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Injuries add to Broncos' last-second loss
Associated Press
Saturday, August 9, 2008
HOUSTON — Broncos coach Mike Shanahan often finishes sentences on various topics in the preseason with "as long as we stay healthy.''
And Saturday, his biggest concern of August came to fruition in the Broncos' preseason opener against the Texans -- it's a game the Broncos lost 19-16 -- as less than six minutes had peeled off the clock in Reliant Stadium before two Denver players already had left the field because of injuries.
Starting strong-side linebacker Boss Bailey suffered what team officials described as a right ankle sprain on the Broncos' second defensive play of the evening, and his backup, Louis Green, suffered a neck injury and concussion five plays later.
Bailey could not put any weight on the leg when he was helped off the field. It was his first game with the team since signing in free agency.
Bailey will go for a magnetic resonance imaging exam Sunday to check the extent of the injury. He left the stadium on crutches.
"(I) don’t think it’s that bad, but you don’t know until you get the MRI,'' Bailey said. "The good thing is, it wasn’t broken on the X-ray, so that’s the positive thing. But I have to wait and see with the MRI to see if there’s any damage in there.”
Green was strapped to a backboard and taken to a Houston hospital for an examination by a neurosurgeon. He returned to the stadium by game's end and returned to Denver on the team's chartered flight.
Green was wearing a neck brace, but he walked to the bus.
"He feels good right now,'' Shanahan said. "We won't know for sure for a number of hours, but right now he feels good.''
Green moved both hands after the play, even giving a double thumbs-up gesture as he was wheeled from the field strapped to a gurney. The fifth-year linebacker was believed to have felt tingling in his extremities after colliding with teammate D.J. Williams on a tackle, and he was taken to Methodist Hospital as a precaution.
Beyond that, on a choppy effort overall -- the Broncos finished with 12 penalties for 80 yards -- the Broncos' first-team offense came away with a touchdown in its work for the evening.
The score came on a 15-yard scramble by Jay Cutler with 56 seconds left in the first quarter. Cutler left the game after only two series, but the Broncos' starting offensive line played to halftime.
It was Cutler's first game action since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during the offseason.
"Good numbers to start with, good numbers to end with,'' Cutler said of his blood sugar levels. "Can't get too excited when you only play two series.''
Cutler's backup, Patrick Ramsey, finished 6-for-11 passing for 32 yards with two interceptions, one of which was a Hail Mary pass near the end of the first half.
Right tackle Ryan Harris had a particularly difficult evening, with four penalties assessed to him in the opening half, and Broncos rookie left tackle Ryan Clady fared pretty well after some shaky moments early in the game.
Overall, the Broncos did pound out 74 yards rushing in the opening half, with Andre Hall leading the way with 43 yards on eight carries before halftime. Starting running back Selvin Young got only four carries for three yards in all.
The Broncos finished with 123 yards on their 26 carries.
Matt Prater, who is trying to replace longtime Broncos kicker Jason Elam, missed a 30-yard attempt wide right with slightly more than two minutes to play in the first half. But Prater made his next three kicks -- one was a 38-yarder with 6:10 to play in the third quarter to go with 31-and 26-yarders in the fourth quarter -- to close out his night.
Defensively, it was the first outing with Bob Slowik calling the plays on that side of the ball. The Broncos played with far more eight-man fronts than they used in the preseason last year under former assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates.
They held a Texans run game that didn't include the team's top two backs, Ahaman Green and Chris Brown, to 46 yards on 12 carries, for a 3.8-yard-per-carry average.
The Texans, who won the game with a 25-yard kick from Kris Brown as time expired, rushed for 94 yards in the second half against the Broncos reserves.
The Broncos held out starters on the night in cornerback Champ Bailey (hamstring), safety Hamza Abdullah (groin) and center Tom Nalen (knee) because of injuries. Defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson was held out as a precaution.
