Denver Broncos News

• Denver Broncos fans got their first taste of the Peyton Manning no huddle offense on Saturday night.  It was exciting to see it work well, but its too bad it ended in frustration. Hopefully, we’ll see it all come together at least once before the regular season. [DenverBroncos.com & Denver Post]
• Meanwhile, the Broncos defense has shown its a work in progress.  Though it could just be a weakness against the zone blocking scheme, even good defenses can sometimes bite the big one against that type of offense. [Yahoo! Sports]
• The one shining star from the game against the Seattle Seahawks was David Bruton.  His performance on special teams may have just secured him a spot on the roster and I’m not just thinking about the two blocked kicks, he was in on almost every special team play I can think of. [First & Orange Blog]
• With it being Monday and all, we can also take a trip around the league with Peter King.  He gets a lot of hate, but I actually like his column. [SI.com]
• Apparently, Tebow fans are not Jets fans either.  As I read that, I had to chuckle to myself and say, “where have we heard that before?”  I loved Tim Tebow last year, but the hype and insanity that surrounds him is something I definitely do not miss. [Shutdown Corner]

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

Denver Broncos News

• We all thought Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos were rough in that first half, but Brock Osweiler and the Broncos defense made that feeling significantly worse.  There were some highlights though, so that’s always fun after a painful loss. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Manning also took his first big hit last night, so at least we got that out of the way.  The good news is, as up and down as Manning was, he led the Broncos to a 10-9 lead at halftime.  He may not always be perfect, but the big thing is, he doesn’t have to always be perfect. [NY Daily News]
• Defensively, the Broncos were a mixed bag last night.  Us fans also got a taste of what the rest of the league had to deal with back in the days when the Broncos were the best zone blocking team in the league. Those lanes were annoying! [MaxDenver.com]
• The part of last night that angers me the most is the fact the game took place in Mile High.  For the love of all that is good, why can’t this team win at home anymore?  But hey, at least Peyton Manning is still good, right? [Denver Post]

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

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) shakes hands with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) following an NFL football preseason game, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012, in Denver. Seattle beat Denver 30-10. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

The best quarterback of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks‘ Week Two preseason game wasn’t Peyton Manning.

It was Seattle rookie Russell Wilson.

Wilson continued to claim his stake on the Seahawks’ starting quarterback position, outplaying Matt Flynn (and Manning, and Broncos rookie Brock Osweiler) while routing Broncos backups in the second half to turn a 9-10 halftime deficit to a 30-10 Seahawks victory. Wilson finished 10 of 17 for 155 yards and two touchdowns while playing the entire second half in his second NFL preseason game.

By comparison, Manning also played an entire half (the first half), completing 16 of 23 passes for 177 yards. His home preseason debut was tarnished by several dropped passes, but even more tarnished by two interceptions thrown. The first, a deflection at the line of scrimmage by Seahawks DE Red Bryant, ended the Broncos’ opening drive deep in Seahawks territory. The second interception was the worst ball Manning has ever thrown in a Broncos uniform — an overthrown duck intended for Joel Dreessen, raising questions about Manning’s arm strength and ability to accurately throw the deep ball.

Manning did his best to silence those questions with an impressive two minute drill to end the first half, but it was still an up-and-down performance that merits further close observation.

The Broncos only played one other quarterback — rookie Brock Osweiler for the entire second half — and he struggled, especially when compared to the impressive Wilson. Osweiler and the second team offense did not convert a first down until the fourth quarter; they did not score against Seahawks backups, and Osweiler went 5 for 11 for 38 yards.

Head Coach John Fox could only relent in a postgame interview, several times, that the Broncos “have a lot of work to do” after their depth was exposed in the second half.

We’ll have much more on this game ahead, but in the meantime — what were your thoughts on the Broncos’ Week Two Preseason outing? Are you worried about Manning? The depth? Where do the Broncos go from here to improve before the season opener, less than a month away ?

On Friday, EA Sports revealed ratings of wide receivers and tight ends for Madden NFL 13. Denver’s Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker received considerable rating jumps from the 2011 version of the game.

Among receivers, Thomas was ranked 62nd, with an overall rating of 81 (+8 from last year).  Thomas’ speed (96), acceleration (92) and catching (85) are all rated relatively high, while his awareness (70) and strength (77) did not fair as well.

Decker is ranked 87th, with an overall rating of 78 (+9).  Decker’s rating is a large jump from 2011, when he was rated 69 overall going into his second season. Eric’s speed (88), acceleration (86), awareness (78) and catching (78) all topped 75, while his strength (68) was feeble.

Related:  Madden ranks Willis McGahee as 19th-best RB

Ratings for the rest of Denver’s tight ends and wide receivers after the jump.

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Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is expected to play into the second quarter during Saturday's Week Two preseason game. (BroncoTalk.net photo)

BRONCOS VS. SEAHAWKS TV SCHEDULE

The Denver Broncos enjoy their 2012 preseason home opener Saturday as they host the Seattle Seahawks in Week Two preseason action. Kickoff at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver is set for 7:00 p.m. MT.

