Reunited in Orange and Blue
When Head Coach Josh McDaniels and Daniel Graham are on the same NFL roster, the results have been fruitful.
Eleven playoff games. Nine victories.
Two Super Bowl appearances. Two Super Bowl trophies.
After a two-season hiatus, McDaniels and Graham have joined colors once again, hoping to bring the same rewards they experienced in New England to Denver.
The Fox and the Broncos
You can bet that when Domonique Foxworth was traded to the Falcons earlier this season, both he and the Broncos had Nov. 16 circled on their calendars.
Foxworth has had a chance to start in Atlanta for the past three games, and the sentiment in the Broncos locker room is that the team is happy for him — they just won’t be happy for him this week.
“I am proud of Foxy — I am glad he has gotten the opportunity to play,” Dre’ Bly said. “He is playing well. We are praying that he doesn’t do as well this week, but I know that he is licking his chops and is looking forward to go against us. I am sure it is going to be an interesting game.”
It might be even more interesting if Foxworth lines up against Brandon Marshall, who he went against in practice plenty of times in Denver.
“That would be fun,” Marshall said. “I think all of us receivers are approaching this game as if we’re playing against any DB, so it will be fun going out there against Fox, someone who I am familiar with and I know.”
Tony Scheffler said that Foxworth is a great person, but he’ll definitely be looking to get the better of him now that he’s no longer a Bronco.
“He was a good guy in the locker room and in the community,” Scheffler said. “He is obviously on the other side, him and (Jason) Elam, at the same time. When that clock is running I am sure every guy in here will be looking to run him over.”
No Need For Extra Motivation
Bulletin Board Material for Sunday? Err…Thursday?
Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel told the media earlier this week, “We’re not throwing in the towel, we’re not giving up on the season, we’re going to beat Denver, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Brandon Stokley said it didn’t bother him, and that he doesn’t need that type of motivation to get up for a big game, regardless of what day of the week it comes.
“They have the midset that they’re going to beat us, and we’re going to beat them — that’s our mindset,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what they say. It just really comes down to who goes out there and plays better football on Sunday.”
It only took a second for Stokley to remember. “Thursday,” he said with a laugh. “Habit.”
Dre’ Bly agreed, saying bulletin board material like that doesn’t make as big an impact as some people may think.
“It’s motivation, but if you don’t think you’re going to win the game you don’t need to be out here — you don’t need to be playing, you don’t need to be in this league,” he said. “You’re supposed to go out with a swagger and go out there with confidence. Just because he publicized it, it’s no big deal to me.”
Disregarding RecordsThe Broncos have the Jacksonville Jaguars on tap for this weekend. The Jags come to Denver with a 2-3 record on the season but the Broncos know that Jacksonville has played all five of its opponents close this season. Denver realizes that it is up against a talented football team, regardless of what its record may be coming in.
“The average fan looks at them and they see a 2-3 record and they don’t see the football team,” Head Coach Mike Shanahan said. “That’s usually indicative of most people. You are looking at the record and not how they have been playing. Our football team is well aware of that and we will be ready to play.”
Scheffler and Young OutOn Wednesday Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced that Tony Scheffler and Selvin Young will be out against Jacksonville.
Scheffler and Young each suffered left groin strains in the Broncos 16-13 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Eddie Royal, who suffered an ankle sprain against the Buccaneers, should not miss much practice time with his injury and could be available on Sunday.
According to Shanahan both Young and Scheffler should be ready for the team’s Monday Night Football game against New England in two weeks.
Royal and Ebenezer Ekuban were not scheduled to participate in drills on Wednesday but should practice on Thursday. According to Shanahan both players are probable for Jacksonville.
-Jake Grilley, DenverBroncos.com
Broncos vs. Buccaneers: Injury UpdatesThe Broncos came away with a win, taking down the Buccaneers 16-13 and moving to 4-1 in the process.
But a few Broncos were injured in the hard-fought win, including two of the team’s top pass catchers.
Eddie Royal went down during a punt return, and he did not return to the game. He went into the locker room and did not return, suffering a sprained ankle.
