(AP Photo)

Broncos coach John Fox has taken a lot of heat for Denver’s two kneeldowns before halftime and overtime in the Broncos’ 38-35 loss to the Ravens last weekend.  But should he be?

Fox is known for being conservative (often overly conservative, actually), but against Baltimore, kicker Matt Prater had already missed a field goal earlier in the game and Fox obviously did not make the decision by himself.

Fox and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy must have consulted quarterback Peyton Manning and if Manning had disagreed with the call, it seems likely that he would have gotten his way.  So why did Peyton (presumably) consent to kneeling?

Was Manning O.K. physically?

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(Photo: Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports)

There was a lot of blame to go around for Denver’s 38-35 second overtime loss to Baltimore last week. From the coaches play-calling to quarterback Peyton Manning‘s interception to second-year safety Rahim Moore‘s blown coverage that allowed the Ravens to get back in the game, everyone was responsible.

But one Bronco is placing all of the blame on himself.

“I’m taking the blame for it. Hey, I lost the game for us. It is what it is,” Moore told the Denver Post‘s Mark Kiszla after the game on Saturday.

“There’s never an ‘I’ in win. But there’s an ‘I’ in lose,” added Moore.  “Because when you lose, you’ve got to look at yourself.”

“At the end of the day, it was a great season.  I’m sorry it ended this way.  But, next year, it won’t.”

On Saturday, John Fox and his coaching staff came under fire after questionable play-calling during Denver’s 38-35 overtime loss to Baltimore.  In two weeks, Fox and his staff will be in Hawaii, coaching the All Stars of the American Football Conference.

Because the Broncos were the highest seed to lose in the divisional round of the playoffs, their coaching staff will be responsible for coaching the AFC squad in the 2013 NFL Pro Bowl.  Denver will have at least six player (Peyton Manning, Ryan Clady, Von Miller, Champ Bailey, and Elvis Dumervil) represented in Hawaii, with the possibility of more joining them.

If New England and Wes Welker (a Pro Bowler) make it all the way to the Super Bowl, Denver’s Demaryius Thomas will join the AFC team as a first alternate.

The 2013 NFL All Star Game will be played on Saturday, January 27th.  The game will be played in Honolulu and broadcast on NBC.  Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. local time.

(Photo: Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports)

Last weekend, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy interviewed for head coaching vacancies with Chicago, Philadelphia, and Arizona.  The Cardinals now want a second interview (per Jay Glazer) and San Diego has become a top candidate (per Adam Schefter).

McCoy is a very hot candidate and with so much interest, it appears likely that he is headed out of Denver.  If he lands with the Chargers, the Broncos will have lost a top coordinator to a division rival in back-to-back offseasons (former DC Dennis Allen landed in Oakland last year).

Maybe Kansas City will go after Jack Del Rio in 2014?  As if losing coordinators wasn’t bad enough, losing them to fellow AFC West teams hurts.  In the case of McCoy, however, we’re not so sure that he is ready to run an organization, so McCoy landing in San Diego might not be such a bad scenario for Denver.

The Denver Broncos first selection in the 2013 NFL Draft has been finalized.  If the team does not trade the pick, the Broncos will be selecting 28th overall in April.

The Broncos currently have six picks, with the official order still to be finalized.  Team needs include DL, OL, MLB, S and possibly WR and RB, as well.

What position do you think the Broncos should target in April?  Dish out your thoughts in the comments below!

Elway and Manning in defeat.

Well, the dust has settled, and reality is starting to creep its ugly head into our minds. I’m still not sure I believe what my eyes showed me Saturday night, but I’m willing to start believing that I’m not stuck in a 2 day long nightmare, and what transpired on the field really did happen. In a game full of head scratching penalties, non-penalties, and play calls, where should the Broncos go from here? Is this 1996 all over again? Will we rip off 2 straight Super Bowls like we did back then? This is my list of things I’d like to see happen.

