Denver Broncos News

• Jack Del Rio had a few things to say yesterday about how to use the final preseason game to prepare for the season opener. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Speaking of the final preseason game, for about 40% of the Denver Broncos roster its their last chance to show John Fox and the rest of the coaches something. No doubt, most of the roster has been decided by now, but special teams is always a good way to make it happen when a player is on the back end of the roster depth chart. [Denver Post]
• Derek Wolfe could become the most important cog in the Broncos pass rush. Having a pair of end rushers is great, but in today’s pass happy league a team really needs a great third rusher. Teams like the New York Giants find great success with that on their defensive line, but most teams use a linebacker for their third rusher. Either way, the Broncos know they need to be attacking from all directions to be successful. [Denver Post]
• The Miami Herald took a stab at previewing Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, but I came away feeling like they were still bitter about what Tim Tebow and the Broncos defense did to their team last year. [Miami Herald]

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

Denver Broncos News

• The Denver Broncos are going to have to send a lot more players packing before opening day.  A quick look at the roster shows they still have six running backs on the roster, even after parting ways with Xavier Omon.  Other positions are similarly crowded, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. [DenverBroncos.com]
• The depth on defense may be somewhat lacking, but we’ve all got to be encouraged by the play of the starting defensive unit.  They have given up 19 points in roughly 5 quarters of play.  I’ll take that production every day of the week. [Denver Post]
• Even thought he depth on defense may be lacking, there have been some bright spots. We’ve all seen Nate Irving out there getting noticed at times, but the big surprise is rookie defensive lineman Malik Jackson. [Denver Post]
• The release of Lonnie Paxton was a shock, but perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised. Much like the real world of today, why pay a high salary to an aging worker when you can get the same production from a youngster just starting out?  That appears to have been the choice the Broncos made with Paxton and Aaron Brewer. [MaxDenver.com]
• If you haven’t heard, D.J. Williams lost his drug suspension appeal. The guy is turning out to be one giant headache for the Broncos. I think it will take something special from him all season long, once he comes back from his suspension, for the Broncos to keep him beyond 2012. [Sporting News]
• Ryan Lindley will get the start for the Arizona Cardinals this week, which means we probably won’t see any starters play for the Broncos either.  I’ll still watch – got to keep my streak of never missing a game in tact. [AZ Central]

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

The Denver Broncos announced the release of Lonnie Paxton and the waiver of eleven other players, including fan favorite Xavier Omon.

On Monday, the Broncos released LS Lonie Paxton and waived 11 others to reach the 75-man roster limit: dbron.co/zu

— Denver Broncos (@Denver_Broncos) August 27, 2012

Of Xavier Omon, John Fox offered,

“Unfortunately, you can’t keep 10 of them(running backs). I like Xavier. He’s a great kid, gave great effort.”

Cut days are always rough. It’s never fun for us fans to watch guys have to go on elsewhere to continue trying to fulfill their NFL dream. We wish them the best of luck!

Here is a full list of today’s roster moves:

Denver Broncos News

• It’s tough for a Denver Broncos fan when you come away from a game that you feel both good and bad about.  Thankfully, the Broncos PR department will always remind us of the good with their highlight videos. [DenverBroncos.com]
• The reason we feel good is because Peyton Manning is back baby! His arm isn’t yet full strength, but he definitely hasn’t lost any of his mental capacity, so though I’m personally excited for this year, I am more excited about 2013. [NFL.com & Denver Post]
• Andrew Mason provides his observations of yesterday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. He is right to call the back-ups second rate… It really was hard to watch. [MaxDenver.com]
• It appears the depth is so weak that John Fox may be looking outside Dove Valley to find the last few spots on the 53 man roster.  Any Broncos player who isn’t a starter yet, has one more chance against the Arizona Cardinals to show the front office something – provided they are still around after today. [Denver Post]
• Peter King appears to have written his MMQB long before the Broncos game yesterday, as the only mention of the game is Ted Ginn Jr.‘s ankle injury early on in the contest. [SI.com]

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

Wide receiver Eric Decker #87 of the Denver Broncos makes a catch for a touchdown as cornerback Tramaine Brock #26 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on during the first quarter of a pre-season game at Sports Authority Field Field at Mile High on August 26, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

A 17-0 head start, courtesy Peyton Manning, wasn’t enough for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos were shut out in the second half for the second week in a row, and a host of San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks made just enough plays for the 49ers to kick five field goals and come back to defeat the Broncos in Week Three preseason action by a score of 29-24.

The Broncos fall to 1-2 in preseason work with the loss, another disappointing outing for the backup defense and offense.

For his part, starting QB Peyton Manning was spectacular. He went 10-for-12 for 122 yards and two touchdowns in less than a quarter of work. Manning’s performance was a relief to Broncos fans — it will be his last warm-up before the season opener two weeks from tonight. The Broncos will travel to Arizona for their preseason finale, but Manning is not expected to play.

