The wounds aren’t even nearly healed for Denver. We continue to mourn our loss of Darrent Williams, but the hunt for his killer has been heating up as of late. And I’m outraged at the details… they’re just sickening.

Willie DeWayne Clark. Photo Courtesy

The Denver post reports that gang members contacted the “person of interest” in the Darrent Williams case days after he was killed, encouraging their fellow member not to “say something stupid.” The bottom line, according to Denver Investigator Robert Fuller: “He did not want Clark to cooperate with law enforcement.”

Clark’s attorney has said many times before that she was concerned that her client was being held for his knowledge of the Williams case, not on the drug charges. Frankly, I hope her suspicions are true. I hope investigators are pushing every button they can to get the information they need to bring the killer to justice.

Fuller mentioned many other names in his testimony, including 2 “Elite Eight” gang members (part of the Tre Tre Crips in Denver) and a third associate who have been identified by witnesses “as a person who was in the Chevrolet Tahoe from which bullets were fired that killed Denver Broncos player Darrent Williams.” These are Vernon Edwards, Willie Clark, (the “person of interest” currently in jail, pictured right) and Daniel “P.T.” Harris.

I can’t even begin to imagine how the Williams family must be feeling… as hard as it is for us as Broncos fans to hear that these gang members are conspiring to keep Williams’ killer free, it must be infinitely harder for them. If the millions of people who loved Williams are to ever find closure, seeing justice served would be the first step. On behalf of all my readers, our hearts and prayers go out to Williams’ family again.

AFC West Watch continues on BroncoTalk. Today the offensive line is under debate – and it’s an interesting story across all four teams. You have a team who has had an undersized, speedy, and very successful offensive line, but due to injuries, age, and cuts, comes into this season with questions across the line. You have another team who has never had a great offensive line until last year, where they were arguably one of the best. Another team saw Hall of Famers retire, leaving their O-Line suspect, and the last team’s offensive line was historically bad, giving up a record number of sacks and acting as the foundation of an offense that scored a historic low in touchdowns. All 4 teams have a story, but I’m not telling stories, I’m ranking the rosters. So here we go.

1) San Diego Chargers

One of the best draft picks last year had to be Marcus McNeill, the big bruising left tackle the Chargers took in the second round. Not only does he dominate his opponent both in the running and passing game, but he’s tough as nails, too, continuing to start at the end of last year despite having two broken hands. Top it all off with the fact that McNeill was never called for a single holding penalty in 2006 and you have an idea of his dominance over his enemy. What a monster.

At left guard, they have budding star Kris Dielman, who took (reportedly) $12 million less to stay in San Diego than he would have made if he had gone to Seattle. That one had to piss Mike Holmgren off. Some fans out there are higher on Dielman than I am – I think he’s good, not great, and that his breakout year last year had more to do with a much more serviceable tackle starting on his left. He is more than adequate himself though, and deserved a big payday as much as any of the other guards who have gotten such this past offseason. I’d like to see another year of solid play from Dielman, then I’d be willing to consider him higher on my lineman list than he is now.

At center they have Nick Hardwick, who made his first Pro Bowl this last year as an alternate. He and Rivers seem to have the kind of chemistry Broncos fans can only hope Tom Nalen and Jay Cutler have this year. His move to gain 15 lbs. a year ago paid off, despite my own opinion at the time, and he’s shown that he compete with the best interior threats out there.

At right guard and tackle the Chargers employ Mike Goff and Shane Olivea, respectively. Goff came from Cincinnati in 2004 and is probably the weak link of the line – which is saying something, because Goff can hold his own. Olivea impressed as a rookie 7th-rounder in 2004 and has been solid ever since.

The real star is McNeill, who turned this offensive line from suspect to solid in the matter of a year. The injury bug bit him in college, but it bit him last year and he pulled through it without a problem. If he has another season like last year, he’ll be right up near the top of my Top 10 linemen list next year.

