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Posts Tagged ‘Willis McGahee’

Elway on RBs: ‘We’ll See What Happens in the Draft’

April 23rd, 2013 - 1:04pm by Andrew MasonOther posts by

When Knowshon Moreno reeled off back-to-back 100-yard games against the Raiders and Ravens last December, it seemed that Willis McGahee, a Pro Bowler just a year earlier, had become a forgotten man among observers while he recovered from a knee injury suffered in a Week 11 win over San Diego.

But in the Broncos’ offices, McGahee was very much in their plans. Had Denver defeated Baltimore in the divisional round, McGahee would have been eligible to come off of injured reserve the following week, having received the one designated-to-return exemption teams were allowed last year. And even though Moreno answered questions about his durability and consistency in his six-game starting stint, he hobbled off the field in the playoff loss with an knee injury.

McGahee never had the chance to return, but as the Broncos look at their pre-draft roster, the 31-year-old running back has a prominent place.

“Well, with where we are right now, with (Willis) McGahee, he is that big back for us right now,” Elway said. “But, I think that if you look at what we have with Ronnie Hillman, he is that 190-pounder, that change-of-pace-type guy.”

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McGahee Returns to Practice

January 8th, 2013 - 11:53am by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

On Tuesday, the Broncos welcomed back a familiar face.

Running back Willis McGahee joined his teammates on the practice field Tuesday for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 11 against the San Diego Chargers.

He wore shoulder pads, his helmet and a black jersey to signify that he’s not yet ready for contact.

McGahee was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return back in November. While he’s eligible to return to practice, he is not eligible to play in a game until the AFC Championship, should the Broncos defeat the Baltimore Ravens this Saturday.

Also present at practice Tuesday were tackle Ryan Clady, guard Chris Kuper and wide receiver Trindon Holliday. The Broncos aren’t required by the NFL to release a full injury report until after Wednesday’s session.

McGahee Suffers Ligament Tear; Not Headed to IR

November 19th, 2012 - 2:26pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

Head Coach John Fox on Monday announced that running back Willis McGahee suffered a ligament tear in his knee, but the injury will not require surgery.

“Obviously, (we’re) disappointed to lose a player of Willis’ caliber,” Fox said. “We’re disappointed for him.”

Though McGahee will not need surgery, Fox said he doesn’t have a timetable for a return other than that the running back will be “week-to-week.”

“Right now we’re not making a roster change as far as IR,” Fox said when asked whether McGahee could head to injured reserve with a designation to return. “He’s a fast healer. He’s a tough, competitive guy. A lot of times your veteran guys are that way. We wouldn’t at this point want to prolong it that far.”

Through 11 weeks of the season, McGahee gained 731 yards on 167 carries, finding the end zone four times. In his absence on Sunday against San Diego, running back Ronnie Hillman picked up 43 yards on 12 carries and Lance Ball chipped in another 35 yards on just six carries.

Fox said the team has confidence in the running back stable currently on the team, from Hillman and Ball to Knowshon Moreno, who has been inactive since Week 3, and Jeremiah Johnson, who is currently on the practice squad but rushed for 77 yards and had 62 receiving yards with the team in 2011.

Fox said the team “may or may not” bring in free agent running backs to work out this week, and that those discussions won’t occur until later on Monday.

“Right now, we feel really good about the guys we have — they’re trained in our system,” Fox said. “I’ve said many, many times, it’s the next man up. It was yesterday and will be next Sunday. Who that’ll be? We’ll see how practice goes and what our active list will look like next Sunday.”

Gameday Program Features McGahee

October 26th, 2012 - 12:30pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

This week, the Broncos take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football. Fans in attendance at Sports Authority Field at Mile High will receive a Gameday program — and this week’s cover features running back Willis McGahee.

The story, titled “Adapting and Reacting,” takes a look at how McGahee continues to get better a decade into his NFL career.

Below is a snippet of the story:

His passion is one element of McGahee’s game that’s helped him reach the level he is at now. Another strong quality in the former first-round draft pick is his unique sense of competition.

Every running back views the opposing defense as the enemy, and strives to be stronger than the man trying to tackle him. McGahee doesn’t differ in that light, but on Sundays, he has another nemesis.

“I have a rivalry with every other running back,” McGahee said. “I want to be better than every other guy. Whoever I’m going up against that day, I want to be better than him.”

And right now, his 63 100-yard rushing games would argue that he has accomplished that goal since coming into the league in 2001. Whether or not anyone believes that he’ll continue to add to that number isn’t one of McGahee’s concerns.

“Don’t worry about what people think,” McGahee said. “I use that for fuel. You tell me I can’t do it, my goal is to go prove you wrong.”

The full feature will be posted on DenverBroncos.com next week.

A look at the cover can be seen below.

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Belichick Respects the Run

October 3rd, 2012 - 10:44am by Sam DavisOther posts by

Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick knows all of the different challenges that Peyton Manning will pose to his defense on Sunday.

One of those challenges is the way Manning utilizes the run, knowing exactly when and where to hand the ball off.

