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Posts Tagged ‘Stephen Alexander’

Alexander to IR; Mustard Back on Roster

October 18th, 2007 - 2:56pm by AndrewOther posts by

It has been a little over a month since Chad Mustard bounced back and forth between the Broncos’ 53-man roster and the unemployment line, as he did in each of the first two regular-season weekends — both of which saw him see action.

Now, as the leaves turn from green to autumnal shades of orange, red, gold and brown, Mustard returns to the roster, but Stephen Alexander — who was released to make room for Mustard in Week 2 — will see his season end as the Broncos moved him to injured reserve.

The Broncos announced the moves Thursday afternoon during practice.

Alexander has grappled with a calf injury that he incurred in the preseason finale against Arizona. He was limited in practice throughout the season to date — including Wednesday afternoon’s session — and had not played so far in 2007.

Mustard — who is listed as a tight end in the press release sent out regarding his signing Thursday — worked at offensive tackle in the preseason before being released Labor Day weekend and was listed as an offensive tackle when he was on the roster for the wins over Buffalo and Oakland last month.

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Questions, Answers, Tight Ends, Rookies, Soccer … and Fox

September 18th, 2007 - 5:39pm by AndrewOther posts by

Bienvenidos from the basement-office bureau of DenverBroncos.com, where I find myself decamped in order to meet a deadline on a game-program feature for the Chargers game, compose my as-promised response to numerous blog comments and write another blog entry about this morning’s heavily-attended kickoff event at the Broncos Boys and Girls Club.

Which brings me to one of the stars of the morning, Domonique Foxworth, and his little blog-based salvo …

As for my Blog Master, it’s not no stinkin’ Andrew Mason. I’m in direct competition with Andrew Mason. My blog is consistently better than his blog. I get more attention and I give more quality insight, so I wouldn’t dare let Andrew Mason be the one who transcribes my blog.

Oh, Foxie, Foxie, Foxie (or is it “Foxy,” perhaps?) … where do I begin …

Better? Well, you have your moments, my friend. Your work is decent, but it would be nice if you actually wrote the thing instead of dictating it.

Having someone else transcribe … that’s poseur blogging. I know you’re better than that. I know you’ve got it in you. If Jack Nasty can write his stuff, so can you. No hiding behind a “Blog Master” over here, my friend; this blog here is all me … right down to the occasional late-night ramblings from the comfort of home.

But in general, I’ll give you a free pass on that one, Foxie. I’ve heard many worse insults tossed my way.

Seriously, I enjoy the blog. It’s a different perspective, one we haven’t seen too often in recent NFL annals.

Click to continue reading “Questions, Answers, Tight Ends, Rookies, Soccer … and Fox”

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Mustard In; Alexander Out

September 15th, 2007 - 5:54pm by AndrewOther posts by

Just like last Saturday, the Broncos re-signed offensive lineman Chad Mustard less than 24 hours before kickoff of the weekend’s game.

This time, the team did not release someone at his position to make room.

It was Stephen Alexander who lost his grip on a roster spot, as the Broncos released their primary starting tight end of the 2005 and 2006 seasons to open room for Mustard, who himself was released earlier this week in order to clear the way for the acquisition of backup linebacker Jamie Winborn.

Alexander was inactive for the Week 1 win at Buffalo, while Mustard was in uniform for the game.

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Wednesday Notes: Crowder, Paymah Return to Practice

September 12th, 2007 - 5:26pm by AndrewOther posts by

Afternoon update …

… Three players listed as injured fully took part in Wednesday afternoon’s practice: defensive end Tim Crowder (ankle), safety John Lynch (ankle) and cornerback Karl Paymah (concussion). Crowder and Paymah each missed Week 1 with their injuries, which were incurred in the preseason …

… Defensive tackle Sam Adams sat out the practice, per coach’s decision. He also missed time for the same reason last week but played in the win over Buffalo …

… Tight end Stephen Alexander (calf) and cornerback Domonique Foxworth (ankle) did not take part in practice. A determination on the probablity of their Sunday participation will be made Friday, when teams have to list their injured players as probable, questionable, doubtful or out …

… Guard Ben Hamilton (concussion) and offensive tackle Ryan Harris (back) also did not practice and are already ruled out for Sunday …

