Denver Broncos tight end Richard Quinn (81) during training camp at the Denver Broncos football training facility in Englewood, Colo., on Monday, Aug. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Two years after becoming one of the first controversial draft choices of the Josh McDaniels era, tight end Richard Quinn is no longer a Denver Bronco.

The Broncos reached an injury settlement with the third-year player and waived him from their injured reserve list Friday, the team announced on Twitter. The settlement voids Quinn’s contract, making him a free agent, and he can sign with any team (per our understanding). He earlier cleared waivers and was placed on IR Tuesday.

Quinn, a blocking tight end, notched one reception and 11 special teams tackles in his two years with the Broncos.

Quinn must not feel the injury warrants a death sentence to his season, and the Broncos aren’t willing to wait around since he was on the roster bubble anyway. No one was willing to take on his rookie contract when he hit waivers Monday; let’s see if he can land a new team and a new deal.

Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton rolls out against the St. Louis Rams during the first quarter of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010, in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

Kyle Orton was excused from the latter part of Broncos practice Thursday for “personal reasons.” Today, he confirmed the suspected motive — his “very pregnant” wife.

Orton’s wife went into labor, and this morning, baby Olivia was born. From the Broncos’ official Twitter —

Congrats to Kyle Orton and wife on the birth of their daughter, Olivia Taylor (7 pounds, 18 inches) born at 3 a.m. today. Mom, dad and the newest Bronco are doing great!

Orton happily attended practice but left in a hurry Friday. He will start in the Broncos’ third preseason game Saturday as expected.

Join us in congratulating Kyle and his wife on their big little arrival!

Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints calls a play against the Seattle Seahawks during the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game at Qwest Field on January 8, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees appeared on XX Sports Radio in San Diego Friday and spent quite a bit of time discussing Denver Broncos football. (Don’t dwell too much on that sentence, just accept it for what it is.)

In particular, Brees broke down the Denver’s status on the position he knows best, quarterback, showing support but dropping some solid nuggets on both Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton.

Brees on Tebow — Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• “I don’t want to say Josh (McDaniels) was a bad coach,” Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said. “He just didn’t have the level of experience that made me comfortable. John (Fox) does.” [Denver Post]
• Brady Quinn, and yes, Tim Tebow, split first-team reps during practice Thursday with Kyle Orton excused for personal reasons. [Denver Post]
• Don Banks mocks the Tebow-bashing bandwagon and declares Quinn one of the most improved passers of the preseason. [Sports Illustrated]
• Brandon Lloyd on repeating last year’s success: “(A)ll I can do is be prepared, know my plays, stay healthy and go out and execute.” [Washington Post]
• ESPN Scout Inc.’s Top NFL Players list has 5 Broncos in the Top 200, starting with Ryan Clady at No. 60. [SBNation Denver]
• Matt Prater says he’s stronger than ever and has the Pro Bowl in his sights. [CBS4 Denver]
• Willis McGahee‘s porsche paid for Orton’s inaccuracy yesterday (before the veteran QB was excused from practice) (it wasn’t the reason he was excused from practice). [Shutdown Corner]
• Perrish Cox is due in court today. [ABC News Denver]
• Seahawks-Broncos preview. [Miami Herald]
• The Denver Post is asking for fans’ help in picking the top moments of John Elway‘s career. [Denver Post]

Denver Broncos rookie linebacker Von Miller carries the pads of veterans off the field during training camp at the Denver Broncos football training facility in Englewood, Colo., on Monday, Aug. 1, 2011.(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos first round draft pick Von Miller is the odds-on favorite to win the 2011 NFL Defensive Rookie of they Year award, says linesmaker Bodog.com. The 2nd overall pick of the draft has been given 11/2 odds to win the award.

Following Miller are Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson with 6/1 odds, Bills DT Marcel Dareus with 15/2 odds, and Lions DT Nick Fairley with 15/2 odds.

Rounding out the Top 5 is another Bronco, S Rahim Moore, with 10/1 odds.

The DROY award typically goes to a linebacker, and Miller was the first defensive player taken, so the odds do make sense. (Plus, have you seen Miller in the Preseason?!)

Two Broncos are among the most likely to make a big defensive impact in 2011. Just what the doctor ordered.

Michael Lombardi, “NFL Network Insider,” has dropped a pair of “Blue Chip/Red Chip” pieces on NFL.com. The articles (offense/defense), which rank the NFL’s premier players by position, gives the cream of the crop a “Blue chip” rating (usually 5 guys) and the next tier of players a “Red chip” rating (5-10 more).

In other words, this is a Top 10 Players by Position list, wrapped in a poker metaphor.

