Preseason Game 4: Cardinals Vs Broncos Preview

The end of preseason is finally here. Problem is we still have to go through cuts to get to the final roster. Which could mean that the Broncos may let go of a fan favourite. But what ever happens the Broncos will continue to move forward to the start of the regular season and the important games. This weeks' game is against the Cardinals and would be the Broncos second road game, having lost the first to Dallas. It would be good to see the Broncos get the win and keep that momentum for road games rolling. The Broncos play, like most other teams on Thursday night, with cut day soon after. It is expected that the starters will not play in this game with the backups getting all the reps. This will be the last chance for these players to impress and hopefully get a roster spot.

Let's get into it and start looking at this game and a free story lines. Early in the week the Broncos had to cut a few players to get the roster down to 80 as per league rules. The cuts are as follows:

Cornerback Nate Jones, released
LB Braxton Kelley, waived
LB Deron Mayo, waived
RB C.J. Gable, waived
OL Shawn Murphy, waived
OLCurt Porter, waived
DE David Veikune, waived

*Note: The difference between waived and released is waived players have less than 4 years of service and released players have more than 4 years.

All this guys had really done nothing so far this preseason. Kelly played well against Dallas but since disappeared. Veikune was at a full position but has struggled a lot since being a second round pick. There was one guy on this list that had done a lot, all of it bad, so long Nate "Burnt" Jones.

A few small nagging injuries occurred over the last view days. Head coach John Fox said defensive end Elvis Dumervil​ felt a twinge in his groin muscle early in Tuesday's practice, and safety Brian Dawkins was pulled out the practice after getting his neck twisted under a pile of linemen.Other starters held out of practice Tuesday include linebacker D.J. Williams (elbow), defensive tackles Kevin Vickerson (ankle) and Broderick Bunkley (knee) and right guard Chris Kuper (toe).

There is a chance defensive tackle Marcus Thomas will be able to return for the season opener after missing the final three weeks of the preseason with a pectoral injury.

Defensive tackle Ty Warren was back at Dove Valley watching his first practice since undergoing surgery to repair a torn triceps tendon a week ago. The team is hopeful Warren will be able to return late in the season.

The Game:

There are a few aspects to this game that will be interesting to see. Most still flow on from last week because the battles have been hard fought and close. Anyway these are a few things to watch.

At QB I wonder if Quinn will even play? Tebow is expected to get a half worth of work in. Whether Quinn say plays the first is unknown. But Tebow will see a lot of time and Weber will get a go towards the end of the game. Weber may get an half but I think he will only see a quarter late in the game.

There is an interesting battle going on for that 3rd and 4th RB spot. Lance Ball, Brandon Minor and Jeremiah Johnson are fighting for those two positions. Whoever gets that 4th spot also has to play well enough to hold onto it or be cut for a waiver wire player. I am hoping Johnson steps it up.

Most of the positions are set at WR. But that 4th and 5th position may be up there for grabs. Ninja Willis and David Anderson have those position now but a strong game by Britt Davis may cause a reordering of this and one will be let go. All 3 need a big game.

TE is a different story. Besides Fells and Thomas the other position or two are available (it is unknown if Fox will keep 3 or 4 TEs). Gronk, Green and Rosario are fighting over I believe the last two spots. Personally I would like to see Green and Gronk get it. I like Gronk and he continues to improve. Big games from these guys will mean roster spots.

Larsen has the FB spot locked down. But since he is a starter I doubt he plays much so we will get a long look at Austin Sylvester. I wonder what he has got.

Should the backup OL even show up? Oslen I think stays, the rest are gone.

On the defensive side of the ball we will get to see all the guys that are buried deep at DT. We should see a lot of Unrein, Brown and Pressley. At DE it is make or break for Havery, Hunter and Beal. Havery is currently in the lead and Hunter has been doing well. I am hoping to see something out of Beal though.

