After a morning full of less-than-ideal weather — on and off rain showers, occasional snow flurries, gusting winds and chilly temperatures — Head Coach Josh McDaniels was asked if he planned on conducting the afternoon practice session outdoors or at the team’s indoor facility just down the street.
Although the club practiced at “the bubble” during minicamps, the club hasn’t been back at the indoor facility since then. McDaniels said returning indoors isn’t in the cards anytime soon, citing that the team needs to get used to possible conditions that could arise on Sundays.
“If we are going to play in it, I hope we’ve practiced in it,” McDaniels said. “That’s going to be our philosophy. If it’s wet, damp, raining, snowing, whatever — we’re going to be outside.”
To McDaniels, attention to detail is a focal point of his day-to-day operations, and having players ready for the conditions they may face on Sunday is one of his priorities. McDaniels said the most important issue when preparing to play in poor weather conditions is for players to understand what they can and can’t do the same compared to normal conditions. For instance, players likely can’t cut the same way, quarterbacks may not be able to make the same throws downfield and the kicking is game is almost always affected by poor weather.
Thus, McDaniels wants his players to simulate all sorts of game experiences in all conditions before they take to the field on Sunday.
“You can’t just tell the guys, ‘Hey we’re going to practice inside in a bubble all week long and then we go out there and play in the snow on Sunday, just make sure you do all the things you’re supposed to do when the weather is bad — stay on your feet, field the ball, throw it in the wet (weather) and all that stuff,’” McDaniels said.
As of Thursday afternoon, Sunday’s forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of precipitation and temperatures ranging between the low 30s and high 40s. During Thursday’s practice session, conditions were nearly identical to that estimation, as temperatures were in the low 30s and snow showers appeared throughout the windy two-hour session.
The way Ryan McBean looks at it, the team might as well get used to playing in snow and sleet since the Broncos will likely face similar circumstances at some point during the season.
“That’s what we are going to be playing in, so you’ve got to prepare yourself for anything,” McBean said. “You want to practice what you are going to be playing in.”
Only in the rarest of circumstances does McDaniels foresee his team practicing at its indoor facility this season.
“If there was some clear-cut thing where we knew the weather was going to be beautiful on Sunday and we are out there trying to practice in two feet of snow, I don’t think that would be smart,” he said. “If the weather has a chance to be poor on the weekend, I think we’ve got to get ready for it.”
INJURY REPORT
There were no changes to the Broncos’ Week 5 Injury Report. On the Patriots side, after not participating in Wednesday’s practice, WR Randy Moss (not injury related) was not listed on Thursday’s report. Linebacker Adalius Thomas (not injury related) was added to the report, and did not participate in Thursday’s practice.
– Zach Eisendrath, DenverBroncos.com
Here are a few more pictures from the onset of Thursday’s practice session:
Tags: Boston Patriots, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Ryan McBean, Weather, Week 5
This team should be used to any weather conditions. Denver is known for this stuff… get used to it. Plus, that’s what makes the games in the winter time so much more fun and interesting. I know the players hate it but it provides them with another challenge and keeps them on their toes and thinking about how much more careful they need to handle the football. If I can handle playing soccer in rain, sleet and snow… this should be a walk in park for them.
I gotta say, McD is really starting to grow on me. I watched that video that had him miced up and I’m even more impressed than I was before I saw it. He’s gonna be a great HC over the years and if he can lead this team to huge success, say hello to more than just a few SB Championships. I like the way he thinks, motivates the players, takes risks, I like the system he’s brought into Denver… I could go on and on.
Can hardly wait to see what he has planned for Marshall not just in Sunday’s game but for the whole season. Someone has really brought him back down to earth and he’s practically a whole new person. I’m glad McD didn’t give up on him but I’m even more proud of Marshall for not giving up on himself. He needed a suspension to wake him up and tell him this is not YOUR team… this is the Broncos. If Marshall can stay grounded and humble like Dawkins… his career will be nothing short of incredible. I can tell you it will turn out better than he had hoped. He’s in for more of those “emotional TDs”.
Keep the faith Bronco Nation…
GO BRONCOS!!!!
