting those reps and we are confident that if that is the situation that came to pass, he would be ready to go.”
While Studesville said on Wednesday that Orton is “absolutely” the starter, the veteran’s limited snaps in practice have raised questions from the media about his availability.
“We have time — we have practice today and we have two more days before the game,” Studesville said. “Kyle is a valuable part of this team and we are going to wait as long as we have to.”
In addition to Prater (right groin), Brian Dawkins (knee) and Demaryius Thomas (ankle) are listed as out for Sunday’s game.
David Bruton (ribs), Darcel McBath (quadricep) and Orton (ribs) are questionable for the contest.
Kevin Alexander (ankle), Eric Decker (foot), Spencer Larsen (hamstring), Brandon Lloyd (calf) and Marcus Thomas (ankle) all had full participation in Friday’s practice and are listed as probable for Sunday.
For the Raiders, LB Rolando McClain (foot) did not practice all week and is listed as questionable. DB Nnamdi Asomugha (ankle), S Hiram Eugene (ribs), WR Johnnie Lee Higgins (ankle) and WR Nick Miller (ankle) are also questionable for the matchup. T Khalif Barnes (back), QB Kyle Boller (quadricep), S Tyvon Branch (shoulder), LB Travis Goethel (knee), CB Chris Johnson (groin), DT Richard Seymour (knee) and TE Zach Miller (foot) are all listed as probable.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Below are photos from Friday’s chilly practice.
Tags: Britton Colquitt, Interim Head Coach Eric Studesville, Kyle Orton, Steven Hauschka, Tim Tebow
Been stuck inside for 2 days this is the 1st day I got to go out.hahaha.
Think I got cabin fever or something,F.T.R. and the snow and ice too!
Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale
A copper colored ale, crafted with roasted malts, Belgian sugar and a touch of wheat for a rich caramel flavor and a smooth toffee finish. Perfect for these chilly winter days.
Like I said, Delish!
Sounds Delish!!!!!!!!!
Can’t get it here,but I would try to make it myself,if I had the right ingredients,how much of this and how much of that?
Shoot,anything my old lady makes me sounds Delish right now.LOL.
Afterall it’s almost 2:30 AM here!!!!!!!!!!
All I got to say is please draft Fairley or Dareus both DTs,we need one of them on our Dline!!!!!!
BFE…….OUT!
LAST DAY FOR SCORE PREDICTIONS, no picks on game day.
It seems to me a forgone conclusion that Xanders will be with the Broncos next year, however it is very interesting that he doesn’t have a clue himself as in to what capacity and in what type of organizational structure, sounds to me as if Bowlen and Ellis have not yet decided exactly how they want to re-organize that structure, working out a position for Elway would likely seem the first step, but why is it taking so long? Anyhow this is Klis reporting:
The question regarding Xanders for 2011 and beyond is what his role will be.There appear to be three possibilities:
1) He remains in his role as GM but has more power, with heavy influence on roster transactions, but defers final-say authority on draft picks and roster transactions to a Bill Polian-type executive who has yet to be hired;
2) He is empowered with final-say authority and reports directly to John Elway, who is interested in becoming a front-office conduit between the GM/head coach and Bowlen-Ellis; or
3) Xanders is given so much responsibility he essentially becomes boss to the head coach and reports directly to Bowlen and Ellis.
“There’s discussions going with John Elway and we’ll see where those lead,” Xanders said. “I’m all for the Broncos bringing on John Elway. He knows football, he knows the Broncos. He’s a winner. There’s a great culture of winning here, and obviously he was a big part of creating that.
“Obviously, there’s uncertainty with my role after this season with respect to Josh. I’ve made it clear this is where I want to be and I do have the experience and qualifications to help this team. To me the uncertainty is: What is the organization’s structure going forward?”