2) Denver Broncos

Starting again with left tackle, veteran Colorado alum Matt Lepsis has been everything the Broncos could have hoped for at left tackle. Last year’s ACL injury hurt us more than anything, in my opinion, and Lepsis is hoping to be healthy enough to bounce back this year. One of the most underrated linemen in the league, Lepsis has never let his size determine his success. A snowplow of a run blocker, the Broncos offense has found its niche behind Lepsis on the left side. If he’s able to come back fully healthy, I expect big things from him this year.

Ben Hamilton complements Lepsis in his speed and agility on the left side at guard. And vice-versa – it was becoming apparent that quick blows were getting to Hamilton late last year, allowing defenders to penetrate at the left guard spot. This could be because of the absence of Lepsis. With his return, I expect Hamilton’s game to pick up as well.

Tom Nalen, one of the last “survivors” of the Super Bowl teams, has been dominant at his position for years. While the center-quarterback exchange was frustrating last year to watch when Cutler stepped onto the field, I expect this to get tidied up with a full offseason of focus for young Jay. Where blocking is concerned, Broncos fans have little to be concerned. Year after year, Nalen is solid in pass protection and run blocking. Last year his game fell off a bit, and he seemed to be showing his age, but even then he was among the elite centers in the league. Broncos fans have seen his tenacity on the field for years… it will be hard to see him go in the next two years or so.

All that being said, the real juicy stuff on the Broncos O-Line is taking place on the right side, where camp battles will ensue for both right guard and right tackle. The inside track for these positions seem to be Chris Kuper and Erik Pears, respectively, who have both impressed during offseason workouts thus far. Pulling from behind will be free agents we’ve grabbed over the last few years – Montrae Holland and Adam Meadow, neither whom fit the “mold” of Broncos lineman in their size and girth, but add a great amount of depth and could be better pass protectors for our more pocket-oriented quarterback. I’ll be going into much more detail on these camp battles next week, so I continue…

3) Kansas City Chiefs

For years, the Chiefs had the best offensive line in football. But a Will Shields and Willie Roaf retirement later, and the unit isn’t nearly as prolific as it was a few years ago. They still have playmakers in the interior of the O-Line, but the rest doesn’t look pretty.

At left tackle they have Damien McIntosh, whom they picked up from the Dolphins this offseason. Of course, the real weakness to Miami’s team over the past several years has been offensive line, so calling that a “plus” isn’t really possible. I wouldn’t even call him a band-aid, either – he and the right side of the line are truly suspect coming into this season for the Chiefs.

Left guard is their last remaining star, Brian Waters, who has gone to three straight Pro Bowls and is the new leader of this unit. His game is solid all the way around, but I don’t think he’s good enough to elevate McIntosh’s game (he wasn’t for Kyle Turley last year). At center they have another bright spot in Casey Wiegmann, a former Pro Bowler himself who hasn’t been as stellar the past few years. He’s still far and away their best option though.

On the right side they have Chris Bober at guard and Chris Terry at tackle. Neither of them are anything to be excited about, having started a combined 24 games in the last 3 years. Last year they had 2 starts between them. If I were a Chiefs fan, I’d be more frustrated over NOT drafting Joe Staley more than anything, when he was sitting right in front of your faces. For years the Chiefs needed a wide receiver to be special, and they finally grab one AFTER their once-dominant offensive line falls apart.

Good luck Brodie Croyle and/or Damon Huard – you’re going to need it.

4) Oakland Raiders

Sheesh… doesn’t that picture LOOK like the face of pure evil… The Raiders were awesomely bad last year, and the offensive line was the biggest to blame. You would think Art Shell would be able to get THAT part of the unit right, but I digress… I’ll run through this group quickly, just because it’s painstakingly agonizing to have to do all the research for the underpeforming group…

At left tackle they have the very young, upper first round pick Robert Gallery, who has underwhelmed up to this point to say the least. He hasn’t shown dominance in any fashion in either run or pass blocking, and I’ve seen him continuously miss assignments time after time. This could be a make or break year for his career and Oakland… honestly I hope he does somewhat well so the Raiders will keep him.

