While it will be at least two more weeks until the NFL releases the regular season schedule, today they released the 2010 preseason schedule:

Here we go:

Week 1 – (August 12-16) TBD Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
Week 2 – Sat., Aug. 21st Detroit Lions @ Denver Broncos (9 pm ET)
Week 3 – Sun., Aug. 29th Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos (8 pm ET)*
Week 4 – Thur., Sept 2nd Denver Broncos @ Minnesota Vikings (8 pm ET)
*- denotes nationally televised game

The TBD will be announced very soon, but there is one nationally televised game thus far.

UPDATE: Most of the game times/dates have been announced, official press release after the click. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Brady Quinn, 'nuff said, real men don't need to say, 'no homo'.

Allergies and all Kyle and I got through this one, recording with Asian Orange AKA Danh from DenverBroncos.com / Broncos County Message Boards / The Orange Page (my other site).

We were able to avoid anything that made Kyle too angry, but him and I did go toe-to-toe over a couple of issues such as who would be the starting quarterback in Denver come week one and what the fate of Brandon Marshall would be.

We covered just a couple other things Tuesday night, including who we thought may be starting at offensive line for Denver this season and who (besides DJ Williams) was unexpectedly absent from the Broncos first organized team activities.

We love your commentary and look for it to improve every show, this is the offseason and we are only going to get better and corner the market as your go to source for Broncos commentary on your morning commutes (and evening relaxation).

Just keep in mind this is the offseason and as we’ve got some really good stuff in store for you this season. A lot of guests, more than a few Broncos and a ton of surprises. Also, of course, give aways!

So let’s keep with it and we certainly hope that you enjoy!

Stream it here at The Orange Page.

Brandon Marshall testifies under questioning during the trial of Willie Clark. (AP Photo/Pat Lopez)

Welcome back Brandon Marshall, but not to the Denver Broncos unfortunately.

It must be the offseason, Marshall’s the talk of Denver again.

In what I can only describe as in typical Marshall fashion his Public Relations firm EAG released this statement message via Denver’s KDVR Fox 31’s Josina Anderson:

“Brandon Marshall is continuing to work out and progress this offseason, and is hopeful that wherever he lands that it will be the right place. Additionally, if it were true that a contract extension commensurate with Marshall’s skills was actually offered, there would be no question as to what team Marshall would be staying with at this time.“

Broncos football rule, number 380: Brandon Marshall is shady.

First question, why does Marshall need a PR firm? That’s first.

Second question, this is about as childish as it gets, no? I do not see how any PR firm could agree to release this statement.

Third question, who is going to want to deal with him now? Is this a deliberate middle finger to the Broncos? I mean is he trying to lower his trade value even more? This is worse then the video of him punting footballs at practice.

Fourth question, Marshall has a PR firm? If Marshall hasn’t fired his PR firm by now, he ought to. This is a very poorly written statement (and that’s a major insult if you’ve ever read my columns, because they get scary sometimes) and based on things that have leaked over the last couple of years about him they’re obviously not doing their job (or the more scary version, maybe they are and we haven’t heard anything!).

UPDATE: Miss Anderson (one of our favorites) tweeted that this was a message, not a statement. So that’s cleared up, thank you Josina we’ve struck our above text to correct this. Either way, it means the same thing and in many ways a message is much more important than a statement. In more important ways, EAG sent the only message that they needed to send, that being that Marshall is being completely mismanaged and apparently it’s obvious to everyone but him.

[EAG PR firm statement]

Here it is again, another mock draft. And yes, there is a new pick for the Broncos. Not just the Broncos pick is new, there are 18 new picks in this mock. Enjoy.

Round 1

1. St. Louis Rams
   Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

There is no doubt the Rams need a quarterback (unless they land Donovan McNabb) and at this point I can’t (well it’s not impossible) see them taking any other position. The NFL is a copycat league, and first round rookie quarterbacks have been all the rage the last two seasons. It’s a big risk big reward type pick but I don’t see any other way for the Rams right now, and maybe that’s why they aren’t employing me.

Samuel Jacob Bradford has surpassed James Richard Clausen in the quarterback rankings by well… doing nothing. Neither of these top two prospects have done much to increase their stock, so teams are left to look at their game footage. With the exception of last season, that isn’t too good for Jimmy Clausen who was a pick throwing machine. On the other hand, this is great for Sam Bradford who has only thrown 16 picks in his college career, which looks real good up against his 88 touchdowns.

Bradford has only failed to post a quarterback rating of a hundred or more only seven times in his career, and two of those were this past season with his injured shoulder, once in the national championship, and the rest were his during first year starting. The Sooners were 23-2 when Bradford posts a quarterback rating of over a hundred (one of those losses was when he left early in the BYU game).

Previous pick: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

2. Detroit Lions
   Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Brandon Marshall attends BET's Rip the Runway at the Hammerstein Ballroom on February 27, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Last night while Kyle and I were recording our podcast with Asian Orange for Broncos Nation Podcast we mused about why Brandon Marshall’s agent Kennard McGuire would be in the same city as all 32 NFL owners and coaches. We disagreed at first about why McGuire would be in town, but basically settled on the fact that he’s most likely there to speak to at least one of the teams in regards to Marshall.

The Denver Post’s Mike Klis writes today quoting Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll‘s comments made yesterday in regards to what type of talks have taken place between Marshall’s agent McGuire and Seahawks general manager John Schnieder.

