(Image courtesy of Kelly Lambert/Athens Banner-Herald)

On Tuesday, former Florida Gators running back/wide receiver/returner Jeff Demps caused a stir when he announced that he had filed paperwork with the NFL in hopes of pursuing a career in football.  Demps was undrafted in April due in part to the fact that he told teams he planned to pursue track fulltime.

After winning a silver medal at the 2012 London Games as part of the USA men’s 4×100 relay team, Demps apparently changed his mind and is now pursuing a career in the NFL.  According to one ESPN report, at least seven teams have shown interest in the 5-foot-7-inch tall, 175 pound return specialist.

It is unknown if the Broncos are one of the seven teams that have pursued Demps, but it appears unlikely that they have.  While the Broncos are in need of a returner, the team already has stiff competition at the RB and WR positions and may not be willing to add another player to the mix, which would force the team to make room on the roster by cutting a player they may want to see more of in the preseason (e.g. Xavier Omon or Jason Hill).   Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos News

• In case you missed it, D.J. Williams is wearing out whatever fan goodwill he had with yet more legal troubles.  According to his lawyer, any cop who makes an arrest of a drunken D.J. Williams is a racist.  You can’t make this crap up. [BroncoTalk & CBS Sports]
• With injuries on the offensive and defensive lines to Chris Kuper and Jason Hunter, the Denver Broncos are looking for the “next men up“. I looks like Manny Ramirez and Derek Wolf might fit the bill. [DenverBroncos.com]
• If you ask Peyton Manning, he ain’t done yet.  All of the great statistics of this future Hall of Famer are examined here, but when its all said and done Manning might just add another ring or two to his collection by the time he enters Canton. [Denver Post]
• It’s always nice to read a piece on some of the unsung heroes of camp that may or may not make the roster.  Jason Hill is one of those guys, but with the talented crowd at wide receiver its going to be a tough road to Sunday for this player. [Denver Post]
• Pat Kirwan asks some pretty pedestrian questions about the Denver Broncos. [CBS Sports]
• If you haven’t heard, Marcus Thomas may not play for practice squad money after all.  He may join former Broncos defensive tackle, Carlton Powell, on the New York Giants roster. [NJ News]

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

(Image courtesy of Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)

On Wednesday, Pittsburgh Steelers‘ star outside linebacker James Harrison underwent arthroscopic surgery on his ailing left knee.  Though the operation went well, it is uncertain whether or not Harrison will be recovered in time for the team’s season opener on September 9th in Denver.

The game will be a rematch of sorts after the Broncos upset the Steelers 29-23 in a dramatic overtime Wild Card Playoff victory earlier in the year.  In their previous meeting, Harrison (6-0, 242 lbs.) recorded two tackles.

Steelers’ Coach Mike Tomlin called the procedure “minor,” but would not give a timetable for the player’s return.

“It shouldn’t be long,” Tomlin said. “We’ll see when we get him back out here and start the process of working him back.”

Harrison sat out of Pittsburgh’s preseason opener against Philadelphia and has been on the team’s physically unable to perform list for the past two weeks while dealing with an inflamed knee.  Including the playoffs, the Steelers own a 1-2 record against the Broncos in games Harrison has started.

With just three weeks to recover from his surgery, Harrison seems unlikely at this point to play against Denver.  If he does suit up, it would be hard to imagine him being 100% healthy.  And that would be a blessing to the Broncos’ offensive debut.

This is the windshield that was victimized by Prater on Wednesday. (Image courtesy of Arran Andersen/KMGH-TV)

When you combine kicker Matt Prater‘s powerful leg and the fact that Broncos‘ employees park their cars at the south end of Denver’s practice facility—behind the field goal uprights—windshield causalities are bound to happen.

That’s exactly what happened during practice on Wednesday afternoon when one of Prater’s kicks broke the windshield of an unsuspecting SUV in the employee’s parking lot.  The owner of the vehicle is unknown.

After practice, Prater, who converted 19-of-25 field goal attempts last season with a long of 59 yards, told the Denver Post‘s Lindsay Jones that it was the fifth windshield he’s ever broken with a football.  Prater does not have to pay for the windshields be breaks (Jones noted that Matt broke Mike Klis’ in 2008 and it was covered by insurance).

“It’s insurance, it’s not my fault,” Prater said, laughing when asked if he’d he responsible for the repairs. “I guess don’t park anywhere near the uprights.”

If Prater’s powerful leg helps kick the Broncos into the postseason again in 2012, Denver couldn’t care less how many windshields he breaks during practice. Prater should now turn his attention from glass and focus on breaking a kicking record—by booting a 63+ yard field goal during the regular season.

(BroncoTalk.net)

Sixteen minus ten equals six, for those of you counting at home.  And that’s how many games Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams may be allowed to participate in this season.

In addition to his six-game performance-enhancing drug suspension, Williams may also be smacked with another two-to-four week suspension after being found guilty of driving while ability impaired and driving without his headlights back in December of 2010 (his trial was delayed several times by his lawyer, Harvey Steinberg).

