Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports that Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall will be suspended for three games for violation of the Personal Conduct Policy. According to Schefter, Marshall will be able to reduce the suspension from three games to two if he agrees to undergo counseling.

There’s little chance that Marshall refuses the counseling, so expect him to miss the first two weeks of the 2008 season.

Although a two-game suspension is a relatively small penalty (the earlier rumors of a 4-8 game suspension had most fans shaking in their boots), it will still have plenty of impact on the team’s division record. The Broncos will travel to face the Oakland Raiders in Week One, then return to Denver for their home opener against the San Diego Chargers in Week Two.

It’s not something I’m happy about, but it’s something I can live with. I don’t agree with it, but I’ll take it. It’s important to note that this isn’t confirmed yet, but Schefter’s as consistent as they come. Do you agree with the decision?

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Thanks to Jason for the tip.

Gary Zimmerman‘s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday was well-deserved and long overdue. The dominating left tackle never sought the spotlight; he just went out and did his job at a phenomenal level. Teammates, coaches, fans, and anyone with a set of eyes agrees: Zimmerman completely eliminated the threat on his side of the defensive line to near-perfect consistency.

You came to expect that from Zimmerman. It was a given, week after week, that the opponent’s right defensive end, traditionally their strongest pass rusher, would be a non-factor in the upcoming game. You came to assume it – as naturally as you expect the sun to rise in the morning or the stars to come out at night. And it wasn’t the words that Zimmerman spoke that gave you that belief – no, the Broncos offensive linemen never spoke to the media – it was the consistent performance on the field that left you knowing the left side was anchored down. There were no surprises with Gary Zimmerman.

Until Saturday, anyway. Until his enshrinement speech in Canton, the soft spoken giant had rarely forced a raised eyebrow. It’s safe to say that Saturday’s ceremony was the most surprising performance Zimmerman had given to date.

He told jokes.

“In 1980 I signed my letter of intent with the University of Oregon. I chose Oregon over other schools because it was the only college that would sign me as a middle linebacker. While dressing down for the first practice, I thought how strange it was that I was No. 75.

“After practice the coaches pulled me aside and explained that my future might be on the offensive line. The Dalai Lama once said that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. The point I’m trying to make here is that nobody starts out wanting to play the offensive line position; it’s just where we end up.”

Zimmerman was actually drafted as a guard out of college, but chose to play for the USFL. After beginning his NFL career in Minnesota, Zim finished in Denver, spending 5 seasons with the Broncos that culminated in the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.

Zimmerman is the second Bronco to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, following John Elway‘s induction a few years ago. Next year, Shannon Sharpe will enter his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, and many (including myself) believe he should easily be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

In the meantime, Zimmerman might not be joined in the Hall by many brethren who also donned the orange and blue, but he can rest assured that he’s among the greatest to ever have played the game. It’s a humbling proposition for a player who repeatedly insisted that he’d be nothing without his teammates, but there’s no doubt in this fan’s mind that Zimmerman is now right where he belongs.

Enjoy the photo gallery of Zimmerman’s Hall of Fame induction, after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The word out of training camp Saturday morning is that kicker Matt Prater killed it in practice. Killed it. He reportedly went a perfect 11-for-11, including three kicks from beyond 50 yards – a 59 yarder, a simulated “for the game” kick at 54 yards out, and a whopping 68-yard field goal, which went through the uprights to uproarious applause from the crowd.

Jason Elam who?

Of course, it doesn’t mean a thing once the stadium is filled and the scoreboard lights are on. Prater was the first to acknowledge this:

“It felt good to just show the team that I can do it and give them some confidence in me so in the game when I do have a chance to have a game winner. I still have to do it in the game, there will still be some questions but hopefully I’ll get the opportunity and do well in the game.”

I was hoping to get a serviceable kicker out of training camp… but a potential stud? Talk about a bonus. Let’s see how he does in preseason games and we’ll give the final verdict, but for now, it’s a best case scenario in replacing Elam.

Join us for the live blog, kicking off at 4PM MT.

It really is a rare day, Broncos fans.  Gary Zimmerman‘s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is set to begin at 4PM Denver time.  BroncoTalk will be covering the event via Live Blog and we’d love for you to join us.  We’ll be there until Zimmerman gives his speech (and if they go in alphabetical order, it’s safe to assume Zim will be last), and as you might expect with anything 3 hours long, expect plenty of Broncos chatter and talk among fans.  Don’t miss it!

And now, some Zimmerman-flavored links and Create-A-Caption for your Daily Blitz.

• Everything you need to know about why Zimmerman is now right where he belongs.  [BroncoTalk]
• Zimmerman was a man among men.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• Like all Broncos linemen, he did his talking on the football field.  [Denver Post]
• The Associted Press discusses how important Zim was to the Broncos’ Super Bowl run.  [AP]
• Mark Schlereth and Zimmerman tell stories to ESPN.  [ESPN]
• Minnesota laments the way things went down during Zim’s early years and basically missing out on a Hall of Famer.

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Yesterday’s winner: andy b.: “In training camp, the Chiefs’ coaching staff leads by example: they always wear protection when playing with their Dingle.”  Honorable mention: azbronco7, mikebirty, Pat (just imagine the coach saying that, and it’s actually very funny).

Gary Zimmerman, his wife Lisa, and dog Spud. (Thomas Patterson/Rocky Mountain News)

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments…

Denver Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan said it – the Broncos “will not miss the playoffs” this year. Mike Evans and Sandy Clough, AKA ‘The Sports Guys’ on FM 104.3 The Fan in Denver, interviewed Shanahan Friday morning, and you can listen to it by clicking on the link below:

Shanahan interview (.mp3)

As a bonus, I also posted a video of Mike and Sandy discussing Shanahan’s comments – and how truly surprising and Broncos-nation-shattering they were – after the jump.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters in Canton, OH today that he has been reviewing the case around Denver Broncos WR Brandon Marshall and will make a decision regarding any disciplinary action soon. Marshall met with Goodell in New York last week to discuss several off field incidents that could be interpreted to be in violation of the League’s Personal Conduct Policy.

“But we are in the final stages of that,” Goodell said. “We’ve had a hearing, we’ve had discussions. We’ve got a little more work to do — which was actually done (Friday) morning — and we should be making a ruling very shortly.”

Goodell then went on to describe how he makes these types of decisions.

“First is to understand all the facts, to understand all the perspective,” Goodell said. “So we clearly understand the circumstances in which an incident or incidents occurred. Then we also look at the individual player and how they view the incident and how they view their behavior and how they understand that there are consequences with the kind of action they may have been involved with.

“They also understand what I expect of them and I communicate with them what I expect of them as an NFL player.”

Expect the ruling to come Monday or Tuesday. This thing is dragging on way too long and I’m just ready to learn the decision already. My guess is 4 games, Marshall appeals, and gets dropped to 2 games. Personally I’ve convinced myself he shouldn’t be suspended, period.

NFL commish: Decision on Marshall’s fate coming soon [Rocky Mountain News]

Denver Broncos starting strong safety Hamza Abdullah and strong side linebacker Boss Bailey both missed practice time this morning, the team’s official blog reports. Bailey was held out the entire practice with knee inflammation, and Abdullah missed the final portion of practice with a slight groin injury.

Peyton Hillis, Chad Mustard, and Tom Nalen, whose MRI came back negative, were also held out of practice once again. Michael Pittman dressed in jersey and pads but never saw the field, and Montrae Holland continued to try and remove his TFTP status on the sled.

The biggest concern with Boss has always been that troublesome knee of his. No word yet on how serious Boss’ knee is, but let me be the first to overreact and say “DAMMIT THIS SUCKS.” Hopefully it’s just end-of-the-week soreness and nothing too major.

• Casey Wiegmann is ready to continue his 111-game starting streak if Tom Nalen can’t go.  [Denver Post]
• Tomorrow’s the day… Gary Zimmerman becomes the 2nd Bronco to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  [DPO]
• Marlon McCree learned to respect Jay Cutler‘s arm from his days as a Charger.  [CBS4]
• Rookie LB Spencer Larsen was excused from some practices this week after his 2-1/2 year old niece died.  Tragic.  [AZ Daily Star]
• Camp Report Blitz: MHR – DPO – RMN – DB.com AM – DB.com PM – Gazette

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Yesterday’s winner (always so hard to choose): GreasyQTip: “Kids their is going to be lots of changes around the house now that daddy doesnt have mandatory random drug testing…” Honorary mention: andy b., mikebirty

(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Chiefs assistant coach Michael Ketchum puts undrafted rookie DE Johnny Dingle through a workout.

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments…

Denver Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan appeared on FM 104.3 The Fan in Denver Friday morning and said, emphatically, “We will not miss the playoffs.” Not only did he assure fans that the Broncos were playoff-bound, but he went on to say (paraphrasing), “We will do something special once we’re there.”

This wasn’t typical Shanahan schtick, the kind you hear so often where he says he has ‘a good team’ with ‘real good guys’ and thinks they can ‘do something special.’ This was a statement, a guarantee if you will. Bold, and to the point. The Broncos are playoff-bound. Mark it down. The type of statement that is simply infectious to both team and fans.

Why shouldn’t he be confident? The Broncos will be improved in almost every position on the field. The offensive and defensive lines are deeper, the Broncos are healthier than they were this time last year, and some of our biggest playmakers are entering that special third season you hear so much about. The defensive scheme change from Jim Bates‘s complicated system that admittedly didn’t fit the personnel has been replaced with a much better-fitting defense by Bow Slowik. There’s a lot to be excited about.

That, along with a big cup of coffee, has me all-a-twitter this morning. Do you agree? Are the Broncos playoff-bound? Take the poll and dish it out in the comments.

UPDATE: Listen to the interview yourself! I’ve posted an MP3 and video here.

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