For the backers who is going to play Weak? Is Wes going to play the whole game. I think Mohamed will play some there. Speaking of Mohamed he needs to step it up to beat out Haggan and maybe Lee Robinson for the last LB spot. Also Irving should play most of the game, I want to see Irving destroying people!

The CBs still have some competition going on. Squid, Cox, Harris and Bing are still fighting it out for spots. Harris has impressed in camp and is making a push for a position. Squid I think is a lock and Cox may be cut? This game will sort out this problem. Expect a Squid intercept.

The Safeties are in the same position as the corners. With too many good players and not enough positions. It could come down to them deciding on a TE or another Safety. Kyle McCarthy seems to have a position locked up. So that leaves maybe two for Quinton Carter, Darcel McBath and David Bruton. Will Fox keep 4 or 5 safeties? Carter I think stays because of his draft position and that he has played pretty good. Bruton has been ok but he is also the top Gunner on the team so his position looks good. Leaving McBath who is very talented and a solid STer. The question becomes keep 5 safeties and say lose a TE or go 4,4? This will probably be the toughest cut to make. Who plays the best in this game will make the roster.

Kicker, Punter and Long Snapper are sorted but I will be sad to lose Steven Hauschka. Another team will pick him up though and I wish him luck.

That is all I got, did I miss anything? ~ Aussie.

My take on the Seahawk game.

Started with early pressure on Tavarius Jackson by Elvon Dumiller(Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller). The defense in general played great. I think they really gave a show of how they can get constant pressure all year and create turnovers by the other team. I am very excited for the D this year. Man we missed Doom last year. He was everywhere. Miller is explosive. Speed is truely his friend. He is quicker to the QB than anyone we've ever had. The word is Fox has nicknamed the D, "Nascar", because of the need for speed. Miller provides a majority of this speed. DJ separated his elbow and will be out for 3-4 weeks. Woodyard stepped in fine though. Bunkley went down when he got chopped at the knees. He should be OK. We got beat with a couple of screen passes again. Champ and Goodman look great. Thompson and Vaughn look decent. Nate Jones got burnt again. Ayers had a good play and celebrated like Nate Webster. Cox not near what he was last year. Maybe 'cause he has other things on his mind. Mays played great. Quite a few good licks. Second string was kinda weak.

Offense. Most would say Orton played well. His stats were good. Same old story to me though. Boring. Got sacked. Threw it away. Never can run with the ball. Most also will say Tebow stunk. I thought he did well. As you can tell, I'm biased so enough on that. Moreno looks good. He's in better shape this year. Shouldn't be a full time RB though. No way does he stay healthy with a big workload. McGahee is a good compliment for him. Behind those two we are not very good. WRs are good. Lloyd is a star. Royal and Decker had good games as well. Anderson was a good pickup. Julius Thomas was leading receiver from TE spot.

This should be the last major playing time we see for the first string players. When the real season starts we will be able to be competitive with anyone as long as we can stay fairly healthy and have some breaks here and there. However, if Doom, Miller, Champ, Goodman or any more than one of the OL end up out for the year we may end up in the top of the draft again next year. Go Broncos.

Preseason Game 3: Broncos Vs Seahawks Preview

The Broncos are at home again this week to face the improving Seahawks. The Seahawks have many new faces, mainly at QB but have picked up some nice players. Zach Miller is one and he has terrorised the Broncos for years.

In this weeks game the starters will play into the second half. It is not known whether they will play all of the third quarter or a series or two. There is also an interesting side note to the QB starters. Orton had to leave practice early today to attend to a personal issue. It is known his wife is heavily pregnant with the couples first child. The question I have is if she is expecting would Orton miss a preseason game to be with his wife at the birth? I would think so. Either way there will be a questions about who is the second QB in. If Orton does play I expect Tebow to come in and play the rest of the game, to get his reps up like Fox has said. If Orton doesn't play I would not be surprised to see Tebow start and Quinn take over in the second half. How about that for a headline "Tebow from 3rd to 1st String". Stupid media...

