NO COLD FEET
Broncos players aren’t concerned with the potential for cold weather on Saturday in Buffalo. While the forecast is calling for 38 degrees and partly cloudy skies during the Christmas Eve tilt, should that change, Denver will be prepared.
“I’ve heard about the weather, but I’m used to the cold weather,” middle linebacker Joe Mays said. “I played out in North Dakota (in college), so I’m looking forward to it. We just have to go out there and play ball.”
Another player with cold-weather experience is wide receiver Eric Decker, who played collegiately at the University of Minnesota.
“You never know what you’re going to get,” Decker said. “It could be 40 [degrees] or 50 [degrees] and sunny – or it could be 25 [degrees] and snowy and windy. You’ve just got to show up and see what you get.”
Quarterback Tim Tebow didn’t have the same exposure to the cold as Mays and Decker, but still is not concerned with playing in Buffalo in December.
Tebow said practicing every day in Denver will be enough preparation for him to feel comfortable in Buffalo.
“I guess I haven’t had to play in too many (cold-weather games) since I played at Florida,” Tebow said. “But we play outside here. I know it’s not quite as cold as Buffalo, but I should be OK.”
BONDING ON THE ROAD
As the team has all season for 11 a.m. MT kickoffs, it will depart two days early this week for Buffalo. That approach has worked well for the Broncos as they have compiled a 3-1 record on those trips thus far in 2011.
“I think just being on the road together has also helped us become closer as a team because we’ve been having those two-day trips,” Tebow said. “So, we’ve been spending a lot of time as a team. I think that’s definitely helped because you’re not going to see family, not going to see other things. You’re going to spend time with each other. I think that’s really helped bond us up as a team on the road. I really look forward to those away trips.”
Decker said that the two-day trips have helped the team adjust to the time difference and earlier kickoff time.
“It’s actually been a good change-up (Head) Coach (John) Fox has done, bringing us in a day early to get acclimated to the place we’re playing and to get comfortable in the hotel and realize that we do have to wake up a little earlier,” Decker said.
Overall, the Broncos have posted a 5-2 road record this season, which is tied with Detroit and Houston for the third best in football behind New England and Green Bay. The Packers, Patriots and Texans have clinched playoff spots, while Denver and Detroit can do so this weekend.
CHRISTMAS WISHES
After Saturday’s game at Buffalo, the players will be off on Christmas Day. Earning a win against the Bills will make the holiday more enjoyable for the entire team.
Tebow and Mays both said that wins against Buffalo are high on their wish list for the holiday.
“That’s very easy,” Mays said, when asked what he wanted for Christmas. “I want a win. I want a win, and then I want a chance to get home to my family. I know that’s going to be a tough task, but I’m definitely looking forward to Christmas.”
Decker is excited that the Broncos have a chance to give themselves the present that they all want.
“A playoff berth would be the biggest Christmas present we could get this week,” Decker said. “To control our own destiny, to have it in our hands, is an exciting feeling.”
With Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, the NFL moved games to Saturday, leaving most teams able to spend Christmas Day at home with families.
“I think to play a game we love, and I think doing it the right way I don’t necessarily see any problem with it,” Tebow said, when asked what he thought about playing a game on Christmas Eve. “Honestly, if we get a win, I think it will make Christmas just a little bit more special. It’s going to be fun either way because we get to celebrate Christ’s birth and that always means a lot to me. It will be fun to get a win too.”
See below for some photos from today’s practice:
Tags: Christmas, Cold Weather, Eric Decker, Joe Mays, Practice Photos, Road Games, Tim Tebow, Week 16
Ok then, never mind.
Broncos – 23
Bills – 10
The D’s gonna make up for all those points they gave up against NE. The O won’t turn it over. This one’ll be won in the second quarter.
As a side note, We’ll clinch ’cause I’m predicting a 27-17 Oakland loss.
Broncos 24-20
Official prediction:
24-17 Broncos !!
Broncos: 17
Bills: 9
crap, did I really just predict that? Holding the bills the 3 FG’s??? LOL
Oh well, I’ll stick with it! LMAO
GO BRONCOS!!!! Redemption time on D!!
