Tim Tebow will start at quarterback on Sunday against Houston at INVESCO Field at Mile High, Interim Head Coach Eric Studesville said in a Monday press conference.
Tebow made his first career start in Sunday’s 39-23 loss in Oakland, finishing 8-of-16 passing for 138 yards and a touchdown. The 2010 first-round pick’s 100.5 passer rating marked the highest-ever for a Denver rookie quarterback in a starting debut.
He also added seven rushes for 78 yards, including a 40-yard first-quarter rushing touchdown.
The performance earned positive reviews from Studesville and Tebow’s teammates in the minutes after the loss. With Kyle Orton still rehabbing a rib injury, Studesville said a day later that Tebow earned the chance to make his first home start.
“I thought Tim played well in his first start in a difficult environment, being in there with those fans when they started getting cranked up,” Studesville said. “I thought he really managed everything well — the environment, our game plan, got us in and out of the things that we needed to and just ran our offense well.”
Against the Raiders, the team waited until Sunday to announce that Tebow would start. With Kyle Orton still dealing with a rib injury, Studesville said the team decided to make the decision early heading into a Week 16 showdown with the Texans.
The interim head coach said he met with both quarterbacks on Monday morning to explain his decision.
“With where he is right now, we just felt that prolonging this later into the week was not the best thing for our preparation and practice,” Studesville said. “So, we decided to make the decision earlier in the week to go and do this.”
Studesville lauded Tebow for his energizing leadership style and ability “to put the ball where he needed to in order to give us a chance to win the football game” in his debut starting effort. The coach also said he’s excited about building on the performance with another week for Tebow to take a majority of the first-team quarterback reps.
With another week to improve and tweak the gameplan toward Tebow’s strengths, it’s a process that excites Studesville going forward.
“We are finding more and more out about what he does,” Studesville said. “That game yesterday gave us a lot of information and a lot of things that we can work with and go from and that we can build on as coaches to give him. We have seen it out here (at practice), but it is different when everything is full speed on Sunday afternoon.”
JACKSON JOINS SQUAD
The Broncos added Chevis Jackson to the active roster on Monday when they were assigned the third-year cornerback off waivers. To make room, the team waived linebacker Kevin Alexander.
Jackson, a third-year player out of LSU, has appeared in 33 career regular season games with three starts during stints with Jacksonville and Atlanta. He most recently played with New England but did not appear in any games before being waived on Saturday.
The former third round pick has 64 career tackles, including one sack, and one interception. He also played in one postseason game as a rookie with the Falcons, garnering an interception in a start against Arizona.
Alexander played in eight games, playing mostly on special teams, after being elevated from the practice squad on Oct. 16. The linebacker notched one tackle and a pass breakup on defense and added three special-teams stops.
INJURY UPDATE
Studesville said he’s hopeful the team will get back several injured players this week but urged waiting until later in the week before making more concrete judgements.
Knowshon Moreno missed the final three quarters on Sunday after injuring his side. Studesville said the second-year running back spent the morning getting treatment at the team’s Dove Valley facility.
“He is a little sore and we will continue to evaluate that as we go through the week and see where we are with him,” Studesville said.
Matt Prater missed his second straight game with a right groin injury, and the interim head coach said the kicker will test the leg early in the week. If he can’t go, Studesville said he’s been pleased by the job Steven Hauschka has done in Prater’s place and would continue to use the newcomer, who has hit four of his five field goal attempts in the last two games.
Studesville also expressed optimism that Demaryius Thomas (ankle) and Brian Dawkins (knee) might be able to return this week. Thomas has missed the past four games, while Dawkins has been out for three straight.
Thomas practiced on a limited basis last Friday, which the interim head coach viewed as a positive step toward having the rookie wide receiver back against the Texans.
“We got him out moving around a little bit and hope to get a little bit more this week from him,” Studesville said. “He will continue his rehab and what he is doing and monitor it day by day.”
Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow, Week 16
I could see Denver attempting to move down in the draft to gain number of picks. McDaniels screwed us over with the Cutler picks. Wasted them. Our first 3-4 piks need to be defensive front 7. High quality picks.
Agreed about the first 3/4 picks for the front 7, disagree about trading down such a high pick specially since there will most likely be a rookie salary cap in the new labor agreement. There has never been a better time to hold on to a high pick in my opinion. Rather trade some players like Orton, Graham, one or two WR’s, etc.. to get those extra picks we need.
Sometimes people let emotions get the best of them. Its an emotional physical game and as long as someone learns from their mistake I’m good with it. Sometimes you need some players that are willing to mix it up because of the violence in the game. It shows passion. The Boise State player could have said something to set him off. Honestly. Doesn’t matter though. Water under the bridge. Past is the past. Good players that are good people is a great plan and something all teams should strive for, but people make mistakes and should be allowed a second chance!
