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
Get some Jolly Time in Buffalo beating the Bills.
Go Broncos!
the last time we lost i believe we played the raiders the following week and whiped there ass so maybe we can do it again. go broncos
I’m soooo looking forward to spending xmas eve in Buffalo cheering on my team….want a win and want to get to the post season!!!!!!!
Why would we whipe their a$$? LOL.
You mean whipped..
ha lmao sorry ya whipped
lol @ theotheredge
missed a p in there lol
When it’s a cold weather game it’s all about the ground game and the battle in the trenches. I love these type of games! I really hope McGahee will be good to go.
McGahee was in Buffalo for a while wasn’t he? So he knows that field (assuming i’m correct) that may very well be a great advantage.
-Royalty
We will be fine. Last game was just as frustrating to the players as it was for us fans. We will be READY for some Buffalo skins. I have a good feeling bout this game…
WMG (Willis McGaheee) Weapon of Mass Ground-game!
I wonder if him and the Bills still have bad blood? After going onto wiki to confirm that WMG was drafted by the Bills I stumbled upon this: McGahee had made disparaging remarks about the city of Buffalo—including an implication that the Bills should move to Toronto–the Bills traded him. LOL
Rest McGahee, start JJ … kid is ready. Can run catch do it all. With some support from Ball. We need McGahee healthy for playoffs if we mke it.
Its funny someone asked why they only tackle dummies in practice, good question, we need moving targets cuz in game we can’t hit those.
They should help keep america employed. Find unemployed people who don’t mind being tackled as a job. Sure they will where pads and have health care but they will also be employed making money and the broncos will be better tacklers. Just tell them to run around lol. There is possible injury concern to players however lol
Remember back in the our SB era days when we played the Bills. There was a huge snow storm and some Broncos players were stuck on the road or at home. Quite a few players were taken to the Broncos bus by snow mobile so they can get to the airport. Every Bronco made it to the Bus. Not only that the plain left Denver which was a miracle, flew to Bufallo. We went in and had taken care of bussiness with a win and the rest is history. Thats a GREAT BRONCO MEMERY for me.
Memory
I seen this b/4 Just beat a bad SF team @ home and we are in 2006. We lost
Just beat a bad Bills team @ home in 08 and we win the AFC West. We lost.
Just beat a bad KC team @ home and maybe were in 09 We lost.
The fact that the Bills have not won in a long time scares me cuz the losing streak has to end some time. I have been hoping for the BIlls to win the past weeks.
The perfect weekend would be:
Denver wins KC is eliminated
Detroit wins SD is eliminated
KC wins Oakland is eliminated
So my pick is BRONCOS 23- Bills 20
Miller needs to get some sacks. There is talk that Smith from SF will be Def. rookie of the year. He plays for the #1 Defense and he now has more sacks than Miller. GO Miller take us to the playoffs!!!!!!!!!!
Mr Decker its TIME to play again. We have missed you!
I love this show ‘Last Man Standing’ where Tim Allen plays a character by the name of Mike, who lives in Denver. He is such a staunch Broncos fan, reminds me of some of the guys on this blog.
We need to get back to TO free football.
I hear you there tn66 Miller deserves DROY! Let’s #Eat Greedy on some Buffalo wings this Sat.!!!! LOL
-Royalty
Eat a chicken Fitzpatric sandwich with some Buffalo sauce!
LOL@carmharland
And for those of you who missed it by an earlier blogger #EatGreedy is one of Von Millers hash tags on Twitter, that’s why after a sack he does that thing where he seems do be eating with both hands. JFYI
-Royalty
What do Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, Andre Goodman, Jonathan Wilhite, DJ Williams, Joe Mays, Brodrick Bunkley, Russ Hochestein, Lonnie Paxton and Willis McGahee all have in common?
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!
LOL what?
Twitter accounts? lol
CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR THE DISTURBED
1. Schizophrenia – “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
2. Multiple Personality Disorder – “We Three Kings Disoriented Are”
3. Dementia – “I Think I’ll be Home for Christmas”
4. Narcissistic – “Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me”
5. Manic – “Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and…”
6. Paranoid – “Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me”
7. Borderline Personality Disorder – “Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire”
8. Personality Disorder – “You Better Watch Out, I’m Gonna Cry, I’m Gonna Pout, Maybe I’ll Tell You Why”
9. Attention Deficit Disorder – “Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy – can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?”
10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – “Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells…”
A co-worker/friend of mine that works in the Houston area went to school at Texas A&M and still goes to their home games religiously.
He has met Von on a few occasions and is going to get me a signed Bronco jersey from him during our next bye week when he attends next season when he visits! That would be pretty cool. I would rather have it in person, theogh.
Forget it – I forgot ‘normal’ people don’t prefer schizoid jokes. LOL
Cam – you killed this one. The rest of us are just depressed we don’t get signed jerseys.
As long as you don’t make Von sign a Tebow jersey!!!
I’d still take it! Ha Ha!
Tebow sign a Von Jersey? He would.
Watching the Raiders lose on NFLN again! LOVE IT!
A Bronco win is all I want for Christmas!
Draft needs: TE , Safety, DT ,RB WR QB.(Quinn’s last year to hold the clipboard) I think we get Tebow a TE and this Offense will really take off.
and DE. Ayers really doesn’t do anything for me.
the strange thing about our draft needs is that Mc D drafted all but DT and only Tebow, Decker and Thomas are good. So 3 out of what 14 picks
I think Virgil Green is a Dark Horse — He gives me that Shannon Sharpe feeling I want to see him get thrown to… just to see what the kid has, if anything.
sandoval left me hanging….
