Fans wear jerseys in support of Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos as the Broncos face the Cincinnati Bengals at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 18, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Bengals 24-22. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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• Kyle Orton says he doesn’t regret calling Cortland Finnegan “cheap” a year ago. [Denver Post]
• Kim Constantinesco revisits Orton’s comments from last year’s sole Broncos road win. [Predominantly Orange]
• Orton appeared on 102.3 The Ticket and said he expects a physical game. [102.3 The Ticket]
• The Titans new coach and quarterback break down their competition. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Demaryius Thomas: “I feel like every time I get out there, something happens.” [Max Denver]
• Von Miller is already showing elite pass rushing ability and versatility. [Denver Post]
• Could Eric Decker become one of the great third round steals in Broncos history? [Colorado Springs Gazette]
• In addition to the three players we knew about, the Broncos worked out two tight ends, a defensive tackle, and three running backs Tuesday. [First and Orange]
• Suck for Luck? Krieger puts the Broncos in the contest for the college prospect. [Denver Post]
• Breaking down the Broncos-Bengals O-Line film. [Mile High Report]

Haley to McDaniels: "You're next." (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Things with the Kansas City Chiefs… they’re not good. They’ve lost their two best players in Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles for the season, their quarterback is the worst-rated starting quarterback in the league (now that Luke McCown has been benched in Jacksonville), and they were soundly beaten by two losing teams in 2010 by a combined 79 points. Like I said, not good.

The early season mess has only worsened the tenuous relationship between Chiefs coach Todd Haley and GM Scott Pioli, reports Yahoo!’s Michael Silver. Many in NFL circles don’t think Haley will survive the season.

But we’re guessing not many in those circles thought former Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels would get another chance to coach within ten years of his debacle in Denver.  Silver does. He writes —

I believe that if Pioli fires Haley, he’ll try to hire his old New England colleague Josh McDaniels, he of the disastrous tenure as Broncos head coach that included dubious personnel moves too numerous to mention, a cheating scandal and five victories in his final 22 games. When McDaniels, currently the Rams’ offensive coordinator, becomes K.C.’s next head coach, count on two things: I’ll remind you that you heard it here first and you’re going to be treated to a real diatribe.

The thought of facing Josh McDaniels twice a season and blowing that hoodie off his head is almost too enticing to express into words. Do it, Kansas City. Last Broncos fan to run fist-pumping down the sidelines is a rotten egg.

(H/T Shutdown Corner)

The Denver Broncos finally received some good news on the injury front Wednesday. Several players who missed Sunday’s game against Cincinnati due to injury were on the field practicing Wednesday in preparation for the Tennessee Titans.

Starting wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, running back Knowshon Moreno, defensive end Elvis Dumervil, and linebacker D.J. Williams all returned to practice Wednesday, per several reports. This leaves Champ Bailey as the most prominent player to still miss time.

Other absentees include WR Eddie Royal and TE Julius Thomas, who were injured Sunday and will be out at least two weeks. DT Marcus Thomas and WR Demaryius Thomas continue to miss time.

Having those four back, particularly Lloyd and Dumervil, will be a huge boost for this team. Let’s cross our fingers they’ll get through the week healthy and that a few more Broncos could join them.

Perusing the Interwebz for water cooler fodder. (Number in parenthesis represents previous ranking).

ESPN: 24th (28)
The win over the Bengals should quiet the Tebow noise. Sunday at Tennessee will be telling.

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The Broncos defense successfully contained Johnson last season, with defensive ends Robert Ayers and Jason Hunter playing especially well. (Photo courtesy of Joe Amon/The Denver Post)

If the Denver Broncos are going to be successful on Sunday and leave Tennessee with another W, they’ll have to stop Titans running back Chris Johnson.

And they know how to do it.

Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver’s 4-3 defense showed a lot of 5-2 fronts, moving outside linebacker Von Miller up to the line of scrimmage to help stop the run and give the rookie less distance to travel on the way to the quarterback on passing downs.

In addition to their 5-2 scheme, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen would have safety Brian Dawkins creep up in certain situations as well, basically putting another linebacker-like player in the box. When Dawkins creeps up, it gives the Broncos a 5-3 look and eight men in the box — the ideal defense for stopping the run.

