While many of my fan brethren are claiming they saw this one coming for nearly a year, I have to say I’m pretty shocked. I knew there would be turn over on our D-line when Bates came in, but Warren fit the Bates model better than most of our returning linemen and we just gave him a nice deal in the off-season. So, when the Denver Post reported today that Gerard Warren wasn’t traveling with the Broncos to San Francisco because Denver was attempting to shop him for a trade I was a rather surprised.

The Post is reporting that two different sources have confirmed Denver is looking to trade the defensive tackle (most likely for a 2008 draft pick). Now, I don’t know how much of this I’m buying because they also claim Warren wasn’t a “fit” for Jim Bates’ system. That’s simply hog-wash. Warren is 6’4″ and 325lbs. If Jimmy Kennedy is filling Warren’s slot, it’s not because he’s a bigger Bates run stuffer (officially they’re listed at the same height and weight).

More than likely this is a case where the broncos feel they have good depth at DT; and more importantly, no considerable drop-off between 1st Team and 2nd Team talent. In that situation, they might be able to get a draft pick in 08 by trading the best known name on the D-line without hurting the team.

I mean, we can’t keep ALL of the DT’s we have on the roster right now, and if they cut from the bottom, they don’t get any draft picks at all. And while I like Warren, he might not have shown enough difference between himself and players like Kennedy to justify keeping him over his cheaper counterparts.

Jimmy Kennedy will start in Warren’s 1st Team spot tonight. We also have Sam Adams, Alvin McKinley, Amon Gordon, Antwon Burton and rookie Marcus Thomas.

Denver Post: FULL STORY

The Broncos won’t get the trial by fire they may have gotten had Gore been game ready. Photo Courtesy

With less than 2 minutes to go in Overtime on December 31, 2006, San Francisco 49ers Kicker Joe Nedney decided he had just about had enough of the Denver Broncos 2006 season. His field goal went straight through the uprights, and just like that, the year was over. Fast forward eight and a half months, and the teams will be staring at familiar faces as they embark on their respective 2007 seasons.

Week 1 of the Preseason is admittedly dull – nearly as bad as Week 4 – and even Coach Mike Shanahan has said that tonight hardly means much. Maybe it doesn’t mean much as far as points scored and the win-losses column, but it’s most fans’ (including myself) first chance to see our 2007 Broncos in action. Every week I’ll be posting these game previews, and I thought I’d get the party started with the first game of the preseason this year.

INJURY REPORT
OUT – SF – Frank Gore, RB; Aubrayo Franklin, NT; Walt Harris, CB; Bryant Young, DE; Maurice Hicks, KR; DEN – Matt Lepsis, OT; Ben Hamilton, OG; Warrick Holdman, OLB; Brandon Marshall, WR; Tony Scheffler, TE
PROBABLE – SF – Ashley Lelie, WR; Jonas Jennings, OT

STORYLINES
The teams will face each other in a rematch after the 49ers knocked the Broncos out of the AFC Playoff hunt in Week 17 last year after an Overtime field goal. … San Francisco WR Ashley Lelie will face off against his former team, against whom he held out during last year’s Training Camp. It is the first time the player and teams have faced off since Lelie was traded to Atlanta last year after a disgruntled holdout. Lelie is currently slotted 5th on the 49ers Depth Chart. … Broncos Coach Mike Shanahan is a former San Francisco Assistant, also learned under legendary coach Bill Walsh‘s “Coaching Tree.” … Other players facing their former teams include Broncos DE John Engelberger and 49ers Kicker Joe Nedney.

WHAT TO WATCH

The short answer is the first quarter, as this will be fans’ only chance to catch their favorite players in action. Shanahan has said that Jay Cutler and Travis Henry will appear for a series or two – meaning if they score on their first possession, that would probably be all for most of our starters. Patrick Ramsey will be under center for the majority of the game, along with 49ers backup quarterback Trent Dilfer.

PREGAME – PAYING TRIBUTE
Both the Broncos and 49ers have reason to be mournful as the preseason opens. I expect some tribute to take place in some form or another, for the late Bill Walsh and fallen Broncos Darrent Williams and Damien Nash.

