Broncos 31, Steelers 19 — you know what a victory means, fellas. Give out your BT Game Balls!

Peyton Manning

For a guy, after 600+ days since he last took a meaningful snap, to come out against one of the league’s most respected defenses and play flawlessly is amazing. Tim Tebow who? And I loved Tebow, but I had forgotten what a truly great quarterback can do for a team. What Peyton Manning did was keep the Steelers consistently backpedaling, constantly fearing the end zone behind their shoulders. His 73.1 completion percentage is all the more impressive when you consider the Broncos were in the no huddle for much of the game. His 129.2 passer rating is impressive, period.’

Oh, and Manning showed he can run if need be, too. 10-6 sound about right? I’m feeling like Peyton Manning is money in the regular season and 10-6 seems a bit low… I hope he lasts for at least four years in Denver! – Tim Lynch

Tracy Porter Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos News

• Vote here for Peyton Manning as the GMC Never Say Never Moment for Week 1. [NFL.com]
• The Denver Broncos have added a sixth center to their roster yesterday by signing Dan Koppen. I didn’t realize the position was so valued, then again, things must be pretty bad for the Broncos to be this desperate. [BroncoTalk.net]
• Peyton Manning made history Sunday night by throwing his 400th touchdown pass, joining Dan Marino and Brett Favre as the only other two quarterbacks to have reached that plateau. Tom Brady also surpassed John Elway on that list with his 301st touchdown pass on Sunday. [Denver Post]
• If you thought Manning would have a grace period in Denver, you thought wrong. Peyton is like Chuck Norris in that regard. Manning doesn’t adjust to the game, the game adjusts to Manning. [New York Times]
• Remember when everyone on the planet wanted to watch Tim Tebow play? Ratings were so high that networks fought over who could pick up Broncos games. Well, say hello to Peyton freaking Manning and the highest rated Broncos regular season game since 2003. It didn’t quite top last years playoff game, but that was the playoffs. [Denver Post]
• Oh and by the way, the Broncos play the Atlanta Falcons next week on Monday Night Football. That Falcons team has a ton of weapons, so a pass rush is going to be huge against the immobile Matt Ryan. [Denver Post]
• Never Forget.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more Broncos updates throughout the day.

Former New England Patriots C Dan Koppen

The Denver Broncos have reportedly added more depth to their interior offensive line Monday, signing recently released Patriots center Dan Koppen, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reports.

Koppen, 32, was released by the Patriots last week. An eight-year starter for Bill Belichick, Koppen was placed on Injured Reserve last year following an ankle injury suffered in Week One of 2011.

Koppen had “no intentions” of retiring following the release, per one report.

Koppen snapped to Tom Brady (and Matt Cassel) in 120 regular season games and three Super Bowls from 2003-2011. Now he has the chance to snap to Peyton Manning.

Update: Adam “The Truth” Schefter confirms Reiss’s report via Twitter.

Another bombshell John Fox dropped in his afternoon presser today — quarterback Caleb Hanie, released last week, will be signed back with the team.

Fox confirmed the initial move to release Hanie last week was “procedural.” Translation? The Broncos were avoiding being on the hook for Hanie’s vested veteran status, which would have made his 2012 salary guaranteed. By risking not having a backup quarterback in Week One, the Broncos potentially saved themselves millions this year.

Hanie signed a two-year, $2.25 million deal in the offseason.

Ty Warren‘s elbow injury suffered during the second quarter of Sunday’s 31-19 victory turned out to be exactly what Broncos fans feared: an aggravation of the torn triceps that knocked him out of the 2011 season. Head coach John Fox told reporters the news this afternoon only moments after finding it out himself; it is not clear whether the Broncos will place Warren on season-ending Injured Reserve or how they will replace him on the roster.

Update: Warren was placed on Injured Reserve Tuesday.

Warren was playing in his first game since 2009 and his first game since signing a two-year deal with the Broncos in 2011.

