• For all of BroncoTalk’s game coverage, check out the Game Center!  In it you’ll find Jonathan’s notes on his trip to Denver, as well as Five Steps to Lose the Game, an opposing fan interview, news, game previews and more. – Game Center
• Travis Henry has declared himself ready for today, and Mike Shanahan confirmed that Henry will play unless an injury sets him back.  – Yahoo! Sports
• Javon Walker is Doubtful. John Lynch, Chargers players Antonio Gates and Jamal Williams are listed Probable.  More in the official injury report – NFL.com
• Details on Henry‘s contract, and how a possible suspension could affect his financial future – ESPN
• Tatum Bell has already worn out his welcome in Detroit.  Could he be heading back to Denver? (ahem, no chance in hell) – Fanhouse
• Congratulations to the Rockies for advancing to the NLCS and sweeping the Phillies!- ESPN.  Andrew Mason has a phenomenal post up regarding his attendance of the game last night. – Mason’s Morsels.  Get more fan-sided info on the team – Purple Row

Let’s follow up the biggest win in Rockies history with a solid statement win tonight.  Go Broncos!  On to victory!  On to redemption!  On to… the BYE week!!

So, I swung over near the stadium today… just to preform a reality check. I’m really here – check. :)

I spent the rest of the afternoon driving to every Downtown Denver thrift store, discount house and 2nd hand seller. And came up almost empty. I have all new respect for the fans in Denver. I’ve lived in many cities with NFL teams, and I have always been able to find tons of older stuff on the racks at places like this. However, you all must either hold on to your gear or retire them (like American flags).

It wasn’t a complete lose as I did find a few great kids books at a used bookstore in town. The little one at home should like those!

Anyway, after striking out on Denver stuff at the discount locations, I hit the standard Target, K-mart, Wal-mart group. I found some pretty good buys. I got a very nice polo for $20. I picked up a great olive green Denver ball cap for $11. And I even found a silly Broncos bead necklace for $5.

I will likely be heading over to the stadium around 10am tomorrow. I’ve posted this rather ridiculous picture of myself, so any of you attending the game (or tailgating) can spot me. I’d love to meet with any of our regular readers while I’m at the game, so feel free to flag me down . I’ll be wearing a completely blank blue Broncos jersey (I have been thinking about putting BroncoTalk.net on the back of it to promote the site, but I don’t have the time or material to do that for tomorrow — sorry, Kyle).

It’s off to bed… I’m still on EDT and it’s late for me.

• Potential season-ending suspension won’t keep Travis Henry off the field.  Oh, but his banged up knee and ankle might.  Javon Walker won’t suit up. – DenverBroncos.com
• Bleak outlook on what would happen to the 2007 Broncos if Henry is suspended. – Denver Post
• Henry went to Shanahan‘s home and met with the coach last night.  Of course, no one commented on what was said. – Rocky Mountain News
• The vaunted San Diego pass rush isn’t what it used to be. – Sign On San Diego
• Rockies-Phillies, Game Three, in Coors Field, WIN AND WE’RE IN, let’s go Colorado! – Denver Post

As you all know I’m heading to Denver tomorrow and plan on attending our game versus the Chargers. So, in honor of getting to see my first Broncos home game, I’ll list some of the things I’m looking forward in regard to the experience of attending the game.

For those of you looking for an insightful player and/or coaching preview you’ll have to rely on Kyle and Earl this week. :)

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE 10:15 AM – My Fox Colorado has followed up with more details from their source.  Because Henry’s toxicologist was dismissed from the screening, the league cannot guarantee that the sample wasn’t compromised.  It’s Henry’s Collective Bargaining Agreement right to have such a confirmation by his own expert.

So did the league violate Henry’s CBA right, or did Henry waive that right by not having the proper toxicologist present?  That seems to me what the federal court will be overseeing in the days/weeks/months (?) ahead.

Travis Henry is facing a one-year suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for a third time, after he tested positive for marijuana. We’ve already discussed the idiocy of the timing of this violation (a week or two later and Henry would have been rotated out of the program entirely, cleaning his slate completely), but there is still the entire legal and financial issues that warrant discussing. If Henry wins his legal case, reports indicate that he would likely remain a Denver Bronco, at least in the short term, whether the team wants him or not.

Henry is suing the NFL, and has already won a temporary restraining order against the league, over a technicality in the testing process. He is attempting to have his B Sample removed from evidence in his case because one of his experts was not present during the procedure. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) gives the player the right to have at least one of his experts present, and so the state court granted Henry his request some time after September 20.