The Game:

Moving on, since we have already covered the QBs lets take a look at the other aspects of the game. With the starters playing a lot more time I hope to see Moreno or McGahee get over 100 yards rushing, now that would be good.

At the WR position keep an eye on my boy Ninja Willis and the battle for the 4th spot with Britt Davis. Big games from either of these guys could mean a roster spot.

For the TEs it is still a battle for everyone. Hopefully a few will start to really stand out. Look for Thomas to get a few catches and pray he makes a block.

The OL is solid but watch Beadles, he is the weak link in the line so far. If the line gets a good push we should be alright for this game.

On the defensive side of the ball keep an eye on Ayers. He will get a lot of snaps and hopefully be able to get sack this week, which would be huge for his confidence. We all know Von Doom are going to be awesome. Also play attention to the run defense up the middle, it has struggled a little so far this year.

For the LBs the guy to watch for me would be Irving. He may or may not play depending on if he plays with the second team. But I am still waiting for him to show up. Otherwise Mays is the guy we need to see continue to improve.

In the secondary unfortunately for my boy Squid he has a guy named Champ Bailey playing in his nickel position so I ain't expecting to see much of him, though Squid is an intercepting machine! Pay attention to Vaughn when Champ goes to the slot. He is going to need to be able to cover the no 1 well for this D to succeed. For the safeties hopefully Rahim continues to lay people out! Otherwise I have started to hear good stuff from Training on McBath. He may see some time late.

Well that is my points of interest for the game. Everybody enjoy ~ Aussie.

Broncos Report - Injury news, Surgery and more

Hi all, it has been a slow week in Broncos news due to the end of Training Camp last week. But I have a few story's and information to share with you as we get primed for Saturday's game.

Broncos waived/injured TE Richard Quinn. Quinn tore his MCL in practice earlier in the month. His removal from the roster should still give rookie Julius Thomas a better shot to secure a big role early. Quinn cleared waivers and has been placed on IR.

Broncos defensive tackle Ty Warren underwent surgery today to repair a partially torn triceps tendon. Coach John Fox said that the best-case scenario is that Warren could rejoin the team in three to four months. It is likely that Warren ends up on IR.

Broncos S David Bruton has been diagnosed with a concussion. That's actually good news after Bruton had to leave the stadium in an ambulance on Saturday evening. A reserve, Bruton appeared in all 16 games for the Broncos last season, notching 26 tackles. His roster spot is likely secure.

Guard Stanley Daniels returned to practice Tuesday. It was his first practice since he suffered a sprained ankle in the first preseason game. Other than Warren and Marcus Thomas, four players were held out of practice: safety David Bruton (concussion), linebacker Mario Haggan (shoulder) and wide receivers Jamel Hamler (back spasms) and Demaryius Thomas (Achilles). Demaryius Thomas did some agility and high stepping drills as apart of his rehab on an adjacent practice field today at Training.

Today while the special teams units worked on kickoff coverage at the end of practice, strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten supervised 40-yard wind sprints. And yes, Tebow still won his heat, though it was a close race with 2011 first-rounder Von Miller. This is the first time they have been run under Fox after they were done everyday last year under McD.

On their day off Rookie right tackle Orlando Franklin had some serious business to take care of. Franklin, who is a Canadian citizen, had to fly to Calgary on Sunday, fill out paperwork and re-enter the United States with a new work visa. Franklin left Denver Sunday morning, was able to have a short visit with his brother in Calgary, and then hop on a return flight. He was back in Denver in time for dinner, and back on the practice field at Dove Valley Monday morning.

The Broncos confirmed that Willis McGahee will be used as their goal-line back. Out of McGahee's nine preseason touches, two have gone for touchdowns. He received back-to-back goal-line carries in the second preseason game, converting on his second try. "The good run teams ... have to have those guys who can convert opportunities into touchdowns," running backs coach Eric Studesville said, referring to McGahee.