BRONCOS DEBUTS
When you think about all of the moves we made this offseason, this game will be the official Broncos debut for all of these players: Travis Henry, Daniel Graham, Brandon Stokley, Dre Bly, Jarvis Moss, Sam Adams, Tim Crowder, Jimmy Kennedy, Marcus Thomas, Montrae Holland, Ryan Harris, Patrick Ramsey, Andre Hall, D.D. Lewis, Alvin McKinley, Paul Smith, and Selvin Young (among others, possibly – I ran this list off by memory, possible someone significant fell through the cracks). That’s a lot of new Broncos to watch tonight.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Some fans believe Atwater’s #27 deserves to be the 4th retired Broncos jersey. Photo Courtesy

Part 5 of 6

Stephen Dennis Atwater was born on October 28, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois. In his youth, Atwater found much success as a wishbone formation quarterback, where he was recruited by the University of Arkansas. At Arkansas, Atwater was moved to safety and excelled again. He earned All-Southwest honors three times, and All-American honors twice. His size and speed made him an ideal fit for the National Football League, where he would be asked to bring his hard hits to the pros.

After a fantastic Senior Bowl performance (2 interceptions), Atwater was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1989 with the 20th Overall selection. The Broncos rush defense immediately improved under Atwater, from 27th in 1988 to 7th in 1989. Steve finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

This was the start of what would become an incredibly successful career for Atwater as a Denver Bronco. In 10 years with the team, Atwater was elected to 8 Pro Bowls. These don’t begin to describe Atwater’s contributions as a player – a career-long team captain, Atwater led the team on and off the field. His hard hits are the thing of legend – one knows that Chiefs RB Christian Okoye will never forget the hit he took on Monday Night Football, where he started at the 14 yard line and ended up at the 16 of the Denver red zone, flat on his butt.

Through all of this, Atwater remained one of the biggest fan favorites on the team. Until the offensive firepower we found in our Championship years with Shannon Sharpe, Terrell Davis and Rod Smith, Atwater was the 2nd most popular member of the team behind John Elway himself. In Super Bowl XXXII, Atwater would have been inarguably the MVP if it hadn’t been for Davis’ 3 rushing touchdowns, an NFL record. He tallied six total tackles, a sack, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. He was responsible for critical stops in the 4th quarter, including a batted pass on a crucial 3rd down with the score tied 24-24, and a 3rd down stop in the final minutes that set up the final Packers offensive play in the game.

After another year in Denver (in a downgraded role) and another championship, Atwater finished his career as a New York Jet. The Broncos re-signed Atwater with a now-common ceremonious contract so he could retire a Bronco following the 1999 season. He was elected to the All-1990’s team.

Get Him in the Hall

Steve Atwater has to fight two Hall of Fame obstacles before he will find himself in Canton: he’s a Denver Bronco, and he’s a safety. Neither are very commonly found in the Hall.

When looking at safeties in the Hall of Fame, only nine members are so honored in the history of the NFL. When you consider that only one of these men played beyond 1980, Ronnie Lott, and he even played cornerback as well… it becomes clear that Atwater’s quest into Canton may be more difficult than the others on my list.

But it needs to be stated with the heaviest degree of emphasis that Atwater did not play like a typical safety in the National Football League. Repeatedly asked to play close the line of scrimmage, Atwater did not have the opportunities for interceptions that all of the other Hall of Fame safeties enjoyed. Where most of the other currently enshrined safeties have at least 40 career interceptions, Atwater only tallied 24. While tackles were not counted as an official statistic for years, there is no doubt that Atwater’s numbers excelled many of those already enshrined, if not all of them, including Ronnie Lott.

Amassing 1356 tackles in 11 years, 9 of them truly productive, is extremely difficult for a safety. Consider that it took Lott 11 years to break the 1000 tackle mark and Atwater’s number comes into focus. He is considered one of the all-time biggest hitters among defensive backs in NFL history, along with Lott and Jack Tatum. He belongs to be honored in Canton.

