Apologies for dropping the ball after the draft, I could blame it on the lockout but in reality, there are things we could be writing about and we just aren’t. That is going to change starting today, however.  Watch for a jam-packed edition of Daily Links this evening and more articles in the future.

Shout out to tstarr17 on YouTube for the video seen below, enjoy.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images North America

Just because Rahim Moore was selected in the second round (45th overall) doesn’t mean that he wasn’t highly sought after. All around the league Moore was up high on teams’ draft boards and legendary analyst Mike Mayock had him ranked as the best safety prospect available.

Even before the draft Moore had meet with several teams, and most of them had high selections in the second round like the Bengals, Cowboys, and Titans.

Recently at a press conference another legendary draft analyst (a one that actually makes picks though), Ozzie Newsome stated he had some serious interest in taking Rahim Moore. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Quarterback Tim Tebow goes through a drill during Denver's Training Camp in Dove Valley on August 4th, 2010. (Photo by Jon Heath/BroncoTalk)

Tim Tebow is a dedicated guy.

Having received the team’s playbook last week when the lockout was temporarily on hold, Tebow has been working hard this off season in hopes of beating out Kyle Orton and emerging as the team’s starter.

Tebow works out three times a day (lifting, throwing and cardio) over seven hours a day, every day.  Recently, he’s been contacting his teammates to set up some player-organized team workouts.

An area Tebow has been working on a lot is taking snaps from under center.  As Andrew Mason of MaxDenver.com has pointed out, it’s essential for Tebow to master the trait because Head Coach John Fox‘s offenses traditionally don’t use a lot of shotgun packages.

“The biggest thing for me is that I’ve been working on play-action passes (and) play-action drop-backs — all under center,” Tebow said. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Former Chief Derrick Thomas gave John Elway fits during his career. Elway hopes Von Miller can do the same to AFC West quarterbacks. (AP file photo)

Legendary former Broncos quarterback John Elway was one of the most elusive players of his time – and arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

There was one player however that consistently harassed Elway, similarly to how Elway exasperated defensive coordinators week in and week out.  That player was the late Derrick Thomas, a former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker who is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A terror to every opposing offense he played, Thomas specialized in sacking Elway, much to the delight of Kansas City fans and dismay of Denver fans.  When it was all said and done, Thomas had brought Elway down twenty-six times behind the line of scrimmage.

Broncos' Von Miller presented to the media for the first time with vice president of football operations John Elway at Dove Valley on April 29, 2011 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Heading into the 2011 NFL Draft, Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller was considered one of the top defensive prospects after drawing many comparisons to Thomas.  After being chosen second overall by the Denver Broncos, Miller flew to Denver to meet with the club’s top brass.

While at the team’s facility in Dove Valley last week, Miller requested jersey number 58, Thomas’ former number, according to the Associated Press.  Having played Thomas many times throughout his career, Elway — who is now the team’s Vice President of Football Operations – was all for it.

“I liked it. I thought it was great, I thought it was the perfect number for him,” said Elway before telling Miller, “Just don’t walk behind me.”

Although he was a Chief, you gotta give Thomas some respect.  If I could pick any former player for Miller to shape his game after, Thomas would definitely be near the top of the list.

Houston wide receiver James Cleveland (19) is stopped by UCLA safety Rahim Moore (3) after a 48-yard reception in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Over the course of the week we’ll be breaking down the 2011 Denver Broncos draft class pick-by-pick, leading up to our overall 2011 Broncos draft grade. Digest. Debate. Enjoy.‘

You’re John Elway, and you just drafted the consensus best player at his position in linebacker Von Miller. What are you going to do next?

“Please, sir, can I have some Moore?”

Indeed. If you’re John Elway you go back for another best-player-at-his-position in UCLA safety Rahim Moore. What’s moore, you trade down without blinking, stockpile picks, and still get him in the second round. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Jordan Jefferson of the LSU Tigers throws under pressure from Von Miller of the Texas A&M Aggies during the AT&T Cotton Bowl. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Here we go again, another haiku for you. And yes, another Haiku hero has emerged.

This week’s topic? Von Miller.

Like always, I’ll take the first crack at it.

Von Miller at two
3-4, 4-3, it’s sack time
Make your scheme fit him

Think you can beat that? Try it after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller

Over the course of the week we’ll be breaking down the 2011 Denver Broncos draft class pick-by-pick, leading up to our overall 2011 Broncos draft grade. Digest. Debate. Enjoy.

