Having drawn two of its starters from the 2010 draft, the Denver Broncos‘ offensive line was expected to be in a state flux in 2010.  Repeated injuries are only expounding this effect.

Until this week, only right guard Chris Kuper had been the healthy exception to this rule, but now even his status is in question.  Kuper missed his second straight practice Thursday with knee and ankle injuries.  Head Coach Josh McDaniels said they are taking the careful route with he and right tackle Ryan Harris, who has been missing several weeks of work, but wouldn’t rule them out for Sunday, either.

“I mean obviously we would like to have a full group out there — the group that we think will ultimately be playing together,” McDaniels said, “but there’s nothing we can do other than get ready to go with the players that are healthy. Both (OL) Ryan (Harris) and (OL) Chris (Kuper) have a shot at playing, but we are going to try to be smart about that too, because rushing them back and playing them before they are ready to go — that could be worse.”

If Kuper and Harris can’t go, the lineup (from left tackle to right tackle) will be Ryan Clady, Stanley Daniels, J.D. Walton, Russ Hochstein, and Zane Beadles.

The offensive line was a sieve at times in Jacksonville; in other words, the Broncos’ offensive line is undergoing some growing pains, as expected.  But having to change the lineup due to injury all the time certainly isn’t helping.  Hopefully Kuper and Harris return to the lineup soon.

• Charges against Shannon Sharpe were dropped Wednesday.  “Everyone knows this is a lie,” an acquaintance of Sharpe’s accuser told the Denver Post.  Hallelujah.
• Woody Paige breaks down former Broncos in his latest mailbag.
• Josh McDaniels wants Laurence Maroney, a free agent in 2011, to earn a contract extension in Denver.
• The Broncos’ most vital down isn’t third — it’s first.
• Seattle‘s Polumbus and Hamilton provide a mouth-watering opportunity for the Broncos’ pass rush.
• Nuggets coach George Karl was a special guest at Broncos practice yesterday.
• Players and media share the responsibility for a professional locker room environment.
• Ryan Harris invites fans to the grand opening of his new business, which provides assistance in areas such as Alzheimer and cancer treatment.
• Football Outsiders does a fantastic job point out how badly the Chargers missed Vincent Jackson Sunday — then spent a bit too long analyzing Tim Tebow‘s twitter following.

Record: 1-0
Streak: Won 1
Series vs. Denver: 18-33
Last time: Seahawks, 23-20, 2006
The Line: Broncos by 3.5

The Seahawks didn’t just beat the favored San Francisco 49ers Sunday, they humbled them. Seattle’s 31-6 drubbing over San Fran represented the NFL’s most lopsided score this weekend. Now these long-time AFC West rivals come into INVESCO Field at Mile High for the Denver Broncos‘ home opener with heightened expectations.

Who’s hot: QB Matt Hasselbeck. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

News and notes from the weekly press release. View the full release here (.pdf)

The Denver Broncos will host the Seattle Seahawks in their 2010 home opener on Sunday. Kickoff at INVESCO Field at Mile High is set for 2:05 p.m. MDT. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Our weekly perusal around the Interwebz for water cooler fodder. (Number in parenthesis represents last week’s ranking).

ESPN: 25th (22)
The Tim Tebow hype wasn’t all that fell flat in Jacksonville.

CBS: 26th (24)
It’s going to be a long season for the Broncos. Where is the talent on this roster? Kyle Orton took a beating last week. Please one thing: No more Tim Tebow to ruin drives.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The addition of running back Laurence Maroney via trade Tuesday left the Denver Broncos with one-too-many players on their active roster. On Wednesday they addressed the issue.

The Broncos have released running back Andre Brown, the National Football Post reports. A 2009 fourth-round draft pick of the New York Giants, the Broncos claimed Brown off waivers a mere 10 days ago.

Brown missed his rookie campaign due to injury and has been dealing with a turf toe injury in the preseason. The NFP suggests he should garner “good interest” as a free agent.

• Shannon Sharpe has taken a leave of absence from CBS while he settles a family violence complaint.
• Details about the complaint can be found here. Sharpe hasn’t been charged with a crime or arrested, but the retraining order filed against him cites some pretty serious stuff.
• Clinton Portis insinuated that a pretty female reporter might be attracted to professional male athletes, then hurriedly apologized.  Give me a break.
• ESPN’s Jemele Hill breaks it all down perfectly.
• Financially, the Denver Broncos front office is making the right decisions.
• Champ Bailey sees a little Darrent Williams in Perrish Cox.
• Denver’s opponent this week, the Seattle Seahawks, may start ex-Broncos Tyler Polumbus and Ben Hamilton.
• Statistically, the Chiefs didn’t shine. But their speed and athleticism provided enough pop.
• Looking ahead in the AFC West, the Chiefs look to be 2-0 after facing the Browns, and San Diego will test their luck against the Jaguars.
• Drew Litton has begun well-received animation work for ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Laurence Maroney (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Saying “It is what it is,” former New England Patriots running back Laurence Maroney unveiled his thoughts on his trade to the Denver Broncos Tuesday to the Boston Herald‘s Karen Guregian.

“You really can’t ever be good enough. It is what it is. It was just once of them situations,” Maroney said by phone. “I had some great opportunities there. I felt like I had some good times running the ball, and some not so good times. It was just one of those things. I got hurt. I could never really get going. But I loved playing there. But now I have to move on to Denver.”

What would he miss most about New England?

“The fans. We had some good fans, and my friends, really. Benny (BenJarvus Green-Ellis) and the rest of the running backs. We had good chemistry there,” Maroney said. “It’s going to be a brand new start. I’ll have new guys to meet. New England was definitely a great place to play. I had a lot of fun there. The fans were definitely great. I’ll definitely miss my fans, my true fans.”

The Herald describes Maroney’s tone as “somber,” but not with bitterness or resentment. After a brief conversation with one Herald writer via Twitter, we’re told Maroney called Denver “a great situation.” Hopefully he means it and will come to embrace it — he has a fresh start in Mile High.

Ten days after placing him on Injured Reserve, the Denver Broncos reached an injury settlement with Brandon Stokley Tuesday, the Denver Post reports. The agreement moves Stokley off the Broncos’ Reserved/Injured list, making him a free agent. Stokley suffered a groin injury in August that knocked him out of three of the club’s four preseason games.

In three years with the Broncos, the 34-year-old Stokley totaled 108 catches for 1,490 yards and 12 touchdowns. His production lessened somewhat in 2009, which saw him snag only 19 catches for 327 yards.

Over one-fourth of those yards came in one play — this one, for which Stokley will always own a piece of Denver Broncos history.

Farewell and good luck to one of the Broncos’ true class acts.

Denver Broncos defensive lineman Jeff Stehle participates in the team's 2010 training camp (DenverBroncos.com)

The Denver Broncos have yet to announce who has been released in the wake of their acquisition of running back Laurence Maroney (technically, the trade is still pending Maroney pass a physical), but they’ve been busy making moves in other areas of their roster nonetheless.

The Broncos on Tuesday announced that LB Titus Brown and DL Jeff Stehle were added to the practice squad. LB Worrell Williams, brother of D.J., was waived. Click here to read the rest of this entry »