Welcome to the ISFL Broncos Website!
This website is dedicated to the happenings of the Denver Broncos football franchise of the ISFL (Internet Simulation Football League), a simulation football league using the Action PC football game as its game engine. This website created and maintained by Hank Sienzant.
2012 BRONCO PRE-SEASON STORIES
BRONCOS RELEASE DUKE ROBINSON
Murphy Placed on I/R
Murphy Placed on I/R
May 4th, 2012: The Broncos today released former All-American guard Duke Robinson, and placed cornerback Jerome Murphy on Injured Reserve, ending his season.
The release of Duke Robinson was not unexpected, but disappointing nonetheless. Robinson had an All-American career at Oklahoma, but fell to the Broncos at the 243rd pick of the 2010 draft due to a poor showing at the combine and weight concerns. The Broncos believed they could motivate Robinson and get him to play to his collegiate form, but the effort on Robinson's part was never there. Robinson appeared in only two games in his rookie season, then blew out a knee before the start of the 2011 season, and spent the year on the Broncos Injured Reserve list, missing the entire year.
Complete StoryBRONCOS 2012 DRAFT PREVIEW
"Winning Super Bowl Puts Broncos Behind in Rebuilding Process", says Sienzant
"Winning Super Bowl Puts Broncos Behind in Rebuilding Process", says Sienzant
May 3rd, 2012: Yes, he said it. Broncos head coach and general manager Hank Sienzant did say yesterday that "Winning the Super Bowl really puts us behind in our rebuilding process."
Yes, he did. We heard it ourselves, and of course, so did everyone else in the room when he said it. By now that pronouncement has gone viral.
But it's not as crazy as it first appears, it seems.
Complete StoryBRONCOS TRADE GROSSMAN TO STEELERS
Get Back a Fourth and Shaun Hill
Get Back a Fourth and Shaun Hill
April 29th, 2012: We've learned that the Broncos have agreed to a deal in principle to trade disgruntled backup quarterback Rex Grossman to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Steelers' fourth round pick in 2012 and the Steelers' starting quarterback last year, Shaun Hill. We understand there may be some other conditions put on the deal that weren't immediately known that may delay the oficial announcement of the deal for a few days.
The Broncos probably did as well as could be expected in the deal, as Grossman had let it be known he wanted out of Denver and wanted to be with a team where he had a chance to compete for the starting job. The Broncos were able to accomplish that and meet Grossman's desires with the deal to the Steelers, where he will be going against little-used fourth year quarterback Dennis Dixon, whom the Steelers drafted in the supplemental draft in 2009. Last year Dixon completed 30 of 63 for 303 yards in his first real action, with 181 of the yards and 16 of the completions coming in a game against the Broncos that Denver won, 13-10, in week three. Grossman still has to beat out Dixon, but his chances look good, as Dixon's lifetime passer rating of 57.4 is nearly 30 points behind Grossman's.
With the trade of Grossman, that closes the books on the enigmatic quarterback's three-year career with the Broncos. Grossman was drafted originally by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2004 draft. He played sparingly in his first few seasons, and missed the 2006 season in its entirety with a knee injury. But he came back to have a very good season in 2007 for the Bears, earning the starting role over Joey Harrington and throwing 31 touchdown passes to just 15 interceptions. With a 94.4 rating, he finished third in the league in passing yards, and fifth in completions, touchdowns, and interceptions. But the next season he lost the job back to Harrington and was released by the Bears before the start of the 2009 season.
Complete StoryBRONCOS CUT FOUR MORE VETERANS
Thomas and Goff Placed on Injured Reserve
Thomas and Goff Placed on Injured Reserve
April 25th, 2012: The Broncos released four more players prior to the start of the ISFL 2012 player draft, and put two key defensive players from their Super Bowl winning team of 2011 on injured reserve.
Cornerback Terrell Thomas and linebacker Jonathan Goff were both placed on the Broncos IR squad, ending their 2012 season before it began. The two players placed on injured reserve helped the Broncos to turn around the defense in 2011, cutting their total points surrendered in 2010 from 369 to just 230 in 2011, the fourth fewest points allowed last season.
The four players released were defensive tackle Ed Johnson, wide receiver Same Hurd, linebacker Will Herring and defensive end Phillip Merling. None of these players were starters last year, and all were viewed as disappointments in the 2011 season.