#1: Apologize to Peyton Manning and Trindon Freaking Holliday. John Fox needs to put his ego aside and have a meeting with Peyton Manning to say that he is sorry and will never, ever, ever tell him to take a knee at the end of the game with 31 seconds left, 2 timeouts, and only needing 35 or so yards for a realistic FG attempt as time expires for the win IN THE PLAYOFFS!!! We heard Fox defend his decision to have Manning kneel by saying that you don’t want to make mistakes that cost you the game. My question is this, “why in the $%^& did you get Peyton Manning in the first place if you aren’t willing to put the game and your faith in him when the chips are down and you need to make a few plays?”And what about Trindon Freaking Holliday? What a beast he is!!! My goodness, if there was one player who really showed up for this game, it was Holliday. Without him, how does this game go? Its easy to say that we’d get blown out without him, but in all honesty, we have no idea how those 2 offensive drives we didn’t have would have turned out. We very well could have scored TDs on both of those drives anyways. But one thing is for sure, even when Holliday didn’t touch the ball on kickoffs and punts, he greatly affected the game by his very presence on the field. We saw Baltimore squib kick it in order to keep the ball out of Holliday’s hands, even at the cost of field position. Trindon Holliday is owed a deeply heart felt apology!

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• “There have been plenty of mind-blowing choke jobs in the NFL playoffs over the past few decades, but not many can beat what happened at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday night.” [ESPN]
• Did that really just happen?
• As the hours have passed, John Fox‘s game decisions have come under increased (and deserved) scrutiny. [New York Times]
• No, seriously, that didn’t really happen, did it?
• Trindon Holliday set two NFL postseason records in the loss. [New York Times]
• Rahim Moore, Champ Bailey, and Peyton Manning were all dreadful when it mattered. [National Football Post]
• I can’t believe that just happened.
• The officials were dreadful, but they hardly own all the blame. [Yahoo! Sports]
• BT’s own Jon Heath explores some truths and silver linings, including a reminder of the last time a 13-3 Broncos team lost a divisional playoff game. [Bleacher Report]
• Game stats by player/play percentage, and the full Gamebook. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Peyton Manning looks to next year. [Denver Post]
• Is this real life?

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

There’s no sugarcoating this one, Denver Broncos fans. It’s 1996 all over again.

This one stings.

The Broncos are not Super Bowl bound. The Broncos are not preparing to host an AFC Championship Game next week. The Broncos have one-and-blundered a playoff game and are one-and-done.

The Denver Broncos, 13-3, winners of 11 straight, and first seed in the AFC, are done. The Baltimore Ravens edged them in a double overtime game in the divisional playoffs. Let’s break it down after the jump.

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Larimer Street

What: Broncos vs Ravens (aka Ray Lewis’ Retirement Party)
Where: Mile High Stadium Sports Authority Field -or- CBS if you’re at home
When: 2:30pm MST
Line: Broncos by 9
Temp: 18° F

Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for! It’s been a LONG two weeks, full of unimaginable hype, excitement, and trepidation. Unlike in 2005, this team isn’t based on smoke and mirrors, no, instead, we are the real deal. Our offense is #2 in scoring, our defense is #1 in scoring (against). We are top 5 in both overall defense, as well as against the run and against the pass. We have the all-time great Champ Bailey. We have the best defender in the NFL in Von Miller. We have the pick 6 machine in Chris Harris, and the electric Trindon Holliday!

We have the #1 deep threat WR in Demaryius Thomas. We have a 13TD WR in Erik Decker. We have our 1st round running back running like he’s a 1st round pick in Knowshon Moreno. Ryan Clady is playing at his all pro level, and of course, we have our Hall of Fame Quarterback, arguably the best quarterback to ever play in the history of the NFL, in Peyton Freaking Manning! Broncoland, it’s time to get pumped up!!!

The Broncos and the city need us today. They need us in the parking lot yelling at the Ravens as the players enter the stadium, and cheering on the Broncos as they do the same. They need us in the stands making it impossible for Flacco to hear the calls through his helmet, and even more hopeless when he tries to audible out of a bad call. The Broncos need us to be silent when Manning has the ball, and to have our thunderous celebration after each score completely deflate an old, tired, and washed up Raven’s defense. It’s time to get loud and proud Bronco Nation. Lets leave the past 14 years of fear and loathing behind us. It’s time to act like we are the best team in the NFL. It’s time to have the excitement of being the team to beat flow through every fiber of our bodies. It’s time to party like there is no “respect” hotline in the stadium!

The day we’ve all been painstakingly waiting for is upon us. There’s no time or place for fear. Today is a day for celebration. Lets take that attitude to the stadium and to wherever you might be watching the game. We’ve waited too long for this day, so lets cheer like there’s no tomorrow!

And one more thing….

GO BRONCOS!!!

Saturday morning, NFL Network will air a feature on quarterback Peyton Manning‘s road to recovery.  Below is a preview of the piece:

Most of the footage in the feature has never been seen by the general public. The complete story will air at 10 a.m. MT on the league’s network.