Barry Simms wasn’t good enough to start last year at left guard, but he gets the nod there anyway. Who knows what that move will do. At center, they currently have tabbed Jake Grove, who has played right guard for the unit in the past. A young player with a bit of upside, Grove was a second round pick a few years back that has yet to truly pay them dividends.

Filling in the right side are Paul McQuistan, who played left guard last season, and ex-Bronco Cornell Green, whom they picked up in the offseason. After a year out of football in 2005, Green was on the Bucs and their nothing-special unit. Again, adding players off bad teams does little to improve yours. My guess is that Green will be replaced by their one and only offensive line draft pick, Mario Henderson, the OT out of Florida state they selected in the third round.

They made a lot of changes across the O-Line – only LT and C remain the same from the year before. But it doesn’t seem that the moves are necessarily upgrades, just moves for the sake of moving. As bad as they were last year, though, that couldn’t hurt either…

Average Rank So Far:

San Diego Chargers – 1.8
Denver Broncos – 2.0
Kansas City Chiefs – 3.0
Oakland Raiders – 3.2

Stay tuned next week for the defensive line breakdown, where the Chargers’ 3-man squad is among the elite in the league; the Chiefs and Chargers both have a couple of stars, and the Broncos have completely overhauled their unit (and it’s about damn time).

I was a subscriber to ESPN Insider for about 3 months. It took me that long to figure out that I wasn’t getting my money’s worth for information I get from Sirius NFL Radio every day. But they do have lists and the like that are always fun (if not accurate/reliable) to read while killing time in the offseason, and their latest is a nine-part series that ranks each area of each team in the league 1-32. Starting with quarterback and ending today with special teams, they’ve determined who has the best rosters out there.

I’ve pledged never to let this blog become pure article-bashing, but I thought I’d throw in my two cents and average out the rankings so you don’t have to. I’ll focus on the AFC West.

Since I no longer subscribe, kudos to MissouriBronc over at the BroncosFreak forums for posting them into the thread.

Quarterback

Chargers – 6
Broncos – 20
Raiders – 24
Chiefs – 32

My Take: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This is the one that ESPN really got wrong… as unproved as Jay Cutler is, he has a ton of talent and way more upside than 2/3 of the quarterbacks in this league. I already ranked the top 10 QBs in my book – announcing that I’m done sitting on the fence with Cutler and expect him to be a TOP 6 quarterback in 2006. And Rivers is rated way too high… the fact that there are only 3 teams between Denver and Oakland makes me sick.

Runningback

Chargers – 1
Chiefs – 2
Broncos – 8
Raiders – 13

My Take: Can’t really complain about these rankings, except that there’s no way Oakland’s running game is that good. We all saw what LaMont Jordan can do last year, and I don’t expect a big help from Dominic Rhodes.

Receivers

Broncos – 7
Chargers – 23
Raiders – 27
Chiefs – 29

My Take: Solid choices, although I would rank the Raiders ahead of the Chargers. Everyone’s counting on Vincent Jackson of the Chargers to have this breakout year, and the only reason I ever hear boils down to “just because.”

Tight Ends

Chargers – 1
Chiefs – 2
Broncos – 13
Raiders – 26

My Take: Like I said, the quarterback position was the only one they got “really” wrong. I would have our boys Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler in the top 10, though. Assuming Scheff is healthy.

Offensive Line

Chargers – 1
Broncos – 3
Chiefs – 24
Raiders – 32

My Take: I would rank the Eagles with the best offensive line in football, followed by the Colts, then a close battle between us and the Chargers (ESPN has them SD, IND, DEN, PHI). Last year the Chargers’ line was definitely better, but ours was more hurt and theirs seem to break out. We’ll see if they can stay consistent, since the O-Line was long considered one of their weaknesses before 2006.