Unfortunately he also sqaundered a 4th round pick on maroney. Just watched some stuff on peterson…would be great if we could have him…he is pretty amazing. Either way…with a top 5 pick I doubt we can be disspointed. Woulda loved Eric Berry last year too ( if we were high enough) but gotta get what u need.
Pssh undrafted blount…woulda taken a chance on him…he had the talent. Just the biggest bonehead in life. But if u sign him undrafted u are not losing much…woulda taken a chance on him cuz I knew he would be this good. Kid is a juggernaut. Altho we wouldn’t even be talking about him if we still had hillis lol
bay….. I agree about trading to get picks. I believe the high needs to be used and not many teams are willing to trade up for what they need to give up to get there. Orton will be gone either this offseason or next. Graham gone. Maroney gone. Possibly Gafney gone or some lesser known receivers. Hill and Goodman gone.
You forget Blount got involved in another boxing match with a teammate at the Titans after he promised Fisher his fighting days were over, so your point doesn’t hold much water with me in this case, just saying. You mean a third chance in this case!
I say
Trade:
Orton
Quinn
Maroney
And anyone else we can find. That should get us some great picks. We already have a high 1st, high second, a second second, and a high 3rd. If we can get Orton for a 2nd or 3rd…We would be riding in with some great picks.
I still like graham…he is a great blocker…we never really got him for receiving…thats what sheffler was for…
TRB….. You are right about Hillis. What was McD thinking? Honestly. Probably because NE doesn’t run a running game with a big back. Idiot. Just need to find another one.
Yea he did punch another guy in tennesee. Has been calm headed since however…But the chances of him relapsing are high…he is very unstable…either he is not a bronco so all these hypotheticals dont matter…
Well, boys and girls, we have a lot on our plate for this off season, talking about plate I’m getting hungry, later you all.
yeah but Fisher runs his team like a church. Ever see any video of him coaching at practice? No cussing or anything. Weird. Blount is history and troubled players need not apply to Denver. Had enough of them. I think that there are too many issues that need fixing to be fixed in one draft and offseason. Its a work in progress.
TT deserves it!
I want to address a different subject. We are DEAD last in the league on Defense and with the right people in the PERSONNEL department we would be much improved.
WE SHOULD HAVE 5-10 PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER WORKING OUT RIGHT NOW IN DOVE VALLEY. THEY ARE OUT THERE SOMEONE JUST HAS TO MAKE IT A PRIORITY
Anderson (HOU), Brock (SEA), Burgess (PHI), Barnes (BAL-PHI-SD) and Adalious Thomas should have been brought in for a workout as soon as DOOM went down. All the above players where on the open market during this season.
Mark Anderson has (4 sacks) in 9 games 0 starts
Raheem Brock has 5 sacks
Burgess just got to PHI so we will see how that plays out but he was the sack leader of the entire league not that long ago. How is he not worth a workout?
Antwan Barnes has (4 sacks) in 9 games 0 starts
Thomas is still on the market
Kamerion Wimbley (6 Sacks) was on the Trade Block this year before the draft
Cameron Wake (14 sacks was brought in from the indoor league last year)
Chris Clemons was on the Trade Block this year (10 sacks)
Carlos Dunlap (7 sacks) avl in the late second round (I don’t even want to go there with Matthews and Orakpo form last years draft)
Tully Banta-Cain (5 sacks) was on the market this last off-season
Travis LaBoy (5 sacks) was on the market this last off-season
Joey Porter (5 sacks) was on the market this last off-season
Fred Robbins A DEFENSIVE TACKLE (5 sacks) was on the market this last off-season
WE SHOULD HAVE 5-10 PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER WORKING OUT RIGHT NOW IN DOVE VALLEY. THEY ARE OUT THERE SOMEONE JUST HAS TO MAKE IT A PRIORITY
I agree with everyone that wants Fairley or Dareas with the 1st round pick,no trading this year,like Bay said the Rookie salary cap will be in place so we keep our high pick.Peterson is a great CB,best since Champ came outta college,but we NEED a DT.
1st round:Fairley DT Auburn or Dareas DT Alabama
2nd round:Stephen Paea DT
2nd round:Powe
Trade Orton,the Quinn brothers.lol,and Buck and Maroney,to get more picks in later rounds.
I wasn’t done,hit the key too fast.
2nd round:Stephen Paea DT Oregon ST…was wanting Jones LB Michigan ST,but he isn’t coming out!!!
Well lets try that again:
1st round:Fairley DT Auburn or Dareas DT Alabama
2nd round:Justin Houston LB Georgia Jones LB M.S. isn’t coming out!!!