I think we come out of the gates blazing and don’t quit until it’s over.
DEN 27
BUF 10
Mr. Fitzpatrick, let me introduce you to VON DOOM! You will get to know them up close and personally over the next 60 minutes. lol
“Bills are Beatable, but Broncos need to win turnover battle”
“For the second time in five games, the Broncos will face the NFL leader in interceptions when they play Saturday at Buffalo”.
“Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown 19 interceptions this year, including 10 in the last six games. When the Broncos played the Chargers in San Diego last month, Philip Rivers was leading the league with 17 interceptions”.
“After a 5-2 start, the Bills have lost seven consecutive games”.
“As for the AFC West-leading Broncos, they have scored 18 points or fewer in five of Tim Tebow ‘s nine starts at quarterback this year. So they have to find a way to win the turnover battle at Buffalo to come back to Denver with a 9-6 record”.
“Asked if Fitzpatrick has been pressing during Buffalo’s losing streak or has been limited in his options because of the team’s injuries, Bills coach Chan Gailey said, “There’s probably a little bit of all that. He’s probably pressing. We’ve had some guys make some wrong reads. … We’ve had some batted balls bounce some funny ways right off guys’ hands. Everything that was going right earlier in the season has been going wrong as of late. (Fitzpatrick) is not playing as bad as what the stats have looked like.”
“The Bills don’t let Fitzpatrick get sacked a lot. Their 20 sacks allowed are tied for the fewest in the league this season”.
“In their 41-23 loss to New England in Denver last weekend, the Broncos didn’t force a single turnover. And their six-game win streak was snapped. They have won the turnover battle only four times this season, going 2-2 in those games. That’s usually not the profile of a playoff team”.
“The Patriots kept Denver’s pass rushers off Tom Brady by picking up the pace offensively. They snapped the ball quickly, and Brady rarely held the ball long. Look for Fitzpatrick and the Bills to do the same Saturday”.
Source: Jeff Legwold – Denver Post
Prediction
BRONCOS 31
bills 13
That means our secondary needs to be on top of their game. Force Fitzpatrick to hold on to the ball so our rushers can get to him.
Good point Jeff – usually don’t win if you lose the turnover battle.
I think we should rest McGahee in this one and save him for the playoffs, that is, IF we make it. Not going to just assume we’re in until we’re actually officially in there. Let JJ carry the load with some assistance from Ball. I like what I’ve seen from JJ, he can run hard and catch. Would be nice to untilize him on some screens.
I think we’ve got a decent shot at the wildcard as well, if it comes down to that…….which I hope it doesn’t, but it’s still a way in.
Jets will be in tough against the G-Men……funny that’s a home game for both really. And who knows about the bungles and titans………they could put up a stinker too.
But in the end………just take care of your own damn business Broncos!
Fewest allowed sacks … which is funny cuz we had a field day on them in the preseason.
Looks like for the 2nd straight week in a row we will be facing a team with one of the fewest sacks (Before last weeks game Pats had only allowed 22).
This should be fun … they have never seen a rush like Von Doom but neither had the Pats and they survived. Credit to them and the refs for ignoring some holding calls.
2nd time we are facing a QB with most INTs … last time against the chargers we didn’t get a INT. INT is still what this team lacks. We finally get sacks again but we haven’t been an INT turnover team in a LONG time. Most of our turnovers usually came from fumbles. We have picked up the INT game a lil this year but against guys who have turned it over, we should get much more… so much for the theory that rush leads to int (im sure it helps but not an exact science so far). Need talented guys who can anticipate things back there … and a lil bit of luck. Rahim and Chris Harris have both dropped INTs recently, I hope this game they snag some (if rahim plays) which I doubt because we need our field general Dawk out there. Last week they all looked soooooo confused back there scrambling around just before opponents snap.
TRB
Amazing how things have flip flopped for both Teams.
Bills were 5-2 and Broncos were 2-5 almost at halfway point during the season. Broncos need to go out and get some redemption this weekend.
No Bronco pajamas, t-shirts, hoodie, jacket, scarf, fatheads etc… for me this year for Christmas.