Defensive Line

Chargers – 5
Broncos – 11
Raiders – 13
Chiefs – 24

My Take: Solid again, although I think he has us a little bit too high there. If they’re going to rank us 20th in quarterback because there are questions with all the changes, stay consistent. I have more questions about our defensive line than anything else. I would have flip flopped us and the Raiders in this category.

Linebackers

Chargers – 1
Raiders – 12
Broncos – 16
Chiefs – 21

My Take: I agree with this one probably most of all. It’s the same order I ranked them in my AFC West Watch last week, and that’s about where I would put all of them overall in the league.

Defensive Backs

Broncos – 3
Raiders – 4
Chargers – 9
Chiefs – 24

My Take: The Broncos should be #1 here. Champ Bailey is so much better than any other corner, it gives us a huge head start. Add Dre Bly, far and away the best #2 corner in the league, and we’re way ahead. Baltimore’s Ed Reed isn’t THAT much better than John Lynch so as to pull them ahead to #1. The Chargers aren’t close to Top 10, either.

Overall (Average)

Chargers – 5.875
Broncos – 10.125
Raiders – 18.875
Chiefs – 19.75

My Take: First off, this doesn’t include special teams, which would likely drop the Broncos down a few tenths of a point. But it’s worth noticing that the Raiders are above the Chiefs, and that the Broncos’ roster averages to be around the top 10 at each position. Of course the Chargers will be ranked the highest, but I don’t expect that to remain that way for long.

Finishing out the 2007 BroncoTalk Offseason Awards today, and the Best Offseason award will be given. There was a list of nominees last week, but to be honest it really came down to just New England and Denver. Both teams made a ton of moves this offseason – improving both offensively and defensively, making trades and signing free agents to improve the team. While New England probably had some of the flashiest moves of the entire offseason (trading for Randy Moss, signing Adalius Thomas), the Broncos had a bunch of smaller, under-the-radar signings for just about every position across the board. Think about it – they made at least one move involving quarterback, runningback, tight end, offensive guard, offensive tackle, wide receiver, defensive tackle, defensive end, SAM backer, WILL backer, MIKE backer, and cornerback. They also signed a rookie free agent and have proposed a trade at safety. What’s left… center?

All that being said, it came down to the wire, but ultimately the winner of the award couldn’t be argued. Vegas’ favorite come away with the First Annual BroncoTalk Offseason Award for Best Offseason.

The BroncoTalk Offseason Award for Best Offseason goes to…

The New England Patriots

Tom Brady has more weapons than ever. Photo Courtesy

The Patriots have the most improved offense in the NFL. Hands down. Their offense could be the most explosive it’s ever been behind Tom Brady. Laurence Maroney, when healthy, showed plenty of flashes. He could be a real star in this league next year, and the team cut Corey Dillon in favor of former Dolphin Sammy Morris to back him up. Meanwhile, they bounced back from the release of Daniel Graham by signing fellow block-specializing tight end Kyle Brady. Add the laundry list of other receivers (Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, etc.) to the mix and it’s easy to see why the Pats’ offense will be all the more improved.

Then, defensively, the Patriots made probably the biggest single signing on that side of the ball by getting versatile linebacker Adalius Thomas, who has the smarts and athleticism that coach Bill Bellichick loves. They kept rising star Asante Samuel through the franchise tag, who, despite his talk of holdouts, will likely show up for training camp to continues his success.

When you consider all the moves the Patriots made, a few months after they were one game away from the Super Bowl… it’s not difficult to see why they are Vegas’ favorite to win it all.

Why the Broncos didn’t win it

We made moves all across the board. Hopefully all of these new players will be able to gel together – but that isn’t even the reason why the Broncos ended up as runner-up to the award. While both of these teams had to go through tragedies this year (Darrent Williams, Damien Nash, Marquise Hill, all 1982-2007), the Broncos lost a rising star and team leader in Williams. Fans will remember that when we were in the depths of our 4-game losing streak, it was the young Williams who was outspoken to the media, calling out his teammates and encouraging them to not give up. Our cornerback situation FINALLY looked to be set for the long term with Williams until he was tragically taken from us on New Years Day. Nash, too, was expected to have a bigger impact on the team this year as a big, bruising runningback we were missing. Losing these players hurt the team in many more ways than on the field.