Tony Scheffler also left the game with an injury on the final drive of the game. He suffered a strained left groin.
Ebenezer Ekuban and Selvin Young both suffered left groin strains as well.
Head Coach Mike Shanahan will give another update during his press conference tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. MDT.
– Adam Zinser
Keeping Their Heads UpTalk in the Broncos locker room on Monday was centered on the team’s 33-19 loss to the Chiefs. Head Coach Mike Shanahan reiterated that no matter how talented a football team is, if it doesn’t execute the game plan and mistakes pile up it is going to be hard to come away victorious in the National Football league.
“I just want to work on the things we did poorly,” Shanahan said. “We talked about red zone being 1-for-4 and turnovers being 4-to-1. We talked about missed tackles and gap responsibilities and we still have to improve on our third downs. All the things we did poorly in the game, you try and work on and eliminate those mistakes.”
The discussion among many of the Broncos during the team’s first three wins was the chemistry and the cohesiveness of the players in the Denver locker room. Marquand Manuel said that same camaraderie is still being felt in the locker room after the team’s first loss of 2008, and it is that team character that will help to define this team for the remainder of the season.
An Interesting New Depth Chart…The Broncos released a new and updated depth chart Saturday, with some interesting changes on it.
The starting lineup remains the same on offense, with Eddie Royal continuing to hold onto that #2 wideout spot opposite Brandon Marshall. But Glenn Martinez has moved up behind Marshall.
Nate Jackson remains at the #2 spot behind Daniel Graham, with Scheffler at the #3. Jackson has worked with Graham in the team’s two-tight end sets, and he started on Friday against the Packers, scoring a touchdown in the process.
Peyton Hillis holds onto the #2 fullback spot behind Cecil Sapp. He saw significant action Friday night and performed well.
On defense, Marquand Manuel is listed as the starter opposite Marlon McCree. Hamza Abdullah mans the #2 spot behind Manuel, with Roderick Rogers and Josh Barrett behind him, in that order.
Vickiel Vaughn is at #2 behind McCree.
Also, Brett Kern is listed as the starting punter.
You can check out the full depth chart here.
What do y’all think about the changes and how things have progressed?
– Adam Zinser, DenverBroncos.com
Cowboys at Camp: Final PracticeThe Broncos and Cowboys closed out their joint practices Thursday afternoon with some 11-on-11 team drills between the offenses and defenses, and a little special teams in between. After a morning that featured a bit of a scuffle, the afternoon session was filled with nothing but good, clean football — and the occasional offensive fireworks — as Broncos President and CEO Pat Bowlen and Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones stood and watched practice side-by-side.
ATTENDANCE REPORT: The Broncos who were out of pads for the morning session also were for the afternoon session…In addition, the usual pack of veterans did not participate in the practice, including Dre’ Bly, Dewayne Robertson, Brandon Stokley and Darrell Jackson.
POSTURING FOR POSITION: Michael Pittman — who celebrated his birthday today — was the running back in the lineup on most situational third-downs.
MATCHUPS: For the final session of their joint practice, the Cowboys and Broncos went into 11-on-11 team matchups right after their individual team drills. Here are the details.
A.M. Blog: Day 16It’s less than 24 hours until the Broncos host the Cowboys for a couple days of joint practices, and the team held a two hour practice without pads Tuesday morning, the last day for fans to watch training camp.
As has often been the case, things got started with a laugh as D.J. Williams called up coach and former Bronco Keith Burns to lead the team’s breakdown.
ATTENDANCE REPORT: Hamza Abdullah, Boss and Champ Bailey, Louis Green, Peyton Hillis, Tom Nalen, Erik Pears and Ryan Torain were all listed on the out of pads list with their various injuries. Hillis did participate in practice, however. Champ, Green, Nalen and Pears all watched from the sidelines. Boss remained inside rehabbing his sprained ankle.
- Chad Mustard has been moved from the Physically Unable to Perform list to the active roster.
- New cornerback Wale Dada participated in practice after the team waived Lamont Reid. The previous blog entry gives a little more information on the newest member of the Broncos.