Check this out, CBS Sports give’s the Broncos an A+! Alot of the players and the coachs got props. I love this team and the coachs! Couldn’t be happier!!!
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/12332124
I can’t wait to see the Broncos beat up on the Patriots. I hope Elvis has a big game. I would also like to see Hillis get more involved in the offense. He can be such a big factor in the game.
thanks broncobabde,
that was A LOT of respect given to the Broncos. the only team to get an A+…ahah..sweet as it can be, the Broncos cant linger on what the media makes of them, only prepare beyond well for each game..
Broncos all the way baby!
They had the Broncos as some of the best things, like best defensive player (Dumervil!) and as best head coach. I can’t wait to see those things come true.
I am glad to see that our team is not dominating the stats in any area besides the TEAM stats! This is a great thing to me because, like BDawk said, they play for eachother! I am looking at great things for my team this year! From Sunny, way too dry, SoCal… GO BRONCOS!!!!!!
Still thursday… Come on sunday!!! Trade your spot with friday!!
Go Broncooos!
I say we get 3 more turnovers on D and 5 more sacks so we will be
+10 and have 20 sacks by the game is over. oh and a D guy will return a INT for a TD.
this is gonna be a good game people…i think we can get them pats though. i’m really looking forward to playing in the throw-way-back unis and potentially playing in some old school grind it out weather. hillis may be the answer in this game aka “the sledge hammer”. we own the pats even in their so called “dynasty” era. we will stomp the pats sunday-guaranteed.
Thanks for that link, broncobabe… Watch video further down on that link…. I can believe they’re still picking SD to win the division. We will win both games against SD. They do not look like a solid team this year. They have a lot of holes on the D and McD will definitely exploit them. Go Broncos.
sorry broncobabe09 for misspelling your name. forgive a fellow bronco fan..:D
Well, said Ashley…I agree with all u said
Im looking forward to this week, forward to a challenge, forward to this team proving themselves once more, forward to seeing them re-live history in jerseys I have never seen in action and all in all looking forward to more Bronco football.
Dunno if I should start Brady in my fantasy….dont have any other options on my bench and FA is looking kinda light not to mention I like my bench players and dont wanna drop any. Plus I have the Broncos D….Talk about a conflict of interest (Have Broncos D AND love the Broncos)…..Should be a fun game both real and fantasy. Deuces.
THE SEASON IS OURS FOR THE TAKING
GO BRONCOS!!!
I think the analysts on NFL Network’s Playbook and other programs have actually given McDaniels sufficient plaudits for preparing the Broncos for various types of weather conditions and random game situations. How else do you think Stokley was able to know where to be in the Cincinnati game? There is no stone unturned for McDaniels in terms of game preparation and that’s precisely why the Broncos will do nothing but win. Keep up the good work, guys. GO BRONCOS!!!
How about we throw out some predictions. 185 rushing, 270 passing, 455 total yards, 3 td’s, 2 FG’s. 2- INT’s 3-Sacks 2-FF’s. Broncos 27 Pats-23. Hope the spread is a lot more than that though. Probably a few more INT’s. Not really sure on the rushing.
Is Buck and Dawkins going to be back for the game?
Bailey INT’s Brady and takes it to the house……….for a TD!!! He shutdown Randy Moss to 2 for 19 yards that’s it…….NO LONG BOMBS!!!!
These next two games are the games that tell the tale of the Broncos season. Lose them both and the Chargers are in first place ahead of the Broncos. Not a picture I think any Bronco fan would like to see. They must be at their best these next two games or our excellent start will have been for naught. If I had to pick a Bronco who is the key to our success in the next two games it would be Peyton Hillis. He’s been terrible so far this year. With Buckhalter on the sidelines, it’s time for Peyton to step up and show us the power and excellent games like he had last season.
This game is going to be awesome. It really is one of the best match-ups of the season. Our guys are going to have to be ready to play 60 minutes regardless of weather conditions.
