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Posts Tagged ‘Joe Mays’

Ihenacho Added to Active Roster

October 30th, 2012 - 11:08am by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

The Broncos have added safety Duke Ihenacho to the active roster, filling the spot vacated by linebacker Joe Mays’ move to injured reserve.

Ihenacho has been on and off of the team’s practice squad this season after notching six tackles during the 2012 preseason.

He was originally signed to the active roster on Sept. 29 and made his NFL debut against the Oakland Raiders, playing on eight special-teams snaps. He was waived and added back to the practice squad before the team’s Week 6 contest in San Diego.

A college free agent, Ihenacho made 268 tackles (142 solo) with seven interceptions during his 47-game career at San Jose State. He also scored three defensive touchdowns in his career, and became the first Spartan to earn three All-Western Athletic Conference First Team honors.

Filling Ihenacho’s spot on the practice squad is cornerback Mario Butler. Butler spent the 2011 season on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, and split time between the club’s practice squad and active roster this season.

The 6-foot-1, 187-pound cornerback was originally signed as a college free agent out of Georgia Tech by the Cowboys in 2011.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 15 Comments »

Mays to IR, Will Be Missed By Teammates

October 30th, 2012 - 10:12am by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

On Tuesday, the Broncos placed middle linebacker Joe Mays on injured reserve.

Mays suffered a left ankle injury last Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

Safety Duke Ihenacho was added to the active roster as the corresponding move.

“We’re going to miss Joe,” fellow linebacker Wesley Woodyard said Monday. “Things definitely won’t be the same without having him out there, his presence, his leadership and his ability to go out there and make plays.”

Mays started four games this season, chipping in 19 tackles and a half a sack.

Last year, Mays started a career-best 12 games, finishing third on the club with 74 tackles. He also tied for the most tackles on the team with 15 in his two postseason starts.

“He’s definitely going to be a player that we miss,” Woodyard reiterated. “He’s going to be there making sure he’s watching film for us to give us coaching points and what we can do better. We’re going to miss him on the field, but he’s going to always be around in the locker room talking to us.”

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 11 Comments »

‘No Holding Back’ for Mays

October 1st, 2012 - 5:01pm by Tyler EverettOther posts by

Linebacker Joe Mays returned to Dove Valley Monday after serving a one-week suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Houston quarterback Matt Schaub.

The week away from football gave Mays a rare midseason opportunity for some family time, which he enjoyed while it lasted.

“I spent a lot of time with my family,” Mays said. “Normally you don’t really get a chance to spend too much time at home during the season. I spent a lot of time with them, as much time as I could. We’re tired of each other now so it’s time for me to get back to work.”

The suspension made gameday a uniquely challenging Sunday afternoon for a player typically in the middle of the action.

“It was tough,” Mays said. “Tough sitting at home, not used to being at home. I turned into a true fan. I was at home yelling and screaming at the TV. It was cool, but I wanted to play. I wanted to be out there with the guys, going out there and making plays with them. It was tough, but at the end of the day, those were the cards that I was dealt. I just had to sit at home and watch it.”

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 35 Comments »

Walton to IR, Mays Activated

October 1st, 2012 - 1:15pm by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

The Broncos have placed J.D. Walton on the injured reserve list, ending the third-year center’s 2012 season. Walton suffered an ankle injury during the second quarter of Denver’s 37-6 win vs. Oakland on Sunday and did not return to the game.

Prior to the injury, the team’s third-round draft choice out of Baylor had missed just one snap in his career, which was due to his shoelace coming untied during his rookie season. Walton was one of just three offensive linemen who entered the NFL in 2010 to start all 36 possible regular-season games through Week 4 of the 2012 season.

Dan Koppen, who the Broncos signed on Sept. 11, filled in for Walton on Sunday. The 10th-year veteran is the NFL’s all-time winningest offensive lineman with an overall career record of 107-31 (.775 pct.). Koppen started 120-of-121 regular-season games and 14-of-14 postseason contests during the first nine seasons of his career with New England.

At Head Coach John Fox’s Monday press conference, he said that Koppen did “an excellent job” in relief duties against the Raiders.

“Dan, with more reps in practice and a better understanding of our offense, he’s capable of playing better,” Fox said. “He did a good job kind of on the job training just getting thrown out there quickly when J.D. went down. Considering all that, he did an excellent job.”

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 48 Comments »

Broncos Prepared for Potential Mays Absence

September 26th, 2012 - 4:32pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

On Sunday, the Broncos could be without an anchor in the middle of the defense.