The NFL does not offer live television coverage outside of local markets for most preseason games, and DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket Package does not kick in until the regular season. So, here’s how, where, and when to watch or listen to Saturday’s preseason home opener.

• IN DENVER (or surrounding areas)
• IN SEATTLE (or surrounding areas)
• NON-LOCAL (during the game)*
• AFTER THE GAME

*Locals can use this option too.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos News

• Fellow BroncoTalk writer extraordinaire, Jon Heath, add some insight to what the Denver Broncos might have in store for both Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan.  It could be to finally rid the distractions that D.J. Williams has been bringing the team in recent years. [BroncoTalk]
• Officially, its the End of Camp, but really its probably just beginning for John Fox.  It’s been a long while since the Broncos have been giving out blowout wins, so I’m excited to enjoy an entire game where Peyton Manning gets a lead, keeps a lead and extends a lead.  As exciting as it was to nearly have a heart attack every week, it is much nicer to watch blowouts.  Just ask the 1998 Broncos. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Andrew Mason offers his post-camp stock watch.  While I agree with guys like Rahim Moore, Nate Irving and Xavier Omon having their stocks rise, I’m not sure I get the Robert Ayers hate.  Sure he got a demotion when Derek Wolfe got the first team reps at defensive end, but I felt he was still 53-man roster good in the first preseason game.  It will be interesting to see how that plays out. [MaxDenver.com]
• Manning aims to play three offensive series tonight, so it should be a fun and informative watch for all of us Broncomaniacs.  It’s good that the Seattle Seahawks are basically is a farm club run by a college coach, so hopefully it will be another display of domination from start to finish. Preseason or not, I still hate the Seachickens! [SI.com]
• I put together Daily Links last night, because I knew I would be sleeping in. The Denver Post waited until 15 minutes after I went to bed to post their stuff – they need to give my sleep schedule a little more consideration next time – but I digress.  In any case, we’re going to see Peyton Manning play a lot more today and if you were wondering, we might even see Ronnie Hillman and Tracy Porter get some snaps as well.  [Denver Post]

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

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

In the wake of D.J. Williams‘ looming suspension(s), the Denver Broncos must plug-in several players to fill the void at linebacker.  In addition to special teams ace Wesley Woodyard, the Broncos will be giving increased workloads to a pair of young linebackers.

Youngsters Nate Irving (drafted 67th overall last year) and Danny Trevathan (drafted 188th overall in April) have been highly praised by their coaches and teammates, and Matt Russell, the team’s Director of Player Personnel (and unofficial G.M.) spoke especially highly of Trevathan earlier in the week.  Both players measure up at 6-1, with Irving weighing eight pounds heavier at 240.

“Danny was an interesting story,” Russell told CBS4‘s Vic Lombardi, “he had a little bit of a hamstring (injury) when he ran his forty and he didn’t run a great time due to the injury and that caused him to slide on some team’s draft boards.  We thought he was an excellent football player so when he was sitting their in the sixth round we felt very fortunate to get him.”

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Denver Broncos News

• One writer puts together a seething fake letter from John Elway to Denver Broncos fans regarding Tim Tebow.  Much of it rings true, but the fading Tebowmaniac in me would have responded with, “Yeah, but he wins.  He took a team that lost 20+ games in two seasons and went deep into the playoffs.”  2011 is a season I’ll cherish forever. [New York Times]
• Peyton Manning and Keith Brooking all broke into the league in that magical year of 1998. Ronnie Hillman? He was 7.  It’s been a long time Broncos fans… [Denver Post]
• Preseason games mean nothing, we all know that.  The Detroit Lions went 4-0 then 0-16 one time, the St. Louis Rams went 4-0 then 2-14 another.  I wish someone would tell me how many teams make the playoffs who go 3-1 or 4-0 in the preseason. [Denver Post]
• It looks like Brock Osweiler is apparently going to get mentored by Manning after all.  He’ll have no excuses once he gets his shot to lead this franchise to greatness.  Fans like me can’t wait to be judgmental. [Denver Post]
• More training camp updates from Andrew Mason.  If you can’t be there in person, then this is definitely the next best thing! [MaxDenver.com]
• Oh and rookie hazings continue, this time with some good old fashioned property damage and hooliganism.  I preferred the dorky haircuts myself. [Yahoo! Sports]

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

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

We got our first look—albeit brief—at Peyton Manning in orange (white) and blue last week when the veteran quarterback played one series in Denver’s preseason opener against Chicago.  On Saturday, we’ll get a larger sampling size to dissect.

Coach John Fox noted earlier in the week that the starters will play into the second quarter against the Seahawks, with the second-team playing most of the second half.

“Our starters will play into the second quarter,” Fox said on Wednesday.  “The seconds will take most of the second half with the thirds getting in late in the fourth quarter.”

Fox also confirmed that Manning will be starting (yes, somebody really asked him if Peyton was going to start).

In his preseason debut, Manning showed both promise and signs of rustiness going 4-of-7 for 44 yards through the air. Click here to read the rest of this entry »