Well, the Denver Broncos just busted out. Not a single Broncos athlete is a blue chip or red chip player, according to Lombardi.

No Brandon Lloyd. No Ryan Clady. No Elvis Dumervil.

No Champ Bailey.  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• Boomer Esiason says Tim Tebow doesn’t stand a chance. [USA Today]
• Joe Montana says he does, and thinks working on Tebow’s footwork, not throwing motion, is the most important task for the Broncos QB. [USA Today]
• Woody Paige isn’t jumping on the Tebow-bashing bandwagon. [Denver Post]
• Mike Klis isn’t either. [Denver Post]
• Coach Fox hinted that Tebow may get more snaps the final two preseason games than Brady Quinn. [Denver Post]
• Starters are expected to play into the third quarter Saturday. [Denver Post]
• Andre Goodman is often overlooked. [Predominantly Orange]
• Brian Dawkins talks Broncos. [DenverBroncos.com]
• The $20,000 lesson: Rahim Moore needs to get lower. [MaxDenver.com]
• The conditional 2013 draft pick the Broncos sent the Eagles for Brodrick Bunkley appears to be a solid investment. [Denver Post]

NFL

• Roger Goodell is trying to discipline players for off-field infractions during the lockout, a ridiculous notion. But is DeMaurice Smith more to blame? [Yahoo! Sports]
• Some interesting NFL salary cap trends, and how drafting well has become more important than ever. [National Football Post]

Denver Sports

• The Rockies nearly acquired lefty Wandy Rodriguez yesterday. Or did they? [Purple Row]
• Either way, they’re on a 5-game winning streak. [Denver Post]

 

The Denver Broncos issued an informal response to the latest media-driven circus surrounding Tim Tebow Tuesday, courtesy head coach John Fox.

“First of all, I would like to say that nobody in this building that is in the decision-making process—coach, official, or I don’t know, maybe they heard it from the cook… I’m not sure, but we hold Tim in high regard,” Coach Fox said. “I think he’s got a bright future in this game. He’s playing maybe the hardest position I know in the NFL there is to play, and maybe in all of sports. He’s progressing fine…. Everybody in this building has high regard for Tim Tebow, and Tim’s doing just fine. There’s no update on where his ranking is at this point by any official.”

Fox reiterated his and the club’s stance on Tebow, leveling Silver’s supposed source .

“I don’t think, if you read it correctly, that it said anybody in the organization. It just said a knowledgeable football person—that could have been a wide range. Like I said, it could have been the chef; he sees the players every day.”

It’s about time the Broncos did something to settle the madness. Some folks were even suggesting it was Fox or even John Elway giving Silver his soundbites… Fox is clearly denying that. We’re content to let Tebow fight Brady Quinn for second string duties and move on to some real Broncos football…

One wonders if Steve Atwater could have functioned in today’s NFL at all.

Denver Broncos safety Rahim Moore has been fined $20,000 for his hit on Buffalo Bills WR Donald Jones Saturday, 9 News Denver reports. Moore, the Broncos’ second round draft choice, didn’t launch himself at the receiver, and he led with his shoulder as taught. But the collision was powerful, Jones was defenseless, and was shaken up on the play. Moore was flagged with a personal foul and penalized 15 yards for the tackle.

The issue here isn’t whether the NFL is getting soft, or whether we agree or disagree with the recent rule changes protecting players. Moore laid Jones out, but what about the tackle was inherently illegal? If Jones gets up without incident, is Moore still fined? Let’s go to the rulebook. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller (28) is tackled by Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller (58), Denver Broncos cornerback Cassius Vaughn (41) and Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams (55) in the second quarter of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

There are reports coming out of Denver, Colorado that the early stages of a pass rush are beginning to develop.

The reporters who are actually focusing on real news, rather than Tim Tebow’s next bowel movement, are stating that Denver’s second overall pick, Von Miller, is a person of interest in this ‘pass rush’ investigation. Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reported:

There he (Miller) was in the first quarter, sacking Ryan Fitzpatrick for an 8-yard loss on second down. And there he was in the second quarter, perfecting a difficult open-field tackle on C.J. Spiller, keeping the running back from bulldozing any extra yards after the crunch of a hit.

The news may be preliminary, but fans believe that there is substance to these reports. One fan, who requested to remain anonymous, gave his thoughts when asked about the suspected pass rush.

“I was totally confused when Von Miller sacked that Bills quarterback,” said the anonymous fan. “I thought that rookies weren’t allowed to sack the quarterback or make plays at all. I mean, after watching Aaron Maybin, Vernon Gholston, Larry English, and Robert Ayers in their rookie years, I thought it was just a rule, like carrying pads or something. Why else would they play that way?” Click here to read the rest of this entry »