You can read the rest of the article with the link below:
Read more: Broncos’ GM Xanders’ future role uncertain – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_16889235#ixzz18TLr2rE6
He says he believes that a team’s foundation is built through the draft and only complemented in FA, so we concur on that, but does he have the proper experience to get it done? That remains the question. I hear that McD made all the final personnel decisions as Xanders and Ellis say, but it’s hard to believe that all the poor decisions were strictly a result of McD… Xanders had to be part of that to an extent, maybe all he is good at is structuring players salaries for the salary cap? Either way there is no doubt that going along with Xanders as responsible for personnel decisions would make me very nervous to say the least.
Bowlen and Ellis need to hire Elway in whatever title they wish RIGHT NOW and sit down and discuss this organizational thing together, THE THREE OF THEM, before they make any further moves. Look at what happened last time when only Bowlen and Ellis made all the decisions, just saying.
I don’t feel comfortable with Xanders or Ellis in control of any player, coaching, personnel or any other decisions that involve who gets to be responsible for running the organization.
Both of those guys bear just as much brunt of the blame as Josh for our current dismal dissention into football oblivion!!!
I just don’t trust either of them any more than I trust Josh McDaniels. They seem like nice guys and all but just like Orton is a nice guy, all those nice guys faltered miserably along with McD and all should share equally in the penalty and stigma of failure….
If we do keep them, we need to put John Elway in charge of Ellis and Xanders and then there will always be someone there at the top to make sure those two boneheads don’t screw up again like they did this year…jomho
The details are too lacking in my own mind to make a clear decision on what Xanders’ fate should be. He was a part of this dismal team. However I have always erred on the side of caution in these types of situations, I don’t like to judge guilt by association. I have worked for many supervisors whom 1) I did not respect. 2) I was not in line with their philosophies. 3) I would change plenty of things, given the opportunity. As fans, we do not yet have all the details regarding exactly how Xanders failed as our GM, given that he was not acting in the full potential of that position.
Looking at his history in he NFL. In Atlanta he was the Director of Football Administration and Player Personnel Analyst for 14 years, only leaving on his own accord to work for the Broncos. In one year, Mr. Bowlen promoted him to be the GM. So in all honesty, even if he were to lose the GM title, he is more than capable of being a part of this organization in some capacity.
Note that during his tenure in Atlanta, they were plagued by poor coaching with the exception of Dan Reeves and now Mike Smith.
If it were possible for me to have two favorite teams, Atlanta would be the second. I have followed them, not nearly as close as the Broncos, but that organization has been through some crazy ups and downs. It was noted that Xanders before leaving Atlanta had gave Mike Smith a complete break down on why to draft Matt Ryan.
Stevecan2,
Xanders-GM of the Denver Broncos brokered the trades that sent away Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Payton Hillis, Tony Scheffler…etc, and brought in the Maroneys, Willims, Quinns, Smiths.. etc,etc.
I wouldn’t call that “guilt by association”… On the contrairy, my man. That is guilt by definition….
McD may be the scape goat but I’me sure he made no contract decisions without going through the braintrust of Xanders, Ellis and Bowlen.
I’m sorry to say this but Xanders had his “okey-dokey” all over every bad decision Joshie made, factualized by his fengerprints and signatures all over the contracts.
Maybe Ellis gets a free pass because he knows Exactly ZERO, NIL, NADA about anything that even resembles a football team… As far as I can see, he is just MrB’s liason…. I can dig it, as long as he is not in charge of figuring anything out about football…jomho
All we need to do is slip Elway right in there as VP of Football Operations…
Let Ellis continue to be the liason and financial advisor for MrB and the Broncos..
Then JE and PB will be at the top to ensure our GM’s, tallent evaluators, coaches and players are always on the right path to success…
jomho
OC,I heard that,and I agree 100% bro!
About Xanders, the one thing I know he’s good at is being aggressive and getting what the coach wants. I remember during this year’s draft the analysts on ESPN were impressed with all the moving around he pulled off to get the guys McD wanted. So he knows how to get what he wants. The only thing is those picks have to actually be good picks in order for it to be worth it. Maybe without McD’s influence but with Elway’s he will prove to be a really good GM.
