Brian Dawkins joined his teammates in brown and mustard unis Friday. (Gray Caldwell/DB.com)

The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots both welcomed defensive playmakers back to practice Friday, and there’s optimism both captains will play in their upcoming Week 5 matchup.

Pats linebacker Jerod Mayo made his first practice appearance since he suffered an MCL sprain in the Patriots’ season opener. His bags are packed, knee brace and all, so it appears he’ll make the trip and at least be a game-time decision.

Meanwhile, the Broncos welcomed back Brian Dawkins, who had yet to practice this week.  Word is Dawkins’ absence was more of a precaution, and the consensus is he’ll play Sunday.

Neither are locks, and both are listed as questionable on the Patriots-Broncos Injury Report.   Continuing the injury-mirroring theme, both New England and Denver ruled out their leading rushers, RBs Fred Taylor and Correll Buckhalter respectively.

Both Mayo and Dawkins are game-changers; this is huge.  We’ll be keeping an eye on this situation throughout the weekend.

Injury Report for the Week 5 NFL game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots on Sunday, October 11, 2009.

DNP – Did Not Participate; LP – Limited Participation; FP – Full Participation; NL – Not Listed

Practice changes from Thursday’s report in bold. Patriots report after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) celebrates a second quarter touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

Knowshon Moreno has been named the NFL’s Week 4 Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week. Congratulations Knowshon!

Wes Welker #83 of the New England Patriots carries the ball around Domonique Foxworth #24 of the Baltimore Ravens on October 4, 2009 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos can beat the New England Patriots.

Champ Bailey received a ton of credit (and a rare AFC honor) for his strong performance in Week Four, but the Broncos’ pass rush really set the tone. From Elvis Dumervil‘s first quarter sack and Robert Ayers‘ repeated pressures up to the final goal line stand, the pass rush was too much for Dallas to handle. As a result, their X-factor, their biggest weapon, tight end Jason Witten, had to stay in to block for much of the game, including the final game-clinching series, neutralizing his superb pass-catching abilities.

This week, the Broncos face another team with an X-factor in slot receiver Wes Welker. If the Patriots use Welker effectively, it will spell doom (pun intended) for the Broncos’ defense. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The Broncos will be facing the Boston — yes, Boston — Patriots this weekend for the first of two Legacy Games, and the team is throwing a stadium-sized party to celebrate. There will be throwback t-shirts (60,000 in fact). There will be yellow. There will be brown. There will be old-school game programs. There will be socks… oh, yes, there will be socks.

The Broncos were kind enough to send us a press release with the details, which we pass along to you, after the jump! Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots gestures during a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium on October 4, 2009 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments. Winner gets a Denver Broncos keychain! Last week’s winner after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

McDaniels talks about the ‘Patriots Way;’ footage of the guys practicing in inclement weather. NFL.com video links after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• Phenomenal article on Brian Dawkins.  I have absolutely no idea, zero, none whatsoever, why the Eagles let this guy go.  [Yahoo! Sports]
• Eddie Royal averaged more yards per game in 2008 than he has totaled in 2009.  [YS]
• We like to get our stats-geek on, and this piece on the Broncos D fits the bill.  [Sports Illustrated]
• Rain, shine, sleet or snow, Josh McDaniels practices outside.  [Denver Post]

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

When asked Wednesday if the Broncos would have to change their game plan if Correll Buckhalter had to sit out due to injury, quarterback Kyle Orton exuded confidence.

“I don’t think so,” Orton said. “We would love to have Correll. He has played great for us. He has been very productive. It is one of our deeper on offense, and we have got a lot of guys ready to go.”

When asked if Orton felt rookie running back Knowshon Moreno was ready to carry the load, Orton responded simply, “No question.”

Do you agree? If Buckhalter isn’t ready to go — he missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, and word is he could miss one to two weeks — will the offense be the same? Will the committee approach of LaMont Jordan and Peyton Hillis be enough to make up for the loss of Buck? We’re interested in your thoughts; dish it out in the comments.

Thursday Injury Report for the Week 5 NFL game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots on Sunday, October 11, 2009.

DNP – Did Not Participate; LP – Limited Participation; FP – Full Participation; NL – Not Listed

Changes from Wednesday’s report in bold. Patriots report after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »