It wasn’t long ago that the Broncos had a lot of questions, on both sides of the field.  Eight months ago, it was “How will the Broncos bounce back from this disaster?” Two months ago, off-field issues involving a certain star wide receiver were dominating the headlines. Only a month ago, the questions surrounded the personnel the Broncos added this offseason. Namely – who was going to start at crucial positions for the Broncos this year?

Two preseason games and a training camp later, nearly all of those questions have been answered.  This team looks and plays better than their 2007 counterparts. The depth chart has been mostly settled with two and a half weeks until kickoff. Only middle linebacker and punter remain unsettled at the top of the depth chart.

Mike Shanahan, thus far, I’d say you’ve done one helluva job.

The Broncos are settled at wide receiver – rookie Eddie Royal answered the call, seemingly from nowhere, and has usurped Darrell Jackson and Keary Colbert for the #2 spot.  The right tackle position has been settled, by default more than anything, with Ryan Harris performing admirably.  The running back position is still in a bit of flux, but when is that not true in Denver?  For now, Selvin Young is holding onto the spot with Andre Hall nipping at his heels and Anthony Alridge not too far behind.

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We’ve updated the main poll on the left sidebar of the site, and as always, we’d love for you to discuss your choice in the comments of this post.  This one’s the Big Kahuna – the Grand Finale of offseason polls.

How many games will the Denver Broncos win in 2008? How far will this season take us (Wild Card, Divison title… beyond?).  Be sure to tell us why you voted the way you did!  The poll is available on the left sidebar, and also after the jump.

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• Simply shocking news out of the NFLPA today.  Union Head and former Raider Gene Upshaw is dead at the age of 63.  [CNN]
• His condition of pancreatic cancer was only known to him a few days ago.  Our thoughts and prayers to his family.  [PFT]
• Broncos –
• All three top RBs believe they can get the job done.  [DPO]
• Mike Shanahan seems to be renewing his trademark of “running back by committee.” [ESPN]
• What’s more, he believes LT Ryan Clady and RT Ryan Harris can anchor the offensive line on both sides for “years and years and years.”  [DPO]
• After some struggles with punters Sam Paulescu and Brett Kern, QB Jay Cutler will get his chance at holder.  [Denver Post]
• Tom Nalen‘s latest surgery is full of unknowns.  [DPO]
• The Packers and Broncos feature one of the oldest – and best – sets of cornerbacks in the league.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• Blog Blitz –
• Elvis Dumervil says he’s treating the Packers game like a regular season game.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• Herc was not impressed by Hard Knocks’ visit to Denver last night.  Neither was I.  [Orange Bucksnorts]

Create-A-Caption

Just a generic one today… referee Bill Schuster (Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments…

Yesterday’s winner after the jump.

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In what is being called “nothing serious” by Denver Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan, veteran center Tom Nalen will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery for the second time in two months. Nalen is expected to miss the rest of the preseason after returning to practice Monday.

“What we are going to do is have Tom get his knee cleaned up a little bit — more preventative than anything else,” Shanahan said. “It hasn’t healed the way we would have liked.”

“Hopefully it’s nothing serious and can alleviate some of the swelling and the pain and hopefully he is ready to go by the first game.”

Casey Wiegmann, a new addition via free agency from the Kansas City Chiefs, will continue to start in Nalen’s place. Remarkably, if all goes well, Nalen will still be available for our Week 1 match against the Oakland Raiders.

Wiegmann has done a very good job covering for Nalen in the preseason thus far, but we’re still a better team with Tommy Nails in the lineup. Maybe I’m biased – he is my favorite Bronco besides John Elway, after all – but I find that my thinking and my feelings are very similar to those I had in ’99. The plain truth of it all is staring at me straight in the face, but all I can do is look away, hoping my guy has a year or two left in him. So I’m crossing my fingers that this surgery is the final step Nalen needs to get healthy, and back on the field.

