Every so often we update the Main Poll on the left sidebar of the home page.  Today is that day.  We also like to announce it loudly so the poll doesn’t feel so lonely.

So we ask you – which wide receiver will pull ahead in the training camp battle and earn the #2 spot across from Brandon Marshall?

Your choices (in alphabetical order):

• Keary Colbert – Free agent who the Broncos hope earn the job.
• Darrell Jackson – The most prior success of any player.
• Samie Parker – Former Chief whose game only tailed off upon the arrival of Herm Edwards.
• Eddie Royal – Rookie 2nd round pick hopes to impact more than just Special Teams.
• Other – Don’t forget Martinez and even Stokley, who’s the default to be given the job if no one else takes it.

We look forward to your input!  BroncoTalk will be breaking down each position of interest before training camp, and these polls are the best way to get started!

Name: Domonique Foxworth Height, Weight: 5’11”, 180 Position: Cornerback Age, Experience: 4, 25 College: Maryland

Domonique Foxworth was the third cornerback taken by the Denver Broncos in the 2005 NFL Draft, and is approaching his contract year with the club. In three seasons with the Broncos, Foxworth has played in 46 regular season games at both CB and S, with 5 starts. He also started 2 postseason games as a rookie in 2005. In addition to his duties on the field, Foxworth is a member of the NFL Player’s Association’s Executive Board off it, working with the Union among a small group of players to help represent the players’ needs.

The Good: Foxworth has been a virtual insurance policy at two positions since his sophomore season. In 2006, he began to play at safety, where he would play the majority of his snaps in 2007. He’s been relatively injury-free, missing only two games in 2007 due to an ankle hiccup. Last year Foxworth played in place of both injured SS Nick Ferguson and FS John Lynch. He’s averaged around 50 tackles per season and has 3 career interceptions. With additions at safety this offseason, Foxworth can focus on playing only cornerback for the first time since his rookie season. Off the field, Foxworth is diligent in supporting the community and is a great example to his peers and fans. Perhaps more than any other Bronco, he is actively engaged in carrying the late Darrent Williams‘ legacy throughout Denver and beyond.

The Bad: Foxworth’s moving all around the football field led to his worst season to date statistically, although the difference is minimal and nothing to sweat over. He’s yet to crack a starting lineup for any other reason than injury to the player ahead of him on the depth chart. Oh, and most importantly, he stopped blogging, which is just a colossal shame.

Status: Valuable backup. Signed through 2008. Foxworth is entering his first career year, and hasn’t committed to remaining a Bronco beyond this year. Domonique Foxworth was born on March 27, 1983 in Oxford, England.

As always, we invite you, the readers, to partake. Should we be diligent in re-signing Foxworth or let him hit free agency after ’08?

 Loading ...

More on Domonique Foxworth

We hope you enjoy these posts as BroncoTalk continues to develop the first fan-powered Denver Broncos roster on the web.

More good news on the Brandon Marshall injury front -  the 3rd year wide receiver has gone from making one-handed snags to using both hands to haul in the football.

Marshall has been participating in drills during the team’s various mini camps, but had yet to use his right hand to catch a football until today. Marshall sustained a severe injury to his right forearm in March after roughhousing with his family in Florida. The injury required surgery to repair a vein, artery, nerve and tendons in his right arm.

Marshall is still taking it easy, gently cradling the football in his right arm and hand instead of trying to grip the football.

Overall, this is a good sign of his recovery as Marshall was expected to resume catching passes on June 22.

Wednesday Camp: Marshall catching with two hands [Denver Post]

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Running back Cedric Benson was just released by the Bears earlier in the week, and some around the Internet have speculated that Benson could find himself in Denver.  The reasoning somewhat makes sense: the Broncos haven’t been afraid to take chances on under-performing free agents they had graded high coming out of college (see Keary Colbert).  To outsiders, it appears they have a need at running back.  The Broncos have overlooked character concerns often as well.

