Broncos asking Fans for Support in Season Finale

The 2010 NFL season hasn't gone the way the Broncos--or their fans--have wanted it to, that is certain. But the team is aiming to finish the season 2-0 and get some good momentum heading into the 2011 season.

"To have back-to-back wins — and both at home, as well — would be great for us, just as far as our momentum and trying to carry that into the weight room and our training in the offseason," said Broncos starting Quarterback Tim Tebow." Also, I think it would be a great thing for the fans too — to show them that we were able to bounce back a little bit at the end and try to finish the season on a good note and try to get ready to hopefully have a good season next year."

To help them finish off the season on a positive note, the Broncos know they'll need the help of the fans.

"We are going to need everybody on this to finish the season, including the fans at INVESCO (Field at Mile High) who really helped us through the Houston game," said Broncos Interim Head Coach Eric Studesville on Wednesday. "We are going to need them back out again too, because we are going to need everybody to finish this thing the right way and in a positive way."

So if you weren't planning on going to the game Sunday, you'd better make a change of plans! The Broncos don't want to close out the 2010 season playing in front of a half-empty stadium; display your Bronco pride and Be There on Sunday!

Don't have tickets to the game, or can you simply not afford them? We've got a solution! Our Broncos Game Tickets TiqIQ Widget (TiqIQ is a ticket data company that tracks ticket prices and availability for all major sporting events and aggregate and compare listings from sites like StubHub, eBay, Ticketsnow and TicketNetwork, doing all the work for you -- finding the best seat for the best price), has 5,828 tickets to the Broncos game against San Diego still available -- with some selling for as cheep as $20 dollars!

They have 334 unsold tickets for sections 104, 105, and 106 (right behind the Broncos bench), some priced as low as $107! There's plenty of other great deals to be found as well.

The Broncos Need you to be at the game on Sunday, and it's your choice whether or not you'll be there. To see more game tickets and their prices, go check out our widget on our sidebar or simply click here.

Around the Web: Lots of Love for Tebow and Lloyd

What's the moral of the above image? "Teams have to know the character of who they are dealing with," as says Mr. Lloyd himself.

Wide Receiver Brandon Lloyd is coming off a fantastic Pro Bowl season, and he has a special message for the teams that gave up on him earlier in his career.

Meanwhile, following his first NFL home start in which he threw for over 300 yards and scored twice, Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow has been nominated for two NFL weekly awards.

It just so happens that Tebow was mic'd up for that comeback win, you can watch highlights of him wired for sound by clicking here. If you're hungry for more, you can go here for some other field and lockeroom video highlights of the game.

Rounding out our Tebow/Lloyd mania for the day, enjoy theses highlights of Lloyd's 2010 season:

Harris and Kuper Snubbed From the Pro Bowl

On Tuesday, the NFL announced the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl rosters for the AFC and NFC teams. The lone Bronco to have made the cut was wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, who's been having a fantastic season and is well deserving of the honor. However, after looking over the stats, at least two more Broncos were also deserving.

Left Tackle Ryan Harris has started 10 games this season, being penalised only twice and allowing 3.25 sacks. Miami's Right Tackle Jake Long started 15 games, being penalized 8 times and allowing 5.0 sacks. Of course one might say you can't draw comparisons of stats of two players that haven't started the same amount of games, and that's a logical conclusion seeing as Harris started five less games due to injury. Mathematically though, if Harris had started all 15 games, he would have allowed 4.88 sacks and that's still less than Long's total of 5.0 (if he had kept the same pace he's had this season). He's also hasn't been called for a holding penalty all season (a penalty that plagues offensive linemen), whereas Long has been penalised for holding 4 times in 2010. From those statistics, I'd conclude that Harris had just as good of a season of Long, and was at least worthy of being considered for a Pro Bowl induction.

Another comparison of offensive linemen, consider this; Bronco offensive guard Chris Kuper has started 14 games this season, being penalised 4 times while allowing 4.o sacks. Compare those numbers to those of New England's guard Logan Mankins who's started 8 games this season has allowed 3.5o sacks and has been penalised 3 times. At that pace, Mankins would have allowed 7 sacks this year had he played through the whole season. Clearly, this is a case of the name-player being chosen over the one who is truly deserving. Kuper was snubbed from making his first Pro Bowl appearance.

In my humble opinion, both Kuper and Harris (along with Champ--the best run supporting cornerback in the NFL--Bailey) deserved at least a lot of consideration for the Pro Bowl, and all three were snubbed.