Complete StoryBRONCOS CUT FOUR VETERANS
April 22nd, 2012: As expected, the Broncos announced a number of cuts of veteran players, some of whom were with the team during the down years of 2007-2009. The biggest name on the list is probably the former All-American from USC, Lendale White, who rushed for 2060 yards in a Bronco uniform and another 457 to start his career with the Chargers. But White tore his Achilles tendon last year before the start of the season, then tore the other Achilles this off-season while trying to come back from the first injury. Most likely his career is over with 2497 yards gained on the ground in the ISFL.
Another released player who has played for the team that casual fans might recognize is guard Nick Cole. Cole reported to camp this year overweight, but was sent home and told to come back when he got down to 330 or less. Since he hasn't reported back, the Broncos decided to relinquish all rights to him at this time. Cole played four seasons with the Broncos, three as a backup, and in 2010 was the starting center for the franchise. But with Maurkice Pouncey and Eric Wood in the pivot for the team, the Broncos needed Cole to play guard, and at 350 - 360 pounds, he was unable to get out in front on the sweeps and unable to trap effectively. His pass protection skills - never strong to start with - declined as his weight rose, making him a less than ideal protector for Josh Freeman. At only 6 foot even, he wasn't tall enough to move to tackle, and playing him on the edge would match him up against much quicker defensive ends (instead of defensive tackles), and was an invitation to get Josh Freeman killed - something the Broncos were not willing to risk.
Complete StoryBRONCOS DEALING WITH INJURIES
Denver, April 11th, 2012: "It's all part of the game," Hank Sienzant says.
Still, even he has to wonder what is going on with all the injuries to the Denver Broncos this year.
One day after learning that starting middle linebacker Jonathan Goff will miss the rest of the season, Sienzant admits to shaking his head in bewilderment. Goff was diagnosed yesterday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, suffered during a non-contact practice drill Monday.
Complete StoryLENDALE WHITE RE-INJURES ACHILLES
Denver, April 8th, 2012: Lendale White, trying to come back from an injured achilles injury suffered last year in training camp, re-tore the same Achilles tendon in a non-contact drill and will miss the Broncos 2012 season. A Bronco spokesperson said White gave a thumbs-up to his teammates as he was carted off the field, "but he had tears in his eyes at the same time."
After a rookie season with the Chargers where he rushed for 262 yards in part-time action, Lendale White was obtained in trade from the San Diego Chargers during the 2008 season for Justin Fargas and the Broncos second round pick in 2009 by the prior coaching staff (part of the reason Sienzant is now the coach and general manager). Although obtained mid-season in 2008, he still led the Broncos in rushing that year, finishing with 839 yards on 225 carries. He also added 20 catches that season, finishing with 1014 yards from scrimmage that year, his only season with more than a thousand yards from scrimmage in his four-year career.
In 2009, Sienzant's first with the club, Lendale White was told he had to get down to 230 pounds but never did. Without a legitimate alternative, Sienzant had no recourse but to continue to play White, but Lendale's days as the starter were numbered. The following year, the Broncos had a three-headed running attack in White, Glen Coffee, and Chris Brown, with Coffee leading the team in rushing. White finished second on the club in that statistic and apparently got the message.
Complete StoryRUNNING BACKS ON THE BUBBLE
Denver, April 4th, 2012: "It's all about competition. The best players will play." Hank Sienzant is adamant that no jobs are guaranteed heading into the draft. "It's been that way every year I've been here," Sienzant says. "If a rookie shows better than the veterans in camp, the rookie starts. It's as simple as that. It's always about competition."
What that translates into is some veterans are on the bubble in mini-camp and the rookies haven't even been drafted yet.
For example, the Broncos are overloaded at running back, with Lendale White returning from injured reserve to challenge the six active players from last year in Ryan Torain, Ricky Williams, Anthony Dixon, Deji Karim, Dimitri Nance and Delanie Walker. All six looked good at times last year and all proved to be capable backs.
Complete StoryBRONCOS TOO LAX, SAYS COACH
Denver, March 24th, 2012: Hank Sienzant fired a warning shot over the bow of several Broncos today, saying "Some veterans apparently think they can skate by on what we did last year. That isn't how it works around here. Never has. They should know by now. We won't hesitate to release an under-performing player, no matter what he did in the past."
When questioned about what specific players he was talking about, Sienzant responded, "They know who they are. And so do you."
