• Bill Williamson, formerly of the Denver Post and now enjoying his new digs at ESPN, has another interesting nugget on the Broncos. Apparently Raiders coach Lane Kiffin and our old friend Javon Walker are ready and eager for our first week matchup. BRING IT ON! [Hashmarks]
• The full schedule should be announced in a week or so, but in the meantime, the Broncos know a bit more about the preseason. [Denver Post]
• Matt Prater will have competition for the kicker spot in training camp in some form or another. [Rocky Mountain News]
• When talking about the CBA and the financial difficulties the league is enduring, Commissioner Roger Goodell immediately used the Broncos and Pat Bowlen as an example. [Rocky Mountain News]
• Apparently Bowlen owes over $150 million for Invesco Field. [Denver Post]
• Broncos Mailbag… does Mike Klis like his job? [Denver Post]

AFC West

• Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was careful when asked about working with owner Al Davis.  [Yahoo! Sports]

NFL

• Titans coach Jeff Fisher is confident that the defensive radios will work in the NFL.  [Hashmarks]

Denver Sports

• The Nuggets blew a 22-point lead vs. the Suns last night as the Western playoff chase comes to a crucial head.  [Yahoo! Sports]
• Rockies-Cardinals rained out in the third, wiping clean a St. Louis 5-1 lead.  [Yahoo! Sports]

The Broncos and Jets have rekindled trade talks for DT Dewayne Robertson, ESPN reports. Sirius NFL Radio reports that trade compensation has been settled, and Robertson already visited Denver for a physical earlier in the month. The only thing holding back the deal is Robertson’s willingness (or lack thereof) to restructure his contract.

The two teams have been talking since free agency began about unloading the misfit DT on the Broncos. Robertson has struggled to adjust to the team’s move to a 3-4 defense. He had his greatest success as a run-stuffing 1-technique style DT in the Jets’ old 4-3, which is exactly what he would do for the Broncos if they were to acquire his services.

Some rumors indicate that Robertson failed his physical in Denver, but the Broncos are willing to overlook that in light of his consistent play time.

If a deal is not complete, the Jets are expected to release Robertson as a June 1st cut. Other teams who have shown interest in Robertson include the Bengals and Panthers – the Broncos are likely trying to avoid a bidding war with another team by obtaining him via trade instead of after the Jets were to cut him.

Well it’s the trade that never ends. Yeah it goes on and on my friends. Some people started spinning it, not knowing what it was. But they’ll continue spinning it forever just because…

The Broncos’ week one matchup of the 2008 season is set! Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the Denver Broncos will visit the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football to kick off the NFL season. The game will be the second of a MNF Doubleheader (the other, earlier game between the Vikings and Packers).

The game is set for Monday, September 8, 2008, at 10:15 ET and will be televised by ESPN.

Ah, they saved the best for last. There’s no doubt that after last year, this rivalry has found new blood. Looks like we’ll be visiting a certain old friend to start out 2008. Can’t wait.

The 2008 NFL Draft is less than a month away. The Broncos are picking 12th overall. With needs across the board, who do they target when their name is called on April 26th?

We’re kicking off Draft Month by asking you, the readers, that very question. The latest poll is embedded below (you can also find it in the right sidebar sitewide)… take a sec and let us know where you think the Broncos should go.  Also feel free to let loose in the comments.

This next month is an exciting time for football fans, and BroncoTalk has you covered for everything 2008 NFL Draft as we get set to embark on the future of Broncos football.

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• Last year the Broncos went into enemy territory for a little practice with the Dallas Cowboys. This year the ‘boys will likely be heading to Dove Valley instead. [Rocky Mountain News]
• Pat Bowlen doesn’t like the playoff reseeding idea (basically stating that a division win no longer guarantees a home playoff game – the top 4 records in the conference do). Also in this article, a nice nugget about Chris Kuper competing for right tackle. [Denver Post]
• Nice little article over at the Pueblo Chieftain about the Broncos’ financial situation compared to the Rockies’. [Pueblo Chieftain]
• Hey, Marquand Manuel got it right. It’s “Koo-tuh-VEE-deez.” [Denver Post]

NFL

• Last year the NFL competition committee was 2 votes shy of adding a radio device in the helmet of one defensive player per team.  With SpyGate on everybody’s mind, this time it’s got a good shot of passing.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• It’s a hairy debate going on in the owner’s meetings.  [NBC Sports]

Denver Sports

• The Rockies’ path to prove last season was no fluke sets off today.  [ESPN]

Former Broncos tight end Jeb Putzier appeared on Sirius NFL Radio Saturday, and to my pleasant surprise talked quite a bit about our Denver Broncos. After spending the past two years with the Houston Texans, Putzier signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks early in free agency. Undrafted Drafted in the 6th round in 2002, Putzier obviously remembers his 4 years in Denver well, as his interview spoke at length about his years in Mile High.

