San Diego Chargers running back Mike Tolbert (35) is tackled by Denver Broncos free safety Quinton Carter during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

When Brian Dawkins retired the Denver Broncos knew they were going to have a hole to fill. Dawkins wasn’t elite as he once was, but was still good enough to start on most NFL teams. John Elway set out to find some veteran leadership to fill out the depth on that part of the roster and for the most part succeeded.

In a way, this position may see the most fluidity in who starts as the season goes on. There is just too much experience and talent at the position to be absolutely sure who will end up finishing the season as a starter. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey participated in practice during the team's training camp on Sunday, July 29, 2012. (BroncoTalk.net photo)

The Denver Broncos were solid at corner last season, that is until teams spread them out and bombarded them with pass after pass. It was disgusting at times to watch and the 40+ point nightmares happened more than a few times. John Elway and John Fox set out to do everything they could to make sure that doesn’t happen again in 2012. So far, it looks like they might have succeeded.

Champ Bailey

There has been a lot of talk about Champ Bailey having lost a step, but does that really matter? It matters when the guy is Drayton Florence and has lost a step, but Champ Bailey is still a top 10 corner even if he has lost a step. I’ll take it. The guy will get beat just like any corner, but Bailey has tremendous anticipation and instincts, so I’m not worried at all. The “move to safety” talk can be ignored at least for another year or two. (Profile)  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The Denver Broncos line backer Von Miller sacks the New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez during the fourth quarter of play Thursday November 17, 2011 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The Denver Broncos really did all they could to shore up the depth at the linebacker position. The problem remains to be the long term options at middle linebacker, where top end players are at a premium and the gap between those few players and the rest is fairly noticeable. We fans just need to be patient and be glad we have a guy in the middle who can at least lay the wood a bit.

Von Miller

Von Miller is something special. I really don’t know what else to say other than that. We should all count our lucky stars that he was drafted #2 overall. He is improving in his read and recognition, so he will be even better this year. The energy he brings makes the entire defense better.

It will be difficult for him to top his rookie campaign, but his impact will be felt in every game.  If the Broncos can get similar production in the pass rush again this year combined with continued improvement in his other responsibilities, this defense will be much better in 2012. (Profile)  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos News

• In case you haven’t heard, Knowshon Moreno has jumped to second on the depth chart Monday. The Denver Broncos must be liking what they are seeing from him in practice. [BroncoTalk & MaxDenver.com]
• The venerable Tony Dungy visited the Broncos yesterday. I wonder if he’ll be available for the defensive coordinator job that will likely be open by next year. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Demaryius Thomas is hoping for a big year. If it happens, the Broncos are going to be a very dangerous team – tough schedule or not. [Denver Post]
• Peyton Manning and his dismantling of the San Francisco 49ers must have gotten Las Vegas oddsmakers all up in arms, as the Broncos are just behind the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers as odds on favorites to win the Super Bowl this year. If I were a betting man, I’d bet against those odds for 2012…but maybe not in 2013. [First & Orange Blog]
• One rookie that has really caught my eye is Malik Jackson. It appears, I wasn’t the only one who took notice as he’s featured in an article from the Denver Post yesterday. [Denver Post]
• The first bold prediction out of 20 that Don Banks from SI.com gave was about Peyton Manning. He predicts playoffs for the Broncos, after a rough start to 2012. I’ll take it. [SI.com]
• One writer even broke down a blueprint for the Broncos to winning the Super Bowl.  It’s crazy talk!  Isn’t it? [Bleacher Report]
• I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video:

(Image courtesy of Gary Caldwell/Denver Broncos)

In preparation for the Denver Broncos‘ Week 1 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, NBC commentator and former Indianapolis Colts‘ Head Coach Tony Dungy visited Dove Valley on Monday to talk with a few familiar faces.

Dungy spoke with quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Brandon Stokley and tight end Jacob Tamme, all former Colts, on the sideline after the team’s Monday practice session.  Dungy also spoke briefly with Coach John Fox before conducting a one-on-one interview with Manning for NBC.

The Dungy-Manning interview will partially air Wednesday night on NBC when the New York Giants open the season against the Dallas Cowboys and the remaining portion of the interview will air during and leading up to Sunday Night Football this weekend.  The interview is, “Insightful and very well done,” according to Broncos’ PR ace Patrick Smyth.

Dungy also took a few moments to talk to BroncosTV’s Chris Hall (video, audio).  Dungy and Manning won a Super Bowl together in 2007 (SB XLI).

We’ll be looking forward to the interview.  Kickoff is now less than six days away!

