Clearly, the kicking battle in Denver is properly inflated.
Brandon McManus and Connor Barth are engaged in a high-altitude duel for the job, and both showed they were good from distance in today’s practice.
According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, the two took turns booming field goals at the end of practice.
McManus hit a 70-yarder, which was followed minutes later by Barth’s 65-yarder.
McManus’ kick apparently cleared the crossbar with room to spare, causing defensive teammates to hug him in celebration.
“I actually told coach [special-teams coordinator Joe] DeCamillis that I could make this one,” McManus said. “I don’t know if he believed me or not, so I saw him smirk at me and he went over to coach [Gary Kubiak]. ... I just waited for them to make the call. I knew I could get it there, it was just whether — it does look far away, I’ll tell you that.”
McManus said it was the longest field goal he had hit in a live situation with teammates on the field. He said he’s hit from 75 without a rush or blockers, but “that’s a lot different.”
The NFL record for longest field goal in a game is a 64-yarder by former Broncos kicker Matt Prater, and the fact it was eclipsed twice in practice suggests there is something to the elevation factor.