Tim Tebow News:

This story broke recently and has had some significant air time. Since Tebow's 'demotion' to 3rd string media people have started suggestions that he should be traded or cut. First I didn't really see Tebow get demoted. I believe Fox had said that Quinn had been performing in camp and both players had been sharing 2nd team reps. They wanted to have a look at Quinn and see what he could provide so they gave him the start over Tebow versus the Bills. This week against the 'Hawks' I expect to see Tebow get the start over Quinn as it would be his turn. I believe they are still sharing the 2nd team reps and I haven't heard differently to suggest that they are no longer sharing the reps.

Secondly I always go back to what I have said before: Good teams don't cut young talented players, they are developed. Tebow is in his 2nd year and has a long way to go, the Broncos have to give him the chance to develop. Hire a QB coach like the one Quinn had in the offseason and have Tebow work with him. Develop Tebow to starting quality.

Though I am starting to worry that it may take longer than the Broncos like. Take Orton, Quinn and Lloyd for example. All three are now coming on strong, but Orton and Quinn are both with their second team and Lloyd is with his 3rd, 4th? So one day Tebow may be a great QB, it sadly just may not be with the Broncos. But I doubt we give up on him so soon. I give him at least two more years with the chance to start in his fourth year.

Then there was this story: 'Some members' of the Broncos organization tell Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports that Tim Tebow is the fourth-best QB in training camp. "If everything was totally equal, and this were a competition based only on performance at this camp, Tebow would probably be the fourth-string guy," one source said. "Kyle [Orton] is far and away the best, and Tebow's way behind [Brady] Quinn, too. And I'm telling you, Adam Weber is flat-out better right now." Added another Broncos exec, "Forget about how [Tebow] delivers the ball, or how accurate it is. First he has to know where to go with it." Team officials are now relieved that the Dolphins opted against meeting Denver's third-round asking price on Orton. Tebow was always expected to be a developmental project, but this year's camp has been a blow to his long-term outlook.

So what do I make of this? I doubt it, goes against everything else EFX have been saying. They may be some people at the Broncos that think like this but EFX has always said that Tebow would need time and they seemed willingly to give it to him. I do like Weber but if he was so good he would have had some more reps in preseason games. He will be a practice squad player this year.

Then there was this: One Broncos source tells the Boston Globe that it's "totally unfair" for members of the organization to throw Tim Tebow under the bus as several did in a Yahoo! Sports report Tuesday. "Somebody has it out for him," said the source. Tebow has been an extremely hard worker by all accounts, and the source confirms he's done no complaining at all behind the scenes that would cause an official to trash his progress as well as any trade value he might have. Tebow has obviously been caught in the regime change.

I happen to agree, 50% of the population want to see Tebow succeed and do well. The other 50% want to see him crash and burn. That is human nature, it sucks, but it explains that at least one person in Dove Valley doesn't like Tebow but I highly doubt it is one of the big three, EFX.

In conclusion Tebow will ride the pine this year and hopefully develop. Orton will be starter and don't be surprised to see Quinn traded before the season starts. Anyway we have a good outlook for the season and the future of the team.

After that here is some light hearted fun, check out this flowchart that helps fans pick a team to support.

That is it for the news, I will have up a game preview soon for this coming week. ~ Aussie.

Broncos Vs Bill - Post Game Review

Hey everyone, I enjoyed the game, managed to catch most of it. Here are the notes that I took down from the game and the things I saw.

Beadles got dominated by Kyle Williams a few times.

There were a lot of screen plays with the first team offense.

By the way Lloyd is awesome.

Moreno is good and made a lot of good runs.

Orton was solid, made a number of good passes.

McGahee was a great buy, solid runner.

Blitzing looks good, Love DJ on the weakside.

Was great to see Miller trying to jump the snap, that shows confidence.

Did I mention I am loving our new Defense.

Doom and Miller are so fast off the edge, Miller especially.

Doom looks good against the run, shows he has improved in that area.

Moore is lighting people up! was a penalty but awesome. Here it is for review, click here. I thought it looked OK, he lead with the shoulder, Jones smacked his head hard on the ground, that is where I think the injury occurred. Moore I think was ejected. If Jones hadn't gotten hurt I think Moore gets a pass and play results in only a penalty.

