Denver Broncos’ first pitch to Peyton Manning a home run - Big ideas start small. They bubble — percolate, really — and begin to grow if there is enough energy and boldness to them. By most accounts, the Broncos’ big idea — getting a Hall of Fame-worthy quarterback not named John Elway posing for pictures, the team’s orange jersey in hand — began last month at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. The idea began with Broncos coach John Fox during a late-night, talk-the-talk session with his staff, having a what-if moment. Read more from The Denver Post >>>>
Pat Bowlen pushes his owner’s might with Broncos, Manning - And to think there were Broncos fans who didn’t think team owner Pat Bowlen had it in him. Either he didn’t have the money to sign an iconic free-agent player such as Peyton Manning or he didn’t want to spend it. Read more from The Denver Post >>>>
Broncos sign WR Caldwell from Bengals; bringing in Caleb Hanie, Jeff Saturday, other free agents - One day after officially signing quarterback Peyton Manning, the Broncos are furiously attacking free agency to fill another needs. The Broncos have signed wide receiver Andre “Bubba” Caldwell, according to the former Cincinnati Bengal himself. Read more from The Denver Post >>>>
What Manning Means - Peyton Manning hasn’t taken a single snap for the Denver Broncos. He has met just a handful of his new teammates. He’s just a day removed from officially signing with the team. But he has already had an immeasurable effect on the club. Read more from Denver Broncos >>>>
Manning Finds ‘Great Fit’ in Denver - After 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, he was released on March 7. Hours after a press conference alongside Colts Owner Jim Irsay announcing the move, Manning was officially a free agent. ”It hit me fast,” Manning said. By Friday, March 9, Manning was already at Dove Valley for his first visit to a team other than the Colts. Read more from Denver Broncos >>>>
Peyton Manning Picking the Denver Broncos is Still Surprising - There we have it. The sweepstakes are over and Peyton Manning is going to Denver. Overall, it’s still a surprise as Miami seemed to be the early favorite, Tennessee had ties from Manning’s college days and a better defense, and San Francisco was actually the best landing spot to win now. In the end, a relationship with John Elway and five years/96 million dollars won out. Read more from Opposing Views >>>>
Denver Bronco Peyton Manning: Genius or Idiot? - To answer the question posed in the title of this piece, one must consider the comments that Tony Dungy, Peyton Manning former coach, made on March 18 on The Dan Patrick Show. It’s likely that no person in the national football world is closer to Peyton Manning than his former coach Tony Dungy. Read more from Huffington Post >>>>
Denver Christians mourn Tebow’s departure, say they’ll root from afar - When star quarterback Peyton Manning signed with the Denver Broncos this week, Denver pastor Jim Mackey signed at the thought that Tim Tebow probably wouldn’t be wearing Broncos blue and orange next season. Read more from CNN >>>>
Denver had to end Tebow-mania - We had no earthly clue all this would happen (frankly, our heads are still spinning), but what a goodbye it was for Tim Tebow in Denver. The last memory of Tebow in Denver was a victory lap much to the delight of a delirious — and adoring — home crowd after a stunning 80-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime to give Denver its first playoff win in six years. Thanks for the memories, Tebow-mania. It has been forever closed in Denver. Read more from ESPN >>>>
Denver is now Peyton Manning’s town - Denver is now Peyton Manning’s town and the Broncos are his team. It’s out with the turn-back-the-clock option offense and in with the no-huddle — at altitude, no less. Goodbye Tim Tebow and all those No. 15 jerseys that are everywhere. Hello four-time MVP and surefire future Hall of Famer. Read more from Detroit Free Press >>>>
Likely TV ratings winner from Manning/Tebow: CBS - Whether Peyton Manning thrives with the Denver Broncos orTim Tebow proves himself with the N.Y. Jets, CBS has to be happy. Read more from USA Today >>>>
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Filed under Denver Dailies, NFL |
Tags: Andre Caldwell, Caleb Hanie, CBS, CNN, Denver Broncos, Denver Post, Detroit, Free Press, Huffington Post, Jeff Saturday, Opposing Views, Pat Bowlen, Peyton Manning, Tebowmania, Tim Tebow, USA Today
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Injury Report
*Courtesy NFL.com
Parking Information
- Tailgate Lots open at 8:00 a.m.