Tim Tebow is re-writing the record books

On Sunday, the Denver Broncos found themselves down 0-17 at halftime, trailing the Houston Texans at home. It looked as if the Broncos were en route to losing a 6th straight game; rookie quarterback Tim Tebow would have none of that, however.

Re-energized by the play of the Tebow-led offense, the defense stepped up in the second half, holding the Texans offense to just 6 points (off two field goals) in the last 30 minutes, giving Tebow a chance to win the game.

Down by 17, the Broncos battled back until the score was 23-17 in the fourth quarter. With just over seven minutes left in the game, Tebow led the offense down the field and ran for a six yard touchdown, exhilarating the crowd. The extra point gave the Broncos a one point, 24-23 lead with a few minutes left in the game.

On the Texans following possession, Houston was driving before Brian Dawkins tipped a pass into the air, and rookie cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson intercepted it, giving the Broncos a victory following three QB-kneels by Tebow.

In the process of it all, Tebow broke several quarterback, rookie, and Bronco records. Including:

• The most passing yards in a game (308) by any Bronco quarterback making his first home start.

• The first rookie quarterback since the NFL merger to lead a 17 point comeback in his first home start.

• The most passing yards in a game by a rookie quarterback since John Elway in 1983.
  

• Tebow also averaged 19.3 yards per completion, which is the 2nd best yards-per-completion average in Bronco history for one game.

• Tebow has thrown for and rushed for a touchdown three times this season, tying him for third among all NFL quarterbacks in that regard, and Tebow is the only one of the three to have just two starts.

• Tebow also owns the 10th best yards-per-carry average (4.4) among all NFL rookies this season (minimum 24 carries), leads all rookie quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns (5) and yards (133), and is tied for second among all rookies this season for rushing touchdowns.
  

Merry Christmas, Broncos Country!

All of us here at Broncos Zone would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a wonderful new year!

The Broncos held a regular practice yesterday but will start practice later today so the players and coaches will get to spend some time with their families, as we hope you are getting a chance to do this Christmas season.

Please join us in taking this time to be grateful for friends, family, the brave service men and woman who serve our country, and the One that Christmas is all about.

Once more, have a very Merry Christmas! GB²

Video: Vic Lombardi on Tim Tebow

Larsen to Injured Reserve, Tebow to get More Opportunities

On Wednesday, the Broncos will return to the practice field in preparation for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans.

Running back Knowshon Moreno (ribs), and kicker Matt Prater (groin) were the only two players who did not participate in practice. Meanwhile, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (ankle), safety Brian Dawkins (knee), and quarterback Kyle Orton (ribs) all returned to practice, on a limited baisis however.

Before the players and coaches took to the practice field though, Interim Head Coach Eric Studesville and starting Quarterback Tim Tebow met with the media for Wednesday's press conference.

Coach Studesville first announced that starting fullback Spencer Larsen has been placed on the injured reserve for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury, and that offensive lineman Stanley Daniels had been added to the 53-man roster to fill the roster.

Larsen is in his third year with the team and has played in eleven games (started five) for the Broncos at fullback. Paving the way for Moreno and the other backs in the running game, Larsen has also contributed on the ground and through the air, rushing 3 times for 18 yards while catching 5 passes for 51 yards and one touchdown.

Since there are no other fullbacks on the Broncos roster, Tight End Daniel Coats will most likely play the position on Sunday.

Offensive guard Stanley Daniels, though 26 years old, has never been on an active roster prior to joining the Broncos this season. Earlier in the year Daniels started in four games, being penalized only once while allowing just 1.50 sacks. When the offensive line was healthy again, the Broncos needed some roster space and cut Daniels, signing him to the practice squad just three days later. He'll now provide the Broncos with some more depth to the offensive line.

To replace Daniels on the practice squad, reportedly, the Broncos singed linebacker Dominic Douglas, who played in four games with the Rams last season.

Quarterback Tim Tebow noted that after watching the film from Sunday's he's concluded he thinks he has improved in some areas while others, most notably footwork, still could use some work.

"I think some things have definitely improved," Tebow said. "[And] I think other things I still have to work on. There were times in the pocket, where my (footwork) could have been a lot better. Sometimes my footwork in the running game could have been a lot better. My fakes … I could be a lot more polished. So, there are a lot of things I have to work on to improve and that is starting now."