Among those whom Sienzant might have been speaking of are a trio of veteran wideouts in Sam Hurd, Taylor Price, and Brandon James. Between the three of them, they did not have a reception last season, and haven't done much in training camp to stand out this year. Price and James are both 24 in 2012, which may buy them some extra time to develop, but Hurd is 26 and looks to be as good as gone. "If Sam Hurd is still there at the start of the season, I'll give you my season tickets," says one team observer. "He's as good as gone."
Complete StoryBRONCOS TWO-PEAT POSSIBLE?
Denver, March 10th, 2012: The Broncos came out of nowhere last year to win the Super Bowl in Hank Sienzant's third season running the team. But for most of the first two years, fans were intent on running Sienzant out of town. The Broncos won only one game in Sienzant's first 25 games, but turned it around in a hurry, winning 21 of their next 27, including 17 of 20 (including the playoffs) last year.
So what do they do for an encore?
With one of the youngest squads in the ISFL, it would be easy to think the Broncos can win it again and again. Chalking up another title or two over the next few years without hardly breaking a sweat. After all, these guys are just babies, relatively speaking, and if they can do this as babies, what kind of havoc can they unleash on the league when they grow up?
Complete StoryTHE WORST MOVES IN BRONCOS HISTORY
Denver, March 6th, 2012: If the Broncos are to repeat as champions this season, they will have to avoid the bad deals, poor evaluations, and poor drafting that plagued the Bronco team for years. While the current Broncos staff has done a commendable job of turning around what was conceded to be one of the poorest teams in the league in just three short years, not every move they've made over that time has worked out for the best. Here's a recap of some of the roster moves and draft picks that didn't pan out that the Broncos would definitely like a chance to do over.
10. Aaron Berry, CB - The Broncos drafted Berry in the 2011 draft with the 300th pick overall, then released him before he played in a regular season game with the club when they signed street free agent Graham Gano as their kickoff specialist. While Gano's strong leg and booming kickoffs contributed greatly to the Broncos success in 2011, in retrospect the Broncos should have cut somewhere else, as Berry has playing ability and will no doubt contribute somewhere in 2012. Alternatively, the Broncos would have been better served trading away the pick they used on Berry rather than drafting a player they wound up releasing just a month later.
9. Breno Giacomini, T - The Broncos liked what they saw of Breno when they drafted him in 2009 in the first supplemental round that year. Drafting him wasn't the problem, releasing him as one of the final player cuts in 2011 was. He was on the Broncos injured reserve list in 2010 after suffering a knee injury, but didn't look 100% when camp started in 2011, almost guaranteeing his release. When he blew out the other knee in grass drills, the Broncos said sayanara. Granted, the Broncos have two bookend tackles in Joe Thomas and Ryan Clady that can play together for a decade, but Giacomini should have been retained as a valuable backup and allowed to get his knees back into playing shape.
Complete StoryBRONCOS SHOWCASING GROSSMAN?
Denver, February 20th, 2012: The Broncos have given Rex Grossman nearly 60% of the snaps in their off-season mini-camp, saying it's to get him ready to play if necessary. "Rex is just one snap away from being the starter," head coach Hank Sienzant said in explaining Grossman's heavy workload this year. "We just felt it was smart to give him more work with the first team than we have in the past since we may need him to be ready at a moment's notice."
"Rex is familiar with the system," Sienzant said. "He has been here for a few years. I thought he was pretty automatic with a lot of his reads, and he has looked good thus far this year. [Starter] Josh [Freeman] has had plenty of work with the first team and we don’t want to over-work him.”
But some observers have speculated that the Broncos are shopping Grossman around, and are planning on playing him more this year in the pre-season in an effort to maximize his value before trading him to the highest bidder. Grossman is a former starter of the Chicago Bears but was acquired by the Broncos shortly before Sienzant was named coach back in 2009. The Broncos gave him opportunities to start, and he has looked good on occasion, but has looked bad at other times. If he can settle into a game-manager type of quarterback, instead of the wild young gunslinger he has been perceived as being, he could get another opportunity to start somewhere else in the league. For the Broncos, he is perceived as a perfect veteran backup to the young and improving Josh Freeman.
Complete Story2011 BRONCO POST-SEASON STORIES
BRONCOS WIN SUPER BOWL, 38-21 OVER SAINTS!
Denver Offense Near Perfect
January 29th, 2012: The Saints couldn't solve the Bronco offense, and Denver won, 38-21, without ever punting.
