Broncos headed to London for regular-season game on Halloween
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_14200104
The Broncos are headed to London.
The NFL and the team announced Friday that the Broncos will play the San Francisco 49ers at London's Wembley Stadium on Oct. 31.
It will be a home game for the 49ers, replacing a game between the two teams that would have been played in San Francisco. The London game will not affect the Broncos normal home schedule.
The Halloween game, at Wembley Stadium, kicks off at 11 a.m. mountain time (5 p.m. in London). The game will air on CBS.
It will mark the first time in more than 50 years that the Broncos will play a regular season game outside of the United States. The team has previously played in seven exhibition games in foreign countries, including Mexico, Australia, Japan, Spain and Germany.
"It's a wonderful, historic opportunity for our franchise and will be an unforgettable experience for our players, coaches and fans," team owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement released by the team. "I'm excited for the game in London and am thrilled that the Broncos will be part of the NFL's continued international growth."
London has played host to a regular season game each season since 2007, with sell-out crowds each time. The 2009 game featured the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"Playing in London in front of so many passionate and new football fans is a privilege and will be a great experience for our team," coach Josh McDaniels said in a statement. "I'm excited for the opportunity, and I am certain that our players and coaches will share my enthusiasm."
Broncos, 49ers to play regular-season game in London in 2010
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...s&confirm=true
The NFL's International Series of regular-season games will return to the United Kingdom in 2010 with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Denver Broncos, the NFL announced Friday.
The game will be played on Sunday, Oct. 31 at Wembley Stadium in London at 1 p.m. ET . CBS will provide live television coverage in the United States.
The 49ers and Broncos are among the most decorated franchises in NFL history, combining for seven Super Bowl victories.
"For the past three years we have seen the extraordinary passion that exists for NFL football in the UK," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We want to continue to build on that passion by strengthening our ties to our existing UK fans and creating new ones."
The 49ers, five-time NFL champions, will take part in their second international regular-season game and first as the home team. One of the world's most popular NFL franchises, San Francisco faced the Arizona Cardinals on October 2, 2005 in Mexico City in the first international regular-season game in league history, helping attract a crowd of 103,467 to Azteca Stadium.
"The 49ers organization is excited to be part of the NFL's 2010 international schedule," said 49ers President and CEO Jed York. "London is a wonderful venue for two of the most storied franchises in NFL history to square off. The international games have been so well received that it will surely be an exciting experience for our players, coaches, staff and fans. We support the league's initiative to bring NFL games to the international stage, and look forward to playing in front of our fans in England."
The Broncos, two-time Super Bowl champions, played in seven international preseason American Bowl games, including in London in 1987. They return to the UK to play against the team they faced in Super Bowl XXIV in 1990.
"The Denver Broncos are honored to play in London against the 49ers as part of the NFL's International Series," said Broncos President and CEO Pat Bowlen. "Our organization has been fortunate to play in several American Bowls in previous years, including one in London, but to play a regular-season game overseas is truly special. It's a wonderful, historic opportunity for our franchise and will be an unforgettable experience for our players, coaches and fans. I'm excited for the game in London and am thrilled that the Broncos will be part of the NFL's continued international growth."
The NFL is continuing to explore the possibility of playing a second game in the UK in 2010.
London trip could be a distraction
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post...-a-distraction
Maybe a trip to London will be enough to make Brandon Marshall want to remain in Denver.
Or maybe not.
I wouldn’t blame Marshall, or any other member of the Broncos, if he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of playing a regular-season game overseas. But that’s what the team is going to have to deal with.
The Broncos announced they will play San Francisco on Oct.31 at Wembley Stadium as part of the NFL’s recent trend of playing a regular-season game in London. The Broncos have played several preseason games overseas over the years. Denver owner Pat Bowlen and coach Josh McDaniels expressed excitement about this opportunity in a statement released by the team.
“The Denver Broncos are honored to play in London against the 49ers as part of the NFL’s International Series,” Bowlen said. “Our organization has been fortunate to play in several American Bowls in previous years, including one in London, but to play a regular-season game overseas is truly special. It’s a wonderful, historic opportunity for our franchise and will be an unforgettable experience for our players, coaches and fans. I’m excited for the game in London and am thrilled that the Broncos will be part of the NFL’s continued international growth.”
Added McDaniels: “Playing in London in front of so many passionate and new football fans is a privilege and will be a great experience for our team. I’m excited for the opportunity, and I am certain that our players and coaches will share my enthusiasm. The previous games in London have had a playoff-like atmosphere to them, so that’s always a good thing to play in that type of an environment. We’ll be ready for the challenge.”
The game is a home game for San Francisco, so, at least, Denver doesn’t lose a home game because of this excursion.
That’s the only positive I can see. This trip is potential a distraction. It can tire a team and cause them to lose focus during the season.
Expect Denver to get its bye week directly after the London trip. That has been the recent trend. It wouldn’t be a shock if Denver is assigned to play at Jacksonville or Baltimore the week before the London game to help cut down on travel time. Those are the two most Eastern road opponents on Denver’s schedule.