Per the Denver Post, Williams will likely face a minimum fine equaling two games worth of pay and at maximum, a four-game suspension.  The latter would obviously knock off a large chunk of Williams’ 2012 playing season.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

(BroncoTalk.net)

Offensive guard Chris Kuper was not the only Bronco that went down with an injury during practice yesterday; defensive end Jason Hunter also suffered a torn right triceps.  According to the Denver Post‘s Mike Klis, Hunter will likely miss the entire season due to the injury.

Barring a medical miracle, Jason Hunter is not likely to play in 2012.  The Broncos’ starting defensive end suffered a torn right triceps during an early training camp drill Tuesday.

Hunter (6-4, 271 lbs.) is a seventh-year pro who had jumped fellow defensive end Robert Ayers (6-3, 274 lbs.) for a starting position during training camp.  Hunter, a “LDE” on Denver’s depth chart, is backed-up by rookie defensive lineman Derek Wolfe (6-5, 300 lbs.).

During Wednesday’s practice, Elvis Dumervil (5-11, 260 lbs.) started at RDE with Ayers behind him and Wolfe starting on the other side of the D-line.  A similar first-team rotation is expected for Saturday’s preseason Week 2 match against Seattle later in the week.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos News

• For all you visual types out there, we’ll start with the almost daily video production from the Denver Broncos PR Department. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Xavier Omon has been the talk of the town since the first preseason game, hopefully he continues to impress since I love being proven right even if its 4 years later. [Denver Post & MHR]
• Jeff Legwold happens to be one of my favorite Denver Post writers as he offers less hyperbole and more information. Two of his most recent articles delve into the two-back offense with Peyton Manning at the helm and also goes into how the defense is going to benefit from the Broncos new style of offense.  [Denver Post]
• Andrew Mason is also talking about Xavier Omon and how its the 53-man roster or bust for him.  It will be interesting to see which running back gets lost in the shuffle on cut day. [MaxDenver.com]
• I am a huge fan of Broncomania being exported to other countries and the owner of this blog works his tail off to make Brasil bleed orange and blue as much as the Rockies do.  [Broncos Brasil]
• For all you Peter King haters, he does offer some interesting tidbits about the referee situation that was informative. [SI.com]

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

The Broncos‘ offensive line took a tough blow on Tuesday, when veteran guard Chris Kuper suffered a left forearm fracture during practice.  Per the team, Kuper will miss up to six weeks due to the injury.

Right guard Chris Kuper suffered a left forearm fracture during this morning’s practice. He is expected to fully recover within 4-6 weeks.

— Denver Broncos (@Denver_Broncos) August 14, 2012

Denver now has to make some decisions regarding the offensive line.  Will Manny Ramirez replace Kuper?  Will tackle Orlando Franklin be moved inside?  Are Ryan Harris, Zane Beadles and Chris Clark reliable options if Franklin does move inside?  Those decisions could decide how well quarterback Peyton Manning is protected this season.

This is a tough blow not only to the Broncos, but more so to Kuper, who was already recovering from an ankle injury that he suffered late last season. Everyone on the BT staff sends get well thoughts Chris’ way.

Denver Broncos News

• If you’re like me, then you enjoy these short Denver Broncos videos put out by the PR Department.  I always try to pimp them when I can. [DenverBroncos.com]
• The Denver Post also had some good reads this morning.  First, there is a solid report on the Broncos rookie class from Jeff Legwold, as well as, his thoughts about a strong defensive backfield that will be difficult for the Broncos coaching staff to cut down when the time comes.  To round things out, Lindsay Jones had some interesting thoughts about the tight ends getting more inclusion in the playbook this year. [Denver Post]
• The one guy with media credentials I trust the most to give me the low down at Training Camp is Andrew Mason.  Here’s what he had to say about Day 14. [MaxDenver.com]
• As a California native, I never pass on the chance to bash the San Francisco 49ers and especially when it comes to their love of players who allegedly drugged and raped a woman.  Parrish Cox seems to be well on his way to making their roster. [San Jose Mercury News]

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

Denver Broncos News

• Rahim Moore is looking for a breakout year and is offering no more excuses.  I still like his style of play and it would be huge for the Denver Broncos if he is able to start putting it all together. [DenverBroncos.com]
• It’s not just Moore looking to have a breakout year, the sentiment is felt by the entire 2011 Draft Class.  Minus Von Miller and Orlando Franklin, of course.  Nate Irving, Jeremy Beal and even Quinton Carter are looking to improve on their rookie performances. [Denver Post]
• Keith Brooking is officially a Broncos having started practicing late last week.  Here’s to hoping the signing is reminiscent of the Bill Romanowski signing way back when.  We all would love to see some Super Bowls in our very near future. [Max Denver]
• There is a certain running back we all miss who is turning heads for the Kansas City Chiefs.  I really hope Peyton Hillis doesn’t burn us this year. [Denver Post]
• Then, of course, there is Peter King and his weekly Monday morning rant.  He did mention Peyton Manning, but it sounded like he didn’t actually watch the game. [SI.com]