Chris Mortensen of ESPN just reported that free agent QB Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, officially putting any Vick to Denver talk to rest. Mortensen cites Vick’s agent as the source of the news and says it is a two-year deal.

On a related note, ESPN would like to apologize to Cardinals and Steelers fans. Any commentary actually related to your preseason football game just went out the window.

With the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers set to kick off the 2009 preseason Friday at 7pm PT, it’s finally time for some football, Broncos fans! It’s also time for answers – answers to questions the fans have been asking all offseason and training camp, and to which the coaches either didn’t want to reveal or haven’t resolved themselves. Let’s break these questions down, starting with a couple of rookies and an injured big-name free agent.

The Broncos brought in Brian Dawkins to be the vocal and physical leader of the new defense, particularly in the secondary. Slotted at free safety, I wouldn’t have believed Dawkins was 36 years old after watching him in training camp, even if you swore it on your grandmother’s life. He’s fast, nimble and physical, and will provide a genuine football benefit when he returns from hand surgery, in addition to his intangibles.

In the meantime, though, Dawkins is out. The Broncos have been slotting two rookies at his position: second round draft pick Darcel McBath and fourth round draft pick David Bruton. Both have had their moments in camp, both good and bad, but neither has truly excelled over the other.

So who will start Friday? Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Brandon Marshall isn’t in Denver, nor is he on a plane to San Francisco with the rest of the team. He’s in Georgia, appearing in court for a March 2008 incident. Depending on the results of this week’s hearing, which is expected to conclude Friday, Marshall could face further punishment and/or suspension from the league office.

Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post is posting live updates from the courtroom, which you can follow here.

As PFT points out, Marshall has a piece of evidence that will make it difficult for the jury to convict him beyond a reasonable doubt. The NFL received a letter from his alleged victim, ex-girlfriend Rasheedah Watley, which states Marshall’s innocence: Click here to read the rest of this entry »

I know… I can’t get over it. I had to write another article. 

Quick question.

Q: What is the difference between Mr. East and Michael Crabtree?

A: Mr. East will be at the Niners-Broncos game on Friday.

I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that the 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft Michael Crabtree has threatened to hold out for an entire year and enter the 2010 draft if he doesn’t get more money than the seventh overall pick Darrius Heyward-Bey. I find it ridiculous that he refuses to respect the NFL slotting system. Should Terrell Davis had asked for first round money because he knew he was better than the 6th round? Of course not.

However there is a huge flaw in Mr. Crabtree’s threat. If the Niners so choose to let him pout and enter next year’s draft they will still own the right to his soul NFL career up until the next draft. This means a few things.

• Crabtree cannot attend the 2010 combine without the permission of the Niners prior to draft day.
• Crabtree cannot workout for other teams without the permission of the Niners prior to draft day.
• Crabtree cannot release any of his workout results such as the forty yard dash without the permission of the Niners prior to the draft.
• Crabtree will most likely be ranked lower than at least three receivers in the 2010 draft.

2010 Draft wide receiver reports after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Good listen. Bill Simmons Podcast review (8/12) of Madden10 in which he brings a buddy on the show to talk about the game, his buddy, it turns out to be, is a Broncos fan. What he has to say may frighten you, although he does sound like an extreme pessimist/realist? Having seen and been appalled by the Broncos ratings, I was prepared for the worst ( I have always wanted a t-shirt that said “Prepare for the wurst!” complete with image of a big juicy brat) don’t try to steal it, I have it copywritten) seriously).

My buddies and I have a tradition of getting the new Madden at midnight on its release date. We live in New York City. We board the train to Manhattan, each of us draped in team jerseys, roll into the Virgin Mega Store in Union Square (now out of business) at fifteen til midnight, we then stop by Taco Bell, hit a bodega to stock up on Mountain Dew and beer, and head back. It usually takes us a solid hour to work through team rosters, tweaking the depth charts and doctoring players’ ratings that were joked. Then we play, tournament style, all night long. We range in skill levels, all with different teams; Browns, Bengals, Bills, Cowboys & Broncs all represented, and my friend Tom usually always wins, but we have fun. It has become less and less about the game, and more and more about getting together with old pals to shoot the bull and have a good time. It’s tradition.

This year we decided the weekday/midnight deal wasn’t going to work. At the ripe age of 27, too many of us have work the next day, and to be real, even if we didn’t, it wouldn’t matter much as most of us would probably fall asleep around 2 or 3am. As an alternative we are starting a BBQ/BEERFEST/MADDEN10 Tourney at 5pm on Saturday night! A dude’s night! A videogame football nerd’s night! Click here to read the rest of this entry »

After he suffered a third significant injury in just over one year in the NFL, the Denver Broncos waived 2008 fifth-round draft pick running back Ryan Torain on Wednesday.

Torain was highly touted for his talent, but even in college suffered from multiple production-hampering injuries. As a rookie in 2008, he missed the first seven of the season with a dislocated elbow, played in two games (one start), then missed the rest of his rookie year with a torn left ACL.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: McDaniels told reporters after practice that Torain has been released.

It’s been a tumultuous day for Denver Broncos running backs. The team signed RB Marcus Thomas Wednesday, got Lamont Jordan back to practice from injury, and have reportedly decided to start Knowshon Moreno Friday. Now, ESPN’s Bill Williamson reports that the Broncos have lost Ryan Torain for the 2009 preseason, and possibly longer.

Torain, who was wearing a large knee brace during training camp and missed at least one practice, has reportedly strained the PCL in his left knee. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

While there’s little doubt Knowshon Moreno will be the Broncos‘ starting tailback come Week One of the regular season, a distinct possibility has emerged that he’ll be the starting tailback for Week One of the preseason as well.

Since the Broncos leave on a plane to San Francisco Thursday to play the 49ers Friday, the news is particularly significant and late-breaking.

The scoop comes from Jason La Canfora (the NFL Network’s new Adam Schefter), who dropped the small but noticeable tidbit on his NFL.com blog. La Canfora states that Moreno has progressed enough in camp to get the starting nod: Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Marcus Thomas the d-lineman, meet Marcus Thomas the running back.

The Denver Broncos on Wednesday added RB Marcus Thomas to the roster.  Thomas was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.  In just over 16 months, Thomas has had a whirlwind NFL career: Click here to read the rest of this entry »

I don’t mind McDaniels not talking about injuries, or not talking about the depth chart or anything else that could provide even a small clue as to how our team is coming together. However, it clearly shows his inexperience with the media when he gets all huffy-and-puffy with reporters for inaccurate stories after he flat out refuses to give them the information they ask for.

Case #1 – Ryan Harris Injury
As per Josh’s copy-cat Pats doctrine of not talking to the media about any injury (even during Training Camp), he did not inform the local Denver media of the exact severity or location of Ryan’s camp injury. The inevitable reaction by the media was to find ‘other sources’… one’s that are obviously not as reliable as, say, the Head Coach. And while I don’t condemn McDaniels for this decision, I was shocked when he snapped at reporters in his post-practice interview for reporting that Ryan may miss preseason games with a shoulder injury. Click here to read the rest of this entry »