Since 1995, the Broncos have had a top 5 rushing attack 9 times. Cue Ed Rooney. 9 times. Doesn’t matter who it is toting the rock. Everyone from superstars like Terrell Davis and Clinton Portis to relative nobodies like Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson have succeed here. 9 times. With that in mind, why doesn’t every single free agent running back have Denver as their preferred destination?  Why don’t they say to their agents, “I don’t care what it takes, if the contract is comparable, I want to be a part of that team.” Poor to average RB’s (Gary, Tatum Bell) are pretty good here. Good RB’s (Anderson) are great here. Great RB’s (Davis, Portis) are otherworldly.

Why would a guy in his prime, Edgerrin James for example, want to go to Arizona, stutter-step into every clogged running lane and fall forward for a 3 yards per carry average, when Denver is in the mix? Because they offered an extra year or an extra couple of million? I don’t understand that notion. I do understand that the NFL is a business, but wouldn’t you give up some dough (you’re already a multi-millionaire anyway, right?) for a chance at being one of THE greats?

Michael Pittman on the other hand, totally gets me.

“You get a chance to come here and, I mean, this is like a running back’s dream. Of course I want it to be me, it’s why I came here.”

Denver is not averse to giving out big contracts to big name free agent running backs. That might not be the case anymore, thanks to the nightmarish signing of Travis Henry. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they’ll talk to the next big time guy.  That guy would be wise to consider Denver.

Punters and Kickers also have no excuse to go anywhere else.  How could you not want to kick at 5280 for half your games?  Imagine Darren Bennett blasting 80 yarders here 8 games a year instead of just 1.

Kyle here. Thanks again to Herc, who will be guest blogging here from time to time.  When he’s not adding his two cents at BroncoTalk, you can find him at the hilarious Denver Broncos blog Orange Bucksnorts.

Kyle here. We proudly present your MC for this post, Mr. Hercules Rockefeller. When he isn’t simultaneously hacking into BroncoTalk and the Denver Post’s inbox, he can be found blogging away at Orange Bucksnorts. Enjoy!

I’ve been asked by no one at all to take over the Denver Post’s Broncos Mailbag this week. On to the questions! Jay, you’re up first.

I really like how the Broncos are now paying more attention to a player’s character when acquiring new talent. It seems that the Broncos adopted a new philosophy this offseason. They didn’t overspend in the free-agent market for run-down talent. What compelled the Broncos to take this new direction?
– Jay Yu, Los Angeles

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Mike Shanahan doesn’t give a crap about a guy’s character. He just doesn’t. The man would sign Stalin if he could run a 4.3 – 40. He’d trade for Pol Pot if he could thought it would help the on-field product. If he cared, he wouldn’t have stuck up for David Kircus or Travis Henry or Brandon Marshall or drafted Maurice Clarett or Marcus Thomas or flirted with TO or etc., etc., etc. He didn’t just come to some revelation this offseason. Former wideout, uniform number 84’s ugly departure had nothing to do with the decision to take Eddie Royal over DeSean Jackson. Yeah, the new guys are all bible-thumpers. Last year they were all thugs. Next year, who knows?

Hercules – Please tell me what you think about our two defensive draft picks from last year: Tim Crowder and Jarvis Moss. Crowder seemed to have a modestly successful second half, and Moss had a season-ending leg injury. What do you expect from these two this year?
– Shannon, Bend, Ore

How many defensive draft picks were there last year? Two? Really? I seem to recall three. Is the missing man already persona non grata for rolling with coke and firearms? This character thing is getting out of hand. He doesn’t even exist anymore.

I saw in your pre-draft Broncos’ wish list that the Broncos would not let DeSean Jackson slip past them at No. 42, but that’s just what they did, drafting Eddie Royal instead. I can understand why (size, character issues with Jackson). But was this a mistake?
– Aaron, Thornton

Seriously? That’s pretty much the exact same question as Jay from LA, isn’t it? They liked Eddie Royal more than DeSean Jackson and I will guarantee you the deciding factor wasn’t “character.” Shanahan isn’t some kind of Pollyanna. We’ll take a break now, I need to fire a call-screener.

Hey, Hercules. Looking at the past three drafts, including this one, would you say that the Broncos are on the right track to building the team the right way? It appears that Broncos management is learning from its mistakes.
– Eddie Morris, Kennett Square, Pa

If by “mistakes” you mean drafting shitty football players, maybe. The big three from ’06 look really good right now, but if you think Foxy or Karl (the only ’05 picks on the roster) are anything more than “serviceable” you haven’t been paying attention. All of the ’07 and ’08 guys are a wash right now. Every one of them could go either way. Send me this question again in two years and then again two years later.

Ryan Clady (OT), Ryan Torain (big RB) and Peyton Hillis (versatile FB) could make the Broncos better in the red zone – don’t you think?
– Tony Ellsworth, Papillion, Neb.

Torain and Hillis are currently, what, fourth on their respective depth charts? Odds are that there aren’t that many significant touches for those guys in the red-zone. The real problem is Shanahan’s stubborn refusal to throw into the end-zone on first and second downs between the 10 and 20.

Hello, Hercules. Why didn’t the Broncos draft a punter or kicker in the draft? These are positions that will come back and haunt them during the season.
– Mark Webster, York, Pa

Because kickers and punters are a dime-a-dozen. They’re also a complete crap-shoot and not worth a draft pick. There’s a reason why you see the same guys moving around all the time. We got lucky with Jason Elam, there’s no denying that, but seriously, we’re talking about kickers here. There’s always a Gramatica or two lying around. There’s also a reason why the Raiders are widely ridiculed by pretty much everyone except for Raiders fans/morons. This guy is one of those reasons:

Hercules – What are the chances of getting Shaun Alexander in a Broncos uniform and ditching Travis Henry?
– Dave Law, Lakewood

Shaun Alexander? Have you seen a Seahawks game lately? At this point in his wildly overrated career, Alexander is Tatum Bell without the speed. No thanks.

The Broncos have recently loaded up on veteran receivers. Does this relate to their view of Brandon Marshall’s future?
– Darren, Toronto

Well, Marshall does have SEVERED MUSCLES AND TENDONS IN HIS RIGHT ARM. I hope “Brandon Marshall’s future” somehow factored into the decision to sign Darrell Jackson.

That’ll do it for this installment of Broncos Mailbag. Be sure to tune in next week for more smart-ass answers to stupid questions!