Middle linebacker Joe Mays was dealt a one-game suspension by the NFL for his hit on Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub during the team’s Week 3 loss.

“Joe’s one of the best human beings I know, and there’s no way he would maliciously go after a quarterback like that or hit him in the head on purpose,” defensive tackle Justin Bannan said. “You guys have got to realize how fast these things happen.”

Head Coach John Fox acknowledged on Wednesday that Mays will appeal the decision, but currently the linebacker is not allowed inside the team’s facility.

If Mays’ suspension is upheld, Denver will face a potent Raiders offense — highlighted by running back Darren McFadden, who has averaged 6.3 yards per carry in his career against the Broncos — without its starting Mike linebacker.

But Raiders Head Coach Dennis Allen recognized that the Broncos will be prepared regardless of who lines up on Sunday.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 15 Comments »

Notebook: ‘Bring It On’

June 5th, 2012 - 4:13pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

The Broncos’ edge rush — featuring 2011 Rookie of the Year Von Miller and two-time Pro Bowler Elvis Dumervil — speaks for itself.

Champ Bailey is a perennial Pro Bowler at cornerback, a position at which the Broncos added two more talented players this offseason in Tracy Porter and Drayton Florence.

In other words, offenses this season might stay away from the perimeter of Denver’s defense and try to attack the heart of it up the middle.

That’s something middle linebacker Joe Mays is aware of — and excited about.

“They’re definitely going to try to attack the middle of the defense, whether it’s running up the middle or trying to get a couple of quick passes up the middle, trying to test us linebackers,” Mays said. “We’re looking forward to it. (Defensive Coordinator Jack) Del Rio definitely has a great plan for us when it comes to playing the run and the pass. I just say bring it on. We’re definitely going to be ready.”

Linebacker Wesley Woodyard agreed with Mays’ assessment, but said it’s no different than any other year — “linebackers always have a target on their back.”

He anticipates teams trying to get two blockers on Miller, and with Mays’ hitting power, he said it wouldn’t surprise him if teams try to double-team the middle linebacker at times as well.

But one advantage the Broncos could have this year are sizable defensive tackles in the middle of the front line.

“Its going to allow our linebackers to roam free,” Woodyard said. “And Del Rio, like I said, he wants his linebackers to go downfield and make plays. I think that’s something that’s going to help us out. With the bigger bodies, the (Kevin) Vickersons, the Justin Bannans — it’s good to have him back — it’s going to be pretty exciting to see.”

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 242 Comments »

Mays’ Unique Flight Plan

April 19th, 2012 - 3:07pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

When free agency began, Joe Mays admits he had doubts he would end up back in Denver.

“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, just not knowing what to expect, not knowing what direction the team wanted to go in,” he said Thursday.

So the linebacker began visiting other teams. Fresh off a trip to New Orleans, he hopped on a plane headed to Washington before connecting to Indianapolis.

Mays, who typically turns off his phone as soon as he gets on a plane — “I usually do that and follow directions,” he smiled — kept it on this time.

And it rang.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 176 Comments »

Broncos Agree to Terms with Joe Mays

March 18th, 2012 - 3:44pm by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

The Broncos have agreed to terms to re-sign linebacker Joe Mays, the team announced on Sunday. Mays played all 16 games (12 starts) for the team in 2011 and ranked third on the club with 74 tackles.

He led the team with 7.5 tackles for a loss and posted 10 games with five or more tackles during the 2011 season, including the Broncos’ two postseason contests, which he started.

Mays, who will enter his fifth NFL season in 2012, has totaled 109 tackles in his career. He also has three pass breakups and one forced fumble.

A sixth-round pick by Philadelphia in the 2008 NFL Draft, Mays spent the first two years of his career with the Eagles before joining the Broncos via trade prior to the 2010 season.

He tallied 285 tackles in 43 games for North Dakota State University, where he earned first-team Division I-AA honors and was named the Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.

-Stuart Zaas

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 1,216 Comments »

Notebook: Unfazed by Potential Conditions

December 20th, 2011 - 4:29pm by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

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.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 87 Comments »

Quotable: Denver vs. Detroit

October 30th, 2011 - 8:34pm by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Here’s what was said following Detroit’s 45-10 victory over Denver:

Head Coach John Fox: “We’ve got a ways to go. We’ve been good at times. Today wasn’t good enough. That is a good football team coming off two losses. Two or three years ago, they were 0-16, so it’s doable. I think they’ve improved, and they’ve got some good players to help them do that.”

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 244 Comments »

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