2007 Denver Broncos
The 2007 Denver Broncos season will be the 48th season for the team in the National Football League. They will try to improve upon their 9-7 record in 2006 and are trying to return to the playoffs, which they missed in 2006.
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[edit] Coaching staff
Head coach Mike Shanahan will be entering his 13th year (1995 to present) with the Broncos. Joining him will be Mike Heimerdinger & Jim Bates as assistant head coaches, Rick Dennison as offensive coordinator, Bob Slowik as defensive coordinator and Scott O'Brien as special teams coordinator. [1]
[edit] Offseason
The 2006-2007 off-season began tragically. Cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in his H2 limousine on New Years Day, just a few hours after the Broncos last game of the 2006 season. Soon after, Broncos 3rd string running back Damien Nash collapsed and died in a pick-up basketball game.
The Broncos traded running back Tatum Bell and offensive tackle George Foster to the Detroit Lions for former Pro Bowl cornerback Dre' Bly to compensate for the unfortunate loss of Williams. In addition to the trade for Bly, the Broncos had made a trade to the Miami Dolphins for Dan Wilkinson, only to have that trade voided because Wilkinson did not show up to Denver for his scheduled physical.
Denver added running back Travis Henry, fullback Thump Belton, and tight end Daniel Graham through free agency. The team released linebacker Al Wilson during the month of April for health and salary cap reasons.
Denver also signed backup WR Brandon Stokley from the Indianapolis Colts and P/Kickoff Specialist Todd Sauerbrun.
Signed K Brandon Pace (Virginia Tech) and C Mark Fenton (Colorado) on May 7. Released OL Tim Duckworth on May 7.
[edit] Preseason
The Broncos started strong in the preseason, beating San Fransisco 17-13. Jay Cutler led a 67-yard scoring drive on one of his only series for the Broncos, and new Running Back Travis Henry punched in another touchdown. Back-up Quarterback Patrick Ramsey played most of the game. The previous match-up between Denver and the San Fransisco 49ers was the last game of the 2006-2007 season, when the 49ers beat Denver in overtime, 24-21, and kept them from entering the play-offs.
In game two, The Broncos were in Texas to play the Dallas Cowboys. The game had a lot of buzz, due to the pairing of Dallas wide-receiver Terrell Owens and Denver cornerback Champ Bailey. Also, the mother of Darrent Williams attended the game.
[edit] Regular Season
[edit] Week 1: at Buffalo Bills
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| Bills | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Game time: 1:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM CDT
- Game weather: 70°F (Windy & Rainy)
- Game attendance: 71,132
- Referee: Gerry Austin
- TV announcers: (CBS): Gus Johnson & Randy Cross
The Bills scored first on a 74 yard kick return by Roscoe Parrish. Denver then answered with a 10 play drive that led to a field goal by Jason Elam, making it 7-3.
In the second quarter Denver scored first with a 48 yard field goal. Bills kicker Rian Lindell then missed a 45 yard field goal. The Broncos drove deep into Bills territory at the close of the half but Cutler threw an interception to end the drive. The Bills then drove into Denver territory and tried a long field goal but failed due to a false start, then ended the half with an interception thrown to Elvis Dumervil.
On the opening kickoff for the second half, a scary injury occurred to Bills TE Kevin Everett, as he suffered a cervical spine injury while making a tackle on Domenik Hixon[2]. Everett later underwent surgery that day and is currently in intensive care. He does have feeling and partial movement in his extremities and the full extent of his injury will not be known for several days.
The Broncos began the second half with a drive that ended with a missed 50 yard field goal. The Bills then made a nine play drive that ended with a 23 yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch. The Broncos responded with a drive ending with a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall. They then attempted to tie the game with a two-point conversion but failed with an incomplete pass to Javon Walker.
The fourth quarter had little scoring. Elam missed a field goal, but the Bills failed to score or run out the clock, giving Denver the ball with a little over two minutes to play. After an ill-advised lateral bounced free, (saved by rookie back Selvin Young smartly batting the loose ball out of bounds) the Bronco's faced a seemingly insurmountable 3rd and 23 to go. Cutler immediately turned in the best clutch performance of his NFL career to date, one that drew comparisons to John Elway by both sportswriters and teammates. [3]
Cutler's drive included two fourth down conversions to drive deep into Bills' territory, where, with no time outs, they rushed the field goal unit onto the field with ten seconds left and the clock ticking down. Execution by the field goal unit allowed Jason Elam to kick the game winning 42 yard field goal just as the clock ticked to 0:00. [4]
[edit] Scoring drives
Q1 - BUF - 6:17 - 74-yard TD Punt Return by Roscoe Parrish (Rian Lindell kick) (7-0 BUF)
Q1 - DEN - 0:33 - Jason Elam 21-yard FG (7-3 BUF)
Q2 - DEN - 7:51 - Elam 48-yard field goal (7-6 BUF)
Q3 - BUF - 6:24 - 23-yard TD run by Marshawn Lynch (Lindell kick) (14-6 BUF)
Q3 - DEN - 0:54 - 5-yard TD pass from Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall (Two-Point Conversion Failed) (14-12 BUF)
Q4 - DEN - 0:00 - Elam 42-yard FG (15-14 DEN)
