AFC West: Jason Elam
After watching Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski tie the NFL record with a 63-yard field goal in Denver on Monday night, Broncos’ strong-legged kicker Matt Prater wants to take a shot at the record himself.
Meanwhile, Tom Dempsey, who now shares the record with Jason Elam and Janikowski, plans to write Janikowski a letter of congratulations.
NFL.com is reporting Oakland rookie quarterback Terrelle Pryor will have his appeal of his five-game suspension heard Thursday. He is trying to get the suspension erased or reduced. It is already the second week of the suspension.
Elam welcomes Janikowski to Club 63
Elam admits that he thinks the impressive NFL record he has shared with Tom Dempsey for the past 13 years could be given the boot every week. Janikowski is the one of the most expected contenders. When the Oakland Raiders approached mid-field at the end of the first half Monday night of an eventual 23-20 win, Elam buckled in for history.
“I was excited,” Elam said by phone Tuesday. “I don’t watch football to see 21-yard field goals. [Monday] was my type of game.”
When Janikowski’s 63-yard field goal barely fell over the cross bar, tying him with Dempsey and Elam for the NFL record, Elam was thrilled to see another placekicker achieve greatness.
“I have such an appreciation for Sebastian as a kicker,” Elam said. “He has such a strong leg, He’s fun to watch. It was a great kick. I just wish it didn’t come against my Broncos.”
Elam thinks a new record will be established, perhaps soon. He thinks every kicker in the NFL is capable of making a 64-yard plus kick, but he counts Janikowski and Denver’s Matt Prater as among the top candidates to establish a new record. Like Janikowski's 63-yarder, Elam’s was done in Denver. It came at the end of the first half.
“His situation was perfect,” Elam said. “I was watching, thinking he could do it.”
Dream night for Raiders' kicker
Kirby Lee/Image of Sport/US PresswireSebastian Janikowski's 63-yard field goal tied an NFL record and helped the Raiders top the Broncos.It was much prettier in his dream Sunday night.
“To be honest, I didn’t hit it very well,” Oakland’s rifle-legged kicker said of his NFL record-tying 63-yard field goal that was the difference in the Raiders’ 23-20 win over the Denver Broncos in a sloppy game Monday night.
“I just saw the replay. It barely made it.”
Janikowski was much more enamored with his dream sequence from the night before the opener. While in his Mile High City hotel, Janikowski dreamt he tied the NFL record -- which he now shares with Tom Dempsey and Jason Elam -- and sent the game to overtime. He said he was going for the record in overtime in his dreams.
“It was weird that it all happened,” Janikowski said.
Prior to the game, Janikowski knew his dream could become a reality when he drilled a 70-yarder in warm-ups. He was also much more impressed with that effort than the record-tying kick. Janikowski said Oakland coach Hue Jackson saw the 70-yarder before the game, which gave him confidence in his kicker.
“The Denver air is unbelievable,” Janikowski said. “The ball really carries.”
It is the field goal record capital of the NFL. Elam’s kick came in the Old Mile High Stadium.
Still, Janikowski benefited from a 15-yard penalty by Denver late in the second quarter. Oakland seemed satisfied with running out the clock before a face-mask penalty on Broncos DT Kevin Vickerson. Then the Raiders got aggressive and gave Janikowski a chance. He said he was ready for the opportunity when it came.
But Janikowski is always ready for the chance. The 63-yarder was his seventh field goal of 55 yards or more in his career. His previous career high was a 61-yarder at Cleveland in 2009.
This 63-yarder barely made it. But it was good enough to tie the record and help Oakland win the game. While it gave Oakland a 13-point cushion at halftime, the Raiders needed the points as they held off Denver’s second-half comeback.
“He’s phenomenal,” Jackson said of his kicker. “What Sebastian did is unheard of.”
Here are some other key aspects of the game:
Denver doesn’t do it the Fox way: Coach John Fox’s mantra is simple: Run the ball on offense, stop the run on defense. The Broncos did neither in his debut.
In fairness to Fox, Denver's defense looks much more competitive than it was last season when it was ranked No. 32 in the NFL. But Denver's offense is way out of sync and was mistake-prone. Denver miscues sparked all of Oakland’s points.