It appears Vegas has taken notice, with BodogLife.com setting odds for Benson’s next team.  The Pats are the 2/1 odds-on favorite.  The Broncos aren’t too far behind at 4/1.

So far there has been no interest being mentioned from the Denver media from practice.

I, for one, want absolutely no part whatsoever in Ced Benson.  The guy is awful, on and off the field. 

Thankfully, I don’t think the Broncos are interested either.

(H/T Hashmarks)

• Selvin Young is ready to take the reigns.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• Travis Henry‘s release hasn’t affected him, either.  [Denver Post]
• Video of his interview after practice.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• He’ll have to hold off Ryan Torain now.  [Denver Post]
• Shanahan is confident that they’ll get the rookie contracts done.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• Camp Notes: Tony Scheffler practices, Dewayne Robertson had his leg wrapped, and Friday’s practice was canceled.  [All Things Broncos]
• Our friends at PO are at it again with a Darrell Jackson interview from Fan Fair.  [Predominantly Orange]
• Meanwhile MHR is going strong with its “By the Numbers” series.  [Mile High Report]
• Jake Plummer and the Bucs settle for $3.5 million.  [Denver Post]
• MLB: Rockies 10, Giants 5.  [Yahoo! Sports]

Name: Cullen Finnerty Height, Weight: 6’2″, 223 Position: Quarterback Age, Experience: 2, 25 College: Grand Valley State

Cullen Finnerty joined the Denver Broncos as a free agent in 2008 and will compete for the 3rd string quarterback position with incumbent Darrell Hackney. Finnerty spent the majority of his rookie year in 2007 on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. An undrafted free agent out of Grand Valley State, Finnerty was signed to the Baltimore active roster for the final two weeks of the season. He has yet to play in a single preseason or regular season game.

The Good: Finnerty had an exceptional college career, leading the GVSU Lakers to 3 national championships (NCAA Division II). Finnerty posted the most wins by any starting quarterback in college football history. Statistically, Finnerty was exceptional as well. He set school career records for total yards (13,474), total touchdowns (141), passing touchdowns (110) and passing yards (10,905), completing 744/1,312 (56.7%) of his career pass attempts.

The Bad: His inexperience at the pro level is significant: he’s still going through the transition from the college level. Remember, the stats he put up were from Division II college ball and are far, far away from the competition he would face at the pro level. He went undrafted and was initially released by the Ravens before being re-signed to the practice squad prior to the 2007 season.

Status: Potential camp fodder. Signed undisclosed contract March 2008. For several years, the Broncos only kept two quarterbacks on the roster. They switched to three after Jay Cutler‘s leg injury against the Lions last year, and I expect them to keep 3. Finnerty will have to show he’s ready to be a potential contributor to beat out Darrell Hackney for the third QB spot. Cullen Finnerty was born August 12, 1982 in Brighton, Michigan.

As always, we invite you, the readers, to partake. Is Finnerty the answer for #3 QB or just another camp arm?

 Loading ...

More on Cullen Finnerty

We hope you enjoy these posts as BroncoTalk continues to develop the first fan-powered Denver Broncos roster on the web.

Let’s take a look around the AFC West to see what news is brewing across the division.

Oakland Raiders: The new trend this NFL offseason is to get your rookies under contract asap, and the Raiders are no exception.  They already signed their 1st round pick Darren McFadden to a whopping 6-year, $60 million deal last week, and can now focus on practices.

When they’re on the field, they’re not afraid to talk a little smack, as Javon Walker did last week in reference to his former Broncos team.  Both Walker and JaMarcus Russell have been reported to be out of shape, but the general consensus is that this is an improved team from last year.  Mark your calendars, folks – week one should be fun.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs seemingly stole the draft – I disagreed with that assessment from day one – but nonetheless, their first three picks were as solid as anyone’s in the league.  While Glenn Dorsey has looked impressive, their other first round pick OL Branden Albert has suffered from what’s since been called a minor ankle injury.  The Chiefs hope these two players will address the offensive and defensive lines.

