Broncos Notebook: Ex-Raven Justin Bannan said Ben Roethlisberger's mobility 'would drive us crazy'

DT Justin Bannan has only spent one of his 10 previous NFL seasons with the Broncos, but as a product of the University of Colorado, his connection to Denver is deeper than to his other stops of Buffalo, Baltimore and St. Louis.

"It feels right. It feels like this is where I belong," Bannan said.

His most successful stop was his four seasons in Baltimore (2006-09), where he helped the Ravens to three playoff appearances, all of which were ended by teams quarterbacked by Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger.

No one on the Broncos has more experience trying to corral Roethlisberger -- and then being frustrated as he gets away.

"He would drive us crazy because we just knew we had to contain him and if he broke containment, that's how he got us," Bannan recalled. "You know, the guy's elusive, and he's a big guy, so you think he's not that fast, but he really is. With the combination of size and speed, it makes it tough."

As tough as Manning?

"Oh, boy. They were both frustrating," Bannan said. "I'd have to say Peyton, just because in '06, we had the first-round bye, we had (Steve) McNair, we thought we were going to go to the Super Bowl, and Peyton came in, and we lost to them, and again in '09, we lost to them in the playoffs, so that was frustrating."

The Ravens went 2-5 against the Roethlisberger-led Steelers and 0-4 against the Indianapolis Colts during Bannan's tenure. Bannan said the Ravens called Manning "The Baltimore Killer." No such nickname was given to Roethlisberger, although he proved almost as damaging to their hopes.

"I've definitely been in some big games against those guys," Bannan said. "I know what they're all about and what they bring to the table. I would expect nothing less Sunday night."

Injury report: Chris Kuper (fractured forearm) was the only Bronco who didn't practice, but he was on hand, walking around in workout gear. He was wearing a soft cast on his fractured left forearm. He's expected to return before the end of September.

For up-to-the-minute Broncos updates, follow Andrew Mason on Twitter at @CBSSportsNFLDEN and @MaxBroncos.