The Broncos could not ignite the run game (38 yards on 13 attempts). Kyle Orton threw the ball 46 times. Fox will want to change that approach moving forward.
Defensively, in the end, Denver was beaten up in the run game. It allowed 190 yards on the ground. Oakland star rusher Darren McFadden had 150 yards on 22 carries.
Seeing his team end up minus-152 yards in the rushing yardage outcome will frustrate Fox. Expect him to pound that into his team this week.
Injuries mounting for Denver: Key defensive standouts Elvis Dumervil and Champ Bailey have injuries. The extent of the injuries is unknown, but Denver can’t afford for either player to be out for an extended period of time. Dumervil said he hurt his shoulder in practice last week. Dumervil, who missed all of last season with a pectoral injury, played only on passing downs Monday night.
Bailey, the team’s star cornerback, left the game with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. He did not return. Running back Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) and receiver Brandon Lloyd (groin) were also banged up. This ugly night could end up getting worse for the Broncos.
McFadden is a McStud: The Broncos pressed their luck with McFadden and got burnt. After Orton lost a fumble with Denver driving to potentially take the lead early in the fourth quarter, McFadden made him pay for the miscues. He blasted a 47-yard run to the Denver 1-yard line to set up a touchdown that gave the Raiders enough of a cushion to win.
McFadden broke out in his third NFL season last year and became one of the league’s most dynamic runners. He continued it in his opening game of his fourth season. He is a legitimate NFL workhorse.
Hooray for Hue: The win wasn’t pretty and the Raiders will have to do something about those 15 penalties, but this was a big night as Jackson debuted with a victory. Jackson was beaming in his postgame news conference. He knew the win broke some nasty streaks.
The Raiders won to open the season for the first time since 2002. That season ended in the Super Bowl. It also broke an 11-game prime-time losing streak for a team that once dominated the "Monday Night Football" landscape. Oh, and the Raiders remain the kings of the AFC West. They have now won eight straight division games, dating to 2009. It’s the longest such streak in the NFL.
Sebastian Janikowski makes history
Oakland leads 16-3.
It barely made it but the man they call Seabass is in the record books. He tied Denver’s Jason Elam (he did it in the old Mile High Stadium) and New Orleans’ Tom Dempsey.
This is a horribly played game folks, but we just saw history.
- The Kansas City Star projects Florida tackle Marcus Gilbert as the Chiefs’ fourth-round pick. I think the Chiefs may address that area a bit earlier in the draft.
- Former Denver kicker Jason Elam addresses several topics with the readers of the Denver Post, including Tebowmania. Count Elam -- one of the classiest people I’ve ever covered -- as those who are behind Broncos’ second-year quarterback Tim Tebow.
Analysis: This was a great all-time NFL team. In 2007, the NFL Network ranked the team as the 12th-best Super Bowl winner.
US PresswireTerrell Davis gained 2,008 rushing yards in 1998, just one of six 2,000-yard seasons in NFL history.The Broncos won their first 13 games and finished the regular season 14-2. The only game Denver lost that it truly tried to win was its 14th game, a last-moment loss to the Giants at The Meadowlands. The Broncos were never challenged during three postseason wins. Known for not having the best supporting casts for much of his career, Elway enjoyed the benefit of a stunning running game and a nasty, fierce defense in his final season.
Running back Terrell Davis ran for 2,008 yards, which was then the third-highest rushing total in NFL history. He won the NFL MVP award that season.
When Davis’ hard, downhill running in coach Mike Shanahan's brilliant zone-blocking scheme was combined with the elegance of Elway passing to Smith, McCaffrey and the game-changing Sharpe, Denver was breathtaking to watch on offense.
Defensively, this mean, nasty group always seemed to come up with the big play. Things rarely went wrong for this team. It simply steamrolled through the season.
“We were stacked,” said Elam, who tied an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal during the season. “I remember us routinely being up by three touchdowns at the end of the first quarter and we knew it was over … It was a dream season.”
Most impressive win: The 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII. The supremely focused Broncos never truly let the Falcons in the game. It was a perfect ending to a near-perfect season.