While I usually have the means to record these interviews, I was listening via a friend’s radio and was unable to get it down. Sorry I can’t provide real quotes, but I hope this synopsis will suffice.

Putzier was asked how important consistency was to a football team. You could tell he wishes he had a more steady situation himself, but that immediately brought him to the Denver Broncos. He basically told the interview hosts to look at the situation in Denver, and how much change had occurred in a mere two years. It was obvious to him that the huge overhaul each offseason was responsible for the team’s lack of success in 2007. It’s hard to disagree with him – as one of the recent Denver papers pointed out, there are only a handful of starters left from that 2005 AFC Championship team. It’s sad to say the least.

Later in the interview, Putzier was asked about character in the locker room, and he immediately thought of Denver again. He talked about sharing a locker room with guys like Maurice Clarett while being situated across from or next to the likes of Rod Smith and John Lynch. While Clarett was unwilling to listen, guys like Smith and Lynch were always willing to help.

Good luck in your new digs, Jeb, and thanks for talking Broncos out of the blue.

Better than a rental… almost as nice as Saturday morning cartoons… BroncoTalk proudly presents Weekend Video! (Because we know we don’t post much during the weekends. Expect one of these each Saturday morning).

Brandon Marshall really is incredible. One of the best highlight YouTubes I’ve ever come across, set to the music of my favorite band no less. Enjoy!

• Looks like K Olindo Mare got a better deal from Seattle – he signed with the Seahawks yesterday.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• The Broncos added QB Cullen Finnerty, who has yet to play a snap in a preseason game, let alone a regular season skirmish.  [CBS4 Denver]
• More Brandon Marshall.  [Denver Post]
• Interesting post about the financial tug-of-war Pat Bowlen has been enduring over the years to stay owner of the Broncos.  [Mile High Report]
• Taking a look at the DTs available in the draft.  [Rocky Mountain News]

NFL

• RIP, Heath Benedict, 2008 draft prospect.  [AOL Fanhouse]
• The NFL is talking about changing free agency policy, cracking the free agency window just a smidge wider.  [Chicago Tribune]

Brandon Marshall sounds like he’s getting tired of the entire “Big Mac Attack” charade, but he hasn’t escaped it yet. In an impromptu meeting with the press, Brandon cleared the air about why he held back the severity of his injury, and made sure to repond to Woody Paige‘s recent criticism as well.

The team’s official site has video of the session in its 25-minute entirety.

On why he wasn’t forthright with the severity of his injury —

“I cut my arm to this degree, you know. I don’t want anybody to know that. I let Greek (Head Trainer Steve Antonopulos) handle that stuff. But I’m in Orlanda, Florida. Far from Denver. I hadn’t talked to Greek or a head trainer yet, so I’m gonna let him do that. So I took it upon myself to make a decision to get back to Denver and let him determine the severity of it.”

But the good stuff is about seven minutes in:

“Woody Paige is a columnist. He writes an opinion. He’s the same guy that’s telling me to grow up, that I’m a baby, but if you turn on ESPN every day, Around the Horn, he’s wearing wigs, he’s got crazy quotes behind him. Who wants the attention, me or Woody Paige? … Woody Paige is the same guy every day. If you turn on ESPN. you’re gonna see him muted out every time because everything that comes out of his mouth is a lot of boloney. And that’s the truth.”

I don’t agree with everything he said (the “I don’t owe you anything” sticks out), but I’m glad he took the mic today. And I couldn’t agree more about Paige.

Usually I prefer my favorite players to do the talking on the football field, not off it, but this was such good stuff I’ll take it.

• Taking a look at the oddities of the Broncos offseason (naturally failing to mention any of the positives we’ve done in our young defensive signings). Yeah, I’m reaching here. [Rocky Mountain News]
• Keary Colbert talks about a fresh start in Denver, and expects Brandon Marshall to be ready for training camp. [Boulder Daily Camera]
• Rumors were swirling that LSU DT Glenn Dorsey could fall out of the top 10 (and into the Broncos’ lap). After a solid Pro Day yesterday, consensus is he’s locked that top 5 projection. [Hashmarks]
• Video of his workout. [NFL.com]
• More video from the official site. This week it looks like the video will all be of players after their offseason conditioning workouts – Hamza Abdullah, Marquand Manuel, and Keary Colbert got tabbed yesterday [DenverBroncos.com – Abdullah – Manuel – Colbert]

NFL

• Schedule Day is still a few weeks away, but we now know who will kick things off for the league. The defending champion Giants will host the Redskins. [Washington Post]