I feel our Broncos lose out the season……..
Broncos 13
Raiders 27
88 Moving around like trading a 1st rounder for a 2nd rounder? Lol
What week better for Tebow to start than week 15 haha. As we approach gameday, everything I’ve read says Tebow is likely to play! Oh I hope its true!
GO TEBOW! GO BRONCOS!!!
This is the first week all season that I believe everyone’s expectations are so low for the Broncos that no matter what happens we won’t be shocked or surprised. I hope we see some or a lot of Tebow and I hope he has a reasonably successful outing for his and everyone’s sake. Last week I was in Arizona expecting a win. This week I’ll be by my TV expecting a loss and hoping it is not a blow out and maybe by some miracle we pull out a victory but not even counting on it. But anyway GO BRONCOS, better days are ahead somewhere.
IMPORTANT ALERT FOR SCORE PREDICTIONS:
Since the weather report for Oakland tomorrow is predicting the worse storm of the season (some reports have 18 mph winds and up to 5″ of rain) I think it is only fair to allow the score predictors to change their score prediction once if they wish.
You guys have until 10 AM central time tomorrow to do so.
Special times call for special measures. I mean so many picks have such high score totals and in this mud fest on natural grass it might be anything but.
So it’s up to you guys, one score change per blogger is all.
Merry Christmas, haha.
Broncos-27 Raiders-21
I wish batman were real and wanted to coach the broncos, id love to see some 1 with a cape running down the field with a challenge flag saying ” I AM THE NIGHT!” …I wouldnt be able to controll myself,even during blowouts. Cuz that squirrel needs a vacation every once in a while.
AHAHA bronco-blaze,
that batman story is hilarious!ahah..thanks for the laugh..
bay,
my pick
Den-27
Oak-21
News Alert on the NFL website by Lombardi:
Tebow Time has arrived for the Denver Broncos.
Rookie quarterback Tim Tebow will make his first NFL start Sunday at Oakland, according to a league source, after starter Kyle Orton couldn’t throw in practice this week because of bruised ribs.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! It is good to be a bronco fan again!!!!!
But the official version of it by the team is that a decision won’t be made until before game time tomorrow.
This is Klis’ version of it:
SANTA ROSA, CALIF. — Better run down to the store, Broncos fans, and get some chips, dips and cold beverages.
It’s almost Tebow Time.
According to an NFL source, Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow is likely to start Sunday against the Oakland Raiders in the infamous Black Hole.
A final decision won’t be made until Kyle Orton, the Broncos’ starter through the first 13 games, tests his sore ribs in pregame warmups. The Broncos are currently en route to the Bay Area and Orton is on the trip.
However, the Broncos obviously don’t believe Orton will be healthy enough to play after he missed the entire week of practices with the rib injury he suffered last week during a 43-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Tebow’s first start is much anticipated. A Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion at the University of Florida, Tebow was a Broncos’ first-round draft choice, No. 25 overall, in the April draft.
He has played sparingly this season in specifically designed “Tebow Packages,” rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for one score on his only pass attempt.
There was an expectation that Tebow would start at least one of the final two games — at home Dec. 26 against Houston and again at home vs. San Diego on Jan. 2.
Orton’s injury, however, is likely to accelerate Tebow Time.
Better get your popcorn ready Yovi!
It’s the right thing to do, however I can’t think of a tougher time to get your first NFL start than in a game at the Black Hole with 18 mph winds and 5″ of rain, ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL WELCOME TO THE NFL.
You guys all take it easy on boy Tebow if we get embarassed once again this year, it would definitely be no fault of his, no matter how bad he may play, this is a horrible situation, just watching out for the guy is all….
