Well, it seemed as though free agent running back J.J. Arrington was not coming to Denver, but he did his best impression of Michael Corleone from The Godfather. Arrington will be a running back for the blue and orange in 2009, joining LaMont Jordan as the third free agent running back signed in the last week for the Broncos.

Arrington was drafted in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals in 2005, after a lackluster debut and the signing of Edgerrin James, he would never be a huge contributor to the Cardinals offense.

Arrington will most likely contribute as a kick returner and receiver out of the back field for the Broncos. As the shift to Josh McDaniels system seems to demand the ability to catch the ball. This could also lead to a Ryan Torain/Peyton Hillis dual near training camp. Hillis is the better receiver out of the backfield and should compete with Correll Buckhalter as the best on the team.

Denver also re-signed defensive lineman Kenny Peterson, who will probably match well as a defensive end in the new 3-4/5-2 system Mike Nolan is bringing in. Peterson had a career season last year (I know!) with three sacks and 24-total tackles (15-solo).

The boys were not finished though and signed the crown jewel of free agent quarterbacks Phil Chris Simms. Simms will hopefully be playing backup quarterback in Denver, he’s best described as, well a poor man’s Jay Cutler. He has a rocket arm, throws into coverage and can’t scramble. He should be an adaquate backup though and when he got healthy there was a decent amount of interest to sign him.

Nation, is this just more of the same anything that you like particularly out of todays signings? Let’s hear it…

Congratulations, Josh McDaniels. You’ve earned yourself the dubious honor of being placed on the hot seat before ever seeing a football field as Head Coach.

The fans and media have spoken. From Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com, who says you’re nuts for thinking of dealing Jay Cutler for Matt Cassel, to the fellow fans at KeepJayFireMcDaniels.com, who provided the loving image in your likeness – you’ve lost any patience or leniency as Head Coach. At least from this fan.

It’s ironic. No one could deny that your predecessor, Mike Shanahan, was a great football mind and Head Coach — it was his personnel decisions that ultimately cost him his job. As bad as some of his calls were, he never, ever would have considered trading a quarterback of Cutler’s caliber.

And that’s exactly what you did. For an unknown period of time on Saturday, you were seriously considering trading Jay Cutler for Matt Cassel. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

A day after the signing of J.J. Arrington apparently fell through, the Denver Broncos have made moves to address their running back opening. The team has agreed to terms with former Patriot LaMont Jordan, Josina Anderson of KDVR Fox 31 reports.

The two-year, $2.5 million deal will be signed when Jordan visits Denver soon.

Jordan spent last season in New England where he rushed 80 times for 363 yards (4.5 ypc) and four touchdowns. The ninth year pro spent his first four seasons with the New York Jets and the following three seasons with the Oakland Raiders.

I am not a LaMont Jordan fan. He always struck me as a lazy player, and ex-teammate Warren Sapp‘s comments calling him the “worst offseason running back ever” last year confirmed that to me. He had success last year, and maybe McD can get the best out of him again, but I’m not a big fan of this signing.

Thanks to Jaiu in the comments!

Lost in the mania surrounding Jay Cutler trade rumors and the signing of Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins was a pair of signings addressing the defensive tackle position. They were briefly mentioned in other posts, but I thought I’d give them their fair due here. The Denver Broncos announced the additions of Ronald Fields on Tuesday and Darrell Reid on Monday.

Fields (6-foot-2, 315 pounds) is a fifth-year defensive tackle who spent his first four NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners drafted Fields in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft from Mississippi State University. He has played 49 career regular-season games (9 starts), totaling 97 tackles (49 solo), one sack, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Jay Cutler will remain a Denver Bronco.

That simple statement should have never been in question, but after four days of escalating rumors, news stories, sports talk radio, forum fodder and conversations around the blogosphere (sorry), Head Coach Josh McDaniels reaffirmed that Cutler will not be traded under any circumstances.

“Let me be as clear as I can about this,” McDaniels told NFL.com‘s Adam Schefter on Tuesday. “We are not trading Jay Cutler — period.”

The Denver Post reports that Cutler, who was nothing short of pissed off at the Broncos upon hearing the rumors, has agreed to return to Denver next week to meet with McDaniels. The plan is to clear the air, mend the situation and move forward for the 2009 season.

“Josh and Jay will sit down and meet next week when Jay gets back from Nashville,” Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth told reporters. “The Denver Broncos are not trading, Jay Cutler. Period.”

The Broncos begin voluntary workouts on March 16th.

This is the beginning of the best-case scenario. I’m looking forward to moving on from this.