Steve Atwater’s impact on the playing field was felt immediately, as the 1988 Broncos’ 27th ranked rush defense improved to 7th in the league the year they drafted Atwater. He helped lead the franchise to its fourth Super Bowl in his rookie year, and went on to have a prolific career as a safety thereafter. Earning eight Pro Bowls in eleven years, Atwater was the physical and moral leader of a defense that struck fear into opponents’ hearts every time #27 graced the field. He is responsible for some of the most important defensive plays in Broncos history, as his 3rd down stops in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXXII helped the team clinch its first championship. Safeties and Broncos are both rare breeds in the Hall of Fame – I hope the Committee can wrong two rights at once by inducting Steve Atwater, whose hard hits are the things of legend, into Canton this year.

The Denver Post reports that the Broncos are trying to deal DT Gerard Warren. Warren did not make the trip to San Francisco today, according to the article.

The move comes in light of Warren not being an ideal physical fit in Assistant Coach/Defense Jim Bates‘ system. While Warren is great at penetrating the middle and using his athleticism to make the play, Bates looks for bigger defensive tackles to clog the middle and hold the point of attack. Recently acquired Jimmy Kennedy would move up to start along side Sam Adams, and Antwon Burton and Amon Gordon would likely compete to move up to second string status if the trade were to go through.  Rookie Marcus Thomas would continue to play on pass rush situations.

It was only last season that Warren signed a lucrative contract extension with the club.

Personally I hate this news. Warren really showed his worth in 2005, and showed his toughness last year as he battled through toe injuries. While I can appreciate that he’s not an ideal fit in the system physically, he’s still another one of the leaders of this defense, something we may not be able to afford to lose in the months following our defensive captain Al Wilson‘s release a few months ago.

He is one of the more underrated players on our team, and when he was healthy in 2005 he was a huge reason we ranked 3rd in the league in rush defense. Either way, it looks like the Browncos experiment is over… The Broncos better not settle on too low of compensation for the best Brown they ever signed.

Noteworthy notes today…

• Adam Schein is really excited about the potential of Travis Henry in Denver. On his training camp tour for Sirius NFL Radio, he says he’s not the only one – random players across the NFL from the burned Titans players to Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu (who guarantees 1600 yards minimum) are singing his praises, often without even being asked. This article will get you PUMPED.
• Brandon Stokley may be the newest Broncos receiver, but in many ways he’s the veteran of the group. Great piece, with owner Pat Bowlen mentioning Stokley’s 144-yard, 2-TD performance against Denver in the 2004 Wild Card game.
• Training Camp is over, with a record-setting attendance that beat last year by 23%. Cutler and Ramsey threw all sorts of big passes on the last day of camp. Good nugget from this article: John Lynch says after three years, he’s no longer a Buc. He’s a Bronco.
• Despite all the changes, this season’s success or failure still depends on Cutler, says Mike Spence of the Pueblo Chieftain.
• Life coach for Rod Smith? I’m not convinced Rod’s career is over yet, and neither is he.
• The Saints and Steelers have played two preseason games each. The 49ers and Broncos have yet to play until tonight. “Bad form!“, says 49ers Coach Mike Nolan.
• Vince Young was benched in his preseason sophomore debut for breaking an undisclosed team rule. Rumor is he stayed at home instead of the team hotel. Way to be a leader, Vince.
• Did you hear about the coin flip to determine the Browns’ starting QB? Apparently Charlie Frye won the toss as the Browns went on to beat the Chiefs 16-14. And by the way, both Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard looked awful.
• Jets running back Thomas Jones limped off the practice field yesterday afternoon. No word yet as to the severity of the injury, but he was able to put a little weight on it. Scary news for Jets fan as their season almost went down the toilet in an instant.
• Preseason Game tonight! Full preview is already written and will be posted later this morning as the game draws closer…

Are you ready for some football?!