2nd round:Paea DT Oregon St or Crick DT Nebraska
Yes that’s 2 DT in the 1st 3 picks!!!!!
Beast…
We definitely need to take Kyle Rudolph with our 2nd round pick!! Especially with a lot of people thinking that we might be trading Graham! We have no one as a pass catching TE and I think we should grab 2 great pass catching TE’s in the draft like the Pats did last year!! I wanted either Hernandez or Rob last year but that didn’t happen!!
The thing that I would absolutely LOVE to see is us trade Orton, Graham, and Maroney and pick Bowers with our 1st pick and then trade all our picks from Orton, Graham, and Maroney to move up and get Peterson as well!! That way, we would still have all our picks that we currently have now and still have both our 2nd round picks!!
What would y’all think about that??
Man just think if we would’ve had Hernandez! That was Tebow’s dude and would’ve helped with his transition. Oh well, we keep moving along.
still say marvin austin would be a steal in the late 2nd early 3rd round…was ranked as the 3rd best dt going into the college season but got suspended for taking money..but now he’ll be in the league where he can take money.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9tEeAHzjWE
I don’t really care who we pick as long as we pick Fairley or Dareas with our 1st pick,we need a Dominating DT and both these guys are monsters!
We definitely can’t pick Bowers AND Peterson,both are prob top 6 picks.
Donte whitner and the bills are far apart on a contract and he will probably be a free agent next year. He is a former first round pick and would be a big upgrade at safety over hill.
It depends on who is trading picks,if it’s Elway,I would say yes,if it’s Xanders,I say HELL NO!!!!!!!!!
If we use all the picks that we get in trading players then it’s possible that we could and still not have to give any of our picks now!! Seeing what we did in the draft the past two years, nothing is impossible!!
Bowers, Peterson, Rudolph, Paeo, Austin
I hear ya Beast…In Elway I Trust!!!
@ strandoftds… funny you mentioned that oilers playoff game! that was my first broncos game ever!
my dad took me for my christmas present! i remember being all upset cuz we were getting beat pretty handily in the 4th quarter and i wanted to just leave. my dad said “it aint over yet boy. we’ve got Elway!” ta da!! elway pulled it out! AMAZING! 
I wouldn’t mind Adrian Clayborn out of Iowa at DE. Anybody who can pass rush would be amazing tho. But we need defense all the way. And I mean 1st, 2nd, 3rd round defense players will potential to play right away. I know we have to rebuild, but it would be easier rebuilding with rookies that aren’t 6th and 7th round after thoughts.
We need more changes than just new draft picks tho. Having Dumervil back will be amazing. Perhaps a switch back to the 4-3 would be good? Someone mentioned it will leave less holes and I agree. Unless we get Nolan back at DC or someone else who can actually fun the 3-4, I vote we switch back.
As far as offense:
Trade Orton to Carolina. They aren’t gonna wanna draft another QB because they drafted both Clausen and Pike last year, and they might value Orton’s veteran leadership.
Trade Brady Quinn to Chicago cause they don’t have any good back ups and Chicago seems like a good dumping grounds for Bronco QB’s.
Rudolph at TE would be stellar if we could get him. We need a pass catching TE really badly.
Moroney and Buck should be gone after this year. Leaving us with Moreno, Lendale White when he is healthy, and Ball. I can dig it.
And then we can resign Brandstater as our back-up. I got the chance to meet him and chat with him after the Bears preseason game last year, and I loved the kid. And after he loaned all that money to Kenny (RIP) during his hard times, I appreciated him that much more as a human being. Who better to back up Tebow?
I’m excited for all the changes. As long as we get them right this time!
Go Broncos!
If we can get some value for Orton like a 2nd or 3rd round pick we could definitely package some picks together to get maybe an extra late 1st round pick or just keep what we get for him and find some gems.
I love the 3-4 when run properly it can create way more confusion for the qb. We just need the players that can play 3-4. We need a Vince Wilfork or young Jamal Williams (not the old broken version we bought) type NT…it all starts with the big man eating up blockers in the middle to free up the backers. And as an Oklahoma State fan i hate to throw Jamal under the bus, but he just doesnt have anything left in the tank.
I think we should take use our first pick on D too heard the Dlineman from Clemson is a beast…First thing we need is a coach…….cowherd says that the pickings are gonna be slim because whoever comes is gonna have to Love Tebow like Josh did hmmmmmm..Two yrs ago our team was dangerous all we needed help on was the D…..nowwww we need more help than one draft can help…coach then draft…..
