Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow look on from the bench during a 59-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Last week John Fox announced that Kyle Orton is currently the starter of the Denver Broncos. Unsurprisingly, the caused a bit of a shock to some fans of the Bronco nation. The majority of fans saw this announcement as a strategic move to up Orton’s stock for a future trade. However, some saw this as the clear and simple truth.

Regardless of the opinion, Denver fans are yet again dealing with an offseason of quarterback controversy (although thankfully this one is quite minor). What do you think Bronco fans? Who will start the 2011 season (if there is one)? Click here to vote

Packers president Mark Murphy and general manager Ted Thompson hoist the Lombardi Trophy after the Packers won Super Bowl XLV (Courtesy AP)

If anyone read my introductory article, you will notice that I disclosed the fact that I have dual loyalties when it comes to NFL fandom: the Denver Broncos as well as the Green Bay Packers.

As you likely know (and if you don’t, you live under a rock), the Green Bay Packers recently won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 31-25.  The Denver Broncos, meanwhile, finished 4-12 and hold the number two overall pick in the NFL Draft this coming April.

Since one of my teams is currently at the top of the NFL and the other is dangerously close to the cellar, I figured that now would be a good time to ask:

What can the Denver Broncos learn from the Green Bay Packers?

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Eddie Royal scores a touchdown against O.J. Atogwe. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

News broke not too long after Kyle released his dissertation on the Denver Broncos free agents heading into the 2011 season that Denver is in fact targeting free agent O.J. Atogwe.

At only 29-years old Atogwe is a player who was franchised by his former team (the St. Louis Rams) in 2009, but spent much of that season on injured reserve. His contract simply got to be too much for the Rams and they cut him less than a year after he signed a five-year contract with $32-million with the Rams.

Atogwe has met with several teams since being cut by St. Louis, but is the first free agent being brought in under the John Fox era in Denver. He would automatically bring the median age down in the Broncos secondary by years. Coupled with a possible draft pick of Patrick Peterson Denver could have the best secondary in the league on paper.

Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Harris during the 2010 preseason. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Now that Champ Bailey is under the fold for another four years, the Broncos can begin looking at their other players set to hit the free agent market.

The remaining crop of would-be market-hitters are only a handful deep, and none are of the “can’t live without them” variety, but it’s still worth examining each player’s case. So that’s what we’ll do: we’ll take a look at their status, their expected contributions should they remain a Bronco in 2011, and finish up each with our verdict on what the Broncos should do.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Ronald Fields
Pos: Defensive Tackle
Age: 29
Years with Broncos: 2
2010 Status: Backup NT

Ronald Fields was originally signed to be the guy in the middle of the Broncos’ reorganized 3-4 defensive formation. His ascension to starter, driven by then-D.C. Mike Nolan, was short-lived after Nolan left and the Broncos brought in Jamal Williams last offseason. Fields and Williams largely split reps, and there wasn’t a great difference in production between the two (neither were very good). Both he and DT Marcus Thomas are set to hit free agency, but Thomas has the edge in the age department, and the Broncos are surely looking to add defensive line talent in the draft.

The Verdict: Let him hit the market.

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Matt Russell, Brian Xanders and Josh McDaniels just prior to the draft day trade for Tim Tebow. (AP Photo/Denver Broncos, Eric Lars Bakke)

Who said the offseason has to be boring? Well, if you’ve got an hour this weekend you can enjoy the entirety of the press conference that Denver Broncos Vice President of Football Operations John Elway and General Manager Brian Xanders just had.

They cover about everything fans would want to hear from them; from the draft, to the 4-3 switch to the new contract of Champ Bailey.

Some of the highlights from Elway include his thoughts on college quarterbacks coming into the NFL having operated out of the spread offense, he discusses Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, and Tom Brady. He’s asked about Patrick Peterson (or did he tip his hand?) and mentions Justin Bannan and Jamal Williams. He also touches on the Kyle Orton subject just a bit (or did he tip his hand?).

Xanders focused a lot on the defense, specifically who was behind the playbook and what talented position coaches Denver is currently employing. He talks specifically about Tim Tebow rumors and Robert Ayers new role as a starting left defensive end. He talks Marcell Dareus and Nick Fairley, bringing up specifically that Clay Matthews was a one year starter (as was Ayers).

Click it right here for the whole darn thing! Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos head coach John Fox responds to a question during a news conference during the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Many of the Denver Broncos coaching staff and scouts are in Indianapolis this week for the NFL’s annual Scouting Combine, and head coach John Fox has been in high demand among the press.

Below are some notes of what he’s had to say:

Fox’s first topic was the upcoming NFL Draft, “You’re obviously gonna get a heck of a football player with the second pick,” said Fox on Thursday in a press conference.  “It’s very excited (to have the 2nd pick) and very similar to my first year in Carolina when we had the 2nd pick in the draft.”

Fox was then asked about the Broncos quarterbacks, to which he responded; “I don’t think we’ll really figure that out until we start competing.  It’s a group of three (quarterbacks) that I think are very capable,  and right now Kyle Orton is our starter.  I can’t predict (who will be the starter) week one, you know what I mean?  But that’s where we are today.” Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Not too long ago John Fox said that there was no clear starter yet, clearly that has changed. According the Denver Post, John Fox stated:

“It’s a group of three that are very capable. Right now Kyle Orton is our starter. We have a young guy, high draft pick, in Tim Tebow who got his feet wet last year towards the end of the season. And then shoot, Brady Quinn I’m looking forward to seeing.”

Apparently everyone will get a chance to compete, but Kyle Orton is number one on the depth chart. Most fans right now are hoping that this is just upping Orton’s trade value. This also doesn’t do well to the rumors that Tim Tebow is without support in Denver.

More details to come.

 Champ Bailey and John Lynch at the 2007 Pro BowlÂ

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments and your winners from last time after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• Details on Champ Bailey‘s four-year contract, and the cornerback admits putting his Denver house on the market was all part of the negotiations process. [Denver Post]
• Champ is not optimistic the CBA standstill will be resolved in time for a 2011 season. [DPO]
• BroncosTV breaks down the team’s Top 5 offensive plays of 2010 (video). [DenverBroncos.com]
• It’s decision time regarding four aging Broncos veterans who are slated for a collective $15 million in 2010. [DPO]
• Ladies: Tim Tebow has passion for his passion. [Kissing Suzy Kolber]
• Chargers GM A.J. Smith is comfortable letting wide receiver Vincent Jackson play on the franchise tag for a year. [Yahoo! Sports]

Champ Bailey #24 of the Denver Broncos during warm-ups prior to the start of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 5, 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

As many fans hoped, future Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey will remain a Denver Bronco for the foreseeable future, and likely through the end of his career.

On Tuesday, Broncos V.P. of Football of Operations John Elway announced that the Broncos and Bailey agreed to a four-year contract extension that will keep the record-setting Pro Bowler in Denver through 2015.

According to Mike Klis of The Denver Post, it’s a four-year, $43 million deal with $15 million guaranteed. Per Klis, it was the $4 million guaranteed in 2012 that sealed the deal.

Now the Broncos can focus on fixing the front seven — not that this writes off Patrick Peterson at #2 overall. But it does give the Broncos more flexibility with Champ in tow. With Elvis Dumervil returning from injury in 2011, a move to the 4-3, and a promise of an infusion of defensive talent in the draft, Elway and company are making the right moves to slowly crawl out of being the 32nd ranked defense in the league.