On Sunday, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning—barring an unforeseen breakdown—will throw his 400th career touchdown pass in his 209th game.  Today, BroncoTalk published our 5,000th post during our sixth year of existence.

BT has come a long way since Kyle “Monty” Montgomery started the blog back in 2006.  At the time, Jake Plummer was Denver’s starting quarterback.

Since then, we’ve gone through Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow while hosting nearly seven million new and returning readers.  Tebow’s arrival on Draft Day 2010 broke our record for most hits in a single day.  Two years later, Manning’s Free Agency Tour doubled that record.

The site has rapidly grown over the years, due in part to our evolving comment system and the site becoming mobile-friendly.  We do our best to always keep improving the site and a redesign is actually under construction!

We joined the social movement several years ago but our social networking presence has strengthened considerably in recent months.  You can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This is post No. 5,004;  Tim Lynch‘s defensive end preview was the big No. 5,000.  Congrats, Tim, here’s betting you didn’t even realize you posted No. 5K.

We want to thank YOU, our readers for helping us get here!  If not for you, we wouldn’t be here.  Thanks for coming along for the ride.  Here’s to 5,000 more posts and beyond—Go Broncos!

Moreno seen during a training camp practice session at Dove Valley in July. (BroncoTalk.net)

On Monday, the Denver Broncos held their first practice of the regular season.  Following practice, several changes were made to the team’s depth chart.

On Sunday evening, fourth-year running back Knowshon Moreno was listed behind starter Willis McGahee, Lance Ball and rookie Ronnie Hillman on the depth chart.  On Monday afternoon, Moreno had jumped Ball and Hillman and is now the No. 2 RB on the team (H/T to @MHR_Colby for the tip).

Moreno has been recovering from an ACL injury and rushed seven times for 49 yards in the team’s preseason finale last week.  While he seemed to be on the roster bubble through summer practices, Moreno now has more job security as the team’s second option in the backfield.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson in 2010. (Joe Amon/Denver Post)

A position of terrible need last year has become a position of incredible depth. On paper, the Denver Broncos should continue their climb back to defensive respectability against opposing rushing attacks. The first team defense was stellar in the three preseason games and only faltered during the Seattle Seahawks game – but only partly.

Ty Warren

Two years out of football, but Ty Warren doesn’t appear done yet. If he can play somewhere around 80-85% of his New England Patriots former self, then he will plug the middle of the line nicely. When the Broncos roll out with their base 4-3 defense, he should have the Big Vick or Bannan next to him and together I don’t see the interior of the line being a wide open gaping hole for opposing running backs to gash the defense for huge gains as it has been in previous seasons. This means, lots of third and medium to longs that will turn into punts, instead of points. (Profile)  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looses the ball against Elvis Dumervil #92 of the Denver Broncos during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 8, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

If depth was a concern for the offensive line, it is exactly the opposite for the defensive line. It’s amazing how quickly things can change year to year. Remember when we all freaked out when the Denver Broncos didn’t pick any of those “first round” defensive tackles back in April? Well, judging by the final depth chart, the team is already pretty well stacked at the position. We’ll get to that with the next post, for now, we have a couple of stud’s bookending that line.

Elvis Dumervil

Aside from Terrell Davis, Elvis Dumervil might be the best drafted player Mike Shanahan ever selected. The guy has one of the best motors in the league, which is a must considering he is undersized and overmatched in most situations. The addition of Von Miller has only made Dumervil better and this defense should be one of the best pass rushing teams in the league. (Profile)  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

(US Presswire)

A total of five former Denver Broncos have now landed with new teams since being cut on Friday.  Rookie wide receiver Gerell Robinson became the fifth player to land on his feet when he signed with the Arizona Cardinals‘ practice squad over the weekend.

The Broncos played Arizona on Friday and Robinson caught two passes for 31 yards.  More impressive than those stats were Robinson’s 77 catches for 1,397 yards and seven scores during his senior year at Arizona State last fall, right in the Cardinals’ backyard.

The Broncos originally signed Robinson as a college free agent in April but despite having played with Broncos’ rookie quarterback Brock Osweiler at ASU, Robinson was unable to make Denver’s active roster — or practice squad.  Robinson was beat-out by first-year receiver Greg Orton, the only receiver that made Denver’s practice squad.

The Broncos currently have Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Matt Willis, Andre Caldwell and Brandon Stokley on the active roster.  If an injury occurs or the team finds itself in need of another receiver during the season, Orton will likely be activated.

We wish Robinson the best of luck with the Cardinals.  It would have been nice to stash him for down the road, but he’s likely glad to be back in Arizona.