Awesome Rayjr26, way cool. And Ya a D player yelled at John saying, not this time Elway. That was twice in the same year against the same team. LOL
I just want to go on record as saying that i will be HUGELY disappointed if our next HC drafts by best available as opposed to biggest need i will puke! we may as well have just let McD stay on as coach.
as far as backup QB, may as well stick with quinn… he has a similiar skill set as Tebow, so if he needed to play it wouldnt be a complete change of scheme. at HB.. White, Moreno, and Ball… that should last a year. O line needs to stay the way it is currently. cant afford to change it at this juncture. our first 5 picks need to be front 7.. PERIOD!! get the talent we need up front and it will make the talent we have in the back THAT MUCH BETTER! Syd’quan will be good i think, if Cox doesnt get suspended or cut then i think he will be ok. we could use a FS cuz lets face it…. Dawk is done! love his leadership, but he just cant cut it anymore! so i say later rounds get safety and corners, with a really late pass catching TE. with that formula i think we will be on our way to improving in a HURRY!!
Go Tebow, Go Broncos
OFFENSE WINS GAMES, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.
THE BATTLE IS WON IN THE TRENCHES.
So LB Greg Jones has said that he`s not entering the draft?
News to me strand..apparently according to BFE…I dunno if Peterson CB has declared either…everyone just expects him to.
I would prefer De’Quan Bowers (but thats because I am still opperating in a 3-4 sense). Bowers would be way better than McBean…lets face it…our DEs are subpar with the exception of bannan who is turning 30 i think.
I would like rudolph as much as the next guy but if we do our homework Im sure there will be a good enough one around the 5th round. I can’t play enough emphasis on front 7. Also, I thought Joe Mays did a FANTASTIC job. Don’t see the immediate need for another LB. So for me its probably
1st – De’Quan Bowers DE Clemson (If he declares)
2nd – Stephen Paea DT
2nd – Deandre McDaniel SS Clemson
Alot depends on who declares…wont have a clearer picture until offseason.
strand,Jones LB Michigan State said he is staying in school.Too bad I wanted him in the 2nd round.
TRB,I am hoping we go back to a 4-3,then we can put Doom and Ayers back at DE,then draft Fairley along with Bannon in the middle.Then we need a LB and a Safety/Corner.
Personally I prefer a 4-3 defence with a front four that causes mayhem and linebackers who can play coverage as well as stop the run.
We all saw on MNF the wisdom of trading for a star defensive end and the Bears not only got Peppers but then they drafted Wootton.
Just shows you why you need somebody who knows defence to be a major part of the personnel and scouting team. We cannot afford to make any more mistakes when trading and drafting players.
TE to me can wait till the 4th,I’d be happy with Luke Stocker TE,6’6 good hands.
freak,you crazy? 2 TEs,as bad as our Defense is and you want 2 TEs.
I listed Justin Houston as one of my 2nd round picks:
Justin Houston DE/OLB Georgia,he has 10 sacks-18.5 tackles for loss!
Against Georgia Tech in his last game he had 7 tackles a 18 yard fumble recovery for a TD,and a game saving Int to seal the win.
That’s if he comes out early!
Along with Fairley at DT,Houston could play DE or LB.
BFE, bogus about Jones not going into the draft. Good for him though, so he can graduate. Ah, we`ll go after Greg Jones the next draft.
I said it is an option BFE!!!
TE is one of our biggest needs along with DT!! I understand that we need drastic help on defense and I believe that we’ll get it, but we shouldn’t depend on getting a 5th or 6th round TE and expect them to fill in the huge hole that we have in that area!! We definitely need to go after Rudolph!! Look how successful Tebow was in college with Hernandez!! A TE can save a QB drastically just as much as a RB can!! I heard that we have two 2nd round picks!! Definitely get Rudolph with one of those and I guess Pawe or w/e his name is with the other!! I am interested to see who we trade and what we got out of them!! A lot of people are saying a 2nd round pick for Orton! Keep dreaming!! I have no clue what team would be stupid enough to give us a 2nd for Orton but if they want to, I would definitely not complain, haha!
DT, DE/OLB, SS, LB, CB, TE… In that order would not make me mad…
If we go back to 4-3…then our first should be Bowers. If we stay with 3-4 he cannot hold up as a 3-4 DE. We need a good strong 300+ lb guy to man the middle. Im pretty happy with our LB’s…Ayers Doom Mays and DJ are pretty good. We for sure need CB (espcially with cox in trouble, when are we gonna catch a break??) and Safteys. McBath could be great if he could ever get on the field. Goodman needs to go, good CB but injured waaay too often. Dawk has been great, but his boost as a locker room leader is offset by him just not being able to perform on the field. Its not like he isnt one of the greatest ever, but he is just too old now. We need a TE and dare I say it…..a RB. Moreno has flashes but he is just injured too often. Unless he really uncorkes it next year and stays healthy the majority of the season he needs to go too. But we need D, early and often.
halong bay cruises…
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