“I think Peyton has always used the running game well,” Belichick said in a conference call Wednesday. “He certainly understands how to attack defenses and where defenses are light, whether it’s in the running game, or the outside passing game, or play action or down the field or misdirection plays — whatever it happens to be — Peyton does a really good job of anticipating them, seeing them and getting his team in place to attack them. Certainly the run game is a part of it. I think he’s always used that as a good weapon against the defense, and it has complemented the passing game.”

The Broncos have run the ball 113 times this year, an average of nearly 30 times per game. Willis McGahee has led the way with a pair of 100-yard performances and a trio of rushing touchdowns.

The 10th-year veteran has spent his entire career in the AFC — including his first five years in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills — so Belichick is very familiar with him.

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Drive for Life XV a Success

October 2nd, 2012 - 2:34pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

Through one community event, thousands of lives were saved on Tuesday.

The 15th annual Drive for Life — a partnership between the Broncos and Bonfils Blood Center — was held at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and dozens of Broncos players, alumni and cheerleaders headed to the stadium to show their support.

“It’s definitely not your typical blood drive,” said Bonfils Public Relations Specialist Dianna Hemphill. “It’s a once-a-year opportunity for us. You can tell by today’s crowd, people are just pumped to come out here, donate and then go meet the Broncos.”

The timing of the event — held annually in October — corresponds with the upcoming winter months.

Hemphill said people often find it harder to donate during the holidays, as they get busier during that time of year.

Being able to collect so much blood in October helps prepare for the more difficult months ahead.

Cornerback Champ Bailey makes it a priority to attend the event every year.

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Manning, McGahee Nominated for Awards

October 2nd, 2012 - 9:19am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

A pair of Broncos are up for weekly awards following Denver’s 37-6 victory vs. Oakland in Week 4. Quarterback Peyton Manning is nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Week and running back Willis McGahee is nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

Manning completed 30-of-38 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 130.0. Manning’s passer rating led all players in Week 4 and his 338 passing yards represented the 65th 300-yard passing game of his career to extend his NFL record.

McGahee rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries (5.9 avg.) against the Raiders. Sunday marked the 32nd career 100-yard rushing game to move past Steven Jackson as the NFL’s active leader in career 100-yard games.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx through 1 p.m. MDT on Friday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday on NFL Total Access on NFL Network and on NFL.com.

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Del Rio, McGahee Talk Broncos

October 1st, 2012 - 6:53pm by Sam DavisOther posts by

The fourth episode of Elway Access will air tomorrow on DenverBroncos.com, featuring Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway and Broncos TV’s Chris Hall.

During the 30-minute podcast, Elway will talk all things Broncos and answer questions from fans submitted via Twitter, using #ElwayAccess as a part of their question.

On Monday at 6 p.m., running back Willis McGahee and Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio joined the team’s partner station, 9 News KUSA-TV on Broncos Huddle to discuss the team’s Week 4 victory against the Raiders and the upcoming contest at New England.

McGahee, who topped the 100-yard mark on the ground for the 32nd time of his career, talked about out-performing Raiders running back Darren McFadden.

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Kuper Returns to Practice

September 26th, 2012 - 11:48am by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

On Monday, Head Coach John Fox said the team would take a “look-see” at guard Chris Kuper this week in practice.

It appears the look-see got started on Wednesday, as the team captain was on the field in full pads with the rest of the club for the start of practice.

Kuper hasn’t participated in practice since fracturing his forearm in training camp on Aug. 14.

On this week’s Elway Access, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway hinted that Wednesday’s revelation could be coming.

“He’ll be practicing and get back into the swing of things this week, so we’ll see how the week goes,” Elway said of the seventh-year veteran, who has 73 career starts. “Any time you have a guy that’s a team leader like ‘Kup’ is, it’ll be nice to have him back out there in pads and back involved.”

Kuper led the breakdown of the team’s huddle to start Wednesday’s practice, drawing cheers from his teammates.

In addition, three players listed by Head Coach John Fox on the postgame Week 3 injury report were back on the practice field — running back Willis McGahee, cornerback Tracy Porter and tight end Jacob Tamme.

The two other players on the injury report after the Houston game — wide receiver Matthew Willis and linebacker Nate Irving — were on the field for stretch period, but were not wearing pads.

Broncos Announce Captains for 2012 Season

September 5th, 2012 - 8:34am by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

Five Broncos have been chosen by their teammates to serve as captains for the 2012 season.

On offense, quarterback Peyton Manning and guard Chris Kuper received the honor. The defensive captains will be cornerback Champ Bailey and defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Wesley Woodyard rounds out the group as special teams captain.

Since Kuper is still recovering from a fractured forearm, running back Willis McGahee will serve as an interim team captain until Kuper returns to the field.

For Manning, this marks the 11th consecutive season that he will serve as a team captain. Kuper, the most veteran player on the offensive line, will enter his 3rd season as a Broncos captain.

Bailey, who has been a team captain for the past five seasons, is the longest tenured player on the roster as he enters his ninth season in Denver. Dumervil represents the only first-year team captain among the group.

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