Pro Bowl Voting Update
The first time we checked in on the Pro Bowl fan voting tally in mid-November, four Broncos were among the top five at their respective positions on the AFC squad.
On December 1, that number jumped to five.
This time around — with a weekend left to vote — six Broncos are among the top five Pro Bowl vote-getters at their position.
Containing Hester
Chicago Bears wide receiver/returner Devin Hester is, to put it mildly, dangerous.
The sixth-year pro is second in NFL history with 18 total return touchdowns, including 12 punt returns, 5 kickoff returns and one missed field goal return.
Champ Bailey is plenty familiar with the way Hester can change a game, as Hester returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns en route to a 37-34 Bears victory in Denver the last time the two teams faced off.
“We know what type of player he is,” Bailey said, adding that he wouldn’t kick to Hester “in a million years.” “You don’t take any chances with the guy. He’s the best in the game, the best ever in my book.”
Broncos Stop Vikings With Fumble RecoveryJust when it looked like Minnesota was going to add onto its 2-0 lead, the Broncos came up with a big play.
On 3rd-and-goal from the Broncos 8-yard line, safety Brian Dawkins came on a delayed blitz and sacked Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, forcing the ball loose. Broncos defensive end Jason Hunter picked the ball up, after it rolled about 15 yards backwards, and ran it back all the way to midfield before he was brought down.
The sack was Dawkins’ 26th of his career, which ranks third in NFL history among defensive backs. It’s also his 36th career forced fumble, which ranks third all-time among all players, since the statistic was tracked starting in 1994.
Click here to hear the audio highlight of the play, courtesy of AM 850 KOA.
-Kenny Legan
Notebook: Five Broncos Popular for Pro Bowl
With a little less than three weeks remaining in Pro Bowl fan voting, Broncos fans are making their voices heard.
Five Broncos are among the top five vote-getters at their respective positions in the AFC — cornerback Champ Bailey, punter Britton Colquitt, safety Brian Dawkins, linebacker Von Miller and quarterback Tim Tebow.
Four of those five players were among the top five in mid-November, and Bailey has since joined that list.
It would mark the first Pro Bowl selection for Colquitt, Miller and Tebow, the ninth trip for Dawkins and the 11th for Bailey.
Voting is still open, and will end on Dec. 19 at the conclusion of the Monday Night Football matchup between the Steelers and 49ers.
The teams will be announced at 5 p.m. MST on a special NFL Total Access 2012 Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network.
The game will be played on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012.
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Broncos Among Top Pro Bowl Vote Getters
With the season just passing the halfway mark, several Broncos are in the hunt for Pro Bowl bids, according to the fan-vote figures that the NFL released this week. Fan voting has been open since Oct. 25th and will end on Dec. 19 at the conclusion of the Monday Night Football matchup between the Steelers and 49ers.
Punter Britton Colquitt, safety Brian Dawkins, linebacker Von Miller and quarterback Tim Tebow are amongst the top-five vote getters in the AFC for their respective positions.
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Dawkins Recognized for Endurance
Each year, the NFL Players Association holds the NFLPA PULSE Awards. This year, Brian Dawkins is a candidate in a Fan Choice category recognizing endurance.
The Endurance award rewards a player for a career distinguished by longevity, durability and consistency.
Fans can vote for Dawkins, who is nominated alongside Ronde Barber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons, Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Charles Woodson of the Green Bay Packers.
The other Fan Choice categories include Emerging Player, Heart of the Game and Comeback Player.
Online fan voting for the 2012 NFLPA PULSE Awards is now officially open. Registered fans can vote up to five times per day through mid-December at PULSEAwards.com and will be entered to win prizes.
-Gray Caldwell
Eyes On Arrowhead
Veteran defensive backs Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins are well aware of the current AFC West standings.
They know the 3-5 Broncos are a game out of first-place with the other three teams tied with identical 4-4 records.
But looking ahead is not something their concerned with.
Instead, Denver’s defensive leaders are solely focused on Sunday’s pivotal road game in Kansas City.
“The thing about playing in this league – you’ve got to take it one week at a time,” Bailey said. “We’ve got to take care of what’s in front of us and not worry about what’s down the road. We’ll let that kind of take care of itself.
Dawkins Drops MooreSafety Brian Dawkins collected his first sack of the 2011 season and 24th of his 16-year career when he brought down Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore for an 11-yard loss. He is one of just five players in NFL history to post at least 30 interceptions and 20 sacks in his career.
Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen dialed up a safety blitz with Dawkins on third down on the Dolphins’ opening drive that resulted in an incomplete pass. This time when Dawkins blitzed off the edge on third down, Moore never had a chance and was tackled on the Miami 6-yard line.
Listen to the KOA call of the sack here.
-Stuart Zaas
Winning After the Bye
Much of the talk this week has revolved around a certain quarterback stepping in under center.
But the real focus on the Broncos locker room is simple — get a win.
The last time Denver took the field, it left San Diego with a 29-24 loss after nearly fighting back for a win.
That sour taste sat in the players’ mouths for an extra week, as the club was off last Sunday for its bye week.
“You’re sitting on that loss the whole time, festering to get back on the field,” Brian Dawkins said. “Once you get back out there you, want to make sure your best foot is being put forward. I think that’s the biggest thing, especially when the bye week comes after a loss.”
Fresh Mind, Fresh Legs
Brian Dawkins isn’t worried about how he’ll feel in December.
Right now his focus is on Week 2. But he still appreciates the way Head Coach John Fox designs his practices to keep players fresh throughout the season.
“We do what we need to do, get out of practice what we need to get out of it,” Dawkins said. “At the same time, (Fox) is always preaching about being fresh — fresh in the mind and fresh legs. For me, obviously, that’s beneficial.”
Fox talked about that philosophy Thursday when asked about how he ran training camp.