(Photos courtesy of Gabe Hiatt/DenverBroncos.com)

Prior to Tebow's press conference, coach Studesville hinted that after watching the film from the game in Oakland last week, there'll be less restrictions for Tebow on Sunday, and that they're going to let him "do more" (of everything, including throwing) this week at home.

"We are going to let Tim do more," said coach Studesville. "Just because of what we know from him from this past week and the ability that we saw in him this past week in what he did. We are going to try and do whatever we can to win the football game. It is not a matter of how much of the playbook he can get or how much he can handle. We are going to try and do the things that we feel like give us the best chance to win the football game."

Sunday’s game starts at 2:05 (MTD) and will be broadcasted on CBS.

Broncos Name Tebow Starter, Make two Roster Transactions

The Denver Broncos on Monday announced that they had claimed cornerback Chevis Jackson off waivers from New England, waiving linebacker Kevin Alexander to make room on the 53-man roster.

Interestingly, the Patriots waived Jackson after promoting fellow cornerback Tony Carter from the practice squad. New England acquired Carter on September 7th after Denver waived him. So in essence, the Broncos and Patriots basically straight up traded Carter for Jackson, without doing so.

A graduate of LSU, Jackson is in his 3rd year in the NFL, now with his 5th team. From 2008-2009, Chevis played in 31 games for the Falcons (starting three) recording 60 tackles and an interception. This season he's been on the rosters of both the Jaguars and Patriots, while not recording any statistics.

In other news, today during a press conference, Broncos Interim Head Coach Eric Studesville announced that rookie quarterback Tim Tebow will start against the Texans this week. He noted that the decision was partly made due to the severity of Kyle Orton's rib injury and that he talked with Owner Pat Bowlen and COO Joe Ellis this morning and suggested that starting Tebow was the best move for the team and that both Bowlen and Ellis agreed.It is speculated that Tebow will also start in week 17 against the Chargers. Both this week and next are home games.

You can find the best game tickets at unbeatable prices for the Broncos two remaining matches on our TiqIQ widget which is located on the right sidebar. Alternately, you can simply click here.

Photos in this post were used courtesy of the Associated Press.

Four Observations: Oakland 39, Denver 23

Today in Oakland California, the Denver Broncos fell to the Raiders 39-23. Here are four observations on the game:

1. The Broncos' run defense is atrocious and the whole defense itself was playing with no heart whatsoever. The Raiders' Jacoby Ford took a handoff 71-yards for a score on their first play of the game, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Denver finished the game allowing over 250 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.


2. The Broncos' run game is atrocious without Knowshon Moreno who went down with a side injury early in the game. Quarterback Tim Tebow ended up leading the team in rushing yards (rushing 8 times for 78 yards), while running backs Lance Ball and Correll Buckhalter combined for 23 yards off 21 carries. The offensive line's blocking certainly didn't aid the backs much, nor did Denver's playcalling.


3. The conservative playcalling of Mike McCoy/Eric Studesville was atrocious and ultimately probably cost the Broncos the game. With 8:21 left in the fourth quarter the Raiders had a 7-point lead and pinned the Broncos down on their own 6 yard line. Earlier in the game Tebow had showed poise and made some nice throws, the Broncos however instead of giving Tebow the chance to lead the team down to tie the score, chose to call two running plays back-to-back, when the running game had been failing all game long (as mentioned above). Vic Lombardi noted; This game was supposed to be all about developing and cultivating a young quarterback. And yet, the Broncos shielded him with run calls with the game on the line. It was an unacceptable decision by Studesville and has placed him on Bronco fans bad sides.


4. There were positives among them, Tim Tebow. The rookie quarterback was solid in his starting debut, going 8-of-16 for 138 yards and a score while rushing for 78 yards and a score. What's more, he took care of the ball and made good decisions in the passing game. Another positive, receiver Brandon Lloyd proved he can get it done even without Kyle Orton under center. Lloyd caught 4 passes for 79 yards and a 33-yard touchdown pass. A last minute fill-in for Matt Prater who went down with a groin injury last week, kicker Steve Haushka started last week against the Cardinals and again this week against Oakland. The 25-year old scored 11 points for the Broncos while making a 46-yard long field goal.

Although the Broncos lost the game in a heart-breaking fashion, Tebow and the Broncos did give fans something to cheer about, and that's something that they haven't been able to do for much of this season. Denver will face the Houston Texans at home next Sunday at 2:05 pm (MDT).