All I want for Christmas is a BRONCOS WIN!!!
I wouldn’t mind a hoodie too……….but I’m greedy! hahaha
I’m not the coach but when you see your defense on its heels and a team is going hurry up and you have 3 timeouts go ahead and use one of them. Give your guys a rest and get your act together maybe make some substitutions. Don’t just go into a base defense and let them continue to drive down the field on your tired defense. Like I said, I’m not the HC and since Tebow won’t use the timeouts to save a delay of game penalty go ahead and use them to get your defense straightened out.
especially if the qb is a guy like tom brady who can shred a base d with his eyes closed.
by the ways things looked, I don’t think those time outs would’ve helped much. Maybe just give brady more time to decide how he’s going to shred that horrible D that was on the field. lol
Score Prediction:
Broncos 17 Bills 13
Keys to the game:
Win the line of scrimmage on defense while putting pressure on Fitzpatrick. I hope he keeps his poor play up and relentless pressure can make that happen. After a quiet week by Miller last week, hopefully he’ll return to his normal form. Whatever the Pats did to stop him is now on film. Need a big game from the D Line. Defensively we need to stop Stevie Johnson, and possibly more worrisome is there TE Chandler as we’ve struggled with TE’s all year. He’s not a big name, but has shown he can be a baller. Defensively, they’re nothing to write home about but have some ball hawks. Also, our offense does tend to go into hibernation, and with the Buffalo winter they may think its time to go into hybernation again.
This is from yesterday afternoon at DP.
“Brian Dawkins and Willis McGahee practicing for Broncos”:
“One veteran defensive back returned for the Broncos while another is sitting out as the team begins practing for Saturday’s game at Buffalo”.
“Safety Brian Dawkins, who was unable to play Sunday against the Patriots, is practicing today. Cornerback Andre’ Goodman is being held out of practice. Goodman suffered a concussion Dec. 11 but was cleared to return to practice late last week and played against New England”.
“Also practicing today for the Broncos are running back Willis McGahee, who missed the second quarter and was limited in the second half against New England with a hamstring injury, and safety David Bruton, who did not practice or play last week because of an Achilles injury”.
“The Broncos can clinch the AFC West title Saturday in Buffalo by beating the Bills, combined with an Oakland loss to Kansas City. The Broncos could also secure at least a wild card spot with a win and losses by the Jets, Bengals and Titans”.
“There is no scenario in which the Broncos (8-6) could secure a postseason berth this weekend if they lose to Buffalo. In that case, the division title and wild card spots would be determined on Jan. 1, when the Broncos host Kansas City”.
Source: Lindsay H. Jones – Denver Post
thinking back, it really bothers me how many potential INTS our D has missed out on……..especially the ones that hit them right in the numbers and they drop them. Case in point, last week against brady deep in their own zone. Dropped INT and the next play comes the penalty and then the pats march down the field. That could’ve been a game changer right there……….
There you go killerkod… just make sure it’s not a gray one….lol!
Broncos work out two fullbacks
By Mike Klis
The Broncos on Tuesday worked out two fullbacks, Patrick Hill, a 5-foot-9, 255-pound undrafted rookie from the Univesity of Miami and the 5-11, 247-pound Will Ta’ufo’ou of the University of California who spent time the past two seasons with the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.
Teams generally get a look at free agent players this time of year for future roster considerations.
Yeah – Legwold mentions the same thing re: workouts for FB position.
“The Broncos will travel to Buffalo on Thursday, two days before Saturday’s game at Ralph Wilson Stadium that completes the team’s regular-season road schedule”.
It will be the fifth trip this season that coach John Fox has taken the Broncos on the road a day early to prepare for an 11 a.m. Mountain time kickoff.
The Broncos believe they’ve benefited from the extra hotel nights.
“I think people got to spend some time together,” linebacker Wesley Woodyard said. “It’s helped us.”
“With no offseason (training because of the NFL lockout), we were all kind of trying to get to know each other,” Fox said. “I think history has proved a team where the players care about each other is going to have guys play harder for each other.