When the Broncos played Tennessee in week four of last season, the defensive scheme was a base 3-4, but they utilized the 5-2 look then as well. Then-outside linebacker Robert Ayers would come up to the line of scrimmage and take on the role of a run-stuffing defensive end across from Jason Hunter on the line. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• Denver Broncos players remember Kenny McKinley. [Washington Post]
• Inside the numbers from Sunday’s game. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Tim Tebow is a quarterback, despite grading at 100% at wide receiver Sunday. [CBS Sports]
• Time spent at wide receiver simply retards his development elsewhere, writes Jeff Legwold. [Denver Post]
• AccuScore checks out the NFL playoff landscape. [Yahoo!]
• The Broncos premiered Elway Live yesterday, a live podcast featuring John Elway answering questions from Twitter. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Many believe this might be the week Titans RB Chris Johnson breaks out. [USA Today]
• This blog and other Broncos are blog are proof that Denver has some of the most passionate displaced fans out there. If you’re such a fan, check out this contest. [Ultimate Displaced Fan]

The Denver Broncos worked out veteran safety Darren Sharper on Tuesday, the Denver Post confirmed. But the former five-time Pro Bowler left Dove Valley unsigned.

Denver gave Sharper a physical examination and if any injuries happen down the road, the Broncos may give him a call. At thirty-five years old, Sharper is two years younger than Denver’s Brian Dawkins, but is coming off a microfracture surgery on his knee last season.

Power seen prior to a punting lesson in May of 2010. (Image courtesy of Coach Zauner/CoachZauner.com)

Another workout that had us puzzled was that of punter Daniel Power, who reportedly worked out for the team on Monday. A former American rugby footballer, Power is pursuing a career in the NFL as a punter. He’s worked out for five teams over the past two seasons, but has no experience as an NFL player.

The workout was a head scratcher considering that the Broncos have one of the best punters in the league in Brittion Colquitt and would never carry two punters on the roster during the season. Andrew Mason of MaxDenver.com shed some light on the situation this afternoon over Twitter:

“Workouts: not necessarily about now, but getting in-person observations for reserve-future signings to fill roster in offseason,” tweeted Mason.

The Broncos may be taking a look at Power with the future in mind, perhaps considering bringing two punters to camp next summer. Having multiple kickers and punters in training camp was something former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan did during his time in Denver.

Receiver Quan Cosby and tight end John Nalbone were the lone signings of the day. Expect several more transactions to happen throughout the week.

Wide receiver Quan Cosby returns a punt for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009. (AP Photo/David Stluka)

The Denver Broncos addressed their seriously ailing wide receiver depth Tuesday, signing former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Quan Cosby. Running back Jeremiah Johnson was waived to make room on the Broncos’ 53-man roster.

Cosby (5-9, 189) is a third-year player who signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2009. In 32 career games, Cosby totaled six receptions for 71 yards (11.8 avg.) in addition to extensive return duties on special teams. He totaled the second-most punt returns (70) in the NFL from 2009-10, averaging 10.0 yards per return along with 16 kickoff returns (17.7 avg.). His 474 punt return yards in 2009 set a Bengals record and led the NFL.

In college, Cosby played 52 games (32 starts) in four seasons at Texas, finishing second in school history in receptions (212), third in receiving yards (2,598) and fourth in receiving touchdowns (19).

The Broncos also welcomed back tight end John Nalbone to their practice squad. Nalbone (6-4, 255), a 2009 fifth round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins, finished last season on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Cosby’s no Brandon Lloyd, but at least he’s better (I presume) than Tim Tebow. Plus it’ll be good to get the blossoming Eric Decker off return duties. … Don’t be surprised if the Broncos sign another receiver anyway this week.

Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos looks on from the bench against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 12, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 23-20. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

What if I told you that Tim Tebow was destined to put up some pretty impressive numbers as starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos over the next two seasons?

What if I told you that, in his next 32 starts, Tim Tebow will throw for over 8,000 yards? In those 32 starts, he’ll boast at least 20 games with a passer rating above 88, and of those, at least nine will eclipse 100.  What if I told you that two different wide receivers will earn Pro Bowl berths under Tim Tebow in the next two years?

Sounds great, right? You’d be pretty happy if your quarterback performed that well, right?

I just described Kyle Orton‘s first two years in Denver.

The embattled Broncos signal caller now has 30 starts under his belt in Denver, two starts away from two full seasons. Injuries have kept him sidelined for thirteen quarters in Denver, so to reach my 32-game projection I’m including the 2009 Washington Redskins game that saw Chris Simms technically start (Orton played all but the first quarter), and I’m projecting that Orton throws for at least 46 yards next week (I have a wild imagination like that).

Kyle Orton is not the problem in Denver. Just about everything else has been.

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