A Tale of Three Quarterbacks

In an unnamed NFL Draft not too long ago, there was a quarterback prospect who put up incredible numbers during his collegiate career. For now, we'll call him QB1. Despite his outstanding college run, NFL Scouts and NFL General Managers questioned his lack of arm strength and his unorthodox side-arm throwing motion. He ended up being drafted in the first round, but started no games as a rookie (while throwing a few passes including one that went for a score). Sitting on the bench and down the depth chart behind a veteran putting up Pro Bowl numbers, there were a lot of questions and rumors going around about the fate of QB1.

Before we continue the story of QB1, let us first move on to QB2. Said quarterback entered a different NFL Draft, often acclaimed to be the most Pro-Ready quarterback of his draft class, with many mocks having him going in the top 10 selections. Alas, he fell into the second round before being drafted by an unnamed team. He didn't start the season as his team's starter, but after the team's starter suffered a concussion, he got his first chance to play, and two weeks later, was named the starting quarterback. Over the next three weeks, QB2 completed only 47% of his throws, threw three interceptions and one touchdown while fumbling seven times, earning him a 52.2 passer rating. This quarterback, who had so much hype of becoming a great NFL quarterback, was thrust into the starting role for a struggling team with a dismal defense and with a lot of pressure on him to succeed. He was benched after three starts, only to be promoted to starter again three weeks later. Over his next four starts, he was sacked 14 times and threw three interceptions while throwing no touchdown passes. As a result of all this, his confidence is all but lost and NFL scouts who have seen him play say he has regressed from the experience. His footwork is off because he's constantly facing a pass rush that's in his face and his decision-making gets worse as the pressure, and losses, mount.

That's all we'll note on QB2, now we move on to our final quarterback -- QB3, who very closely resembles QB1 in a variety of ways. This quarterback entered an unnamed NFL Draft with a lot of talent and unimagineable college numbers. Despite his performance at the collegiate football level, scouts questioned his quarterback intangibles (such as footwork and throwing motion), and many believed he wouldn't be drafted before the 3rd round of the draft. He ended up going in the first however, and like QB1, he sat on the bench behind a quarterback who was putting up nice numbers in all but a few games of the season. To many fans' dismay, QB3 may not get to start one game as a rookie -- something QB1 didn't do until his 3rd year in the NFL.

If you haven't figured it out by now, QB1 is none other than San Diego's Phillip Rivers, QB2 is Carolina's Jimmy Clausen and QB3 is the one and only Tim Tebow. To summarize it all, in 2004 the Chargers drafted Rivers (looking over his unconventional throwing motion knowing he could be groomed into a good quarterback with time), the Denver Broncos drafted Tim Tebow in 2010 with the same mindset, and the Panthers drafted Jimmy Clausen the same year.

The moral of the story of this; starting a rookie quarterback who isn't ready (or in some cases, like Clausen's case, thought to be ready but really isn't), is not always the best solution. Starting Tebow now could prove to be detrimental to his career, and though many will argue with this, Kyle Orton is not the problem. Yes, he is not the solution, but having one of the worst defenses and rushing attacks in the NFL certainly aren't helping him, and definitely wouldn't help Tebow out at all.

So before you join the ranks of Bronco fans who have boycotted the Broncos until Tebow starts, consider first that Aaron Rogers, Phillip Rivers and Tom Brady all sat out their rookie seasons under veteran quarterbacks, watching and learning.

Don't expect Urban Meyer to join the Broncos

On Wednesday, University of Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer, who some considered a potential candidate in the Broncos search for a new head coach, stepped down from his current coaching position at UF, presumably for good.

Last year about this time, Meyer quit coaching due to health concerns (and was later diagnosed with having esophageal spasms), but decided to come back a day later. This time, it doesn't look like he'll be returning to Florida.

"I have been a Division I football coach for the last 25 years and during that time, my primary focus has been making a difference in the lives of the young men I have been so fortunate to have coached and building championship programs," Meyer said in a statement. "At this time in my life, however, I fully grasp the sacrifices my 24/7 profession has demanded of me, and I know it is time to put my focus on my family and life away from the field. The decision to step down was a difficult one. But, after spending more than two decades motivating and celebrating the young men I've been so proud to coach, I relish the opportunity to cheer for my three terrific kids as they compete in their own respective sports."