Add the release of defensive captain Al Wilson, and it isn’t difficult to see how the Broncos were hurt this year. Sure, we made a ton of moves, but can you really justify saying you have the “Best Offseason” in the league when you release your best player since John Elway? More than anything, losing Wilson cast a giant shadow on our defense – now 2/3 of our linebackers are new to their position or team. Add the injury status of Rod Smith and the questions keep rising.

All the improvements without the losses would have made us the clear cut #1, but I had to take the losses of these players into account and judge accordingly. The Patriots had as good of moves, without the cuts, so they take away the award.

Well, these awards have been fun… tiring, grueling, and tedious… but fun. I’m glad they’re over, mainly because this means we’re THAT MUCH CLOSER TO SOME REAL FOOTBALL!! IT CAN’T COME SOON ENOUGH!

Next week, I’ll start breaking down the roster battles that should go down in Broncos Training Camp, replacing the BOAs on my Feed Your Fix schedule. See ya then.

So, as training camp and the preseason approach, everyone’s top concern is getting their players to the regular season injury free.

Injuries while playing in the regular season are hard enough to endure, but injuries that happen during camp and the preseason can be heart breaking. The Broncos have had their share of these injuries:

Quentin Griffin fractured this fibula on the first day of Training Camp in 2003.

Mike Anderson was lost of the 2004 season when he injured his groin in the final 2 minutes of the last preseason game (on a punt protection play).

Gerard Warren dislocated his toe during training camp last year.

And then, we have the off-the-field injuries, like Brian Griese tripping over his dog (or knocking himself unconscious on TD’s driveway) or Big Ben recklessly driving a motorcycle without a helmet — right into a moving car. Most of these are gut wrenching for fans, because they seem so meaningless and random.

As there is little to do this week (TC is still a couple weeks away), I checked around to find some of the most random, silly and/or humorous non-sports injuries and came up with a surprisingly long list. Here are my top ten dumbest non-sporting injuries:

10. Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa once threw out his back with a sneeze.

9. Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher, Scott Williamson, had his 2002 baseball season end when he accidentally slammed a bathroom door against his foot – breaking two toes.

8. Spain’s Santiago Canizares had to sit out of the 2002 World Cup in Japan & Korea after dropping a bottle of aftershave on his foot.

7. In 2003 Jaguar’s coach, Jack Del Rio brought in a wooden stump and an axe to illustrate his ‘Keep Chopping’ philosophy. He could never have foreseen his punter, Chris Hanson attempting a hearty swing after practice. The punter missed the wood and chopped his leg — landing him in the hospital.

6. During the off-season, Maple Leaf’s goalie Glenn Healy suffered a deep cut to his hand while attempting to repairing his bagpipes — I guess that makes up for all those bagpipe gigs he missed due to hockey related injures.

5. Kansas City Royals’ catcher, Brent Mayne, missed a month of the 2002 season after wrenching his back when he turned his head to check for traffic while crossing a street.

4. Lionel Simmons, not long after being named NBA Player of the Week, missed two games with wrist tendinitis caused by hours of playing Nintendo Game Boy.

3. American goalkeeper Kasey Keller needed an unscheduled trip to the dentist in 1998 after knocking out his front teeth while pulling his golf bag from the trunk of his car.

2. Former Liverpool reserve ‘Keeper Michael Stensgaard’s Anfield career was brought to an untimely end after he managed to dislocate his shoulder while erecting an ironing board — I just wish I had a youtube video of that move!

1. Padres’ Adam Eaton stabbed himself in the stomach while trying to remove the plastic around a new DVD with a pairing knife — the injury required stitches.