The league, however, has already taken the order to court and has had it vacated. The CBA clearly states that the expert Henry is allowed to have present must be independent, and not from another lab. Henry’s expert was from such a lab, which is why he/she was not allowed to be present during the testing procedure. Reports indicate the league even gave Henry a list of 10 such experts that would qualify as independent.

Because the league feels interpretation of the CBA is necessary to cut through all the legal red tape, the case is going to federal labor courts, who seem best fit to deal with such matters. The results of this hearing will have a huge effect on Henry’s future as a Bronco and in the NFL.

While the case is pending, Henry is free to play. If he sits out this weekend against the Chargers, it would be more due to injury and not due to suspension. The team couldn’t suspend Henry while the case is pending – they wouldn’t have a legal leg on which to stand.

If Henry loses his case, he would be suspended for 1 year per the league’s substance abuse policy, effective immediately. I would expect the Denver Broncos would release him. The Broncos would then go after the signing bonus portion of his salary they have already paid, which amounts to approximately $2 million of the $12 million agreed to in his contract. Any other moneys Henry has already received would remain with him, but the Broncos would owe him nothing further and would have no hit on the 2008 salary cap.

If Henry wins his case, the B Sample that tested positive would be removed from evidence. Further samples would likely be taken to confirm the original sample, and if Henry passes that test he would be completely in the clear. Therefore the NFL, and the Denver Broncos, could take no action on the basis of a drug violation.

This means that the Broncos would not be able to attempt to recoup any of Henry’s signing bonus he has already received. It also means, if the team were to release Henry, they wouldn’t have the drug violation to use as basis for breaking that clause. In other words, it’s as if the drug violation never occurred, and the Broncos would still owe Henry a lot of money.

Would the Broncos be willing to cut ties with Henry and simply eat the costs of cutting him in that case? I doubt it. It would be much more sensible for the team to release or trade Henry before his scheduled roster bonus early next year, but after he played for the team this season and “earned” the paycheck we owe him.

On another note, some Broncos fans have been posting questions comparing this case to Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman‘s suspension this year. The two really have nothing to do with one another. Merriman was suspended for steroids, which is handled very differently from marijuana, and warrants an immediate four-game suspension after the initial violation, as opposed to a warning.

The bottom line – only if the federal court sides with the NFL will Henry be suspended. If/when that never happens, Henry will remain active and will avoid the suspension and any other drug-related repercussions completely.

• Story broke late last night, here’s a recap for those just joining us – Travis Henry may be suspended for a full year for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. News slant here, my opinion on the whole thing here.
• Javon Walker all but took himself out of this week’s game with this quote: “We’ll just wait and see after the bye week.” – Rocky Mountain News
• Injury report on the Chargers – WRs Eric Parker, Craig “Buster” Davis, DT Jamal Williams, and TE Antonio Gates all missed practice Thursday (among others). – Mason’s Morsels
• Broncos added an ex-Charger to the practice squad, WR Carlton Brewster. – CBS4 Denver
• Broncos and Chargers both head into this game looking to jump start their seasons. – Rocky Mountain News
• Great bio on Marcus Thomas and the experience of falling from Top 10 draft talent to fourth round sleeper. – Denver Post
• With Walker hurting, Rod Smith could be just what the doctor ordered. – Denver Post

Wow… Jon and I are licking our wounded. We both went 7-7 last week, which marks both of our first non-winning weeks. When the Broncos lose it hurts, because we’ll never pick against them, and just a ton of upsets in the Lions, Falcons, Browns, etc.

At least he’s not gaining ground on me.

I’ve said before I choose the winners of each game before I look at the spread… this week, weirdly enough, I don’t differ from it at all. Zero picks against Vegas. 0. Guess the casinos and I are sharing a brain.

If I were a betting man, though, I’d bet the Browns to cover those 16 points in New England in a heart beat.

Last week

Kyle – Against the Spread – 3-1
Straight up – 7-7
Jonathan – Against the Spread – 3-2
Straight up – 7-7

To Date

Kyle – Against the Spread – 6-3*
Straight up – 41-21
Jonathan – Against the spread – 8-5*
Straight up – 38-24
*Since keeping track in week 2, week 3 respectively.