… Four Oakland Raiders did not practice: quarterback Josh McCown (foot), center Jeremy Newberry (hamstring) and cornerback Duane Starks (groin). Linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba also missed practice with a foot injury and is the only Raider listed as “out” for Sunday’s game …

… The Broncos added a captain — Rod Smith. Head Coach Mike Shanahan said after the practice that the team’s full-time captains — Champ Bailey, John Lynch, Jay Cutler and Tom Nalen — came to him and said that Smith should remain a team captain, even though he is on the physically unable to perform list. So whenever Smith returns to uniform, the new “C” patch on the chest will await …

… More to come later. Wednesday is always the busiest day of the week from a news-gathering perspective. There’s the two press conferences beginning at 11:50 a.m. MDT, along with a concurrent, informal session on the practice field with assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates. There’s the presence of more cameras and reporters than any other day; numerous outlets — particularly TV stations from the Colorado Springs/Pueblo market and smaller newspapers from around the region — only come to the facility on Wednesdays. With more cameras and reporters in the locker room, more players talk; today, we gathered quotes from Domenik Hixon, Dre’ Bly, Brandon Marshall, Jamie Winborn, Elvis Dumervil, Nick Ferguson, Daniel Graham and assistant head coach/offense Mike Heimerdinger, among others.

That means spending a good portion of the afternoon sifting through interviews, transcribing quotes and saving the video interviews to a hard drive so the soundbites can be used throughout the week. There’s plenty on the site already with video of the afternoon’s press conferences, but much more to come both tonight and throughout the days to come …

… More to follow later in the blog; until then, vaya con Dios.

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OTA Day 14: That Was Fast

June 7th, 2007 - 2:02pm by AndrewOther posts by

Celebration
This was about as much athleticism as the Broncos would display on Tuesday morning, as Head Coach Mike Shanahan called his team together after pre-practice stretching, said a few words and then dismissed them for the day.

“We stretched well,” he said.

Most players couldn’t leave the field quickly enough, sprinting as though there was a loose football sitting in the end zone, waiting for someone to claim it for a touchdown.

“Everybody was amped up,” running back Travis Henry said. “I thought he was going to talk about the wind because it was really windy yesterday and we kind of lost focus in some areas. It was a surprise.

“He gave us a bone, and we’re going to take care of our responsibility, enjoy this time off and come back in July (for minicamp).”

So there’s not much in the way of notes from the day. Wide receivers Brandon Marshall, Glenn Martinez, Rod Smith and Brandon Stokley were all out of uniform, continuing their rehabilitation. Today, it was Martinez’s turn to be tethered to the goalpost for some conditioning work; on Wednesday, it was Brandon Marshall who went through that session after practice concluded.

And just as Shanahan shook up the schedule by calling off practice, some players threw a curveball to onlookers by switching jersey numbers:
Javon Walker
John Lynch
John Engelberger
Ebenezer Ekuban
Nick Ferguson
Elvis Dumervil
A slew of other Broncos changed jerseys a group that included including safety/linebacker Steve Cargile (from No. 38 to No. 97), linebacker Ian Gold (from No. 52 to No. 91), linebacker D.J. Williams (from No. 55 to No. 60) and defensive tackle Demetrin Veal (from No. 97 to No. 38), among others.

And here’s a few more photos from the short session:
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
It felt like the last day of school here at Dove Valley, and in a way, it is, although the players will continue in offseason conditioning for the next few weeks. For the coaches, the end of OTAs commences their longest respite of the year. And for your humble blogger, the close of this practice means vacation is in sight … but still a few days away. I’ve got plenty of stories to write and Broncos TV pieces to edit over the next few days, so we can keep bringing you something new each weekday, even while I’m away.

Back with more over the next few days … until then, vaya con dios.

(Oh, by the way … my long-lasting respect to anyone who in the comments section can identify which cartoon character said “unfettered hurly-burly” and under what circumstance he or she said it.)

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OTA Day 4: Afternoon Wrap

May 21st, 2007 - 5:12pm by AndrewOther posts by

OTA Day 4

More photos, more notes, more everything …

… With Tony Scheffler out two months after breaking a bone in his left foot, the tenor of the competition for playing time at tight end changed — and perhaps no player at the position saw his work altered more than Nate Jackson, who enters his third set of OTAs there after beginning his career as a wide receiver.