…and so you don’t think I’m picking on athletes with bad luck, I ran across this gem of a story related to FAN related injuries!

Two middle age fans celebrating Alan Shearer’s opening goal for England against Germany in the Euro 96 semifinal, each broke a leg while preforming their customary celebratory ‘jump’ in front of their TV.

Now folks , that’s hard core!

Let’s just all hope and pray that our Broncos can avoid stupid injuries this camp and preseason. This is not the type of top ten list I want to see any of our Broncos making.

Stay safe, guys!

Reports indicate that Willie DeWayne Clark, a “Person of Interest” in the Darrent Williams shooting, wrote a letter in March (while in prison for an unrelated parole violation) saying “I didn’t do it.”

Full Story (ESPN).

Clark is currently remanded, waiting for his Aug. 1st court date. He was denied bail because of his 31 missed court appearances on various charges.

The Denver Broncos Training Camp Schedule was announced recently, and for any Broncos fans in the vicinity of Englewood, Colorado, be sure to stop by and see the players in action. Below is the schedule, ripped straight from the article:

*Practice schedule subject to change

But the real treat on Training Camp is straightening out the depth chart, where camp competitions turn into roster battles. Of particular interest this season are battles at strong side linebacker, right tackle, wide receiver, potential battles at right guard and strong safety, and all along the defensive line. Naturally, BroncoTalk has got you covered.

Replacing the Wednesday and Thursday segments of the BroncoTalk Offseason Awards will be my Training Camp Preview. I’ll start with the offensive line battles, then move over to the defensive line battles. Follow that up the next week with SAM backer, strong safety, and wide receiver.

Training Camp begins next Sunday the 29th… then it’s only a matter of a month before we’re talking about REAL FOOTBALL again. It can’t come soon enough.

If you haven’t heard the news yet, you haven’t been by a TV, radio or computer in the last 24 hours. Michael Vick has been indicted on two charges for his alleged involvement in dog fighting rings in Georgia. Full Story (Washington Post).

The two charges could put Vick in jail for up to six years with over $350,000 in fines.

To put it simply, Michael Vick disgusts me. When you sign one of the richest contracts in NFL history, you have the responsibility, IN THE LEAST, to stay out of trouble. You’ve embarrassed the Atlanta Falcons, the NFL, and your last name. And if the NFL doesn’t suspend Vick for this, I, as a fan of the league, will be enraged. The Player Conduct Policy CLEARLY states that a conviction is not necessary for the league to suspend you – so if you’re going to suspend Sam Brandon for stuff he did years back (and when one of his two cases was dropped completely), you damn well better suspend Vick for felony charges.

Yes, fans, it is time. It is time to crown the team with the biggest amount of sucktitude this offseason. All along, was there really any doubt as to who would come away with this coveted award?

The Vikings, Packers, Colts, Chargers, and Titans, were all nominated for the award, but in the end it was our AFC West rival that takes home the BOA.

The BroncoTalk Offseason Award for Worst Offseason goes to…

The Kansas City Chiefs.
And really, if I were a Chiefs fan, I’d blame Carl Peterson. As much as they love the guy over in KC, he moved this team from playoff contender to full-tilt rebuilding mode in a matter of months. Most of it has to do with offense – in fact, I believe their defense will be improved with some of the moves they’ve made. But on both sides of the ball, they’re an awkward mix of young and old that I just can’t see doing much this year.

First, they lost their Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green because of his contract. Yeah, Green got hurt by a freak injury in Week 1, but did that really make him that less valuable? So less valuable that the Chiefs took months and months and months to trade him to the Dolphins? One thing is for certain – the team’s offense has been dominant ever since Green came to Kansas City – and it won’t be the same without him.

Next, they hurt their special teams by trading away Dante Hall, who hasn’t made as many big plays of late, but is still considered one of the premiere return specialists in the league. That one won them the Worst Trade award.

