Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - 10/2/12

Horse Tracks: Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue!

By KaptainKirk Oct 2, 2012, 6:01am MDT

Next Day Notebook: Playing How They Practiced
A strong week of practice helped the Broncos defeat the Raiders, the defense enjoyed playing with a lead and running back Willis McGahee cracked the 100-yard mark for the 32nd time.

Koppen Brings Experience to Line
Dan Koppen, a 10th-year NFL veteran, will step in at center for the injured J.D. Walton. He brings with him experience as the NFL's all-time winningest offensive lineman.

Green Back, Motivated
Tight end Virgil Green returned to Dove Valley on Monday and is anxious to get back on the field with his teammates.

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Denver Broncos Videos

John Fox Press Conference
Head Coach John Fox talks about moving center J.D. Walton to injured reserve, Sunday's win over Oakland and looking ahead towards New England.

NFLN: Demaryius Thomas on 'ATL'
Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas joins "Around the League" to talk about breaking 100 receiving yards against the Raiders, and the life of a Peyton Manning wide receiver.

NFL Network: Broncos vs. Patriots Movie Trailer
Peyton Manning, now with the Broncos, and Tom Brady continue their rivalry when the Denver Broncos visit the New England Patriots in 2012.

ESPN Films 30 for 30: Broke- Keeping up with the Joneses - ESPN Video - ESPN
30 for 30 returns for a second season. Broke premiers October 2nd. 8pm ET on ESPN

Bounty Gate Latest - ESPN Video - ESPN
Adam Schefter on Gregg Williams being allowed to attend the Rams game on Sunday and when Roger Goodell is expected to decide on possible discipline for players.

Denver Broncos Blogs

Broncos defense befuddles Raiders with seven defensive backs - The Denver Post - Jeff Legwold
If there is safety in numbers, the Broncos decided Sunday to pump up the number of safeties in the defensive formation to find some defensive impact.

Broncos can wait to make roster move for Virgil Green - Lindsay Jones
Virgil Green’s four-game suspension is over, but the Broncos don’t have to make a move yet to officially add the tight end back to the 53-man roster.

Broncos, John Fox have no clarity on odd sack call vs. Raiders - Lindsay Jones
Broncos cornerback got credit for the first full sack of his career in Sunday’s win over Oakland.

Broncos offense built confidence off early 4th-and-1 conversion - Lindsay Jones
John Fox, it’s like we don’t even know you any more.

Broncos MLB Joe Mays returns after one-game suspension - The Denver Post
Joe Mays is back.

Denver Broncos' Joe Mays says suspension won't change his physical style - ESPN
Getting suspended a game and fined $50,000 for his hit on Houston quarterback Matt Schaub isn't going to make Denver Broncos middle linebacker Joe Mays change his style.

Moving on: Denver Broncos - AFC West Blog - ESPN
Here are some areas the Denver Broncos need to focus on after a 37-6 home win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday:

Tuesday Morning QB: Broncos' Peyton Manning nears Tom Brady territory - The Denver Post - Mike Klis
At the one-quarter pole, Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub have been the class of the league. But as the NFL gets ready for Brady-Manning XII, guess who had the top two passer ratings in Week 4 until Jay Cutler went off on Monday night?

Broncos hope to solve Rob Gronkowski dilemma Sunday at New England - The Denver Post - Jeff Legwold
When I worked at the City News Bureau in Chicago, there was a quote from the now-defunct Bureau's former editor — A.A. Dornfeld — posted in the newsroom.

Inside the game: Broncos offense has to be on point in coming weeks - The Denver Post
NFL reporter Jeff Legwold analyzes the Broncos' 37-6 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday and looks ahead.

Broncos defense features classic 4-3 scheme with pass-rush flexibility - The Denver Post - Jeff Legwold
Q: I know John Fox uses the 4-3 (defensive scheme), but why don't the Broncos use more 3-4 packages? Elvis Dumervil had 17 sacks in 2009 in the 3-4 defense. ... The Broncos should give it a shot.

Broncos' Dan Koppen takes over at center for injured J.D. Walton - The Denver Post - Lindsay Jones
The rest of the Broncos' offensive linemen had filtered through and out of the locker room Monday afternoon, yet Dan Koppen remained behind, engaged in conversation with two Broncos assistant coaches.

Denver Broncos eyeing ... the New England Patriots - The Denver Post
For the record: New England 2-2, three-way tie for first place in AFC East; Denver 2-2, second place in AFC West

Division News

ProFootballWeekly.com - AFC West Spin cycle: Week Four
Order seemed restored in the AFC West after two divisional games in Week Four saw the Chargers and Broncos roll past the Chiefs and Raiders, respectively.

At the bye: Oakland Raiders - AFC West Blog - ESPN
Here is a look at the Raiders and what needs to be done after the break.

Crennel cracks door for Quinn | ProFootballTalk
On Sunday, Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said that Matt Cassel is still the team’s starting quarterback. On Monday, Crennel reiterated that position — with a caveat.

Chiefs RBs about to have a blast - AFC West Blog - ESPN
The Kansas City Chiefs running backs should not expect an easy week after their issues holding onto the ball in a 37-20 home loss to San Diego on Sunday.

Moving on: Kansas City Chiefs - AFC West Blog - ESPN
Here are some areas the Kansas City Chiefs need to focus on after a 37-20 home loss to San Diego on Sunday:

Romeo Crennel is sticking with Matt Cassel | ProFootballTalk
Matt Cassel threw three more interceptions against the Chargers on Sunday, bringing his season total to seven and his overall total of turnovers this year to 10

Moving on: San Diego Chargers - AFC West Blog - ESPN
Here are some areas the San Diego Chargers need to focus on after a 37-20 win at Kansas City on Sunday:

Norv Turner says he’s got "great trust" in Ryan Mathews | ProFootballTalk
On Sunday, the Chargers sent a pretty clear message about the importance of holding onto the ball to running back Ryan Mathews.

Floyd gets $5.25 million guaranteed | ProFootballTalk
Last week, the Chargers prevented receiver Malcolm Floyd from hitting the free-agent market in March 2013 by signing him to a three-year extension, which puts him under contract through 2015.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Chargers add CB Carr
The Chargers signed CB Chris Carr, his agent confirmed to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

ProFootballWeekly.com - NT Franklin, young DEs keep Garay off the field
One of the many free-agent acquisitions the Chargers made this offseason, and one of the last, NT Aubrayo Franklin, has helped the run defense, and his play is one of the reasons we haven’t seen veteran Antonio Garay.

NFL News

ProFootballWeekly.com - Three teams have to face facts at quarterback
Quarterback play is always the barometer in the NFL, and Week Four had some tellingly bad performances that could foretell future events.

Replacement ref: "There’s a lot more rules in the NFL" | ProFootballTalk
With the regular refs returning to the NFL and the replacement refs returning to their high school and small college officiating duties, some of the officials who worked as replacements are acknowledging that, while they did their best, they simply weren’t prepared for the job.