So with all the Denver players that have (or WILL be) handed their pick slips, which players do you absolutely, positively, would-die-without need to keep?

Here is my MUST KEEP list (in order of importance… as if that could really be determined):

Jay Cutler
Champ Bailey
Brandon Marshall
Ryan Clady
D.J. Williams
Eddie Royal
Ryan Harris
Ben Hamilton (tied with Chris Kuper)
Peyton Hillis
Tony Scheffler
Daniel Graham

I’ll also list my I’D LOVE TO SEE THEM STAY list (no particular order):

Casey Wiegmann – Good temporary solution at Center
Elvis Dumervil – Great little motor with long arms and a nose for sacks
Kory Lichtensteiger – Good potential
Brandon Stokley – The Slot Machine!
Marcus Thomas – Solid athlete
Wesley Woodyard – Amazing passion
Andre Hall – Just a personal favorite
Nic Clemons – Showed some sparks during last preseason
Tim Crowder – Could work well in the 3-4

Ok… who’d I miss? Who shouldn’t be on my list? Who’s on YOUR must keep list? Do you follow the team or the players? I mean, is there a marquee player that (if ditched) would make you try to kick your Denver football obsession? Let’s hear from you…

Steve Johnson pulls in a TD in front of Dre Bly on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

In a surprising interesting move the Denver Broncos announced just moments ago that they have released starting cornerback Dre Bly. The move comes just a day after the Broncos released three former starters on defense, Bly becomes the fourth defensive starter to be cut in two days and the 12th player to exit Dove Valley in two-weeks.

The move along with the fact that cornerback Karl Paymah will be a free agent leaves the Broncos extremely thin in the secondary. Not to mention that with four starters cut and Nate Webster, Marlon McCree and Ebenezer Ekuban not likely to be re-signed the Broncos could return with as little as three starters from 2008.

Luckily this is not College Football…

In 2008, Bly made $10.4 million (of which $4.55 million counted against the cap), in 2009 he was scheduled to count more than $6 million against the cap, this move puts the Broncos a little more than $40 million under the salary cap (which is set at $123 million).

What’s up Nation? I’m not positive that I like the move, unless Josh McDaniels has his eyes set on one of these all-star corners that may or may not be available in free agency (which opens in ten-days on February 27th). It’s scary to think of what could come of the defense, but then again, last seasons defense was about as bad as it gets.

Dewayne Robertson takes down Philip Rivers. Dec. 28, 2008.(AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

The Denver Broncos announced the departure of six more players this evening: defensive end John Engelberger, tight end Nate Jackson, linebacker Niko Koutouvides, safety Marquand Manuel, defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson and linebacker Jamie Winborn.

Several of these cuts were expected, though it may be earlier than we thought for others. Amongst the most surprising may be Winborn who was a decent backup and played well on special teams. Analysts have not hesitated this off-season to point out that head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders have absolutely no loyalty to any players on the current roster. This couldn’t be more true for Jackson, who although he has underachieved his entire career, was held onto by Mike Shanahan presumably due to his dedication in the off-season.

Robertson alone was scheduled to count $16-million against the salary cap, Koutouvides ($3.062 million), Engelberger ($2.185 million), Manuel ($1.333 million), Winborn ($2.25 million) and Jackson ($557,000). Overall the Broncos saved nearly $25 million dollars with the cuts, coupled with the cuts from earlier last week, they have freed close to $30 million.

The worst news, as I mentioned Xanders earlier, is that at his first press conference this afternoon he referred to this season as a, “Transition.” Though not all bad news, he did state that the Broncos may add more draft picks (they currently have eight) and should be busy in free agency, which is scheduled to start soon.