Meanwhile, the corner back position received two boosts through the draft – 2nd round pick Brandon Flowers has a starting spot penciled in, but a pleasant surprise for Kansas City came from 5th round CB Brandon Carr, who has also impressed.  The quarterback situation, however, is still up in the air.

San Diego Chargers: The Bolts made a few depth-adding moves this offseason, not the least of which was adding veteran C Jeremy Newberry as insurance in case Nick Hardwick isn’t ready from day one.  After coming so close to the Super Bowl last year, Norv Turner and crew didn’t need to make a ton of changes – they just needed to get healthy.

So far, it appears that’s exactly what they’ve been doing.  Quarterback Philip Rivers is ahead of schedule and is already leading the team in 11-on-11 drills.  Ladainian Tomlinson has been practicing as well.  The Chargers are the best in the division; if they’re as healthy as they seem, it could be another long year for Broncos fans.

• He has the previous team stats of Ed McCaffrey.  He has the work ethic and potential of Rod Smith.  Who is this man?  Keary Colbert.  Seriously though, this is a good article, give it a spin. [Rocky Mountain News]
• Q&A with 2nd round pick Eddie Royal from the weekend’s Fan Fair.  [Predominantly Orange]
• And one with Boss Bailey to boot.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• Individual Denver Broncos tickets available for sale July 12th.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• Whether or not he remains a Bronco beyond 2008, Domonique Foxworth has built a legacy in Denver that can’t be broken.  [My Fox Colorado]
• Mike Shanahan held his annual golf tournament yesterday (player quotes, too).  [DenverBroncos.com]
• Simeon Rice is still looking for work.  [Hashmarks]

Ray Crockett, starting corner back for the Denver Broncos during the 1997 and 1998 Super Bowl Championship seasons, will appear in FX’s 30 Days Tuesday night, June 10, at 10 PM ET.

In the episode, Crockett will live in a wheelchair for – you guessed it – 30 days, catching a glimpse of this lifestyle with cameras closely in tow.  In 1991, while Crockett was playing with the Detroit Lions, he witnessed the play that left his friend and teammate OL Mike Utley paralyzed from the chest down. Crockett admits that the event is one of the driving forces behind his willingness to participate in 30 Days.

The series is run by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, most famous for the film Super Size Me.

The official episode description, after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Name: Mitch Erickson Height, Weight: 6’6″, 285 Position: Guard Age, Experience: R, 23 College: South Dakota St.

Mitch Erickson signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008 out of South Dakota State. Erickson started at either guard or tackle for all 44 games in his career with the Jackrabbits.

The Good: Erickson was voted the team’s offensive MVP in his senior year, a year in which SDSU only allowed 12 sacks and averaged 34.2 points per game. Erickson was a first-team All-Great West Football Conference selection during each of his final three seasons and received first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior..

The Bad: Erickson’s combine workouts were average at best. He ran a 5.32 40-time, to go along with a 4.45-second short shuttle, a 7.45-second three-cone drill, a 32 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot broad jump while completing 29 reps on the 225-pound bench press. The real knock on him, though, is his size – a full 15 pounds below 300, Erickson needs to add weight to compete at the pro level, regardless if he’s playing with the Broncos or not (Denver generally values lighter O-linemen).

Status: Potential camp fodder. Signed undisclosed contract April 2008. It would surprise me to see Erickson make the roster. His best bet is to make the practice squad and compete for a roster spot next year. Mitch Erickson was born on May 14, 1985, in Hutchinson, MN.

As always, we invite you, the readers, to partake. Does Erickson’s production outweigh his measurables, or is the uphill battle he’s facing too steep?

 Loading ...

More on Mitch Erickson

We hope you enjoy these posts as BroncoTalk continues to develop the first fan-powered Denver Broncos roster on the web.