• Type 1, the form Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler has been diagnosed with, is the rarer type of the disease. [Denver Post]
• Yet plenty of other athletes have dealt with diabetes just fine. [Denver Post]
• A look at Type 1 symptoms. [Hashmarks]
• While it may not affect him next year, it definitely had its effects in 2007. [ProFootballTalk]
• The Chargers are the first in the West to head to mini-camp. [Hashmarks]
• NHL: That’s all she wrote for the Avalanche. [Yahoo! Sports]

Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, CBS4 Denver reports. According to the report, Cutler became suspicious that something was wrong near the end of the season, when he began to lose weight and arm strength. He was diagnosed with diabetes two weeks ago.

Cutler will address the media Friday.

Type 1 diabetes is the genetic form of the disease, which either prevents the pancreas from producing insulin or prevents the body from using it properly. The disease is incurable, but treatable via daily insulin injections. The ailment is not expected to affect Cutler’s ability to play, and many professional athletes have continued their careers with the disease.

My kid brother was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 4 years old or so, and it wasn’t easy at the start. It’s a tough transition, and rare to see diagnosed in adults (Type 1 is often called “juvenile diabetes” because of the young age at which it is commonly diagnosed). Now that Cutler knows what was wrong, though, he can address it. He’ll have to keep a close watch on his diet – as if he wasn’t already, and an even closer watch on his blood sugar level at all times.

In the end it shouldn’t affect his game whatsoever.

Josh Barrett is a smart guy.

Josh was one of only eight active players at ASU that earned his degree prior to his senior season. He graduated with academic honors and has stated that he would like to pursue dentistry when his football career is over.

Josh Barrett also has the physical size and ability to play safety in the NFL. At 6’2″ and 223lbs he has impressive weight room strength and unbelievable speed (he posted the top 40-yard dash time for safeties in the draft @ 4.35).

However, injuries and rumors about his level of passion for the game dogged his college career…

MORE INFORMATION, OPINION & VIDEOS AFTER THE CUT
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Ah… nothing like a few YouTubes to brighten up a slow Thursday afternoon.

First up, first round pick Ryan Clady. God I love this kid. See him throw defenders to the ground – repeatedly – and sometimes pick up another blocker shortly thereafter. BEAST!

Then we’ve got one more for you – after the jump – of 5th round pick RB Ryan Torain. Come on ride that train!

Check out the Ryan Torain highlights by clicking here »

Alright gentlemen, we’re halfway through this RoundTable of ours – everyone’s already given their favorite pick and their least favorite pick from the draft. Now this one is a bit trickier – let’s take our first rounder, Ryan Clady, out of the equation. You don’t normally think of 2nd-7th rounders as Pro Bowl guys, but who can you project and see fit that role? Of all the Broncos picks, who’s the sleeper future Pro Bowler?

Josh: This was a tough tossup between Lichtensteiger and my pick FB Peyton Hillis. That’s right our last pick of the draft. Let me pose it this way, the two guys he was blocking for at Arkansas both went in the first round. You better damn well believe this kid is an awesome full back. It just makes it even more of a steal that we got him in the seventh round. He can also run with the ball and catch out of the back field. Denver hasn’t attempted to draft a designated FB in some time and I think this pick will pay off huge dividends.

Jonathan: I hope it’s Hillis – I’d love to have a Pro Bowl fullback again.

Earl: Is Eddie Royal really a sleeper? I think he can go to the Pro Bowl as the special teams ace.

Kyle: No one is talking about DT Carlton Powell we took in the 5th round. Maybe he won’t be a Pro Bowler – pass rushing isn’t his thing, and it’s hard to get there without the sacks to show for it – but if he has anywhere close to the impact here as he had in college, the Broncos run defense will immediately improve. Runs going his way netted negative yardage at the college level – an amazing stat that shows his potential at the Pro level. For a 5th rounder, that’s tremendous value, to come into the rotation from Day 1 and seriously improve the defense. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the transition will be smooth.

Tomorrow we wrap it up, give you our overall thoughts, maybe an extra nugget or two, and give out our GRADES!