I’m calling on my inner Woody Paige for this, and I’m writing an editorial on this past week’s debacle which has shaken the foundation of the league. As my fellow BT writer Jonathan Douglas aptly put it, a plethora of Denver fans are starting to lose that lovin’ feeling. My thoughts were this:

This feeling is because of the ambiguity surrounded by this whole situation, you’re not sure who cheated you. Was it Cutler who asked for the trade earlier? Was it McDaniels and Xanders who asked first? Why can’t Brandon Marshall stay out of cuffs? Why can’t Cutler meet with McDaniels? This drama never happened before. It’s not just one person’s fault, it’s a collective group of mistrials that are tearing apart at the soul of your fandom.

The truth is that this is Josh McDaniels’ team whether you like it or not. The fans may lose faith in McDaniels for even involving Jay Cutler in trade talks whether or not he was provoked to do so. However, you have to respect McDaniels in his attempt to control the team. McDaniels has put everyone on high notice that he is the boss, this is a business, and he’s asking you one question, as newly acquired Bronco Brian Dawkins says “Are you gonna do your doggone job!!!?” Click here to read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know about you, but this weekend has really messed me up. I’m just not FEELING the way I normally do about the Broncos and that has me really worried… worried I’ve somehow ‘fallen out of love’ with the Orange & Blue.

Now before I get flamed for not being a TRUE fan, let me explain…

I fell in love with this team when John Elway was losing Super Bowls, so I know I’m not a fan just because the Broncos might win another ring.

I fell in love with this team when Dan Reeves was the Head Coach, and I felt just as devoted to Denver through this last transition to Coach McDaniels. So I know my fandom isn’t tied to one coach.

I continued to love this team when John Elway left… and then Brian left…and then Plummer left. So, I’m pretty sure I’m not following any one QB.

I continued to love this team after Mile High was turned into a parking lot and Invesco bought the naming rights to the new stadium, so I know it’s not a sacred building that I love.

I continued to love this team when Rod Smith, TD, Al Wilson, Eddie Mac and recently Tom Nalen retired. So, I know it’s not any one player that draws my heart to the mile high city.

That begs the question… What changed over this last weekend that made me almost want to quit following the Broncos? Cause it happened, folks. I’m not lying about this to you… it’s real. I consider myself to be a DIE-HARD fan, but this Cutler crap had me feeling like I could walk away and not come back.

So, what happened?!?

I think it’s because I’m finally realizing the team I love may be changing in ways I don’t understand or like.
Click here to read the rest of this entry »

An interesting tidbit nugget bombshell in Peter King‘s latest edition of MMQB regarding the Jay Cutler fiasco over the weekend – Cutler might have asked the Broncos for a trade after offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates moved on to USC.

I heard one other interesting thing Sunday: Cutler asked for a trade shortly after the Broncos lost offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates — Cutler’s confidant — to USC after the season. So maybe both sides need to go into marriage counseling here.

There are conflicting reports that Head Coach Josh McDaniels and GM Brian Xanders shopped Cutler instead of simply listening to offers. This would add some reliability to those reports.

I don’t know what to think. Either way, the Broncos brass should have never even listened to trade offers for Cutler. King is an excellent reporter; there’s no doubt he heard this from somewhere, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he needed to hear it twice before putting it to print. This fiasco keeps getting stranger and stranger; the second I think I have my head around it somewhat, even in the least, the latest report throws me for a loop. I don’t know how the Broncos and Cutler recover from this.

Multiple sources are now reporting that the case against Brandon Marshall has been dropped.

“Based on my investigation yesterday, he shouldn’t have been charged in the first place and I was confident the charges would be dismissed.” — Harvey Steinberg (Marshall’s attorney) 3/2/09

…um…yeah, that’s what most defense attorney’s would say.

UPDATE: It now appears the Commish will definately take a look into this, as this arrest appears to be related to his previous arrests. Atlanta police records show that Marshall and his fiancee, Michi Nogami-Campbell, were fighting outside their Atlanta area condo. It appears they were both kicking and punching each other, according to multiple witnesses. They both declined medical treatment and were both arrested that night.

This is NOT good, folks…

UPDATE: The chargers were dropped on Monday morning.

Breaking News: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall has been arrested according to ESPN.com. Marshall was arrested Sunday in Atlanta, he was booked and soon released on $300 bail.

This is his fourth arrest since 2006 and will likely result in yet another suspension. There are no details on why Marshall was arrested, the only detail that officials from the jail were willing to give is that Marshall was involved in a fight.

As PFT points out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the new changes to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement focus on repeat offenders.

Marshall could face a suspension of as many as eight-games…

And the Broncos may be looking to join the T.J. Houshmandzadeh sweepstakes…