Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) warms up before an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Denver, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Now that we know the 53 men that will be tasked with carrying our hopes and dreams as fans of this Denver Broncos football team, let’s examine each position in greater detail. We’ll start with the offense and the obvious positional choice of Quarterback.  The rest of the positions will be published over the next three days.

Peyton Manning

When John Elway threw a giant dump truck full of Benjamin’s at Peyton Manning back in March in order to make him a Denver Bronco, I was distraught. The highs Tim Tebow brought in 2011 – especially the AFC Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers which was still fresh on the brain – made the thought of dumping him in favor of a 36 year old guy coming off a bunch of neck surgeries was scary as hell.

Suffice to say, all of those worries have been mostly dispelled. Manning isn’t quite the Manning of old, but he is close enough to still be near the top echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL. At the very least, the Broncos should win the weak AFC West Division this year. (Profile) Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The Denver Broncos have announced seven members of their 2012 practice squad following roster cuts Friday.

The Broncos’ practice squad can have eight players, so there is room for one more.

• DT Ben Garland
• S Duke Ihenacho
• TE Cornelius Ingram
• RB Jeremiah Johnson
• WR Greg Orton
• DT Sealver Siliga
• G Wayne Tribue
• C Quintin Saulsberry

Notably missing from the list: quarterback Adam Weber. Weber may have landed on an NFL roster, or he may have opted to try his chances on another team’s practice squad, as Mike Klis speculates. Or he may be the eighth Bronco with whom the team is still negotiating.

Denver Broncos News

• John Elway breaks down the roster moves from yesterday.  He calls the Denver Broncos Cut Day the “worst day of the year” and I can imagine why. [DenverBroncos.com]
• If I had to pick one player who had the best preseason so far, it would be Eric Decker. His chemistry with Peyton Manning is really showing itself and we should expect big things from this tandem – especially in the red zone.  Jeff Legwold reviews the preseason as well. [Denver Post]
• If you are looking for a good, in depth, breakdown of the roster moves made yesterday, Andrew Mason did a great job of it. [MaxDenver.com]
• Cut Day is the only real news out there today, but some people seem to think we should be upset about Drayton Florence being cut.  I just don’t see it.  Syd’Quan Thompson was more upsetting. [Yahoo! Sports]

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

The Denver Broncos release/waived 19 players today as the team moved to cut the roster down to the mandated 53-man level.

New blog post: Broncos Set 53-Man Roster blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/…

— Denver Broncos (@Denver_Broncos) September 1, 2012

Most of the cuts made sense for those of us who watched the preseason and even though I knew it was likely coming, I am sad to see Syd’Quan Thompson go and since he is not Practice Squad eligible, he’ll need to catch on with another team.

Here is a full list of roster moves the Broncos made today: Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Peyton Manning and Adam Weber at the Denver Broncos 2012 summer scrimmage. (BroncoTalk.net photo/Kyle Montgomery)

A collection of notes and nuggets from the Denver Broncos’ last-second 16-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the team’s Week Four 2012 preseason finale.

Caleb Hanie.

Where to begin? We were given the opportunity to critique Hanie for an entire half. The CSU product finished 7/13 for 75 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, but he was sacked five times. On some of the sacks, Hanie simply didn’t stand a chance. His blockers did him no favors. On others, Hanie did himself no favors. Hanie didn’t separate himself from Brock Osweiler or Adam Weber Thursday night, so let’s just continue with John Elway’s strategy to date.

Stay healthy, Peyton Manning. There is no Plan B. Seriously, people.

Big Brock

Speaking of B’s, Brock Osweiler had a rough night. His early interception on 3rd and 8 was about as poor a throw as one could make. He locked onto his intended target, giving Cardinals DB Preston Upton every opportunity to jump the route. Even then Osweiler might have been able to save the play with a sideline throw over his receiver’s shoulder, but the rookie threw it short, all but guaranteeing the pick.

He made up for it later in the half with a 14-play, 94-yard drive that took seven minutes off the clock. Granted, the offense didn’t score a touchdown there or at any other point Thursday, but what I like about Brock — something he clearly has over Hanie — is his pocket presence. He can feel the pressure around him and take a half-step as necessary. His understanding of the game has to improve, but that will come with time.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos News

• Adam Weber has been impressive playing for the Denver Broncos in each of the last two preseasons, but he just doesn’t seem to get any consideration upwards on the depth chart.  Meanwhile, Brock Osweiler is continuing to be unimpressive against a bunch of defensive players who will soon be cut from the Arizona Cardinals roster, but he did have that one great drive, so I’ll judge more harshly next year. [BroncoTalk]
• Highlight reels are always more fun to watch when the Broncos come out with the win.  Just over a week until its for all the bacon. [DenverBroncos.com]
• There are a wave of cuts coming today, but I do think a bunch of the rookies from the back end of this years draft will likely make the final cut. That means you Danny Trevathan, Malik Jackson and Omar Bolden. [Denver Post]
• Andrew Mason say’s Plan B isn’t exactly Grade A, but I think Caleb Hanie has already started the long process of recovering from being ruined in Chicago. I do not see any way Brock Osweiler over takes him on the depth chart this year, barring an injury. [MaxDenver.com]

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

Denver Broncos quarterbacks Caleb Hanie and Adam Weber at training camp in 2012. (BroncoTalk.net photo/Kyle Montgomery)

It is the making of nightmares. Fouler than any stench, darker than the deepest abyss.

Preseason overtime.

The Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals stood on the precipice of such despair with less than 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter of their 2012 Week Four preseason game. The hard-fought score — the production of roster bubble players clawing for every inch, of offensive struggles and interceptions and missed field goals — was tied, 13-13. Less than 20 seconds remained on the game clock, and the Broncos were resigned to their own 32-yard line.

Then Broncos fourth-string quarterback Adam Weber performed the miracle. He completed a 45-yard pass to Greg Orton to the Arizona 23-yard line, calling timeout with seven seconds left, and setting up Matt “Money” Prater for a game-winning field goal.

The Broncos’ 2012 preseason ended as so many regular season games did in 2011 — a football through the uprights, courtesy Matt Prater’s perfect foot.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Live from University of Phoenix press box

We’re live from University of Phoenix Stadium for the Denver Broncos vs. Arizona Cardinals preseason Week 4 tilt! Come join the BT GameBlog below.

Denver Broncos News

• There are four more quarters of play for the Denver Broncos this preseason, then its for real.  Sadly, its also four more quarters for nearly half the current roster, then its unemployment. [DenverBroncos.com & Denver Post]
• With cut day rapidly approaching this Friday, Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season is also nearly here. Preparations for the Pittsburgh Steelers is already underway for the coaching staff and starting roster. [Denver Post]
• The Broncos are getting a lot of Super Bowl talk, which annoys me to no end. Does anyone remember the early 2000’s when the Washington Redskins always seemed to be preseason Super Bowl favorites? Yeah, let’s just focus on Week 1, eh? [CBS Sports]
• One obstacle to that mythical Super Bowl run is the AFC West, which again appears to be a weak and dysfunctional division, so at least that hurdle won’t likely be a big one for Peyton Manning and the Broncos. [Denver Post]
• Annoyingly, the NFL continues to be cheap with the most important players on the field when it comes to keeping the game flowing as the Replacement Referee’s will start the season.  Let’s just hope we don’t see too many of this kind of crap when games actually matter. [First and Orange Blog & DeadSpin.com]

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

What’s this you say?  A sportscenter clip having to do with the Broncos and it doesn’t involve Tim Tebow?  That’s right, and it’s even worth watching.  Enjoy Broncotalk readers!