“It’s not a ton of extra time on the road, but I think there’s been benefits to it. I’m just glad the organization saw the benefits in the extra expense.”
Said quarterback Tim Tebow: “It’s also helped us become closer as a team. You’re going to spend time with each other. It’s really helped us bond as a team.”
Maybe later. The “Saturday Night Live ” skit featuring a parody of Tebow and the Broncos continues to be a big hit in the wired world.
“The players have been laughing about it a little bit, but I haven’t seen it,” Tebow said.
“Actor-comedian Paul Brittain was Tebow in the skit. Actor-comedian Andy Samberg played kicker Matt Prater” .
“Pro Bowl voting. Denver’s players do their Pro Bowl voting today. Players usually vote for the position groups they face. Defensive backs vote for wide receivers, for example”.
“The AFC and NFC all-star teams will be announced next week. The results are a combination of voting by fans, head coaches and players”.
“Cornerback Champ Bailey and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd were the Broncos who made it to the Pro Bowl last season”.
Footnotes. “The Broncos wanted to bring back fullback Quinn Johnson to their practice squad, but he didn’t clear waivers. He was claimed by the Titans this week. Johnson was waived by the Broncos last weekend so they could add safety Kyle McCarthy to the roster for the game against the Patriots. As a result, the Broncos worked out two fullbacks Tuesday and signed Will Ta’ufo’ou, who has spent time with the Bears and Browns in his NFL career. … Safety Brian Dawkins (neck), safety David Bruton (Achilles tendon), running back Willis McGahee (hamstring) and defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley (knee) were limited in Denver’s practice Tuesday. McGahee and Dawkins are the biggest question marks for Saturday’s game”.
Source: Jeff Legwold – Denver Post
Buf Bills Injuries–Player Status/Updated Notes
Ryan Fitzpatrick QB Prob Sat – Ribs – 12/21/11 Fitzpatrick is still dealing with sore ribs but is expected to play in Saturday’s game against the Broncos.
Steve Johnson WR Prob Sat – Groin – 12/19/11 Johnson aggravated a minor groin injury against the Dolphins in Week 15 but is expected to be fine for Saturday’s game against the Broncos.
Marcell Dareus DT Ques Sat – Hand – 12/19/11 Dareus suffered a left hand injury against the Dolphins in Week 15 and is considered questionable for Saturday’s game against the Broncos.
Scott Chandler TE Ques Sat – Ankle – 12/19/11 Wright has not played since suffering a shoulder injury in Week 13 against the Chiefs. He remains questionable for Saturday’s game against the Broncos.
Lee Smith TE I-R – Ankle – 12/20/11 Smith was carted off the field during Week 15 against the Dolphins in the third quarter with an ankle injury and did not return . He has been placed on the injured reserve and will miss the remainder of the season.
Torrell Troup NT I-R – Back – 11/30/11 Troup has been placed on injured reserve due to lingering back issues and will miss the remainder of the season as a result.
Donald Jones WR I-R – Ankle – 11/22/11 Jones will miss the remainder of the season after being placed on the injured reserve with an ankle injury, which he suffered in Week 11 against the Dolphins.
Terrence McGee CB I-R – Knee – 11/21/11 McGee had surgery performed on his patella tendon in his knee after sustaining an injury against the Dolphins in Week 11. He will miss the remainder of the season as a result.
Fred Jackson RB I-R – Leg – 11/24/11 Jackson has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a fractured right fibula against the Dolphins in Week 11. He will miss the remainder of the season as a result.
Chris White LB I-R – Knee – 11/15/11 White suffered a torn ACL against the Cowboys in Week 10 and will undergo season-ending surgery as a result.
Eric Wood OL I-R – Knee – 11/15/11 Wood has been placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in his right knee, he will miss the remainder of the year.
Rian Lindell K I-R – Shoulder – 12/8/11 Lindell will miss the remainder of the season after being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury which he suffered in Week 9 against the Jets.
Shawne Merriman LB I-R – Achilles – 10/25/11 Merriman has been placed on injured reserve due to an Achilles injury, which means he will miss the remainder of the season.
