Champ Bailey

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Making the Pro Bowl for the 11th time was a tribute to his longevity and quality. "It makes me feel like people still respect my game at this age, but I really don't put a lot of thought in the Pro Bowl too much," Champ Bailey said yesterday after the Broncos finished their final practice before tomorrow night's clash with the Patriots. "I want to win a ring and that's why I still play. " After 13 seasons with Washington and Denver, the 33-year-old cornerback has played in only five postseason games and never has made it to a Super Bowl.

For those fans already giving the AFC West title and maybe a whole lot more to the Mannings, uh, Broncos, some words of caution. Sure, Denver won the division last season, but it hardly was a display of power. The Broncos went 8-8 in the weakest sector in the NFL, winning mostly on defense, long-range field goals and the resilience of Tim Tebow. Not to mention some incredible good fortune and brain freeze by opponents. And yes, that formula is certain to change quite a bit with Peyton Manning running the show.

CANTON, Ohio -- Joe Gibbs came back for this? While his Washington Redskins beat the Denver Broncos, 20-17, on a last-second 39-yard field goal by Ola Kimrin last night in the Hall of Fame game, the Hall of Fame coach saw enough mistakes to fill an entire preseason. And then some. Still, the Redskins marched efficiently to the winning kick behind third-string quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, offsetting a long night of general inefficiency. The Broncos were even worse for most of the game.

Situation: The Patriots were leading the Broncos, 21-7, with 2:06 left in the first half when they had first and 10 at their 39-yard line. What happened: The Patriots came out in a rare traditional set with tight ends on both sides of the line. Quarterback Tom Brady (12) saw a man coverage look from the Broncos as both cornerbacks - Andre Goodman (21) and Champ Bailey (24) - were up on Deion Branch and Wes Welker, respectively, at the line of scrimmage. One of the keys to this play was the safety to Branch's side, David Bruton (30)

DENVER -- The receiver fakes an out pattern and heads upfield, apparently on the way to a long reception or even a touchdown. At the last second, Champ Bailey closes the gap, reaches up with one hand, and pulls down an interception to the cheers of the crowd. OK, so maybe it was just training camp, but it's the kind of play the Denver Broncos aren't used to seeing from a cornerback, and it's one of the reasons there's so much excitement in the Mile High City. "Champ Bailey is a gifted athlete: gifted speed, gifted athleticism with a God-given ability to instinctively cover a guy,"...

DENVER -- Quentin Griffin took off the middle, broke left to daylight and juked past a defender before racing into the end zone. The Denver Broncos might forget about Clinton Portis after all. Griffin ran for 156 yards and scored three touchdowns in his first game as Portis's replacement, helping the Broncos open the season with a 34-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night. "I told everybody not to worry because we have another special back," Broncos receiver Ashley Lelie said.

Situation: The Patriots were leading the Broncos, 21-7, with 2:06 left in the first half when they had first and 10 at their 39-yard line. What happened: The Patriots came out in a rare traditional set with tight ends on both sides of the line. Quarterback Tom Brady (12) saw a man coverage look from the Broncos as both cornerbacks - Andre Goodman (21) and Champ Bailey (24) - were up on Deion Branch and Wes Welker, respectively, at the line of scrimmage. One of the keys to this play was the safety to Branch's side, David Bruton (30)

CINCINNATI -- Chad got the best of Champ last night, turning the Cincinnati Bengals into an unexpected prime-time success. Chad Johnson left cornerback Champ Bailey face-down in his tracks on a 50-yard touchdown catch that got the Bengals revved for a 23-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in their long-awaited return to "Monday Night Football. " The Bengals (2-4) hadn't played on the Monday night stage for 12 years, the longest such exile in the league. A crowd of 65,806 -- the biggest to see a Bengals game in Cincinnati -- was hoping just to avoid embarrassment.

DENVER - Sebastian Janikowski figures his celebration over his long field goal will be short-lived. After all, Matt Prater kicks at this altitude eight times a year to Janikowki's one. "He's the only guy I've got to worry about if he's going to break the record," Janikowski said after his record-tying 63-yarder helped the Oakland Raiders beat the Denver Broncos, 23-20, Monday night. Janikowski said he dreamt of just such a historic field goal Saturday night and nailed a kick from 70 yards during warm-ups.

DENVER -- Michael Vick made all the players around him look better -- even the other team's quarterback. Vick accounted for 367 yards in offense yesterday to help the Atlanta Falcons to a surprisingly easy 41-28 win over the Denver Broncos, who got a record day from Jake Plummer in his futile attempt to play catch-up. "If I had thrown for 2 yards and we'd won, I'd be the happiest guy in here right now," said Plummer, who instead threw for 499 yards and lost. The 499 yards were his career high, a Denver franchise record and the best mark in the NFL this...

By Chad Finn, Globe Staff In his fourteen seasons in the NFL, Champ Bailey has stared down his share of productive quarterbacks. His 11 Pro Bowl selections, most ever for a cornerback, suggest he's won the majority of those battles. So it means a little something extra when a player of Bailey's caliber and accomplishment essentially admits his defense had no answer for an opponent, which is exactly what happened Sunday night in Foxborough. "What can you say?," Bailey said after the Broncos came up on the wrong end of a 45-10 score against the Patriots.

For a team that's bringing back its orange uniforms in 2012, the Denver Broncos were resoundingly blue on Sunday. While some players were buoyed by their bounce-back season under Tim Tebow, most were still bummed over their 45-10 pummeling Saturday night at the hands of the New England Patriots. "Everybody wants to say we should pat ourselves on the back, but to heck with that. We lost," Champ Bailey said. Crashing the playoff party for the first time in six seasons and beating Pittsburgh in the first round just wasn't enough.

Tonight, 8, Channel 4 (Line: Patriots by 13 1/2) When the Patriots runTime for this fresh-legged stable to establish a balanced attack to keep the Broncos' front seven honest and off Tom Brady's back. Rookie Stevan Ridley has shown flashes that he may be ready to become the lead back. An energetic and competitive runner, the 5-foot-11-inch, 225-pounder uses nice spin moves to avoid contact and will break tackles. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (5-11, 215) runs hard and always finishes with power.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - John Fox reminds his players that the game is supposed to be fun. Why else are they dressed in colorful costumes and plastic hats? But nobody on either side of the Rockies was prepared for this Crazy Mouse ride of a season that has oscillated between depression and euphoria. "There've been some fun moments, no doubt," Denver's coach acknowledged as his club was wrapping up preparations for tonight's AFC divisional clash with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Making the Pro Bowl for the 11th time was a tribute to his longevity and quality. "It makes me feel like people still respect my game at this age, but I really don't put a lot of thought in the Pro Bowl too much," Champ Bailey said yesterday after the Broncos finished their final practice before tomorrow night's clash with the Patriots. "I want to win a ring and that's why I still play. " After 13 seasons with Washington and Denver, the 33-year-old cornerback has played in only five postseason games and never has made it to a Super Bowl.

DENVER - Champ Bailey figured the last play was his to make. Why not? Tony Romo had been testing him all afternoon, even though he kept acing every exam. “I welcome it. Please do. That’s the only way I get a chance to make plays,’’ said Bailey, who had eight tackles, broke up four passes, and made one key interception in Denver’s 17-10 win over Dallas yesterday. His biggest play came with one second left, when he knocked away the potential tying touchdown pass from Romo to Sam Hurd on fourth and goal from the 2. With the blitz coming, Romo quickly fired toward Hurd...