Businessmen: People around this team always talk about how serious it was. Unlike the 1997 season in which Denver had to fight and scrap every step of the way for its first Super Bowl championship, winning it all was a foregone conclusion all season in 1998.
The Broncos were focused on winning the Super Bowl all season. After the win over Atlanta, there were no wild celebrations. Sure, players were happy. But they were businesslike. It was a different scene from the euphoric celebration that followed the team’s win over heavily favored Green Bay the year before. It was as if the 1998 title was expected all season.
Honorable mention:
1977: Red Miller’s 12-2 outfit was strong, but it was no match for the Cowboys in the Super Bowl.
1996: The memory of this team still stings in Denver. The Broncos were a great team, perhaps better than the 1998 outfit, but it lost at home in the divisional playoff round to Jacksonville, ruining everything good associated with this team.
1997: This is probably the most popular Denver team ever. It fought its way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win as a wild-card team. The words “This one's for John” will never be forgotten in the Rocky Mountains.
Elam played for Denver from 1993-2007. He signed as a free agent with Atlanta in 2008 and was cut during last season.
The Broncos were interested in bringing Elam back in 2008, but Atlanta offered a deal Denver declined to match. Elam was one of Denver owner Pat Bowlen’s favorite players.
He was known as a clutch player on the field and as a leader in the locker room and in the community. Elam will remembered in Denver for winning two Super Bowl rings and for tying the NFL record with a 63-yard field goal in a 1998 game.
This is a class move by Denver to allow Elam to end his career with the team he will be most remembered playing for.
During Denver’s 26-6 win over the Giants on Thursday night, Prater converted all four of his field goal attempts, including a 47-yarder. He also had touchbacks on five of his seven kickoffs.
Prater is having an excellent second season in Denver after being inconsistent last season and during training camp this season. He also won the award after Week 5 this season.
Prater’s excellent play is the primary reason why the Broncos likely will not consider bringing back veteran Jason Elam, who was released by Atlanta on Tuesday.
Elam is one of the most popular players in recent Denver history. Many fans were shocked when he left the Broncos after 15 wildly successful seasons in free agency in 2008.
Elam is close to owner Pat Bowlen, but because of the regime change and Prater’s success, youth and great ability to kick off (Elam doesn’t kick off), do not expect the Broncos to go back to the future on this one.
Broncos reveal 50th anniversary team
Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson
The Denver Broncos have released their all-time 50th Anniversary team that was chosen by fan voting. The team will be recognized Oct. 11 against New England.
It looks to me that the fans got this line right. There are some superstars on this team. Here’s the list:
First-team Offense
QB John Elway
RB Terrell Davis
RB Floyd Little
WR Ed McCaffrey
WR Rod Smith
TE Shannon Sharpe
OT Matt Lepsis
OT Gary Zimmerman
G Keith Bishop
G Mark Schlereth
C Tom Nalen
First-team Defense
DE Simon Fletcher
DE Rich Jackson
DT Trevor Pryce
DT Rubin Carter
LB Karl Mecklenburg
LB Randy Gradishar
LB Tom Jackson
CB Champ Bailey
CB Louis Wright
S Steve Atwater
S Dennis Smith
First-team Specialists
K Jason Elam
P Tom Rouen
Ret Rick Upchurch
Kickers and punters, AFC West style
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
The kicking specialist is getting some love on the NFL Blog Network Tuesday.
After the recent Pro Football Hall Of Fame voting, there remains just one player who was strictly a kicker among the inductees. We're appreciating some of the best kickers and punters in the history of AFC West teams. (That Hall Of Fame kicker, by the way, is from this division.) We are highlighting one kicking specialist per team.
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| Doug Pensinger/Getty Images | |
| Jason Elam shares the NFL record for the longest field goal in history. |
Denver: Jason Elam, kicker
The skinny: It was a shock to see Elam leave Denver for Atlanta through free agency last season. He was an institution in the Rocky Mountains and he is still effective after 16 NFL seasons. Even though Elam is no longer a Bronco, he is part for the team's lore. He shares the NFL record for the longest field goal in history (63 yards). He was cold-blooded with the game on the line. In his final season in Denver, Elam won four of the team's seven games in the final seconds.