Backup quarterback Caleb Hanie was the only other quarterback to engineer a scoring drive, although he did that with the starting offensive line protecting him. Both Brock Osweiler and Adam Weber were left to their pressure-handling devices as backup offensive linemen continuously left them feeling the heat. For his part, Osweiler performed well; Weber didn’t play long enough to evaluate fairly.

Rookie running back Ronnie Hillman made his NFL preseason debut, showing impressive speed on a number of runs (long of 14), but tackles behind the line of scrimmage left him with a 2.9 average on 10 carries.

We’ll have much more on the results of this game in the near future, especially as the Broncos are required to trim their 90-man roster to 75 players by tomorrow afternoon. Who lost a roster spot this afternoon, and how concerned are you about the Broncos’ depth?

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)

This was the Peyton Manning that Denver Broncos fans have been waiting for.

The doubters who found a voice after Peyton Manning struggled in his first two preseason games in a Denver Broncos uniform have been silenced.

Manning was nearly perfect in Week Three against the San Francisco 49ers.

The 36-year-old looked to be in his prime against Jim Harbaugh‘s heralded defense, completing 10 of 12 passes (83%) for 122 yards in under one quarter of work. Two of his passes went for touchdowns to Eric Decker, while another was a beautiful 38-yard sideline bomb to Lance Ball. The Broncos scored on all three drives under Manning, gaining a 17-0 lead on the 49ers.

Manning was a perfect 8-for-8 on his two touchdown drives.

Hope Harbaugh enjoyed his “evaluation” of Manning first-hand at Sports Authority Field at Mile High today. I know I did. Are the cobwebs shaken off Broncos fans, or are you still exercising caution?

Two teams with unexpected playoff berths in 2011 — and high expectations in 2012 — collide today as the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers square off in Week Three of the 2012 preseason!

And (BT 2012 Preview spoiler alert), these two teams are my pick to go to the Super Bowl this year. Enjoy the preview folks.

Where to Watch

No need for live streams, legal or otherwise, today folks. The game is nationally televised, live, on Fox. Kickoff starts at 2:10 p.m. MT.

Live Blog

Join us in the BT GameBlog in one of three ways! 1. Chat here, right below. 2. Hit us up on Twitter by using hashtag #BTGameBlog. Your tweet will automatically integrate with the chat and other fans. 3. Chat on Facebook, using the same window as below by clicking the “GameBlogs” tab on our Facebook page!

In the spirit of Madden 13 ratings and Super Bowl buzz, below is a look at the Denver Broncos celebrating a 27-23 SB XLVII victory over the New Orleans Saints in EA Sports’ 2012 version of Madden.

ESPN The Magazine thinks these two MVP QBs will face off in New Orleans next February. (AP Photo)

The September issue of ESPN The Magazine is now available on newsstands and online.  An NFL Preview edition, the mag features playoff picks and predictions by ESPN contributors—and they apparently think highly of the 2012 Denver Broncos.

Preseason Power Rankings had Denver ranked 14th (with San Diego, Kansas City and Oakland ranked 16th, 17th and 25th respectively).  The mag’s playoff picks had Denver going all the way to the Super Bowl.

In ESPN’s playoff bracket, the Broncos defeat Houston in the Wild Card round before going on to defeat Baltimore in the Divisional round and topping New England in the AFC Championship.  Denver does have one bump in the road, as ESPN projects them losing Super Bowl XLVII to Green Bay in New Orleans.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos News

• Sorry for going AWOL yesterday, but I’ve got a limited amount of time each morning to bust these links out and I had to take a very important phone call that ate up all of that limited time and then some.  We’ll start today’s links with a piece from a few days ago that would have gone into yesterdays post.  Peyton Manning will transform the Denver Broncos offense, but the question is, how long will it take to start gelling? [Denver Post]
• According to the Broncos PR Department, the team is still installing the system.  It vaguely reminds me of last year’s lockout.  That ended with inconsistent defensive play and terrible offensive play, with more than a few incredibly heart-stopping moments along the way!  Hopefully, Manning will make last year a fleeting memory. [DenverBroncos.com]
• David Bruton has stood out this preseason, but pretty much only on special teams.  However, he’s starting to give me a Keith Burns vibe and I like it! [Denver Post]
• The Linebacker position is in flux and it feels like, to me anyway, John Elway and John Fox are trying to figure out if they can live without D.J. Williams post-2012.  I can live without him now, but I’m the kneejerk fan type. Besides, both Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan have looked solid out there so far, while having Keith Brookings and Joe Mays may allow both those youngsters get another year under their belt before breaking into the starting roles. [Denver Post]
• Meanwhile, Peyton Manning has taken Jack Del Rio‘s quarterback son under his wings.  Maybe if Brock Oseweiler doesn’t work out, we could snatch up Luke Del Rio! I kid, I kid.  Everyone knows his father is going to draft him after he gets his next head coaching gig. [CBS Sports]

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