• The Broncos aren’t getting top grades for the 2005 draft, although it’s quite easy to forget that without trading out of the first round then, Jay Cutler would not be a Bronco now. [Denver Post]
• Talk about a position change – the Broncos want to convert 6th round pick LB Spencer Larsen into a fullback. [Hashmarks]
• Woody Paige deals with Eddie Royal-doubters and very fickle fans in his mailbag. [Denver Post]
• NFL: The Buffalo Bills will play a few games in Canada over the next few years for $78 million. [NFL.com]
• MLB: Rockies make a trade then lose to the Giants 2-3. [Yahoo! Sports]

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Kory Lichtensteiger.  (It’s going to be a while before I can type that from memory)  The Van Went Ohio Times Bulletin has a draft experience piece up on Kory.  And in case your were wondering; of course I’m a regular reader of that paper, who isn’t?  It sounds like the center/guard was happier that he was drafted rather than where he was drafted.  Kory was expecting to be taken in the 5th or 6th round rather than the 4th.  It looks like the front office did their footage homework on this one.  He is a Mike Shanahan type of guy, below is the self paraphrased conversation he had with the head coach.

“We really loved your tape, I love the way you play and I think you’d fit in great here”

Lichtensteiger understands that the pressure is on since he was selected in the fourth.  He knows the Broncos are expecting a lot out of him, and uses Tom Nalen as an example.  The article points out that Denver was high on the lineman because Bowling Green utilizes the same zone blocking scheme as the Broncos.

“Ahead of time, I guess, I knew that Denver had a good zone blocking scheme which is what I’ve been doing at Bowling Green and then when they called I started talking to my old o-line coaches,” the former Falcon captain said. “And they were just like ‘That’s a perfect fit, they do the exact same thing that we do at BG.’

“They do the cut blocking a lot, which I’ve done a whole lot at BG. They just said that’s the perfect place for you, that’s the best place you could possibly hope for.”

Kory hasn’t been told by Denver exactly what position he will play but says he is ready to start.  He also wouldn’t mind if he had to sit for a while and learn from all the veteran talent on the offensive line.

“I guess what I’m thinking is that I want to go there and start playing as soon as I can. It’s great that they’re going to be a consistently good team. They have been consistent. They haven’t been at the top (lately) but they haven’t been bad either. It’s great that I’m not going to have to go to a program that’s rebuilding and trying to get things figured out. They have an established plan of what’s working.”

You can get the full read up here – Orange Crush: Broncos take a liking to Lichtensteiger

The Oakland Raiders may have made a big splash by drafting Darren McFadden Saturday, but anyone with any scrap of sense will tell you that it was the last thing the Raiders needed. Yesterday they released Dominic Rhodes, who let some of his feelings about the Raiders organization be known in a recent interview with Sirius NFL Radio.

“The year out in Oakland was a tough one for me, man, especially coming from the Colts, which is a great organization. They put together their team in a way with not a bunch of guys that are supposed to be like Hollywood types. They go and get guys like myself who they know can play football and they put them on the field and they win with them, you know?”

What, the Oakland Raiders like to go after Hollywood types? Really? Nah, really? You’re kidding.

“Out in Oakland it was tough, man. I got put into a bad situation. … We had like a stable full of running backs that are capable, that ran for a hundred yards, every one of them and we went and drafted a guy that – he’s a great runner, don’t get me wrong – but I don’t understand the logic behind it.”

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The BroncoTalk Draft Roundtable continues. Alright fellas, which pick was your least favorite from the big draft weekend?

Earl: Most are saying CB Jack Williams, but I firmly believe we need some insurance for Paymah and Foxworth. I love both of those guys to death, but the fact that we haven’t signed them to long term contracts tells me we’re going to have trouble keeping one or both of them next year. Williams (J-Will? It’s scary–he is so like Darrent) is our insurance policy. It also means that if there’s something we want to trade Foxworth for, we can do it and still feel good about the result. And yea, I’d miss Foxy, I love him to death, but if he can go to a team and start, that’s the place he needs to be. Nobody wants to be a career backup when they can start in this league.

So that means my least favorite pick is LB Spencer Larsen. Not that I dislike him, by any means, but I’m just not sure he adds as much to the team.

Jonathan: Three way tie:
* Darren McFadden RB Oakland
* Glenn Dorsey DT KC
* Branden Albert G KC

Those picks sucked. I don’t look forward to facing any of those three. [Ed: You loophole-finding homer!]

More – click here to read Josh and Kyle’s picks

According to the draft pundits, the Broncos have generally been given less than favorable grades out there. This video review is no different, where ESPN’s Todd McShay ranks the Broncos 3rd in the AFC West behind Kansas City and Oakland.

I could care less about the “grades,” but breaking down what the rest of the AFC West did over the weekend is at least interesting.