I’m thinking that Hillis will get a few more touches this game with Buck out. Moreno will probably get the majority of them but to keep them fresh I think it will be Moreno, Hillis, and Jordan even getting a few. I’m really hoping Royal doesn’t go through his sophmore slump. I’m really waiting for him to have a break out game soon. Hopefully sooner then later. Our D..just keep doing what you’re doing, we are going against one of the best this game so lets take it to him. Only don’t hit him cuz he’ll whine til he gets a flag.LOL. Bring on the pain.
great posts everyone, here is how i see things playin out… even tho he will be the number 1 back, moreno will still be splitting time with one of the other backs (hillis or jordan, hopefully hillis) although he will get prob 65% of the carries and i think he will break 100 yds, and get another TD! What i would really like to see is our backs catching more balls out of the backfield! both knowshon and hillis have GREAT hands and i feel like they could really make some plays in space! my worry is whether or not orton will still be wearing that glove!! i really believe that its affecting (or effecting, never can remember which goes where lol) his accuracy. im behind orton, but i did notice he missed some wide open recievers last week and we need to depend on him to make as many plays as possible so hopefully the glove will be off. Also, we CAN NOT get that many penalties on offense! those are drive killers!! Not sure how many drives resulted in punts due to penalties, but it was too many in my opinion! NE is a good team and we can not afford mental errors like last week against this team.
our defense should be fine. dumerville will get his 2 sacks, and i think we should be able to finish the day with 3+. their o line has been starting to gel however so i dont think it will be easy! we will come away with 2 picks against brady! our front 7 will pressure him all day! i say he ends up with 275 yds 2 picks and 1 td. that may be a bit on the lean side but im bein optimistic!! and no, i dont gamble! lol
my final piece is this….. i think our key to winning is to get ahead early! the patriots know how to close a game when they are ahead! so as long as we get ahead early we can lean on our defense and ground game to come away with the win!
so.. my prediction is BRONCOS WIN BY 4. 13 - 17! man 5-0 will feel nice!!
Go BRONCOS
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!
DDOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!! Definately my favorite current bronco!
Can i change my name to dumervilsdomain09? lol
With all the games the broncos have played against the patriots, one thing stand out the most is we have had the upper hand in win’s 95% of the time dateing back from day one to present ( with only a few losses here and there ) so i like our odds in this game on sunday, barring the little yellow flag ( brady rule) in which himself say’s he like’s so much now that it’s in place, ( WOW– NEVER MATTERED BEFORE TO HIM BEFORE HE GOT HURT ) BUT IT DOES NOW. The key’s to the game as i see them may be as the same as most of you see them, 1, ball control- we must keep brady and co off the field and we need to score points in doing this. 2, Defense must clamp down on the run as well as keep moss in check — no long bombs. 3, Moreno must get started early with hillis ( if out of the dog house ) he needs to atone for his early mistakes in other games that put him in the dog house. Jordon needs to be solid as well. Here is one thing no one is talking about as for as weather goes, if real bad- Orton has been playing with a glove now for 4-weeks and kinda used to it so may be helpful. Like rayjr26 said and i quote— DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! Let me echo the comment. 5-0 AFTER THIS WEEKEND GO BRONCOS
Hey 07Elway…i saw that video to and i gotta say watching McD yelling at the players to motivate them brought a smile to my face too.The man doesnt take any bulls&%$t,and he proved it then.Im with you…McD is really starting to grow on me too….
Totally agree LB… as long as when he’s yelling at them to stay focused on the game and be motivated like you said, I’m all for it. Soft talk isn’t going to work, not in this business but if ever resorts to talking down to them, then he’d have me second-guessing his ways of doing things. McD is definitely on the right track. I don’t need to repeat my previous post but I love what he’s doing with this team.
And as much I’ve hated to admit this, Bowlen deserves alot of the credit. He took a big risk and let Shanny go (I’ll always have a soft spot for him) and took an even bigger risk on not only another coach but someone who’s never even been an HC before. That takes guts. McD has worked hard at proving himself worthy of this job and even though we’re only 4-0… it’s impressive and it’s alot better than what some people thought we’d be right now. I like McD even more cause he doesn’t listen to what the media says about him, I don’t pay attention to any of it either.
McD will have a very successful career as a head coach and by all means, I hope he stays with us. For as upset as I was when all the drama went down, I’m impressed. I just had to take some time away from here and anything Broncos and just chill and let all the changes sink in.
Keep the faith Bronco Country…
GO BRONCOS!!!!