Now, the big news is that Larry Johnson is threatening holdout, and the rumor mill has been swirling about possible trades of the league’s leading rusher over the past few weeks. Could Green Bay or Tennessee be in the market for the big-time rusher? Either way, it looks like the Chiefs may be without their biggest playmaker for at least some part of the season.

It’s all too much to overcome for the Chiefs, whom I predict will fall from one of the top 12 teams in the league to the bottom 10 – their offseason was that bad.

Tomorrow – Best Offseason!

I’m shifting around my usual Top 10 list from now on – introducing Worst and 10, the revamped Top 10 Tuesday segment that sorta sounds like “First and 10” (good, huh) and celebrates the Top 10 of some topic… and also discusses the worst of that topic. Today I’m revisiting my old Top 10 Players in the AFC West post and, as promised, running through the ten best offensive and defensive linemen in the West (NOTE: only players with at least two years experience were considered… I need at least 2 years of games to determine if the player can be consistent, and not just a one-year wonder).

Determining the skills of a lineman isn’t easy – particularly on the offensive side of the trenches. You can look at sacks, forced fumbles, etc. on the defensive side, but even then you’re not getting the whole picture of how a player performs game in and game out. Pro Bowl selections help, but being a slightly biased Denver Broncos fan, and knowing how the Pro Bowl voting works, I know that Denver O-Linemen have gotten the shaft more than once.

In case you don’t know, Pro Bowl voting is half fan votes, half player votes, and it’s the player voting that has kept Broncos O-Linemen out of the Pro Bowl since Tom Nalen made it in 2003. The players you face on the field as an opponent vote for the best, and the players can’t vote for players on their own teams. So the interior offensive linemen vote for defensive tackles; wide receivers vote for the secondary, etc. Because Denver uses the controversal, but perfectly legal, chop block, I and others believe they’re not getting the votes from opposing D-Linemen because it is generally hated by those units. The point of all this – even Pro Bowl appearances can be skewed, and so while the Denver Broncos’ offensive line has been one of the most dominant in all of football over the past 10 years, they’re not getting the Pro Bowls to show for it.

As always, these lists are my opinion and yours is welcome to join… just leave a comment at the bottom of this post. On to the list!

Worst – Robert Gallery – LT, OAK

[Out of the Starters] – The Raiders’ first round pick of only a few years ago took steps back last year, anchoring the most important position on the worst offensive line in recent memory. Gallery got beat by everyone you can think of, and Andrew Walters was never safe back there. I could have chosen anyone from the Raiders’ line, and no doubt Gallery has the most physical ability of any of them – but such a high-profile, high-round draft pick should be doing better than that after a few years in the league.

…and 10

10) Nick Hardwick – C, SD

Chargers center Nick Hardwick has his best year of his young career in 2006, earning him a Pro Bowl alternate spot. He put on about 15 pounds in the offseason before, and it’s obvious that the move paid off. He is extremely quick and athletic, and helped move the ball for the leading-offense Chargers. He’s still young and will be a thorn in the Broncos’ side (or rather, our front) for years to come.

9) Ben Hamilton – LG, DEN

I’m not the only Broncos fan who noticed that Ben Hamilton‘s game fell apart a bit last year. Many of the pressures we saw Jay Cutler face happened from quick, powerful jabs at left guard that Hamilton simply couldn’t answer. He’s very athletic, and one of our most underrated players, but he fell in my list as I was doing my ranking because of this exploited weakness at the end of last year. He’s still an exceptional guard and can make huge blocks at the second level, and with questions along the right side of our offensive line, he’s solid overall at the left spot.

8) Jared Allen – DE, KC

I’ve said before that I would love to see Jared Allen in a Broncos uniform next year. His 4-game suspension was recently dropped to 2, so this defensive end will have more oppotunities to wreak havoc against the opposing quarterback. He’s a big ugly with a lot of power and attitude, and he knows how to make big plays, tallying 27.5 sacks in his 3 years in the league. Contract issues mean this will likely be his final year as a Chief (and we all know Carl Peterson will help us out there), but until then he’s still one of the more dominant ends in the game.

