Broncos Perform in Pro Bowl
In the second-highest scoring Pro Bowl in history, the AFC came away with a 59-41 victory Sunday in Honolulu.
Six Broncos took part in the all-star game, and rookie Von Miller led the way on the defensive side of the ball, notching six tackles and a sack.
Champ Bailey recovered a fumble and made three tackles and Brian Dawkins chipped in two tackles for the winning AFC squad.
Clady, McGahee Headed to Pro Bowl
Left tackle Ryan Clady and running back Willis McGahee, who were named alternates for the Pro Bowl when the rosters were announced in late December, are now officially headed to Hawaii for the NFL’s All-Star Game.
They join Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller as the Broncos now have five Pro Bowlers. Bailey and Miller are starters for the AFC squad, and Dumervil, currently a reserve, might end up a starter since New England’s Andre Carter — who is on injured reserve — is slated to be a Pro Bowl starter ahead of him.
Clady replaces Miami’s Jake Long, and McGahee replaces Houston’s Arian Foster. Both players could not participate due to injury.
Clady announced he would be making the trip to Honolulu on his Twitter account, thanking everyone who voted. The fourth-year player has started all 64 games to start his career.
McGahee ran for 1,199 yards this season and accounted for five total touchdowns as the Broncos set a new franchise single-season rushing record.
The Broncos’ remaining alternates for the Pro Bowl are quarterback Tim Tebow, safety Brian Dawkins, kicker Matt Prater and punter Britton Colquitt. We will let you know if any of the four are called up to the game.
-Gray Caldwell
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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Paving the Way
Playing in their fifth game together as a unit, the Broncos’ offensive line turned in their finest performance of the season Week 5 vs. San Diego. Denver quarterbacks were not sacked, and the line led the way for Willis McGahee’s second consecutive 100-yard rushing game.
“I think at this point in time, we’ve done a pretty good job of improving every week,” Offensive Line Coach Dave Magazu said. “I think we struggled early in grasping concepts and techniques that are new. I think that now we’re starting to understand all the concepts.”
Denver’s offensive line is the second-youngest in the NFL, averaging just 25.4 years of age. With three players in either their rookie or second season, the line continues to improve as a unit each week that they spend together.
Clady Makes History
UPDATED AT 2:15 P.M. MDT WITH TRANSACTION
Broncos tackle Ryan Clady has been in the NFL for only three years, but he’s already done something very few players have accomplished.
Clady enters Monday night’s game against the Oakland Raiders on a 48-game start streak, meaning that he has started all 16 games in each of his first three seasons of his young career. He is the only Bronco and one of just 22 offensive linemen in NFL history to accomplish that feat.
Clady has overcome some obstacles to stay on the playing field. Last year, he had offseason knee surgery, yet came back to play in every game and serve as the team’s Ed Block Courage Award recipient. He’s been named to the Associated Press’ All-Pro team twice, and in 2009, he became just the 11th tackle in NFL history to be voted to the Pro Bowl by his second season.
Clady Receives Ed Block Courage Award
Ryan Clady stands six-and-a-half feet tall, weighs more than 320 pounds, and has an even bigger heart.
On Friday, Interim Head Coach Eric Studesville announced Clady as the recipient of this year’s Ed Block Courage Award for the Denver Broncos. All 32 NFL franchises recognize one player who exemplifies a commitment to sportsmanship and courage for the award selected by his teammates.
“It’s definitely an honor to get this award,” Clady said. “I worked hard during the offseason to get where I am now and I’m definitely blessed to be in the position I am.”
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Fundamentally Sound
On Tuesday, the NFL Players Association and USA Football announced the All-Fundamentals Team.
Champ Bailey was named to the roster, earning a trophy and an equipment grant to give to any youth or high school football program he chooses.
Ryan Clady earned the honor last season.
The roster is chosen based on two criteria: fundamentally sound play and consistent display of good character. Those selected are role models that young football players should watch and say, “I want to play like him.”
The fundamental Bailey is noted for on the roster is “playing the ball.”
This season, Bailey has accumulated 43 tackles, a sack, two interceptions and 15 pass breakups. In the past two games, he has held Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe without a catch and kept Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald out of the end zone while breaking up two passes intended for him and drawing an offensive holding penalty against the receiver.
The nine-time Pro Bowler and member of the NFL All-Decade team for the 2000s is currently tied for sixth all-time among Broncos players with 30 interceptions with the club. His 48 career interceptions are tops among cornerbacks and third among all players in the NFL since his rookie season in 1999.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Red Zone….Colt Blues
Over 400+ yards in the air and we couldn’t crack the RED ZONE. That’s where football games are won. WHY you might ask? Good question.
The field compresses and you have to have your A game. That’s where 3 points can kill you when you need 7. Especially when you can’t punch it in from inside the 5-yard line.
Even though we took it on the chin, I was actually pleased with what I saw most of the game. A turnover here or there and a few busted plays and busted routes, and we’re in this thing….really!!
Clady Ready to Play
Between the first injury report of the season and Head Coach Josh McDaniels’ press conference Thursday, one thing is clear — Ryan Clady will see the field in Week 1.
“Clady will definitely play — no question,” McDaniels said. “He’s not even on the injury report. He’s ready to go.”
After missing training camp and the majority of the preseason, the third-year offensive lineman spent his days off over the Labor Day weekend running and working on his fitness to try to get back up to speed as soon as possible.
“I don’t think you can simulate game conditioning unless you’re in games,” McDaniels said. “That’s why we played him in Minnesota, that’s why we practiced hard the last couple of days in pads and he’s been in there a ton. We’re trying to catch him up as quickly as we can.”
Early Impressions
One of the hardest things to do is to evaluate preseason football. Teams keep play calling pretty vanilla. They protect their front line players. There is little, if any, talk of winning the games.
Yet here we are, halfway through the preseason. The Broncos have lost to the Bengals and the Lions, with games against the Steelers and Vikings still to come. I am left with several impressions.