Von Miller. Marcell Dareus. Patrick Peterson. Three “can’t miss” defensive players. Three crucial cogs to a defense-rebuilding project. Three potential franchise-changers.

If you’re John Elway and company, how do you choose?

“All three of those guys you mentioned (Miller, Dareus and Peterson), I wanted all three of them, but we could not get them,” head coach John Fox said, laughing. “They are all impact guys. From Von to Dareus and also Patrick—we spent a lot of time with all three of them. It really did not come down to who we liked the best or not, it was who would fit us best.” (emphasis added)

It’s an interesting take from Fox, because the consensus heading into the draft was that Miller was best suited as a pass-rushing 3-4 outside linebacker. In some ways, Miller was considered the least best fit for the Broncos’ 4-3. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos vice president John Elway, center, is pictured with second round NFL draft pick Rahim Moore, left, a safety from UCLA, and third round NFL draft pick Nate Irving a linebacker from North Carolina State, during an NFL football news conference at the team's headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Saturday, April 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

What the Know-It-Alls are saying now that the dust from the 2011 Denver Broncos draft has settled. Stay tuned for BT’s own 2011 Broncos draft grades segment kicking off later today.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports —

Best pick: Second-round pick Rahim Moore is a safety with range. That’s the kind you need in this modern NFL filled with passing.

Questionable move: Passing on Marcell Dareus to take Von Miller is questionable with their big hole inside on their defense.

Third-day gem: Fourth-round pick Julius Thomas is a tight end who is a former basketball player. That means he has the athletic ability to get down the field.

Analysis: John Elway’s first draft was solid. He made moves to fix a defense that needed it badly. If first-round pick Von Miller is an explosive pass rusher, this will be a nice draft.

Grade: B- Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Osama bin Laden is dead. Thank you to all the servicemen and women who made this happen. It wouldn’t be right to not take the time to mention our gratitude for their service, along with everyone who serves and has served this country! Thank you. God bless America.

Some comments from our Broncos:

Brian Dawkins: “That was an evil man. One chapter closed. Prayerfully many more chapters can be closed and the troops can come home sooner than later!!!”

Ryan Harris: “Osama bin dead. No remorse here. Thank you US military and all involved.”

Ryan Clady: “whoa Osama Bin Laden is dead. about time”

Eric Olsen: “72 virgins? Try 343 NYC Firefighters waiting for you. #goodluck”

Zane Beadles: “God Bless everyone that has fought for this day. Truly a blessing to have them defending our country #osama”

Denver Broncos vice president John Elway, center, is flanked by head coach John Fox, right, and general manager Brian Xanders during a news conference at the conclusion of the NFL Draft at the football team's headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Saturday, April 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

The Denver Broncos 2011 NFL Draft is in the books. If you take the time to read any one breakdown on the web, any breakdown at all, make it these quotes from John Elway, John Fox and Brian Xanders. A lot of gems in here. Enjoy —

On how they feel after the draft

Elway: “It has been a great three days. We looked at the board and what we got out of this draft—I think we are really happy with it. I think we got guys that can come in and help us right away and also got some good depth and created some good competition. So, I personally am excited about it. I think one of the things that I am even more excited about is how the whole team worked. I think as far as the scouts as well as (General Manager) Brian (Xanders’) team with personnel with (Director of College Scouting) Matt Russell and (Director of Pro Personnel) Keith Kidd—and (Head Coach) John (Fox), myself and Brian. I was really happy with the whole process. I really feel like we came out of it—we discussed a lot of different things and we all came out of it unanimous on who is going to be the next guy. It was a great process and I think it worked well. I am really proud of it—especially when you look at the guys that we got. We really feel like they can come in and help us, so for me, with this being my first draft, I feel very good coming out of it.”

On why the team did not select any defensive tackles

Fox: “We came into it with a lot of needs and I think we were not going to fill them all in this process. I think typically in the National Football League, you have two means—one is college (draft) and the other is free agency. So, never in any year that I have been in the NFL have you accomplished meeting all your needs in just one of those pools. So, I think that we will have to address that moving forward in the next pool.”

Xanders: “With the process that we had with the board, we really stuck to our grades and the best player available up on the board. We were not going to reach down below just because of the position that we had (a need). When we took linebackers, they were the best players for our system and for our team, instead of reaching.”

On whether it was a coincidence that they drafted the positions which they did

Xanders: “I would say that at that time, those were the better players on our board. As it came down the defensive tackles in this draft were really taken in the first rounds.” Click here to read the rest of this entry »