The Broncos had seven possessions in the game, and scored on six of them. One possession ended in an interception in the Saints endzone, after the Broncos had driven 60 yards to get to the Saints seven-yard line.
Except for the pick, 22-year-old starting quarterback and Super Bowl XV MVP Josh Freeman was near-perfect, completing 18 of 21 for 205 yards and three touchdowns (127.1). The Broncos also ran for 262 yards against the Saints on 43 rushing attempts (6.1). Three different Broncos ran for 75 or more yards, but none broke one hundred. The Broncos finished the game with 456 yards of offense, while the Saints accumulated 377 yards of offense, 259 through the air and 118 on the ground.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.20)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS ADVANCE TO SUPER BOWL!
Down Bills 34-21 Behind Ricky Williams Two TDs
January 15th, 2012: They keep trying to bury the old man.
But he ain't dead yet.
33-year-old Ricky Williams' 56-yard run for a touchdown in the second quarter gave the Broncos their first lead of the game, a lead they never relinquished, and the Broncos went on to a 34-21 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game. Williams finished with 93 yards on nine carries and scored two touchdowns and got this writer's vote for MVP of the contest.
The Denver Broncos fell behind 7-0 after kicking off as the Buffalo Bills had much success running the ball early. But after their initial possession when they gained 53 yards on the ground on six runs, the Bills all but abandoned their running attack. Over the remainder of the contest, they ran only eight more times, picking up only another 11 yards. Obviously, when you have Tom Brady as your quarterback, you want to maximum his chances to win the game. But that philosophy means if you stop Brady, you pretty much stop the Bills offense.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.19)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS UPSET JETS TO REACH AFC CHAMPIONSHIP, 35-27
Freeman Tosses Three TD Passes, Runs for Another
January 8th, 2012: The king is dead. Long live the king.
The Broncos upset the two-time defending ISFL Champion New York Jets in New York to advance to the AFC Championship Game behind Josh Freeman's three touchdown passes and one touchdown rushing. Freeman was stellar in the contest, completing 17 of 23 for 260 yards, and rushing for another 64 yards to lead the Broncos in rushing.
The teams went back and fourth in the first half, with each team taking the lead three separate times in an exciting 21-17 half that left the Broncos up by the narrow four-point lead.
The Broncos never trailed after scoring just before the end of the first half. In the second half, the Broncos broke the back-and-forth trend, scoring another touchdown to open the third quarter to go up by 11 at 28-17. After a Jets field goal cut the Broncos lead to 28-20 early in the fourth quarter, the Broncos quickly came right back with a dagger through the heart of the Jets, with Freeman throwing long and connecting with Dwayne Bowe for a 65-yard touchdown to take a 35-20 lead with just 13 minutes remaining in the contest.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.18)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS DOWN TITANS IN WILDCARD GAME, 23-12
Defense and Running Game Bring Home Win
January 1st, 2012: The Broncos edged the Titans in a tough defensive struggle that was a lot closer than the final scored indicated. With just five minutes left in the game, the Broncos held a narrow five-point margin at 17-12, but added two field goals in the next three minutes to take first an eight-point, then an eleven-point lead that Tennessee could not overcome.
The Titans were held to just 44 yards on the ground while the Broncos rushed for 186. Chad Henne responded to the challenge for the Titans, throwing 50 times and completing 30 for 310 yards, but two interceptions helped seal the Titans fate. The first came in the second quarter and led directly to the Broncos taking their first lead of the contest. With the Titans at their own 41, Will Witherspoon, who has played at a high level all season, dropped off his man and picked off Henne at the Denver 44, returning it nine yards before being hit and fumbling. With the ball loose on the field, both coaches held their breath until fellow Bronco linebacker Ernie Sims came out of the scrum with the ball. On replay, it looked like the Titans recovered the fumble but somehow Sims managed to come out of the pile of the pileup with the ball held aloft. After the game, Sims said with a smile, "All's fair in love and war -- and football pileups. It's not who gets the ball first, it's who has it last."
The Broncos took immediate advantage, keeping the ball on the ball for all eight plays of the drive, marching for 47 yards and their lone score of the first half, punching it over from five yards out on a Ryan Torain pitch-out around left end for the touchdown on third and five to give them a 7-3 halftime lead. Just prior to the touchdown, Ricky Williams lost the handle on the ball on a 13-yard run off-tackle at the Tennessee nine yard line, but Denver guard Josh Sitton managed to get the recovery and keep the drive alive.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.17)Box Score (complete stats)
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