Keeping A Consistent Approach
Take a few steps back, then a few steps over. Raise one finger, with both eyes on the tee.
When Matt Prater lines up for a kickoff, it may look like he’s trying to kick the stuffing out of the ball. For Prater, that’s not necessarily the case.
“I don’t really think about it,” Prater said. “I just go out and try to hit it pretty solid. Don’t try to kill it but hit it pretty clean and get it down and give the guys a good opportunity to cover it.”
Prater To Be Named AFC’s Best In SeptemberMatt Prater has been an integral piece behind the Broncos’ 3-0 start, and the rest of the league has taken notice.
Prater will be named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September, the Broncos were informed on Wednesday. It is the first such award of his NFL career, and marks the first time since October 2005 (punter Todd Sauerbrun) that a Bronco has won the award.
Prater’s recognition is also only the fourth time a Denver player has received the nomination since it was initiated by the NFL in 1993.
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Barrett and Prater Kick Off CampThe team kicked off the first day of 11 days of passing camp on Tuesday, and Matt Prater and Josh Barrett spoke with the media afterward. Here are the highlights of their press sessions.
BARRETT
The second-year safety said this stretch of camps is a little different than the first two mini-camps. The main difference is it feels like they’re starting to be able to play football a little more smoothly instead of learning something new at every turn.
“It’s definitely a more comfortable stage to be in,” he said. “You’re picking up things a lot quicker, there’s not as much lag time between when you learn something and then when you’re able to apply it on the field. So having that, it’s helpful.”
But Barrett said there’s certainly still learning going on. For him and the other defensive backs in particular, some of that learning has come from Brian Dawkins.
“I just try to take in little things,” Barrett said. “You don’t even have to ask questions, but through his actions, through his demeanor you can pretty much pick up on a lot of stuff.”
One of the things the secondary is learning about is bringing a game-time work ethic to practice. Barrett said the defensive secondary talks every day about how unacceptable the number of takeaways was last year. Now they’re taking steps to make sure they force more turnovers and make more game-changing plays in 2009.
“We’ve got drills that are just for stripping the ball, just for working on what we call low-impact angles, where you’re not going to be the guy maybe to make the first hit, but you might be the first guy to be able to get a shot at the ball to get the ball loose,” he explained. “So certain things like that, aggressiveness like that is what we really need to work on.”
Prater’s talking points are after the jump.
Click to continue reading “Barrett and Prater Kick Off Camp”
Dove Valley Update: March 13On Monday, a number of guys were at Dove Valley continuing their rehab from injuries in 2008, or they were just stopping by. Today, a pair of Broncos stopped in after getting into town ahead of time for Monday’s offseason conditioning program.
Matt Prater and Brandon Stokley were hanging out down in the locker room. Both players have spent their offseason spending time with family back in their respective home states.
The kicker traveled down to Florida to enjoy time with his three brothers and the nice weather “instead of freezing out here” he said with a laugh.
“I hung out with the family back in Florida,” Prater said. “That’s pretty much it. I’ve been lifting weights, trying to stay in shape, but I took a little time off.”
One of his favorite things to do in his time off is go fishing, so he made up for lost time on the water by reeling them in with his brothers. A self-proclaimed “home body,” Prater isn’t one to do a lot of traveling. He’d rather just kick back with his family and enjoy spending time with them.
Pro Bowl Voting Closes at 10 a.m.
Just a quick reminder — Pro Bowl voting closes at 10 a.m. MST on Tuesday.
At last update, Champ Bailey was the No. 1 AFC cornerback, Jay Cutler was the No. 3 AFC quarterback and Brandon Marshall was the No. 1 AFC wide receiver. Matt Prater fell to outside of the top five at kicker.
There ends the representation of the 8-5 Denver Broncos in the Pro Bowl if voting ended right now. But Broncos Country citizens have until tomorrow morning to make their voices heard.
So go out and vote for the Broncos you feel are most deserving. Time’s almost up.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Pro Bowl Voting Update
The list of the top five vote-getters at each position was released today, as well as the top 10 overall Pro Bowl candidates.
As it stands right now, Jay Cutler is the No. 8 vote-getter overall, and the No. 2 vote-getter in the AFC, behind Brett Favre.
Obviously that means Cutler is the second quarterback for the AFC team right now.
Brandon Marshall and Champ Bailey each lead their position in votes for the AFC squad, and Matt Prater is fifth on the list of AFC kickers.
As of right now, the Washington Redskins have many of their players in the top spots in the NFC because their fans are voting so often. There are plenty of other deserving Broncos, so click here to vote for your favorites.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Prater A PFW Midseason All-Pro
Pro Football Weekly recently came out with its annual Midseason All-Pro team, and a Bronco made the cut.
Matt Prater was named as the placekicker on the all-star squad for the first half of the season.
Prater has only missed two field goals this season — he’s 14-of-16 — and his five 50-plus yarders tie the Broncos franchise record. He’s a perfect 20-for-20 on extra points, and eight of his kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.
You can see the rest of the publication’s selections after the jump.
Prater Named AFC Special Teams P.O.W.Another award is coming the Broncos’ way.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that Matt Prater will be named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 5.
Prater’s selection as AFC Special Teams Player of the Week marks the first such award of his two-year NFL career.
During the Broncos’ 16-13 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Prater made all three field goal attempts — a 55-yarder, a 40-yarder and a 27-yarder — and his lone extra point try, racking up 10 points for the team. He also recorded touchbacks on four-of-five kickoffs. His 55-yarder in the second quarter was the longest field goal in the NFL for Week 5 and tied for the fifth-longest field goal in Broncos history.
Prater’s four touchbacks also led the NFL for the week, and he averaged 69.4 yards on his five kickoffs. He is tied for the NFL lead with 11 touchbacks on kickoffs this season.
Prater is the first Bronco to be named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week since punt returner Glenn Martinez earned that award in Week 11 of the 2007 season. His selection marks the 18th time a Broncos player has received AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors since the award was initiated by the NFL in 1993.
Practice Quick Hits: 8/19
The list of players back in action continues to grow as the Broncos near their second home game of the preseason. Darrell Jackson — who sat out the game against Dallas — and Josh Barrett rejoined practice a day after Champ Bailey, Louis Green and Tom Nalen all donned jerseys and pads again.
Hamza Abdullah, Boss Bailey and Daniel Graham remained out of pads.
The offense and defense each worked on individual drills before combining for 11-on-11 drills aimed at preparing for the Packers.
During WR vs. DB one-on-ones, several matchups stood out. First, with Jack Williams lining up against Samie Parker, Parker ran deep and Williams stayed with him the whole way, located the ball and swatted it away.
Next, Champ stood opposite Keary Colbert and knocked the ball out of his hands, prompting a, “Good battle!” from Defensive Backs Coach Ronnie Bradford.
P.M. Blog: Day 16The Broncos closed out their final practice before hosting the Dallas Cowboys for two-straight days of joint practices here at Dove Valley. Here are the highlights from this afternoon’s special team’s only session.
ATTENDANCE REPORT: After seeing action during this morning’s session Peyton Hillis and Chad Mustard were out of uniform joining teammate Louis Green on the sidelines.
POSTURING FOR POSITION: Eddie Royal, Glenn Martinez, Anthony Alridge, Andre Hall, Clifford Russell and Michael Pittman lined up at returner as the team worked on kickoff coverage.
Sam Paulescu and Matt Prater each kicked off during practice. Prater had seen all the kickoff reps thus far in camp.