• Rod Smith details his involvement with Brandon Marshall.  What a guy, that’s all there is to say.  Mile High Salute to Rod.  [Denver Post]
• Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder may not be exploding on the scene, but Broncos coaches personnel guru Jim Goodman say they’re happy with their development thus far.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• It appears Marshall’s and QB Jay Cutler‘s emergence in their respective third years has forced Shanahan to open up the playbook.  [DPO]
• What’s more, he has confidence that this team, even full of new guys on offense, understand the scheme and can deliver.  [Boulder Daily Camera]
• Blog Blitz:
• Our friend Ian shows why blogs have a much better pulse of a team than 90% of the national media.  [Broncos-Denver-Broncos]
• Really cool articles by styg at MHR taking a numerical analysis approach to our QBs and OL.  Not sure I understand the method, but the madness is a very nice read nonetheless.  [Mile High Report]

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Andre Hall – (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments…

Yesterday’s winner after the jump… Click here to read the rest of this entry »

One year ago today I emailed Broncotalk.net’s owner, administrator, author and general ‘man behind the curtains,’ Kyle Montgomery. Kyle and I had communicated a lot over the previous months as both of us were running Bronco Fan Blogs. But on August 20th last year, shortly after Kyle had posted an entry asking for additional contributors, I asked if he would be willing to merge our two blogs into one site. Kyle made that happen almost immediately.

For those of you that haven’t read Kyle’s bio in the ABOUT page, Kyle is currently working on campus and attending Northern Arizona University. In addition to those responsibilities, he is married (luckily) to his very understanding wife, Michelle. Kyle works, studies and takes care of his wife, 4 dogs and five cats… and runs BroncoTalk.

That’s quite a feat. And I, for one, am extremely grateful that he has created and maintains this awesome resource for Bronco fans around the world to get breaking news, team information and sometimes a laugh or two. Most importantly, Kyle has created a space on the web for us fans to come together and chat, debate and virtually hang-out with each other.

On this one year anniversary of my joining the team here at BroncoTalk, I just wanted to say Thank You, Kyle for allowing me to participate in the fastest growing and most popular Broncos Fan site on the web.

For all that you do, we the fans of BroncoTalk, salute you!

On the third preseason game against Green Bay:
“I guess we (the starters) are going to play the most we have played in the preseason. I thought last game (against Dallas) our intensity and our tempo was there, so hopefully we can carry that over into this game.”

On his relationship with Quarterbacks Coach Jeremy Bates:
“It’s been great. He’s an intense guy, he’s fiery, he has an intense passion for the game and it shows in the meeting room and on the field. We bump heads a little bit, but that is to be expected. A couple hours later or the next day, we are back in the grind. I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been great. I’ve been loving his play-calling, loving what we are doing in practice and the way we are conducting the offense. It’s been fun.

“He’s mastered the gameplan. He has a great feel for defenses. He’s been with a lot of different systems, so he has a good feel of what we are trying to do. He has a good feel for just gameplans in general. He is flexible, and that’s what I like most about him. If I have an idea I ask him about it and talk to him about it. And if he likes it and we can agree on it we will put it in. It has been give-and-take, and I have enjoyed it so far.”

On being the ‘face of the franchise’:
“Any quarterback is going to be kind of the face of the community, the face of the program. There is a lot of pressure on you. You’re pulling the trigger and you’re making things happen, so that’s why they pay you a lot of money. It’s a lot of pressure but I enjoy it, and obviously things are going well right now.”

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The video interview with Eddie Royal is available after the jump… Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• After Eddie Royal‘s breakout preseason game on Saturday, all of the Internets are abuzz with this kid.  See here and here.  [Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News]
• 2,300 looks like the magic number for Broncos rushers – gain that many yards, and the Broncos are playoff bound.  [RMN]
• This fantasy analysis tends to think Selvin Young will get us there – listing him as his #5 breakout candidate.  Guess who’s #3 #2?  [The Scores Report]
• Offensive assistant Rick Dennison has history with the Broncos.  Nice article.  [DPO]
• Marlin Briscoe, the former Bronco who was the first starting African American quarterback in the NFL, is taking his story to the big screen.  [DPO]
• Niko Koutouvides and Nate Webster are still fighting for the only starting spot yet to be decided.  [DPO]
• Ebenezer Ekuban is embracing his role as defensive every-lineman.  [RMN]

Today’s Create-A-Caption:

John Lynch and friends (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments…

Yesterday’s winner after the jump »

Did John Lynch betray the Broncos by signing with the New England Patriots?  Check out Lynch’s video interview above, then take the poll and dish it out in the comments.

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