More analysis to come, stay tuned…

There is no doubt that in this offseason Denver will need to look into free agency to fill that new three man line. Even though I am a much bigger fan of the draft there are just too many needs in that Denver D that the draft can’t satisfy alone. Fortunately, there are some great free agent acquisitions to be made in this offseason. Here is a list a some that should be on Denver’s radar:

2008 Statistics

                                                        

Chris Canty	Â
Team:	Dallas Cowboys
Position:	Defensive End
Height:	6-7
Weight:	304
Age:	26
Games Started:	16
Tackles:	37
Sacks:	3.0
Pass Defended:	5
Prospective Grade:	B: Chris Canty is the ideal 3-4 DE when it comes down to size. His production is only average if a little above for a DE (If you don’t agree check out Richard Seymour). Canty could compliment Marcus Thomas well and provide a great deal of depth to the defensive line. Imagine having a starting defensive line where the smallest guy is Marcus Thomas at 303 pounds.
Mr. East’s Wishlist:	Yes – Canty has a minimal to no injury problem and has always been a solid starter.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Last evening the Denver Broncos announced that Brian Xanders was in as General Manager. 

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said, “In evaluating the work of our football operations department over the past several weeks, it has become clear to me that Brian Xanders is the right person to step into our general manager’s job. I am confident he will work in tandem with Head Coach Josh McDaniels to re-establish our football team at the level we desire.”

Against this, the Broncos also dismissed both Jim Goodman and Jeff Goodman, Jim was the Vice President of Football Operations and Jeff shared the duties with Xanders as the Assistant General Manager. 

Xanders stated, “This appointment comes with unfortunate circumstances as I have enjoyed working with Jim and Jeff over the last year. Nevertheless, I am humbled by this opportunity and accept it as a great challenge on behalf of our fans, our community, Mr. Bowlen and the organization. I am excited to work together with Coach McDaniels and put our collective resources into winning football games.”

McDaniels contributed, “I want to thank Jim and Jeff for their contributions to the Denver Broncos. I’m excited for Brian and look forward to working with him hand-in-hand well into the future.”

Many believed when Bowlen announced earlier this year that his General Manager was, “Already in house,” he was referring to Jim Goodman. So the appointment of Xanders comes as a surprise. Xanders was hired in May of 2005 and is now in charge of all player personnel issues, including college scouting, pro personnel and labor negotiations.

Anthony Alridge blasts by Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie. (AP Photo)

Other casualties include running back Alex Haynes, tight end Chad Mustard, running back P.J. Pope and wide receiver Clifford Russell.

With running backs Michael Pittman and Tatum Bell both unrestricted free agents this off-season, that leaves the Broncos with an interesting trend at tailback.

Ryan Torain, Peyton Hillis, Selvin Young and Andre Hall remain. With the exception of Hall all are a bit on the larger side for running backs (depending how Young shows up to O.T.A.s this season). Other backs on the larger side of things available in free agency include Derrick Ward (Giants) and Correll Buckhalter (Eagles).

Nation, yes, Alridge didn’t get much of a shot here in Denver, but we always run the risk of jumping to conclusions. There may be something that we’re not aware of, like when Travis Henry was let go out of nowhere (as if that’s not jumping to conclusions, sorry do as I say, not as I do). For what it’s woth I thought Pope killed for the small amount of time that he was here as well. The new Denver brass may not see the potential in keeping eight running backs on the squad.

Dear Josh McDaniels,

Many say that the Denver Broncos needs to focus solely on defense and leave the offense alone. I disagree with that statement.

In the 2008 regular season the Denver Broncos played some pretty awesome offensive ball. There was this one rookie kid who caught for more yards in week one than any other reciever. Then in week two this other young kid caught 18 balls during an upset win over some team that you guys beat in the playoffs a few times. In the first three games Denver averaged statistics that were comparable to the offense you ran in 07′. However, things were awry in important places.