Kyle Williams NT I-R – Foot – 11/8/11 Williams has been placed on injured reserve due to bone spurs irritating his Achilles tendon, he will miss the remainder of the season.
Rahim Moore looks to me like he’s got crazy good potential…he just needs to learn how to tackle. Give him some time with Champ and Dawk and hopefully it’ll have the same effect as Elway spending time with Tebow.
you know its funny, some of us have given JE alot of flack for what he has both said and not said in his weekly interviews. We just look at him as Elways (like a player giving an interview) and almost forget he is VP. I mean seriously, no other VP lets the fans know whats on their mind, which way the organization might go etc. Most fans are in Limbo. We are pretty lucky for this transperancy thing even tho it may not be what we want to hear or feel like double talk or wateva … at least its talk … talk that many fans don’t get and im sure wish knew what was going on. Just thought i’d say that.
I personally think its perfect timing by JE to give Tebow his strongest endorsement AFTER a loss. A loss that snapped a win streak … woulda been easy to give it when things were going good, but instead he waited till confidence may not be as high to boost it. Plus im sure, if he had said it on the win streak and then we lost to the pats, people would start asking him “so has this loss to an actual good team like the patriots changed your position on Tebow?” and stuff like that. So I think Tebow and the team since it affects them are hearing it at the best possible time. Not that TT needs to hear it to play his best but it always helps and while people wanna trash TT for the loss (while they credited the D and ST for the wins but ignore what happened in those 2 phases of the game against NE) he had a really good game. I remember the one pass play that JE pointed out in his interview, that pass hit home to me; I mean it was amazing, bought time and then with great arm strength and accuray, perfect velocity and tight spiral, he stuck the ball in before his only window closed to convert a 3 and 18. Albeit against the worst ranked pass D but was still fantastic.
Go Broncos. Later days, TRB –
Think it’s great that the players have been able to bond on the road.
No question they’ve done well with a 5-2 record while traveling outside of Denver. Darn good for a young Team with a young QB.
I just watched that SNL sketch……….freaking hilarious!
SNL sketch was funny sure but as a Christian I do not appreciate how Christianity is always made fun off. You would never see the same done to islam, and thats probably because Christianity is the most popular religion so in a sense its been made public domain for ridicule … at least thats how I see it. And then you get a guy that follows it the way it should be followed (from what we can tell) with no hypocrisy and stick it to the guy.
A lil mean spirited but funny none the less. “If im the son of God then Brady’s gotta be his freaking nephew or something. And Belicheck, lets just says (whistles as he makes Horn signs) … so you know, they are coming at you from both sides.” LMFAO
TRB
Great point TRB on your 08:08 am post re: JE.
We are doing great on the road, and i wanna see these boys fired up after their loss. I hope to see us firing on all cylinders both sides of the ball. 31-13 Broncos. My christmas wish is 350 rush yards this saturday, while getting 3 turnovers to make up for last week. Let’s go DEEEEEEENVER
ddk,
make another post with just the prediction. That prediction will be hard to see for Bay. im sure he will still sniff it out but to make things easier u should just have a post dedicated to prediction.
TRB
TRB, what you said about J.E. and the position he holds is very true, BUT, I remember back in his first talk, on the day they announced his hiring, that he said that this was going to be done differently. He said something about keeping the fans informed. I don’t remember the exact wording but they have not been as transparant with us fans as they should have been.
I realize that they just can’t up and say that he is our future qb…he is our guy that is going to lead our team in ther future, and all of that, but the way they handled this entire QQ situation has been wrong right from the start.
A question that no one can answetr is this…Where would we have been IF Tebow would have received the training camp snaps and been our starter right from the start, like was first announced?
I didn’t see the SNL skit that funny.
new blog
TRB – and don’t forget the next play after the long pass to DT (if that’s the one you were referring to). Tim rolled out and flipped a nice floatie over a defender to Lance Ball, I believe, who broke some tackles and nearly scored. Beautiful play, and a big contrast to the previous bullet. Very hard to do back-to-back passes like that, apparently (I think JE commented on that, but it may have been DL).
Really looking forward to next year, if Elway works with Tebow during the off-season. Elway + Tebow = Elbow.