DJ Williams made an intercept, was nice, did I say I love him at WLB?

Quinn did come in as the number 2 quarterback. Quinn did get to run a few players with the first team offensive players. Quinn's intercept wasn't entirely his fault but it was a bad ball. Most of Quinn's passes where out of reach, behind the player or in a difficult positions to catch. The last two passes Quinn did throw were perfect. The one to Decker was a great ball and then there was the touchdown pass to Davis, both very nice passes.

Don't believe what people say, Spencer Larsen can block. I saw him lay out more than his fair share of LBs.

Bunkley looked really good, I like him a lot.

Didn't see much from Irving today but he didn't play to much, had one good tackle.

Squid looked really good. I liked his play a lot.

What is this talk about us being a running team? All lies, how many passing yards did we have?

Cox = Fail haha, he had a few good returns but he struggled in coverage. Had that one good bat down at the end of the game.

The question I want to know is was Tebow set up to fail? Or what is the plan for him. I am unsure what our vision for Tebow is now. Though he should get lots of game time next week as the starters take a rest.

And we did see a bit of Weber late in the game.

What about kickoffs, so borrriinnngg! Not a single return all game. How long will it be before kickoffs are removed all together.

That is all I got from the game, did you guys see anything else or have a different opinion? hit us up in the comments. ~ Aussie.

Preseason Game 2: Broncos Vs Bill Preview

The Broncos take on the Bills this Saturday in the newly named Sports Authority Field at Mile High or SAFaMH. This will be the Broncos first home game of the year and hopefully I will be able to see this one! So let's get started and take a look at the news and the upcoming game.

First updating a previous item Broncos DT Ty Warren will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair his partially torn right triceps. So much for the hope that Warren could avoid surgery and play in 4-6 weeks. Now that he's going under the knife, Warren is expected to miss 3-6 months. It looks like we will have little choice but to place him on injured reserve, ending his season. They may try PUP but this is an injury that takes time.

In other injury news, Offensive linemen Ryan Clady and Orlando Franklin both practiced this morning after getting a little banged up yesterday. Syd’Quan Thompson was also back on the practice field. Hope to see Squid get some intercepts in Saturdays game.

Brandon Lloyd and Brian Dawkins did not participate — a team decision, Head Coach John Fox said — and watched from the sideline. Marcus Thomas (pectoral), Demaryius Thomas (Achilles), Richard Quinn (knee sprain), Stanley Daniels (ankle sprain) and Ronnell Brown (ankle sprain) also sat out practice.

The Game:

Now I am unsure how the game will be structured with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams. I believe the 1st team will see a bit more time in this game. May play the whole first quarter and a little bit in the second. I expect the 2nd team, with Tebow and Quinn sharing a bit in the second and third quarters. The 3rd team will play in the fourth with probably Quinn at QB and we may see some Weber late.

As always pay close addition to the QBs. See if there has been any improvement in their play. Watch Quinn closely and see if he throws bad balls, as in behind the receiver or too high, hospital balls. I have been hearing that Quinn has been doing well but he hasn't made it easy for his receivers. See if Tebow plays better than last week and continues to improve, he really wants a TD, plus get the guns out! Also hope/pray Orton can get the ball in the endzone.

Watch the new guys or the guys that missed last weeks game. As mentioned above I want to see Squid get a pick or two. But who I am really interested in is MLB Nate Irving. I want to see him run around and what he brings to the team.

Dareus is coming to Denver too, hopeful Von Miller shows Dareus why we past on him in the draft.

The team needs to show the basics, run the ball, stop the run and create a pass rush. These are things I like too see. Plus limit the penalties!

Other than that just got to pay addition to all the battles across the team. Who performs at RB, Safety, WR, etc.

As before we will review the game and the top performers. Hopefully I can give a better opinion after I see this game. ~ Aussie.