*sndvl
66 – you are way ahead of me.
I’m trying to figure how to position this team to go into the playoffs.
I think J. Thomas and Fells have got to step up. Saw Fells run a few pass routes but he is too easy to cover.
Decker doesn’t know how to use a double coverage to his own advantage and still get open some.
Get Tebow more than one open receiver and we eliminate the sacks.
Lol, nah royalty…just had to step away for a few!
Players with playoff experience…
I mention it because it should be pointed out that our team is young and full of potential!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!
This should make a lot of people smile like they are kids on Christmas morning
For those who wonder if Denver Broncos executive John Elway is completely sold on unorthodox quarterback Tim Tebow , rest easy.
Elway gave his strongest indication yet that he believes Tebow can morph from a scrambling quarterback into a pocket passer during an interview with The Associated Press, while also saying the polarizing and immensely popular former first-round pick is in Denver to stay.
“Tim Tebow’s not going anywhere,” Elway said. “I mean, he’s going to be a Bronco and we’re going to do everything we can and hopefully he’s that guy.”
Elway knows a lot about being “that guy” after leading Denver to five Super Bowls and two titles during his playing career. He reiterated his intention to work with Tebow during the offseason, something he couldn’t do last offseason because of the NFL lockout.
After starting the season with Kyle Orton under center, the Broncos have won seven of nine games since switching to Tebow, four of them via the kind of fourth-quarter comebacks that marked Elway’s storied career.
Elway said one of his biggest challenges since the move to Tebow has been adjusting to the 24/7 news cycle fed by social media. Elway also again expressed remorse for a comment he made last month on his weekly radio show that was misconstrued as criticism of Tebow.
After Tebow had improved to 4-1 as the Broncos’ starting quarterback, Elway was asked if he was “any closer to feeling if you have your quarterback on this team?” Elway paused and answered, “No.” He then pointed out that Tebow had to do better on third downs and improve as a passer.
“I think that comment was probably a little bit too blunt,” Elway told The AP on Tuesday. “Because I think the big picture with Tim is we’ve got to see the whole body of work. And so really what you want to see with him is the improvement that’s going to happen over time.
“Because, he’s done what we knew he could do and where we’ve seen his progress is what he does within the pocket. What we’ve said, and I said it when I first got here, was we know Tim’s a great player and what we’ve got to do is make him a great quarterback, and what I’ve learned is you’ve got to be able to win from within the pocket.”
Tebow has indeed begun showing improvement in the pocket over the last few weeks as he receives more playing time and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy adds more plays to his menu.
Tebow’s famous work ethic will help him hone his craft, said Elway, who seems to be rooting for the quarterback as much as his legions of fans.
“We want it to happen because of the competitor he is and what type of person he is and how he represents not only himself but represents the Broncos and the city,” Elway said. “People have been watching him, so he’s a draw. But that’s where some time in the offseason (helps) and it comes down to timing and throwing.
“Do I think he’ll get there? Yeah, I do.”
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
I just noticed Darcel McBath became the 29th Jaguar to be placed on IR due to a forearm injury…
And from the NFL.com
DENVER BRONCOS
Denver clinches AFC West Division:
1) DEN win + OAK loss or tie
2) DEN tie + OAK loss + SD loss or tie
Denver clinches a wild-card spot:
1) DEN win + NYJ loss + CIN loss + TEN loss or tie
LOL thanks sndvl I figured you stepped away I always do that and sometimes completely leave someone hangin’ lol (sorry to those people).
I’m also happy to know that we got some guys that won’t be phased by the playoffs with that experience and continue to be the leaders that they are.
Good for John, it finally took a loss for him to see what he wanted to in Tebow. Knowing Tebow can make the throws necessary and with some work “be that guy.”
Thanks sndvl
ya boy is out! Goodnight…
-Royalty
You’re welcome Royalty…
So with that scenario all there is left to say- Go Orton…FTR…
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!
Oh the irony of it all. Hollywood can’t write this kind of stuff!
I mean Orton can still be a factor in our postseason berth!
Unreal! I’m an Ortonite for another week
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!
Broncos will revive themselves this Christmas Eve, get it done boys… Get .. It… Done!!!!
Broncos – 31
Buffalo – 20
GO BRONCOS 2011!!!!
And in case I don’t get back on here before the weekend, I wish all of Bronco Country a Merry Christmas! From THE 07elway lol
Crazy thing Sndvl… As much as i like McBath … thats like his 3rd forearm injury … its always his forearm … sigh … another guy i thought was talented but just can’t stay healthy
BroncoRoyaltyEst.1979,
You know what, I agree. I think Virgil Green is a Dark Horse as well. And heres why. The guy was supposed to go higher but due to injury I believe we got him as a steal in the 7th round. He is a great receiver … very fast … not the best blocker … INITIALLY … but did you see him block his butt off in the first Quarter of the NE game? Him and Decker were sealing up holes. I still believe in Julius Thomas as well. We just haven’t used any plays to try to utilize our TEs more. Give em time. I like what I see from them. I think they have great potential. No need wasting picks on TE again.
CB, DT, S, Maybe RB (still like Fannin).
TRB
So…. In the score competition, is it automatic WOS if you predict a tie? just curious, ’cause technically if it wasn’t a tie, you automatically didn’t pick the right team to win… And yes, I ask because I was thinking of predicting one just for the fun of it…