Given his health issues and desire to spend more time with his family, its unlikely he'll be coaching again any time soon. His statement hasn't stopped the rumors and suspicions from piling up however, as many speculate the Broncos will pursue him (or already have), and that he'll rejoin Tebow in Denver and lead the Broncos to countless Super Bowl winning seasons.

Right.

Backing up my realist view is Adam Schefter, who tweeted:

An ESPN Insider, Schefter is known for being in the know, and is not often proved to be wrong. One exception however, was when he stated that Pat Bowlen would never pay three Head Coaches at one time and that Josh McDaniels was safe through 2011. That doesn't cancel out all the times he's been right however, and its safe to trust him on this one.

Two hours prior to Schefter tweeting about Meyer to Denver rumors, Senior ESPN Analyst Chris Mortensen also tweeted that Meyer "will not be coaching Denver next season."

Following in the mindset of Mortensen and Schefter, ESPN AFC West Blogger Bill Williamson noted, "There is more to the Denver Broncos than Tebow, although the team has plenty of interest in him and it will want to hire a coach who is interested in continuing his development. But Denver wouldn’t fire McDaniels just for the chance to secure Meyer.

"Meyer is walking away from Florida to take a breather, not to increase the pressure in his life. So, the whole the timing is interesting, connecting the dots on this one is off base."

So while leaving Florida would give him an opportunity to pursue coaching in the Pro's, it's unpractical to think (or hope) that he will in 2011.

Photos used in this post were used courtesy of Getty Images.

Broncos Fire McDaniels, Promote Eric Studesville

Earlier today, Denver Broncos President and CEO Pat Bowlen announced he has relieved Josh McDaniels of his head coaching duties.

Through 28 rocky games, McDaniels led the Broncos to a 11-17 record, tarnished the teams image in SpyGate II, and made many personnel transactions that angered fans and perhaps contributed to Denver's recent demise.

That said however, he had his positives. In his second year, with the Broncos and McDaniels, Kyle Orton has been putting up career numbers, Receiver Brandon Lloyd has had a stellar year, and McDaniels draftees Knowshon Moreno, Tim Tebow, Zane Beadles, J.D. Walton, Perrish Cox, Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas show great promise and could contribute greatly to the Broncos for years to come.

After fans continued to vocalize their displeasure in McDaniels, however, Mr. Bowlen finally made the move. "My decision to relieve Josh McDaniels as head coach was not taken lightly," Bowlen said in a statement. "I will always be appreciative of his passion, enthusiasm and hard work, and I thank him for his efforts. In the end, I was not satisfied with the results and the derection this team was headed. The decision to make a change was extremly difficult but one that had to be made for this organization and our fans."

To fill-in for the Broncos as Head Coach for the last four games of the 2010 season, the Broncos have named running backs coach Eric Studerville as the interim coach.

Running back Lance Ball, pleased by perhaps McDaniels firing, or Studerville's promotion (or maybe both), had this to say (via twitter): "Aye this [is] the closest thing to [President Barack] Obama being elected president !!!! #nfl Let's Gooo !!!" He went on to add, "Don't get me wrong guys.. I think Josh is great !! But I guess u don't really understand how I feel. #thatsall"

Rookie Quarterback Tim Tebow took a different approach, tweeting: "Thank you for everything you did for me Coach McDaniels, including drafting me into this great organization. I wish you nothing but the best." He then added, "We fully support Coach Studesville ... He will do a great job in his new position and will make Broncos fans proud of this team! GB2"

Wanting to finish the season on a high note, Studesville hasn't taking the promotion lightly. "I am very appreciative of the trust that Mr. Bowlen and the entire Denver Broncos organization have shown in me," Studesville said in a statement.

"Although the circumstances that this opportunity resulted from are unfortunate, I am excited to lead this football team. We have a great group of players and coaches who are committed to finishing the season on a promising note and making our fans proud of this team."

(Photo Courtesy of Eric Lars Bakke / DenverBroncos.com)

Knowing McDaniels is not the only one deserving blame, Bowlen has taken it upon himself to apologise to the fans for the Broncos poor performance of late, and to assure fans that the Broncos will get back to their winning ways. "Everyone, myself included, is accountable for our disappointing season and is now responsible for restoring the culture of winning that has been established by this franchise," Bowlen said. "Our entire organization is completely focused on returning to the level of prosperity that our fans expect and deserve from the Denver Broncos."

The teams official site noted that Coach Studesville will be available to the media on Tuesday at 11 a.m. MST, and it will be streamed live on DenverBroncos.com.