Javon Walker has yet to wash the shirt stained with Darrent Williams blood. Photo Courtesy

The wounds are still healing for the Denver community after the New Years slaying of young Darrent Williams. For some, the wounds are deeper than others, but none may be as difficult to bear as the scars Javon Walker carries with him every day. I broke down all over again as I read some of the things Javon said on HBO’s Real Sports, to air this coming Tuesday. Full Story (ESPN).

For what he says will be the only time, Walker opened up about what happened in the early morning hours of January 1, 2007. Walker still has the bloodied shirt he was wearing that night, never washed or cleaned, as a reminder of his friend and the fragility of life.

According to Real Sports, fellow Bronco Brandon Marshall and his cousin sprayed champagne on some other club patrons by accident, starting a confrontation between Williams and his entourage and the patrons, who flashed gang signs and were ultimately kicked out of the club. It has been previously reported that Williams was merely trying to keep peace during this confrontation.

Later, outside the club, Marshall and his cousin were seen exchanging heated words with the patrons, and Williams and Walker tried to intervene. Williams then told Walker they should leave, and they did so. Less than a mile away, the shooting took place.

Walker said Williams fell onto his lap as Walker was turning up the music. Thinking he was joking, he told his teammate to stop. That’s when he saw the blood spurting from Darrent’s neck. As Williams looked up at him, Walker says he just kept holding him and saying, “I got you Dee, I got you Dee.”

Javon wasn’t sure if he wanted to return to Denver, and who could blame him? He was coping in his own way, and didn’t attend the Memorial in Fort Worth because he didn’t want to relive the pain. I can’t imagine what he has gone through, and want Javon to know that the Denver community will always support him. I hope he stays in Denver for the entirety of his career, but if he were to ever move, I will always have his back.

It’s despicable to think that people could take a life over something as small as spilled champagne… makes the “spilled milk” cliche come into cruel, ironic light. I hope Brandon Marshall didn’t or doesn’t blame himself for what happened that night – something that insignificant should never have escalated to the point where a young life was lost. There are people currently in custody for federal drug charges who are believed to have knowledge on what happened that night – one investigator says that some of these men were in the vehicle that shot at the limousine that night. I hope the police can bring Williams’ killer to justice – they deserve to rot for the pain they have caused that night and across this country.

The good news is the Warrick Holdman is expected to fully recover from his spinal cord concussion that he suffered during training camp on August 2nd. The bad news is that further testing last week revealed a bruised spinal column. That means he won’t be cleared to play for three months. And while the Broncos really like Holdman’s abilities, three months is just too long to wait.

With a roster bonus coming up, The Denver Post is reporting that the Broncos are planning to waive Holdman and negotiate an injury claim. That will end Warrick Holdman’s time in Denver.

This is the third linebacker to be lost due to injury this off-season. In addition to starter Al Wilson, who is still awaiting news on his neck injury, Eddie Moore was lost after an knee injury during OTA’s and now Holdman is out.

While this is sad news, the Broncos are well stocked at linebacker — with D.D. Lewis and Nate Webster both doing well and Louis Green listed as the starter (although he hasn’t been practicing recently due to a knee injury).

Denver Post: FULL STORY

Breaking news – according to the Denver Post, injured linebacker Warrick Holdman will be waived before he earns his scheduled roster bonus next week. The move comes in the wake of his recent spinal cord concussion last week, and the further diagnosis of him missing the next 3 months as he rehabs from the injury.

Details are finally coming in, and apparently Holdman was still feeling some tingling in his extremeties. Upon further tests, it looks like there is a bruise on his spinal column.

Holdman’s career as a Bronco seems to be over before it ever began. It’s unfortunate, as Holdman was slated to be the starter at strongside before the injury, and looked promising to be an impact player on the field.

With the knee injury of Eddie Moore that led to his release, the Broncos will count on competition between Louis Green (who is fighting knee issues of his own), Nate Webster and D.D. Lewis to determine our SAM backer for the first few weeks of the season.

Best of luck to Holdman on a recovery, whether it’s with Denver or elsewhere.