- All Lots open at 9:00 a.m.
- Main Gates open at 12:00 p.m. (Premium Gates open at 11:00 a.m.)
- For more information, visit Sports Authority Field at Mile High’s Facebook page here.
Other News & Notes
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Filed under 2011 Schedule, Game Day, Injury News, NFL |
Tags: CBS, Denver Broncos, Jim Nantz, Kansas City Chiefs, Phil Simms, Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Missed Friday’s game preview on DHF? CLICK here >>>>
Injury Report
*Courtesy NFL.com
Other News & Notes
- CBS broadcast team is Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
- Kickoff forecast is 31 degrees and a 30% chance of snow showers
- With about 24,000 tickets unsold as of Wednesday, game is blacked out in Buffalo television market.
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Filed under Game Day, Injury News, NFL |
Tags: Black Out, Buffalo Bills, CBS, Denver Broncos, Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
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Injury Report
**UPDATE: According to the Patriots Twitter account, Patrick Chung, Shane Vereen, Brandon Spikes, Sebastian Vollmer & Deion Branch have been ruled OUT.
*Courtesy NFL.com
Parking Information
- Tailgate Lots open at 8:00 a.m.
- All Lots open at 9:00 a.m.
- Main Gates open at 12:00 p.m. (Premium Gates open at 11:00 a.m.)
- For more information, visit Sports Authority Field at Mile High’s Facebook page here.
Other News & Notes
- CBS broadcast team is Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
- Kickoff forecast is around 50 degrees and sunny.
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Filed under 2011 Schedule, Game Day, Injury News, NFL |
Tags: CBS, Denver Broncos, Jim Nantz, New England Patriots, Phil Simms, Sports Authority Field
Attention on Broncos’ Tim Tebow grows as Tom Brady, Patriots await - Another day, another mob crowding in on Tim Tebow as the swirl continues to grow around the Broncos quarterback with each passing victory. Read more from The Denver Post >>>>
Woody Paige: Sunday’s Patriots-Broncos game will decide AFC - The winner of the Broncos-Patriots game on Sunday will play in the Super Bowl. Read more from The Denver Post >>>>
John Fox says Broncos trying to start quicker vs. Patriots - Broncos coach John Fox said Wednesday following a 2-hour practice that he is not a stats guy. But it only takes a calculator to determine that Sunday’s opponent, the New England Patriots, have averaged 22 points for the first three quarters, while the Broncos’ average is 9. Read more from The Denver Post >>>>
Belichick Respects Tebow, Broncos - Tim Tebow and the Broncos have surprised a lot of people with their six-game win streak and subsequent surge to the top of the AFC West standings. Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick isn’t one of them. Read more from DenverBroncos.com >>>>
Dawkins: ‘You Have the Pen’ - Your start doesn’t affect your finish. That’s the message Brian Dawkins spent Tuesday night getting across to 60 children from The Denver Children’s Home. Read more from DenverBroncos.com >>>>
NFL renews television deals with CBS, Fox and NBC - The NFL has renewed its television deals with CBS, Fox and NBC for nine years through the 2022 season, the league announced Wednesday. Read more from si.com >>>>
Three-point stance: Denver Broncos - New England is 3-6 against Denver in the Bill Belichick era, including losses in their last three trips to Denver. The last time the Patriots beat the Broncos was a Week 9 Monday night win in 2003. Read more from ESPN.com >>>>
QB’s signature pose has Jews and gentiles ‘Tebowing’ - The biggest story in the NFL this season is Tim Tebow, a devout Christian quarterback who doesn’t throw very well but has helped the Denver Broncos pull off a string of last-second victories. Read more from JTA >>>>
‘It’s going to be a Broncos Christmas’ - Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos are picking up the ball from where Colorado State University-Pueblo left off. Read more from Pueblo Chieftain >>>>
Former FSU coach Bobby Bowden on Tim Tebow: ‘Guy is a winner’ - During his keynote speech at Tuesday night’s Tallahassee Quarterback Club’s awards dinner, former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden gave attendees a glimpse into his still sharp 82-year-old football mind. Read more from Orlando Sentinel >>>>
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Filed under Denver Dailies, NFL |
Tags: AFC, AFC west, Bill Belichick, Bobby Bowden, Brian Dawkins, CBS, Colorado State University-Pueblo, Denver Broncos, Denver Children's Home, Denver Dailies, Denver Post, DenverBroncos.com, Florida State Seminoles, Fox, John Fox, JTA, NBC, New England Patriots, NFL, Orlando Sentinel, Pueblo Chieftain, Tallahassee Quarterback Club, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady, Woody Paige
We were expecting an announcement yesterday, because it usually comes on Monday.