Tuff place to start, but if he is able to go out there and play well or even win and prove he is the future in Denver, I think that would really strengthen the rivalry. Tebow rolls into town and slaps the raiders around to begin his legend. They will hate him and we will love him forever!!
That’s a good fairy tale, haha.
I hear that because of the rain storm many fans are not going to the game so it has been blacked out in Oakland! Raider fans on Raider blogs say they need to start strong and break our will early like last game because the fans won’t be a factor as usual. That’s a positive right there, and Tebow won’t get his spirit broken no matter what so that’s another plus, just looking for anything to tell me we are not completely over matched in this one since the ground game will be so huge in the mud and they have one and we really don’t.
Tebow might just be running for his life on his way to TD’s, that’s probably our best shot at a running game, haha.
Since Tebow is starting I change my score to……
Broncos: 24
Raiders: 27
I still don’t trust our D!
Broncos: 20
Raiders: 31
How many of us remember?
September 4, 1983
Elway makes his first career start in a season-opening win at Pittsburgh. Elway is far from impressive as he completes just 1-of-8 passes for 14 yards. He is intercepted once and sacked four times.
September 18
Elway throws the first touchdown pass of his career, a 33-yarder to Rick Parros.
October 9
With just one touchdown pass and five interceptions, a struggling Elway is removed from the starting lineup in favor of Steve DeBerg. Elway would sit for the next four games.
December 11
In the highlight of his rookie season, Elway engineers the first of his 47 career comebacks as he leads the Broncos to a home win over the Colts, the team he demanded to be traded from. The Broncos trail 19-0 but Elway throws three late touchdown passes, including the last one on fourth down to Gerald Willhite, to rally his team to a 21-19 win. For the game, he throws for 345 yards with no interceptions.
Bay: Here is the forecast for Oakland Sunday…
Sunday
Breezy. Showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 50s. South winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 40 mph…becoming southwest 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
I hope whoever starts can throw the wet ball.
And 100% chance of rain during the daytime dropping to 80% at game end…
And thanks for posting Elway’s start in the NFL, it’s a good reminder for tomorrow.
Just hope everyone is realistic with their expectations if Timothy Richard starts.
Tebow will be fine, he probably will do better than Orton due to the fact that he is mobile and the conditions are going to limit the passing game. Plus he will bring a lot of enthusiasm to an otherwise meaningless game in crappy weather. It will make the game much more interesting.
I personally am pulling for the guy to go out there and ball it up! Make all these haters eat crow!
MANDIEGO: I’m with ya man. I think there is a special quality in TT. Something tells me he will be very successful in the NFL. I actually hope he gets the nod tomorrow. Orton may be feeling stiff with the weather that’s expected there. All signs are pointing towards Tebow starting though.
I should stick with my original score, but with the changing weather reports and the Quarterback Quagmire, I’m inclined to follow crazy’s crazy pick! The black hole is blacked out? A possible hurricane in the bay? T-Bow in a T-Storm. Weird things…
17-16 Denver.
YEAH! ESPN.com and NFL.com are both reporting that TT is the starter in Oakland. This is an awesome early christmas present lol
HEY ALL….. insider info ive seen in denver is saying that Tebow will be the starter!!! dont know about ya’ll but im keeping my fingers crossed. its Tebow time baby!!! WOO HOO!!!
and bay…. if tebow does start, i will change my prediction to 27 – 24 denver!! I BELIEVE IN TIM.
Keep on buckin broncos(and fans(
OFFENSE WINS GAMES…. DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!
TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW
wow… sorry guys.. for what ever reason the blog did not update for me before i posted… sorry for the duplicate info. GO BRONCOS
Raiders 27
Broncos 17
GO TEBOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
soo…. Tebow hasnt even officially got the nod yet and already im celebrating!! Im throwing an TEBOW PARTY if anyone is interested! TURNING THE PAGE MY BROTHERS…. TURNING THE PAGE. and for the recored (or FTR2) the beers are tasting GOOD. so is the Tebownaid. WOO HOO