Post-game quotes from coaches and players after the 19-0 shutout the Denver Broncos delivered to the Arizona Cardinals.

DENVER BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On finishing the preseason with a victory

“There were certainly things that we wanted to accomplish tonight. We wanted to play more physical, and I thought we did that on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos quarterback Tom Brandstater (3) sets to throw a pass against the Arizona Cardinals during an NFL preseason football game in Denver on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/ Ed Andrieski )

Yes, Josh McDaniels, there is a sunny side to Colorado.

Between a quarterback trade, a wide receiver demanding one, and staring Denver’s first winless preseason in fifty years straight in the face, the first year Head Coach must have been praying for a break. He got one Thursday night.

The Broncos put in a sound performance, curing many of their ills in this fourth and final exhibition game of 2009. The offense looked explosive, the defense forced four turnovers, and the starters and second-teamers didn’t commit a first-half penalty. Denver went on to shut out the Arizona Cardinals 19-0.

And while it was a team effort and a team win, rookie quarterback Tom Brandstater stole the show. The 2009 sixth round draft pick got his first career start and played for nearly three quarters, including one drive with the first team offense to start the game. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

 
Broncos (0-3) vs. Cardinals (0-3)
Preseason Week 4
Thursday, Sep. 3, 2009 7:00 pm MT
GameBlog starts at 6:45

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Denver Broncos QB Tom Brandstater will start the team's preseason finale against Arizona Thursday night. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Tonight the Arizona Cardinals come to town to face the Denver Broncos in the fourth and final preseason game of the season. The dress rehearsals for the Bronco have been so-so thus far, but that’s not what tonight’s about. Tonight is about the 22 players (23 after adding Brandon Marshall) who are going to be cut by Saturday, and the 75 who get to make one last impression to ensure they’re not among them.

But one player in particular will be under extra scrutiny. We’ve got your “five things to watch” right here: Tom Brandstater, Tom Brandstater, Tom Brandstater, Tom Brandstater, and Tom Brandstater.

Why? This NFL rookie – this third string quarterback who didn’t even warrant a single snap during the team’s first preseason game – this sixth round draft pick who looked completely lost in Seattle, made a few plays against Chicago, but still has a preseason passer rating of 57.0 – might very well be the Broncos’ opening day starter at Cincinnati in 11 days. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• Ben Hamilton is seeing a specialist regarding the back pain that has held him out of back-to-back practices.  [Denver Post]
• The Arizona Cardinals come to town tonight.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• What to watch for.  [Colorado Springs Gazette]
• The media consensus is that the Broncos‘ asking price of Jets LB David Harris is too steep for Brandon Marshall.  [Newsday]

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Kenny McKinley gets lifted by Nate Swift after a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

If I were to ask you if there was a receiver on the Denver Broncos roster that is in the top five for reception yards in the 2009 NFL Preseason, would you be able to guess who? Yes, of course you would; you read the title of this post silly. This is a Here’s the Deal Denver about our rookie receiver Kenny McKinley!

So here’s the deal, every since way before this whole Brandon Marshall thing happened, I predicted that two rookies would step it up and take over in Denver. Those two were McKinley and UDFA Nate Swift. Now Swift remains a bubble player going into the final 53 man roster, but McKinley is the truth. (Oh and Swift will at least end up on the practice squad, if he isn’t signed by someone else.)

So here’s the deal, Denver fans have every right to question head coach Josh McDaniels‘ decisions leading up to the regular season… There are is two one things that you can’t argue, the man knows wide receivers and the man knows quarterbacks ::runs to hide::. From Wes Welker to Randy Moss, from Jabar Gaffney to Chad Jackson before him, the man does to wide receivers what Mike Shanahan used to do to running backs. And McKinley is McDaniels new masterpiece, so low and behold.

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Brandon Marshall (Reuters Photo)

Denver sports radio station FM 104.3 The Fan has fielded “several reports” stating that wide receiver Brandon Marshall was seen at Denver International Airport boarding a plane to New York. This comes in light of reports today that the New York Jets are seriously exploring the possibility of trading for the disgruntled Marshall.

Adding fuel to the fire, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Denver Broncos would only be interested in trading Marshall if Jets LB David Harris was part of the package. Note that Schefter reports that the Broncos want Harris in any trade situation, not just a two-team trade with the Jets.

UPDATE: As ready broncoNM shrewdly points out, The Fan might also have been referring to the New York Giants. They have posted a picture on their web site of Giants private jet at Jeffco airport.

Is a deal for Marshall imminent? Let’s dig deeper. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Quotes from the Coach! In order to fulfill our commitment of being your one-stop shop for all things orange and blue, we’re going to provide these to you more consistently. We need a catchy/clever/witty name though. I’d just run with ‘Deep Thoughts’ but that would imply telepathic abilities, which is silly. Help us out in the comments!

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On if the Broncos are ready for Thursday’s game against Arizona

“We crammed everything we could cram into two days. You kind of see what your guys are capable of learning real fast because there are some new little things that we have to do based on what they do. Our guys adapted well to it in the last two days.”

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• …I’d say Brandstater is the starter Week One.  Watching this video on McDaniels, it doesn’t appear he’s too confident that either Orton or Simms will be ready.  I know a lot of people are thinking Simms, but it’s a high ankle sprain, emphasis on high. Those can be brutal. But hey, that’s just a ridiculously preliminary shot in the dark.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• Meanwhile, quarterback Ingle Martin is a play away from being the starter.  I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. [The Latest Word]
• New York Jets seriously interested in Brandon Marshall?  [BroncoTalk]

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall tosses his helmet during the team's 2009 training camp. (BroncoTalk/Kyle Montgomery)

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall requested a trade several months ago and, depending on who you believe, much more recently. Jamie Dukes from NFL Network reported prior to the Sunday Night Football game versus the Chicago Bears that the Denver Broncos had indeed offered Marshall a new contract, but that the contract did not include any guaranteed money. This may be what lead to Marshall acting up and eventually ending up suspended.

Today news out of New York, according to Newsday’s Bob Glauber, is that the New York Jets are at least considering a trade for Marshall.  The article goes on to state the Broncos are seeking at least a first round draft pick for compensation, but he goes on to point out that it is highly unlikely that the Jets would pay such a steep price for the Broncos punter receiver.

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