Tackle Erik Pears, who has had a sore lower back of late, played only one series in the game, in the third quarter.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/09/injuries-add-broncos-last-second-loss/
Associated Press
Saturday, August 9, 2008
HOUSTON — Broncos coach Mike Shanahan often finishes sentences on various topics in the preseason with "as long as we stay healthy.''
And Saturday, his biggest concern of August came to fruition in the Broncos' preseason opener against the Texans -- it's a game the Broncos lost 19-16 -- as less than six minutes had peeled off the clock in Reliant Stadium before two Denver players already had left the field because of injuries.
Starting strong-side linebacker Boss Bailey suffered what team officials described as a right ankle sprain on the Broncos' second defensive play of the evening, and his backup, Louis Green, suffered a neck injury and concussion five plays later.
Bailey could not put any weight on the leg when he was helped off the field. It was his first game with the team since signing in free agency.
Bailey will go for a magnetic resonance imaging exam Sunday to check the extent of the injury. He left the stadium on crutches.
"(I) don’t think it’s that bad, but you don’t know until you get the MRI,'' Bailey said. "The good thing is, it wasn’t broken on the X-ray, so that’s the positive thing. But I have to wait and see with the MRI to see if there’s any damage in there.”
Green was strapped to a backboard and taken to a Houston hospital for an examination by a neurosurgeon. He returned to the stadium by game's end and returned to Denver on the team's chartered flight.
Green was wearing a neck brace, but he walked to the bus.
"He feels good right now,'' Shanahan said. "We won't know for sure for a number of hours, but right now he feels good.''
Green moved both hands after the play, even giving a double thumbs-up gesture as he was wheeled from the field strapped to a gurney. The fifth-year linebacker was believed to have felt tingling in his extremities after colliding with teammate D.J. Williams on a tackle, and he was taken to Methodist Hospital as a precaution.
Beyond that, on a choppy effort overall -- the Broncos finished with 12 penalties for 80 yards -- the Broncos' first-team offense came away with a touchdown in its work for the evening.
The score came on a 15-yard scramble by Jay Cutler with 56 seconds left in the first quarter. Cutler left the game after only two series, but the Broncos' starting offensive line played to halftime.
It was Cutler's first game action since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during the offseason.
"Good numbers to start with, good numbers to end with,'' Cutler said of his blood sugar levels. "Can't get too excited when you only play two series.''
Cutler's backup, Patrick Ramsey, finished 6-for-11 passing for 32 yards with two interceptions, one of which was a Hail Mary pass near the end of the first half.
Right tackle Ryan Harris had a particularly difficult evening, with four penalties assessed to him in the opening half, and Broncos rookie left tackle Ryan Clady fared pretty well after some shaky moments early in the game.
Overall, the Broncos did pound out 74 yards rushing in the opening half, with Andre Hall leading the way with 43 yards on eight carries before halftime. Starting running back Selvin Young got only four carries for three yards in all.
The Broncos finished with 123 yards on their 26 carries.
Matt Prater, who is trying to replace longtime Broncos kicker Jason Elam, missed a 30-yard attempt wide right with slightly more than two minutes to play in the first half. But Prater made his next three kicks -- one was a 38-yarder with 6:10 to play in the third quarter to go with 31-and 26-yarders in the fourth quarter -- to close out his night.
Defensively, it was the first outing with Bob Slowik calling the plays on that side of the ball. The Broncos played with far more eight-man fronts than they used in the preseason last year under former assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates.
They held a Texans run game that didn't include the team's top two backs, Ahaman Green and Chris Brown, to 46 yards on 12 carries, for a 3.8-yard-per-carry average.
The Texans, who won the game with a 25-yard kick from Kris Brown as time expired, rushed for 94 yards in the second half against the Broncos reserves.
The Broncos held out starters on the night in cornerback Champ Bailey (hamstring), safety Hamza Abdullah (groin) and center Tom Nalen (knee) because of injuries. Defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson was held out as a precaution.
Tackle Erik Pears, who has had a sore lower back of late, played only one series in the game, in the third quarter.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/09/injuries-add-broncos-last-second-loss/