Triceps tears usually involve months of recovery time. Warren’s 2012 season, and Broncos career, are both very likely over.

Tim Tebow may be gone, but his legacy in Denver lives on… at least when it comes to post-play celebrations.

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller paid tribute to his former teammate by Tebowing after sacking Ben Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s 31-19 Broncos win. Check the video below:

A play earlier, Miller had also taken down Roethlisberger, celebrating with a Billy “White Shoes” Johnson dance.

What do you all think about Von Miller Tebowing? Personally, as long as Von Miller is sacking someone, he could punch a baby after for all I’d care.

Video H/T Tim in the Daily Links

Denver Broncos News

• Monday’s are a beautiful day after a strong Denver Broncos win. The very first thing I always do after a win like that, is watch some highlight reels. Then after that, I watch some more. How about you? [DenverBroncos.com & NFL.com]
• Beating the Pittsburgh Steelers was not vital to this teams success, but in doing so it sure feels like Peyton Manning and the Broncos are off and running. [USA Today]
• The win over the Steelers was a strong team win, but the one area the Broncos need to work on is getting off the field on third down. The defense is solid, but young and undisciplined. They will get better as the season progresses, but mobile quarterbacks are going to be a problem for them. [Denver Post]
• Andrew Mason provides his observations of the game. Getting off the field is the one that rings the loudest in my head. [MaxDenver.com]
• Peyton Manning now owns a 7-1 all-time record against defenses coached by Hall of Famer, Dick LeBeau. [SI.com]
• And of course, there is Von Miller Tebowing after he and the defense put Ben Roethlisberger on ice.  Gotta love it! [YouTube.com]

Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos warms up prior to the start of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the NFL season opener at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 9, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Any questions about Peyton Manning‘s health or or arm strength rust were answered in the Denver Broncos‘ 2012 season opener on Sunday night.

The Broncos have nothing to worry about when it comes to Peyton Manning at quarterback.

Manning was surgical against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His first NFL action in 610 days saw him hit Demaryius Thomas and Jacob Tamme for touchdowns of 71 yards and one yard respectively. He scored more points in one minute in the third quarter than Ben Roethlisberger achieved in nearly a full quarter on two drives. Manning fininshed 19 of 26 for 253 yards, no interceptions, and a 129.2 passer rating as the Broncos went on to roll over the Steelers 31-19 in Week One 2012 NFL action.

Comment about the game below as we continue to write our game recap… check back for more!

More on the game:

• Von Miller Tebowing
• Tracy Porter intercepts Big Ben, wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week
• Rahim Moore played every snap
• Game Balls to Manning, Porter, Demaryius Thomas

Broncos inactives: WR A. Caldwell, RB R. Hillman, LB S. Johnson, OL P. Blake, DL M. Jackson, OL C. Kuper, DT S. Siliga

Steelers inactives: QB C. Batch, G K. Beachum, S R. Clark, G D. DeCastro, LB J. Harrison, RB R. Mendenhall, NT A. Ta’amu

We’ll start the game blog around 15 minutes before kickoff…

Denver Broncos News

• Oh yes. It starts tonight. The Denver Broncos open the season TODAY against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The long wait is OVER! Go Broncos! [DenverBroncos.com]
• Woody Paige thinks the Broncos must bring back home field dominance and I agree. John Elway was 86-17-1 in home games, in recent years they have barely reach .500.  It’s disgusting and needs to be changed starting today. [Denver Post]
• A big part of the Broncos game plan tonight will be for Peyton Manning to stretch the field and run the no huddle. If the Steelers defense is worn down and tired in the fourth quarter, the Broncos will have a good chance to come away with the victory. [Denver Post]
• Oh and in case you haven’t heard, Caleb Hanie was cut and replaced on the roster by defensive tackle Sealver Siligia yesterday. [BroncoTalk]

Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more Broncos updates throughout the day.