“There has been some talk,” Carroll said. “John has handled that so far. But it’s very preliminary.“

Talk indicates that even if it is preliminary the Seahawks have began speaking about a contract with Marshall. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

And just like that, thoughts of a union between the Denver Broncos and the acting president of the NFL Players Association have been quashed.

Mike Klis of the Denver Post blogs that, while the Broncos may have “expressed interest” in center Kevin Mawae, Denver isn’t seriously pursuing the 39-year-old free agent. In fact, Klis states that, per a league source, a deal won’t happen.

The reasoning is as we documented — center Casey Wiegmann was released over two concerns: size and age. With the Broncos moving to a power blocking scheme, Mawae is an improvement in neither.

And if you decide you’re going in a different direction, it doesn’t make much sense to replace a player with another headed in the same one.

No Mawae in Denver [All Things Broncos]

Tennessee Titans unrestricted free agent center Kevin Mawae

The Denver Broncos have expressed interest in free agent center Kevin Mawae, reports NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora, citing a league source. Per La Canfora, the two sides have exchanged contact.

Mawae, 39, started in all 16 games for the Tennessee Titans last year.

After releasing the 37-year-old Casey Wiegmann in February, the Broncos might just get older at the position. At 289 lbs., the addition of a Mawae would be a lateral move if ever there was one. But the Broncos desperately need a veteran lineman to provide experience — or, at the very least, depth — at the position for whomever they draft.

We’re not thrilled with the idea, but we can’t slam the Broncos for kicking Mawae’s tires, either. If anything, it just amplifies how surprising it was to see Wiegmann let go weeks ago.

And it makes one wonder: when that decision was made, at what level of contingency planning was “Kevin Mawae?”

Broncos express interest in Mawae [NFL.com]

Darcel McBath applies pressure to Kurt Warner during a 2009 preseason game (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski).

Darcel McBath

2009 Analysis:

I think without McBath the Alphonso Smith pick earlier in the second round doesn’t look quite as bad. McBath was a bruiser on special teams, one of the Denver Broncos better players. In punt formation he served as the personal protector for the punter as well. McBath had better stats than Smith despite snapping his arm in week fourteen; it should be noted that McBath is playing safety to Smith’s cornerback.

It is also noteworthy that 50% of McBath’s interceptions came against Peyton Manning, though young McBath only had two on the season. He benefited from being under the direct tutelage of veteran Renaldo Hill and the great Brian Dawkins the entire year and that relationship will only continue to grow and thrive in 2010.

2010 Outlook:

McBath looks like the leader of the next generation, a total hit in a three pick second round for the Broncos. He’ll be a star in Denver from here until they don’t want him to be anymore. Look for him to improve on special teams, but really look for him to shine in training camp and throughout the preseason. He may even surpass his positional mentor or his fraternal “Big,” as it may be- Renaldo Hill… Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Well thanks a lot Pete Carroll. Just when it was looking like the Chargers “Super Bowl window” was closing something like this had to happen. If you haven’t heard yet the Seattle Seahawks have traded their 2011 third round pick and switched second round spots (around 20 places apart) with the San Diego Chargers for their third string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst.

Yes, I did say a third string quarterback. Whitehurst hasn’t thrown a single pass in the NFL, but he has rushed for a touchdown his rookie year… which was 2006. You may be thinking, well he’s young. To put Whitehurst’s youth into perspective, he’s year older than Derek Anderson. Say what you want about DA, but at least he’s started a good amount of games, and was given a Pro-Bowl nod. With the acquisition of Whitehurst Seattle is heavily invested in his future. They will either need to draft a left tackle at the 6th position (Russell Okung will most likely be gone by then, so Trent Williams or Bruce Campbell, both could be available at 14 too) or give him an elite wide receiver to work with (hell an actual running back would be nice). If Pete Carroll feels comfortable with going offensive line at 14th overall, he might just pull the trigger on Brandon Marshall. Don’t expect anything dramatic anytime soon though. Also, what does this all say about Carroll’s faith in Matt Hassellbeck? Is Whitehurst going to sit behind Hassellbeck for a season? Does make sense to acquire a soon to be 28 year old quarterback to bench him for a season?

As trade repercussions go, this is just what A.J. Smith needed… more ammunition to rebuild the ailing defensive line and add flexibility for drafting a running back. San Diego now holds the 28th and 40th picks in the 2010 draft, as well as three picks in the third round in 2011. The Chargers can turn any pick into a solid player. Hell, the Chargers have turned a couple of undrafted players into Pro-Bowlers. Here’s a list of some players the Chargers have drafted beyond the first round. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• The Buffalo Bills, who switching to a 3-4 defense, just signed Andra Davis and Dwan Edwards. [AP]
• A good article that breaks down the question, what is the meaning of Brady Quinn’s arrival? [KWGN]
• Mark Kizla says, “Kyle Orton will lose his job as a starter before 2010 is done.” Tell us how you really feel Mark. [DPO]
• The fans reaction (via Twitter) to the Quinn trade, yours truly is included. Yes, I’m giving my shout out a shout out. [DPO]
• The overtime rules will be voted on this offseason. [DPO]
• Jets want Brandon Marshall? Yes? No? Maybe? [PFT]

Previously on BT

• It’s good to see you again Josh Barrett! [BT]
• Denver is giving Toby Gerhart and Matt Tennant some looks. [BT]
• One start, one benching, and almost two million dollars later Chris Simms is released. [BT]