We were then expecting an announcement today, because this is the “deadline.”
We must now wait until Wednesday to know if the Broncos’ Week 15 home game against New England is moved to primetime. Citing league committee meetings in New York, the NFL has delayed the Dec. 18 flex decision another day. Per a statement released Tuesday night:
“Due to NFL Committee Meetings in New York today, the Week 15 flexible schedule announcement will be released tomorrow (Wednesday, December 7). All of the clubs under consideration to have Week 15 games flexed have informed our office that they are interested in the strongest schedule for our fans and network partners.”
What that really comes down to is a custody battle of sorts between CBS and NBC. Right now, the game is scheduled to air on CBS. As you can imagine, the network isn’t quite willing to give up the prospect of Tom Brady vs. Tim Tebow all that easily. NBC has Baltimore at San Diego as its Sunday Night Football game on Dec. 18, but wants a sexier game on the docket. (After the Saints’ 62-7 blowout of Indianapolis earlier this season, who can blame them?) To add another layer to this story, the Patriots are also reportedly opposed to flexing.
Ordinarily, a flex decision would have been announced by now, because that’s the rule. According to the NFL’s website: A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game.
It’s Dec. 6. This game is Dec. 18 – exactly 12 days away.
Stay tuned.
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Filed under 2011 Schedule, NFL, NFL News |
Tags: CBS, Denver Broncos, Flex Schedule, NBC, New England Patriots, NFL, Sunday Night Football, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady, Week 15
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Injury Report
*Courtesy NFL.com
Other News & Notes
- CBS broadcast team is Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker
- Kickoff forecast is 58 degrees and sunny
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Filed under Game Day, Injury News, NFL |
Tags: Bill Macatee, CBS, Kansas City, Steve Tasker
Missed Saturday’s game preview on DHF? CLICK here >>>>
Injury Report
*Courtesy NFL.com
Other News & Notes
- CBS broadcast team is Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
- Kickoff forecast is 63 degrees and sunny
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Filed under Game Day, Game Preview, Injury News, NFL |
Tags: CBS, Green Bay Packers, Injury News, Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
The NFL’s “Broadcast Boot Camp” enters its final day tomorrow. Â This year the program is only available to former players due to the ongoing labor strife. Â That means former Denver Broncos Nick Ferguson and Maurice Williams will be among the 16 participants at the fifth annual tutorial/seminar/crash course in talking football for a living. Â The top performer at this year’s event will serve as a studio analyst for NFL Network’s U.K. presence on Sky News.
Certainly, it’s worth wishing Ferguson and Williams the best of luck in a potentially new career surrounding football. Â A number of former Denver Broncos have done extremely well for themselves as commentators. Â Tom Jackson, Mark Schlereth, Shannon Sharpe, John Lynch, and Dave Logan are among those that made the transition, and with the exception of Lynch, who now has one season under his belt, have thrived for multiple years.
Frankly, the train from the field to the booth is a lot more crowded than it used to be. Â Twenty years ago, it was pretty easy to find game analysts who didn’t play the game at the professional level. Â That’s not the case today as basically every color commentator used to be a star on the field. Â While that may seem like a welcome sign for former players looking to join broadcast teams, it is really an indicator that the odds aren’t in their favor unless they don’t mind starting small. Â Figure it this way: in non-bye weeks there are only 14 games played on CBS and FOX. Â Take five of those games off the board as Nantz/Simms, Buck/Aikman, Gumbel/Dierdorf, Â Stockton/Davis/Mora, and Albert/Johnston/Siragusa are all pretty locked down teams. Â So now you have nine game analyst spots left.