Kansas City: Jan Stenerud, kicker
The skinny: Stenerud is the only kicking specialist in the Hall of Fame. He spent the first 13 of his 19-season NFL career with the Chiefs. He was a key member of the team's Super Bowl winning team. An excellent athlete, the Norwegian Stenerud was known for both his accuracy and strong leg. He's a kicking pioneer and he may be lonely in the Hall of Fame for a while.
Oakland: Ray Guy, punter
The skinny: He is one of the main reasons why the kicking and punting Hall of Fame was formed. It may be the last Hall of Fame Guy ever gets voted into. He has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the past, but his candidacy has stalled some. Many consider Guy the best punter of all time.
San Diego: Mike Scifres, punter
The skinny: The Chargers' current punter is vastly underrated. The Chargers think he is one of the best punters to play in the NFL in several years. He is very accurate and he put himself in the spotlight last month. A master of placing the ball inside opponents' 20-yard line, Scifres pinned all six of his punts against the Colts inside the 20-yard line in the Chargers' win in the wild-card game. It was the first time in the history of the postseason that had happened. Many in the San Diego organization said Scifres' effort was the key to the win.
Down the stretch with Denver and San Diego
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
With five games to go, the AFC West appears to be a two-team race between Denver and San Diego. The only reason why the 4-7 Chargers are still in the race is because Denver refuses to run away with it. The Broncos would be 7-4 and making January plans had it not been blown out at home against Oakland.
The Broncos are 6-5 and don't have the look of a team ready to go for the kill. Thus, the Chargers are still in the race. Theoretically, Oakland, at 3-8, could get back in the mix if a few things fall the Raiders' way in the next few weeks.
Here are five things both Denver and San Diego need to do to win the West, which is in danger of forever being remembered as the first division ever to have a winner with a losing record in a non-strike season.
Here are some Monday night AFC west news and notes:
- Tom Cable was in a giving mood Monday, a day after Oakland's 31-10 upset win at Denver. Cable handed out 14 game balls. Is it too many? Perhaps, but it was a big win for the Raiders. They deserve to celebrate.
- The NFL said an official's ruling on an Anthony Gonzalez dropped pass was indeed the right call. Chargers fans thought it was a fumble, which would have been ruled a Chargers' fumble recovery.
- Chargers coach Norv Turner is getting panned a bit around the league for calling a time out before San Diego hit a field goal to tie the game against the Colts with 1:30 to go Sunday night. The time out gave the Colts more time.
The Colts went down the field and won the game on a 51-yard field goal as time expired. If the Chargers don't end up in the playoffs, this call could haunt him and the team.
- Denver kicker Matt Prater, who replaced legend Jason Elam this season, is in a slump. After a hot start, Prater has made just five of his last 10 field goal attempts.
- While San Diego prepares to host former backup tailback Michael Turner on Sunday, now a standout with Atlanta, the Chargers are excited about another backup running back.
Rookie Jacob Hester was very effective Sunday night as both a runner and a receiver. He was playing with fullback Mike Tolbert out with a neck injury. Hester, a third-round pick, had been playing well on special teams. Sunday, he showed he could be ready to be a valuable weapon out of the backfield.
Audibles: AFC West Week 11 preview
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Denver Broncos (5-4) at Atlanta Falcons (6-3), 1 p.m. ET
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It was late last season and the Denver Broncos brought in kicker Matt Prater for the stretch run. Yes, a kicker.
Jason Elam was there, as he had been since 1993. Asked why Prater was brought in, the Broncos' brass bristled. No, it had nothing to do with Elam, who would be a free agent after the season, management said. Prater had a strong leg and the team was just looking at him as an option for kickoffs. Still, Elam was confused. The move made him wonder if his Denver days were about to end.
Elam, a career-long Bronco, said he could never imagine himself in another uniform. He is the most "clutch" kicker in team history. He had been a member of the Broncos' two Super Bowl-winning teams. He decided four of Denver's seven victories in 2007 with last-second kicks. He's even married to a former Broncos cheerleader.
Then in March, Denver didn't pay him what he asked for and he signed with his home-state Atlanta Falcons. The Broncos, who now employ Prater as their field-goal kicker, will visit Elam and the Falcons on Sunday.