“Today, I was on the first field, whereas last week I was on the second field,” Jackson said. “So I’ve got to step up and do the things Tony was doing, and not miss a beat and make plays.

“When (Scheffler) comes back, it’ll be back to normal. But I know my role — and I’ll catch some balls and do whatever I’ve got to do.”

Added Stephen Alexander, the senior member of the tight end corps: “I’m sure there’s enough room for all of us, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The tight end scrum will be the focus of the final piece of the day over on the main site, which I’ll post later this evening …

Click to continue reading “OTA Day 4: Afternoon Wrap”

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Season Review: Stephen Alexander

January 13th, 2007 - 10:35pm by AndrewOther posts by

In the moments after the 26-23 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers, tight end Stephen Alexander could merely shake his head.

Dogged by numerous infirmities throughout the year, he’d managed to play in all 16 games, but was hindered by an injury to his ribs in December’s final weeks. But at the moment the Broncos fell for the seventh time in 2006, the pain in his torso was far from his mind, replaced by the resignation of a season complete.

“I’m sure everybody thought we were going to pick up from where we left off last year,” a sullen Alexander said in the locker room following that season-ending defeat.

But for a player like Alexander, such losses run deeper. A young player can presumably look forward to the potential for future title opportunities, even though they may never come (see Matthews, Clay; he played 19 seasons, went to four Pro Bowls and made the playoffs in eight different years, during which his teams won just three times and never made a Super Bowl). It’s different when the top of a player’s hourglass starts to drain of sand — especially since one can’t ascertain when it will run out.

Alexander carries nine years of experience with the Redskins, Chargers, Lions and Broncos. Even for a player who has as strong a résumé as he possesses — 247 receptions and 99 starts, with 14 in the last three years — Alexander left the locker room keenly aware that no one’s playing future is assured, even a perennial first-teamer like himself.

“(Not making the playoffs) is very disappointing for me, because nothing in this business is guaranteed,” he said. “I have no idea if I’ll be back here next year to have another opportunity to go out and play.

“This very well could have been my last game — who knows? So it was very disappointing for me that we let (not only the 49ers) game get away from us, but pretty much the whole second half of the season.”

And as he walked away from the locker room that night, an observer could only surmise that the one thing Alexander wanted most for his career was another chance — to help his team make right what went wrong late in the season.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Alexander shared the team’s lead among tight ends with 18 catches, but rookie Tony Scheffler had more yardage and twice as many touchdowns … did not post a catch in any of the last three games and did not start the season’s final two contests. Thirteen of his 18 receptions, 108 of his 160 yards and both of his touchdowns last season came in the five weeks that preceded his season-ending, three-game run without a reception … He garnered first downs on 55.6 percent of his receptions this past season, his highest such ratio since 2002.

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Snow Problem? Not Really

December 20th, 2006 - 5:34pm by AndrewOther posts by

It’s late afternoon here at Dove Valley, and the snow keeps pounding the Front Range and Dove Valley along with it.

Over a foot of snow has dropped upon the practice fields out here. The conditions have been and remain so fierce that the snow appears to be blowing horizontally; practicing outside in conditions that prompted a gubernatorial disaster declaration was immediately ruled out, sending the team to the South Suburban Sports Dome about a mile northwest of the building.

Aside from that, it was business as usual.

“If you let (the weather) become an inconvenience, it is,” tight end Stephen Alexander said. “But we have a fairly decent facility that we go to when it’s bad outside. We’re getting great work, we’re full speed, going hard. It’s not like we’ve have to go do a walk through somewhere and try to make do in a locker room or something. We have the space and we’re still going full speed. We’re still getting great reps. We’re not outside, but it’s still positive work for us.”

That left just one concern.

“I’m just worried about having to sleep here at the facility,” safety John Lynch said.

For some here, it’s more than a worry. Coaches and staffers — including yours truly — remain; I’m settling in for an overnight stay here. The players, meanwhile, were able to extricate themselves from the building; their schedule tweaked, moving practice up by two hours to allow them more of a chance to make it home through the conditions.

Said Lynch: “I’ve got a car that doesn’t do so well in the snow.”

He did, however, make it out.

More to come throughout the evening, and much of it has nothing to do with the weather. We caught up with Javon Walker, Stephen Alexander and Javon Walker to find out how all are faring with their injuries; they’re each listed as probable. Their thoughts will come your way over on the main site in the hours to come.

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