7) Luis Castillo – DE, SD

Possibly the most underrated player on the San Diego Chargers, Luis Castillo almost always seems to be the reason Shawne Merriman makes his big plays. Castillo keeps offensive lines honest, freeing up the opposite side for Merriman to sneak in and make his big plays. I’ve seen it happen so many times, I’m literally tired of it! As a 3-4 end, he still had a solid individual performance with 7 sacks and an interception. He’s speedy and is a quality run-stopper, and a perfect fit in the Chargers system.

6) Brian Waters – LG, KC

With Will Shields gone and retired now, it looks like it will be up to Brian Waters to carry the torch. And honestly, he looks like possibly the one truly bright spot on this once-dominant offensive line. He’s been to three straight Pro Bowls, and he’s been elected twice to First-Team All-Pro by the AP. Just consider this – in 1984, the NFL started the AFC/NFC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week Awards. It only took 20 years, but a guard finally won one of those awards, and it just happened to be Brian Waters on October 24, 2004.

5) Derrick Burgess – DE, OAK

The best pass rushing lineman in the West resides in Oakland of all places. After 4 years and 8.5 sacks in Philadelphia, he joined the Raiders in 2005 to tally a whopping 27 sacks in the past two years. Burgess has become a beast, and a real concern for every defensive coordinator when they gameplan against the Raiders.

4) Matt Lepsis – LT, DEN

The Broncos season fell apart when Matt Lepsis went on IR. 7-2 before the injury; 2-5 after… he and Nick Ferguson going down at the same time were just too big of blows for the Broncos to handle. And while Erik Pears looks promising, and word is he might win the right tackle spot in training camp, our offense, and our team, just wasn’t the same without Lepsis. Broncos fans know of his athleticism and his smarts – it’s something you just can’t replace right away.

3) Warren Sapp – DT, OAK

I would say Warren Sapp is the only sure-fire guaranteed lock at the Hall of Fame on this list. Sapp made another Pro Bowl last year, and registered another 10 sacks at defensive tackle. Yeah, the guy’s a monster, and word is he’s even losing weight for the upcoming season. His bounceback season last year showed everyone that he’s still got it, and this longtime veteran multiple Pro Bowler is worthy of worry for years to come.

Couple of our boys in the Top 4. Photo Courtesy

2) Tom Nalen – C, DEN

It seems like the end of an era in Denver – Tom Nalen and Rod Smith likely seeing their final years in the league. The last remnants of our Super Bowl winning teams are on their way out, but Nalen is still a dominant center after all these years. I don’t need to give you a scouting report on Nalen – everyone knows about his size, speed and ferocity. The Broncos will miss him when he calls it a career in a year or two.

1) Jamal Williams – NT, SD

You could make a case for this nose tackle as the most underrated player in the entire NFL. In a 3-4 defense, the nose tackle is inarguably the most important position on the field. And, when you ask most scouts, the best nose tackle in the NFL resides in San Diego. Not nearly as flashy as Merriman, or even Castillo – Jamal Williams holds his own in the middle of the line. At 6-3, 348 lbs., Williams is still athletic enough to make it dangerous for any team to try a run up the middle. He doesn’t make the big plays, but his solid technique and career-high 69 tackles in 2006 make him the clear cut choice for #1 on this list.

I probably spent more time on this list than I have on any other of my Top 10’s, and I feel pretty good about where I’ve ranked them. It was hard to cut players like Gerard Warren, Elvis Dumervil, Marcus McNiell, Tamba Hali, and Kris Dielmann out of this list – all were put under consideration, along with others, but just couldn’t make the cut. There are a lot of talented linemen in this division – hell, I could have easily split it into two lists (offensive, defensive). If you’re like me, sometimes it’s just as fun to watch the trenches knock the snot out of each other as it is to watch the big throws and runs – now you some of the names to go along with the numbers.