Name: Mitch Unrein Height, Weight: 6’4″, 291 Position: Defensive Tackle Age, Experience: 24, 2 College: Wyoming

Every NFL team aims to have young, developmental projects that also serve as rotational players across the defensive line from year to year; Mitch Unrein proved to be such a commodity as an undrafted first-year player for the Denver Broncos in 2011. Unrein (UN-rhine) was the lone homegrown crop in the Broncos’ plantation in 2011. An Eaton, Colorado native, Unrein worked to gain 30 lbs. over his first 18 months in the NFL (beginning on the practice squad of the Houston Texans), finally having been rewarded for his efforts by a spot on the Broncos’ roster straight out of training camp in 2011.

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Some people like to have the last word. Others, the first.

Tim Tebow will take both, thankyouverymuch.

The media magnet has already turned down many-a-network appearance offer in the 18 days since the Denver Broncos were eliminated from the playoffs (yes, it’s only been that long). He’d been offered to sit-in with the NFL on CBS Crew during Championship Weekend, Saturday Night Live was rumored to have invited him to host (he’s already sorta done the cameo thing), and there are Dancing with the Stars contestants publicly vying for him to join the cast.

No, Tebow has mostly been staying in Denver, but that won’t keep him from making a few television stops this week.

Tonight, Tebow will appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35/11:35 CT) as the show broadcasts from the site of Super Bowl XLVI, Indianapolis. On Friday, ESPN 2 assistants will be closely monitoring Skip Bayless‘s vitals as the quarterback visits his biggest media fan on First Take (10 a.m. ET).

Set your TiVo’s, Tebowmania is about to invade your television yet again.

Entering the 2012 off-season, the Denver Broncos will have a lot of decisions to make.  Among those decisions will be which unrestricted free agents (UFA’s) to re-sign with new contracts.

A UFA is a player whose current contract has expired, freeing up that player to sign with any team he chooses.  The Broncos have nineteen UFA’s on their roster, and free agency signings begin on March 13th (less than six weeks from today).

UPDATE: This post originally listed 19 UFA’s — corrections have been noted where appropriate below.

• Defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley (28, 6-2, 306 lbs.) signed a one-year deal last off-season with Denver.  The addition turned out to be a brilliant one for the Broncos as Bunkley had a stellar season clogging up the middle of Denver’s defensive line.  The Broncos should make re-signing Bunkley a high priority.

• Veteran safety Brian Dawkins (38, 6-0, 210 lbs.) may have played his final game in the NFL.  If he returns for one final season in 2012, he may opt to end his career in Philadelphia over Denver, but it’s impossible to predict.  If he is healthy, the Broncos could benefit from Dawkins’ presence and leadership next season, if not his playing ability as well.

• Another experienced player, tight end Daniel Fells (28, 6-4, 252 pounds) is coming off a solid first year in Denver.  A key blocker on rushing downs and reliable target in passing plays, Fells will likely be brought back by the Broncos.

• Rotational linebacker/defensive end Mario Haggan (31, 6-3, 274 lbs.) was a key part of Denver’s special teams last season and replaced rookie linebacker Von Miller on passing downs in several games.  A versatile player, Haggan will land with a team quickly if the Broncos decide not to retain him.

• “It’s the precision on the passing, it’s the accuracy, the footwork, the mechanics, the rhythm, the timing, the quickness, the release. Everything,” said Broncos GM Brian Xanders when asked where Tim Tebow needs to improve this offseason. “And he wants to work at it. And he’s dedicated.” [Denver Post]
• For his part, Tebow is turning down public appearance offers and staying in the Denver area. [Predominantly Orange]
• Von Miller or Aldon Smith for Defensive Rookie of the Year? [ESPN]
• The rest of the staff has the week off, but Jack Del Rio chose to get back to work. [Denver Post]
• Looking back at the Super Bowl and the Three Amigos. [First and Orange]
• Comparing the NFL’s greatest Super Bowl quarterbacks: John Elway and Tom Brady. [Fifth Down]
• Dennis Allen‘s Raiders will be run the Green Bay way under GM Reggie McKenzie. [ESPN]

Check out the Gatorade embed below to watch Von Miller answer your questions live starting at 6:50 a.m. MT. Click “Live” on the right side of the player then “Watch” to view the live feed of Miller.

Denver Broncos rookie Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller will be live from the Super Bowl chatting with fans, and BroncoTalk has been offered exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the event. Coverage is courtesy the Gatorade Performance Lab at Super Bowl XLVI and the G360 player, which features always-on access to Gatorade athletes and premier sports events.

We’ll have Von Miller video live from the Super Bowl tomorrow morning — the catch is that it’s pretty damn early.

The live video chat from Indianapolis begins at 6:50 a.m. MT tomorrow morning. Miller will be answering your questions. Submit them now at Facebook.com/Gatorade.

Later in the morning you’ll be able to download the G360 player to get an inside look at the Gatorade Performance Lab, connect with Gatorade social media channels and view chats with athletes from the same Facebook page.

This is a few days old, but for those that haven’t seen it yet:

Wow.  Never thought I would have heard Darrelle Revis talk about Tim Tebow like that.

Name: Ryan McBean Height, Weight: 6’5″, 305 Position: Defensive Tackle Age, Experience: 27, 5 College: Oklahoma State

Ryan McBean will be entering his fifth year with the Denver Broncos in 2012. A free agent signing of the Broncos in 2008, McBean went from practice squad to starter in Mike Nolan‘s 3-4 defense in 2009 at defensive end, and his versatility has kept him in the Broncos’ lineup in one role or another through two defensive coordinators and a scheme change back to the 4-3 since. McBean has played in 48 career games (two postseason) with 21 starts for Denver.

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(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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Raiders' new head coach Dennis Allen speaks during a news conference at the Raiders' training facility in Oakland, California January 30, 2012. (REUTERS photo/Beck Diefenbach)

A week ago, the Denver Broncos played nice. They allowed their division rival, the Oakland Raiders, to interview their defensive coordinator and ultimately hire him away.

Enough was enough.

The nice play is over in the AFC West. It didn’t last long.

When Dennis Allen was hired to be the Oakland Raiders’ head coach last week, his former boss John Fox wished Allen well. And, now, Allen is on his own.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Broncos have denied the Raiders permission to speak to linebackers coach Richard Smith for the Oakland defensive job.

No, the Broncos defense won’t be entirely fleeced by the Raiders this offseason — and if Jack Del Rio does end up elsewhere in a year, the Broncos have made sure they have a prime candidate for his replacement still in-house.

Broncos deny Raiders from talking to Smith [ESPN]