You see Coach McDaniels… Denver couldn’t score efficiently. It seemed every duration in the red zone was spoiled by a turnover or a lousy field goal, which isn’t helpful when the kicker is Matt Prater. This once high powered scoring offense was sputtering every time they crossed the opposing 20 yard line. Denver couldn’t control the time of possession (T.O.P) either. Things were just a mess. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Daily Links

• Jay Cutler is on Jime Rome – A little old but still awesome – MHR

• Vic Lombardi of CBS4 Denver is in Hawaii with the Pro Bowlers – Vic Lombardi is always worth your time. UPDATE: Lombardi mentions that Brandon Marshall has something big planned for the Pro Bowl. - CBS4

• Philip Rivers Bends Nick Hardwick Over in the Showers, Gets Off 15 Good Ones– Old but still great. – NFL Fanhouse

• Walter Football updated his mockdraft – I emailed him and we had a discussion about Ron Brace being the second round choice instead of Fili Moala, and viola a few days later his choice was just that. Keep an eye on Jarius Byrd in the 3rd whent he combine rolls around. – WF

• Walter Football’s 2010 Mock Draft– Not that I think its important right now, but what he writes about Jake Delhomme for the last pick of the 1st round is hilariously funny. – WF

• Jay Cutler Manhandles a Chiefs LB – I never caught this before, its hilarious. – Link Fixed

• MHR University – Learning about the 3-4 – MHR

Updated

• Brandon Marshall is blowin’ up interview style with Jamie Dukes and Scott Hanson – Jamie says there’s nothing wrong the offense, he should read my upcoming Article. NFL.com

• Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall 2008 Highlights – NFL.com

• Jay Cutler was thrown in to the pool by the Jets Nick Mangold, the Chargers Kris Dielman, and the Oreo eating competitor Peyton Manning and his insulin monitor was destroyed. – Denver Post

• Former Broncos defensive coordinator Larry Coyer was hired as the new Colts defensive coordinator. – NFL.com

• Jay Cutler will get most of the reps at the Pro Bowl. – Yahoo Sports

• Brandon Marshall proposed to his girlfriend in Hawaii, now Mike Klis and Mike Florio think he’s growing up. – I for one am glad that Brandon might shed some of his negative light within the media.- Denver Post & PFT

The offseason has finally began, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to watch basketball or hockey. Bronco Talk will do everything in its power to keep your cravings fulfilled. Personally, I know it’s not enough to watch bias meadia leaders SportsCenter of the NFL Network, frankly they both lack coverage of things fans really want to see.

Enjoy Denver fans. Just remember that the Pro Bowl is this Sunday and the combine is so soon!

The Denver Broncos got good news as they began arranging themselves for the NFL Scouting Combine, Pro Bowl center Casey Wiegmann will be playing for what his agent Joe Linda said would be, “At least the next couple of years.”

Wiegmann who is 36-years old, will return for at least one more season in Denver.

Exciting news, in that the Broncos will have at least one more season to groom the heir to Tom Nalen (who is believed to have retired, although not officially, yet). Wiegmann’s decision also frees up a very early draft pick for use on defense, his decision probably came (at least a bit) at the assurance of new head coach Josh McDaniel.

Happy to have him? Should the Broncos still look to get a replacement for when Wiegmann does eventually retire, through the draft this season? Or is Denver okay with who they have currently on the roster? What do you think Nation?

Shannon Sharpe (SI photo)

Denver Broncos great and legendary tight end Shannon Sharpe was not elected to the 2009 Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A first-time finalist, Sharpe made the cut from 17 to 10 before failing to make the final 6.

“Obviously, there’s disappointment,” Sharpe told the Denver Post. “But am I any more disappointed than any of the other guys who made it to the final 10 and didn’t get in? Probably not. Sunshine follows rain. We’ll try it again. Hopefully, I’ll get back on the ballot and I’ll get back in this situation and hopefully I’ll get in.”

Three Super Bowl rings and every tight end record at the time of his retirement isn’t enough to get Sharpe into the Hall of Fame? This is downright laughable. I’m disgusted with the voting committee.