While Elam's departure seemed unfathomable last season, it has worked out for both parties. Prater has a huge leg and has been excellent on field goals and on kickoffs. Elam has been his reliable self for the surprising Falcons.
Could Sunday's game come down to a game-winning field-goal attempt by either Elam or Prater? That would be some good theater.
New Orleans Saints (4-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-8), 1 p.m. ET
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It may have been lost in the Chiefs' three devastating losses in a row, but Tony Gonzalez is playing at an All-Pro clip.
The future Hall of Famer is playing like a 27-year-old. It seems Gonzalez's nontrade at the deadline has inspired him. He deserves a lot of credit. He wanted to be dealt to a contender last month. When potential deals fell apart, Gonzalez admitted he wasn't happy, but he promised he would give the team his all for the rest of the season.
Gonzalez wasn't kidding. Since the trade deadline, Gonzalez has made 29 of his 50 catches. He's playing with a purpose and Chiefs fans have another reason to salute him.
Oakland Raiders (2-7) at Miami Dolphins (5-4), 1 p.m. ET
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Tony Sparano should prove to the Oakland Raiders what a difference a new coach can make, even in just one season.
The Raiders will, in all likelihood, try to get it right again after the season, hiring a new coach for the fifth time in seven years. From Bill Callahan to Tom Cable, the Raiders have struggled mightily.
As the Raiders travel to Miami to face the resurgent Dolphins, who were 1-15 last season, they can look at Sparano and see hope for next year and another new Oakland head coach.
San Diego Chargers (4-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3), 4:15 p.m. ET
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Like Gonzalez in Kansas City, the Chargers' tight end is getting his groove back.
Antonio Gates is coming off his two best games of 2008. Gates has 14 catches for 162 yards and two touchdown catches in the past two games. He has 38 catches this season.
Gates appears to be nearly 100 percent healthy after struggling to return from surgery on his left big toe. Gates didn't play in the preseason, and he said the toe injury hampered his play earlier in the year. At one point early on, Gates admitted that he didn't think he'd be able to help the Chargers this season.
But in the past two games, Gates has been playing at a high level. If the Chargers win the AFC West title, their All-Pro tight end probably will be a major reason why.
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater will be named AFC Special teams player of the week, the Broncos said in a release.
Prater made all three of his field goal attempts Sunday in a 16-13 win over Tampa Bay. One of his field goals was from 55 yards. It easily cleared the cross bar. Prater also recorded four touchbacks on five kickoffs Sunday.
Prater has kicked four field goals of 50 yards or more this season. He said Sunday that his coaches told him he will attempt to break the all-time field goal record of 63 yards this season. The record is shared by Jason Elam and Tom Dempsey.
Prater, of course, replaced Elam in Denver this season. Elam was a surprise departure from Denver after 15 years. He signed with Atlanta.
Denver signed Prater late last season and developed him in the offseason. Prater came into the season. His only previous NFL experience was in Atlanta last year and he made just one of four field goal attempts. Prater credits that experience of helping him now.
"A lot of young kickers struggle early and I had my struggles last year," Prater said. "I feel very comfortable out there now."
And he's being rewarded for it.
Denver kicker has eye on FG record
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| Prater |
DENVER -- Matt Prater has news.
He is going record hunting this year. I asked him if he thought he is capable of kicking a 64-yard field goal, which would be an NFL record.
He didn't hesitate in his answer.
"We are going to try it this year," Prater said Sunday after he kicked three field goals in Denver's 16-13 win over Tampa Bay. One of the field goals was 55 yards and it cleared the cross bars by several yards. Prater has connected on all four of his field goal attempts of 50 yards or more this season.
"My coaches told me we are going to do it when we get the chance. I think I can do it," he said.
Prater thinks he can break the record, which is currently shared by Jason Elam and Tom Dempsey. Prater got his chance in Denver after the Broncos decided not to re-sign Elam after 15 seasons. He signed with Atlanta.
"Every Wednesday, I kick long field goals," Prater said. "I can hit 70 yard in practice."
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Bill Williamson
Williamson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Denver Broncos for the Denver Post. He previously covered the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.