Kyle’s pick	Thoughts/Notes/Ramblings	Jonathan’s pick
	SD @ DEN (-1) – Have you heard? You’ll see every sportswriter out there pick the Chargers this week. That’s fine. They’re better than 1-3 and have their backs against the wall and yada yada yada. Broncos win 38-17, mark it down.
	CAR @ NO (-3) – Have you heard? The Saints are coming off a BYE. Deciding factor for me.
	JAC (-2.5) @ KC – Have you heard? The Jags are solid on the road. Jacksonville does to the Chiefs what they did to us – invades the Chiefs’ home and takes care of business.
	DET @ WAS (-3.5) – Have you heard? Matt Millen is now the second coming in Detroit. They may be asking for his neck next week…
	ATL @ TEN (-8) – Have you heard? The Titans are still pretty good! Easiest pick of the week for me.
	MIA @ HOU (-5.5) – Have you heard? Houston is on a bit of losing streak, but they’ll bounce back against the horrible Dolphins defense.
	SEA @ PIT (-6) – Have you heard? This is the Super Bowl XL rematch – Seahawks versus Zebras, Zebras take it again!
	CLE @ NE (-16.5) – Have you heard? Everyone has a hard on for the Pats. I think the oddsmakers are daring people to take the Browns. If I were a betting man, I would, too. Romeo Crennel will give his old coach his first challenge of the year.
	ARI (-3.5) @ STL – Have you heard? The Cardinals have two QBs, when the Rams have half of one! Both Kurt Warner and Matt Leinart throw two touchdowns, why not.
	NYJ @ NYG (-3.5) – Have you heard? The Jets have an extra home game this year. Too bad they’ll blow it.
	TB @ IND (-10) – Have you heard? Jeff Garcia has yet to throw an interception. Well, I’m predicting he throws at least 2 against the Colts.
	BAL (-3.5) @ SF – Have you heard? The Ravens didn’t register a sack for the first time since something like 1995 last week. Then I smile, enough said.
	CHI @ GB (-3.5) – Have you heard? The Bears trail these Packers by 3 games in the division. Too bad they’re relying on Brian Griese to lead them to glory.
	DAL (-10) @ BUF – Have you heard? Next week, it’s the Super Bowl Preview, Cowboys v. Patriots. Could the Boys get caught with their pants down?

If you haven’t heard the news regarding Travis Henry and his recently failed drug test, scroll down or check out the summary here. He’s now suing the league over a technicality in the testing procedure, and the league has sidestepped the temporary restraining order. Now it’s up to a federal court to look over the Collective Bargaining Agreement and determine if the specimen will hold up in a court of law.

That’s not the most pressing issue here. The real question is this – HOW FREAKING STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO SMOKE A JOINT TWO WEEKS TOO SOON?!

The NFL’s Substance Abuse Policy is pretty simple – first violation is a warning, second violation incurs a four-game suspension, and third incurs a year’s suspension. The policy also includes a provision for violating players to be rotated out of the system after two years. Clean slate after two years’ good behavior. Henry was last suspended for four games in September, 2005, after the third game of the season. One report indicated that he would be rotated out of the substance abuse program after week 3 of this season. Another report indicates that his rotation out of the drug program would have taken place on October 1st.

Henry filed his papers to restrain the league from using his sample on September 20, indicating that he had to have puffed the magic dragon some time before that. But he played in the Broncos’ Week 3 bout against the Jaguars on September 23. Whichever report is more accurate (and given ESPN’s recent track record, I’d trust the former), it doesn’t matter – Henry was at least a week early in toking up.

Frankly, what a moron. What a disappointment. As a Broncos fan, it simply pisses me off. He talked about the excitement of joining the Denver Broncos, yet he blew this opportunity the moment he put a joint to his lips.

After nearly two years of sobriety, and leading the league in rushing yards through four games, he was days away from being in the clear, and he blew it. It’s just plain stupid, selfish, and nothing short of a betrayal to the coaches, players, and fans who accepted him in Denver. Whether he wins his case or not, I couldn’t care less – this level of stupidity belongs nowhere on the football field, especially not my team’s.

The league’s leading rusher is facing a potential one-year suspension for a third violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, My Fox Colorado reports. Broncos RB Travis Henry tested positive for marijuana some time in the past month, and the timing of the failed test could be crucial as Henry was set to rotate out of the league’s drug program after the third game of the season. It his the third violation of his NFL career.

Another report by Newsday indicates that Henry is currently appealing the case on the basis that his team of experts were not present at the time the test was taken. He’s even gone so far as to take the league to court in an attempt to disqualify the sample as evidence against him, and was successfully granted a temporary restraining order against the league.

The league has fought back though, and the league has already gotten an appelate court to vacate the order. The matter requires interpretation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by a federal court, which would be able to properly determine the case under federal labor laws.

The findings of the court, along with the timing of the incident, will all come to play in the end. But it doesn’t look good at this point, and the worst case scenario for Broncos fans seems like the most likely at this point.

There’s the news, I’ll have my take in a minute.

Much-desired video of Jay Cutler‘s parents arguing moments after their son runs the ball in for a touchdown.

HT: First and 10 Inches