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Published on 06/16/2008 at Mon Jun 16 12:00.
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Jacked Pittman

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.

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    You know, el Presidente does like him some guns.

  • Anon

    As I recall, Travis said something very similar — that Denver was a “dream” destination. So Pittman’s vocalizing means very little. Let’s see him produce on the field, and stay clean off the field.

    Also: get that idiot Bush off our Bronco site!

  • Quicksilver

    the difference is that Henry came in thinking he had been given the keys to the kingdom, he never really worked for it, Pittman on the other hand is going to have to work for this, he is being brought in to compete, he is not being given anything. I hated it last year when we spent all these bucks on a guy and just gave him the job. Denver has never done that before, and i hope they never do it again.

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    Anon – BroncoTalk is a politics-free zone. I’d sooner talk about religious differences than Obama-McCain

  • http://broncotalk.net Jon

    Jun 11, 2008 – On the day before an arbitration hearing over a grievance the Tampa Bay Buccaneers filed due to Jake Plummer’s decision not to report to the Buccaneers last season, Plummer and the team reached an agreement regarding a signing bonus dispute.

    The Buccaneers traded a 2008 seventh-round pick to Denver in March of 2007 to acquire Plummer’s rights. (The team later regained a seventh-round choice in a separate, draft-day trade.) The Bucs traded for Plummer with every hope that he would eventually help the team on the field. Plummer, however, never reported to the Buccaneers in 2007, leading to the team’s grievance.

    That matter was due to be presented to an arbitrator in New York on Wednesday, but the two sides reached a settlement of their own on Tuesday.

    “We have entered into an agreement with Jake Plummer stemming from his decision to not play football last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” said Buccaneers General Manager Bruce Allen. “The agreement includes a repayment to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of a previously-paid signing bonus to Jake Plummer and additional economic consideration to the Buccaneers in the event Jake Plummer decides to resume his professional football career.”

    When the Bucs acquired his rights in 2007, Plummer had three years remaining on a five-year contract he signed with Denver in 2005. Plummer was paid signing bonuses on a series of contracts while with the Broncos, and for the purposes of the salary cap those bonuses were prorated over the life of the deals. In addition to receiving the actual funds from the repayment of a portion of those bonuses, the Buccaneers will also receive a credit of a corresponding amount on their 2009 salary cap.

    Though Plummer announced his retirement after the trade, the Buccaneers attempted to convince him to report to camp last summer. Plummer declined and was placed on the reserve/did not report list for the 2007 season. His rights remained with the Buccaneers in 2008 and the team would still own those rights if he chooses to return to the field of play.

    Plummer has played 10 seasons in the NFL, including his last four (2003-06) with the Broncos. He was selected by Arizona in the second round of the 1997 draft and played six seasons for the Cardinals before leaving as an unrestricted free agent. Overall, he has played in 143 games with 136 starts and completed 2,484 of 4,350 passes (57.1%) for 29,253 yards, 161 touchdowns and 161 interceptions.

    Plummer’s two best seasons, statistically, came in 2004 and 2005 with the Broncos, when he threw for over more than 7,400 yards, tossed 45 touchdown passes and had passer ratings of 84.5 and 90.2, respectively. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl following the 1998 season after throwing for 3,737 yards and 17 touchdowns with the Cardinals. Plummer’s 72.2% winning percentage from 2003-06 (39-15) was fourth-highest in the NFL in that span.

    Sorry Kyle but i must be POLITICAL, Anon! u jerk! Bush is a Great president! i love him!

  • http://www.broncotalk.net Josh Temple

    Not touching the political argument with a 10ft pole…

  • kerry

    ding dong, may i interject for a minute? not to be all political and what not, but Bush is the biggest idiot to ever set foot in the White House. seriously. come on, gas is over 4 dollars, we are still in Iraq, health care is no better, he hasnt done anything to stop the flow of illegal immigrants from coming into the country. need i say more?

  • http://www.broncotalk.net Jonathan Douglas

    Honestly, the only way I’d politicize this site would be if one of the candidates declared himself a Raider fan. :)

  • Anon

    Kyle, if it is truly a politics free zone, then get that idiot politicians picture off of the site. There are hundreds of excellent pictures of Pittman and his massive guns. Yet BroncoTalk chose to use the politically-themed one. You can’t cry foul now.

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    It’s a funny picture. Chillax.

    Geez, see, you’re already getting like seriously pissed off because of something that’s barely barely barely political!

    I guess the next time the Broncos win the Super Bowl I can’t post a picture of them meeting the president, because there are “so many other” pictures of the Broncos out there.

    :)

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    Is that LT over el Presidente’s shoulder, on the right? Looks like him. Don’t know what he’d be doing there, though.

  • http://denverbroncos.com Jon

    no that way to old to be LT in ’06

  • http://mrherculesrockefeller.blogspot.com hercules rockefeller

    Look, that’s one of the best candid-type shots I’ve ever seen of any player, ever. It just so happens to be Michael Pittman. It’s not a political statement in any way. If I was Michael Pittman I’d have that sucker blown up and framed, even if I was a communist. You’re not a communist are you?

    /joking about the commie part.

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    You seriously have to tip toe around here, herc, holy crap! :/ Looking forward to your next post.

  • http://birty.blogspot.com mikebirty

    Politics and sports don’t mix.
    You should’ve seen Angela Merkel the German Chancellor at the European Soccer Championships last night (or yesterday afternoon EST). She was trying to look in-with-the-kids by “high-five”ing everyone when Germany scored – I think she slapped one poor guy in the face. It was like watching a drunk uncle dance at a wedding.