Zimmerman had Elway’s back for 5 of Elway’s 6 final years. Photo Courtesy

UPDATE: Zimmerman was elected into the 2008 Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, approximately 6 months after the writing of this article. Congratulations Gary! (Full Story).

Gary Wayne Zimmerman was born on December 13, 1961, in Fullerton, California. He was a rare first round selection in the 1984 Supplemental Draft for the New York Giants, where he was quickly traded to the Minnesota Vikings after a stint in the USFL. There he played the majority of his career. But when Zimmerman moved to Denver during the 1994 offseason, he may not have known he would be remembered as a Bronco for the rest of his career.

In college, Zimmerman played very well at tackle after moving from inside linebacker and earned first-team All-PAC-10 honors in his senior year. He was also awarded with second-team Sporting News honors and third-team Associated Press honors in 1983 at Oregon.

Zimmerman played several very successful years with the Minnesota Vikings in the late 1980’s, earning him All-Decade honors. He continued this success through the early Nineties as the anchor to some of the best offenses in the NFL during those time periods. In the final week of the 1993 preseason, Zimmerman was traded to the Broncos, where he would be given what seemed to be a better shot at winning a championship with one of the greatest ever to play the game, John Elway.

In Denver, Zimmerman continued his success, ultimately completing a streak of 169 non-strike games before the hurt shoulder he played with all season in 1996 got the better of him, requiring surgery. In 1997, Zimmerman was contemplating retirement when Mr. Elway himself took the 300-plus mile trek to recruit the protector of his blindside. After missing the first two games that year, Zimmerman played the next four at right tackle in his return to the team, then moved back over to his left tackle spot and anchored the line that would win Denver its first Super Bowl.

Zimmerman retired a Bronco and was honored as one, being inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame in 2003.

Get Him in the Hall

Again, there really is no explanation behind Zimmerman not already being a Hall of Famer. He has been a finalist several times, including 2007, but the only explanation seems to be “Well, he was a Bronco.” Seriously! I don’t have a clue!

Zimmerman was simply a fierce blocker, both in running and passing, and made 7 Pro Bowls in the process. Elected to both the 1980’s and 1990’s All-Decade teams (1 of 10 players with such a distinction), Zimm retired a winner with his first Super Bowl ring and deserves every bit of praise he has ever earned. In 2003, he was inducted into the Denver Ring of Fame, to be forever remembered as a member of Mile High.

Considering those already enshrined, one really begins to wonder why Zimmerman is not included in the Hall. In the Class of 2001, Jackie Slater of the Rams was immortalized with a bust in Canton – while Zimm didn’t enjoy quite the same longevity as Slater (20 years compared to Zimm’s 13), they were elected to the same number of Pro Bowls. Slater played the majority of his career in the 1980’s, spanning the entire decade, yet was not elected as an All-Decade team member. Bob St. Clair played OT for the 49ers in the 50’s and 60’s – his career was also cut short, and this team captain deservedly entered Canton in 1990 with five Pro Bowl appearances. I would never question their right to be in Canton – I’m simply asking the committee: “If them, why not Gary Zimmerman?”.

Looking back over 80 years of National Football League history, few players have made such an impact to be elected to represent two different decades as the best their time period represents. Gary Zimmerman has been so honored by the same Hall of Fame Committee who has unjustly kept him from the hallowed halls of Canton, Ohio. His durability led him to play in a record consecutive number of games, and he finished his career as a Super Bowl champion. I hope the Hall of Fame panelists can do him justice this year, and elect a 2nd Bronco into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Frustrating news for Broncos fan broke today as recently injured linebacker Warrick Holdman will be out for three months following his spinal cord concussion last week. It was beginning to look like Holdman would be able to practice soon until this news broke today. Coach Shanahan is talking to Holdman’s agent and doctors regarding the situation.

The depth chart released last week had Louis Green filling in at starting SAM, but with a knee injury of his own it looks like the main competition for the starting spot is between Nate Webster and D.D. Lewis. I expect Lewis to start.

In other injury notes, Jarvis Moss continued his light practice today as training camp wanes to a close.