Up next for Nick Ferguson, the broadcast booth? (Courtesy Jeffrey Beall)
Some of the names filling those seats last season: Brian Billick, Steve Tasker, Kurt Warner, Dan Fouts, Rich Gannon, Solomon Wilcots, and the aforementioned Lynch. Â No offense to Ferguson or Williams, but all those guys carry a lot more name recognition. Â Let’s also not forget the star-power occupying the various sets of pre and post-game studio shows. Â In the end it adds up to a whole bunch of former players vying for what in reality is a handful of seats in front of the camera.
However, should Ferguson, Williams, or some of the other participants at this year’s Broadcast Boot Camp (Antonio Freeman and Amani Toomer are notable names) find themselves in a TV gig, there are a few key things to remember.  As someone who has personally spent  the better part of a decade in television broadcasting, here are a few tips on style.
Stick with what you know
The most recent edition of Real Sports on HBO codifies this point with Tiki Barber who is now banking on an NFL comeback after a failed television foray. Â Tiki’s problem is he tried to go “all in” as a newsman. Â There’s a reason it takes journalism degrees and several decades in small markets for people like Matt Lauer to make it onto Today. Â Actual journalism is difficult work believe it or not. Â Just because you have the “look” or the “voice” doesn’t mean you are a journalist capable of functioning on national television. Â Stick to the X’s and O’s of football. Â A perfect example of this is Michael Strahan. Â The guy was getting buzz as a great TV personality years before he left the league. Â He didn’t try to exceed those expectations by pursuing a full-on reporting gig…he just met them by talking about football in a fun, articulate, and natural way. Â That’s allowed him the opportunity to avoid a somewhat odd retun-to-the-glory-days quest. Â If you were known as having a magnetic personality in the locker room, it’s okay to keep that magnet focused on football once you enter television.
Good Mentors: Michael Strahan, Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe, Lynn Swann
» Continue reading “Broncos in the Booth”
Filed under Delightful Miscellany, Former Broncos, NFL, Non-Game Activities, Off the Field |
Tags: 2011 NFL Draft, Amani Toomer, Antonio Freeman, Antonio Gates, Boot Camp, Brian Billick, Broadcast, CBS, Cris Carter, Cris Collinsworth, Dan Dierdorf, Dan Fouts, Daryl Johnston, Dave Logan, Deion Sanders, Dick Stockton, Fox, Gumbel, HBO, Howie Long, Jim Mora, Jim Nantz, Joe Buck, John Lynch, John Madden, Jon Gruden, Kurt Warner, Lynn Swann, Mark Schlereth, Marv Albert, Matt Lauer, Matt Millen, Maurice Williams, Michael Irvin, Michael Strahan, NFL Network, Nick Ferguson, Phil Simms, Philip Rivers, Real Sports, Rich Gannon, Shannon Sharpe, Sky News, Solomon Wilcots, Steve Tasker, Steve Young, Tiki Barber, Tom Brady, Tom Jackson, Tony Siragusa, Troy Aikman
After a flurry of NFL activity, it’s back to quiet Monday.
Hey, at least it was fun.
You know what else is fun? Â Catching up on Broncos headlines.
Dave Krieger of The Denver Post writes about undoing the damage left behind by Josh McDaniels. Â Thanks a lot there, buddy!
John Elway is revving up for a new – old – business venture, according to The Denver Post.
Sports Illustrated writes about what’s next in the NFL labor dispute and lockout.
Broncos player Russ Hochstein weighs in on the NFL lockout reports Iowa’s Sioux City Journal.
What’s a NFL Draft without grades? Â CBSSports.com breaks it all down.
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Filed under NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Lockout |
Tags: CBS, Dave Krieger, Denver Post, John Elway, NFL Lockout, Russ Hochstein, Sioux City, Sports Illustrated
