It was only a few weeks ago that I posted my concern on all of the Broncos who are on a “one strike, you’re out” basis. It seems my concerns were well-founded, as one of those players finds himself heading to court and another, not previously listed, finds himself suspended for two games for incidents years back.

First the suspension: backup safety Sam Brandon has been handed down a league suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The suspension possibly stems from the arrests Brandon had in 2004 and 2005 for domestic violence – it’s interesting that the suspension comes now, especially when you consider that the first charges, a misdemeanor, were dropped entirely. Look for incumbents Curome Cox and Hamza Abdullah to step up, and you never know – this could be the straw that breaks the Greg Wesley trade’s back.

The other news is that everyone’s favorite polygraph-tester, David Kircus, had his preliminary hearing yesterday. The judge determined there was enough to go to trial, so Kircus will have to face the music one way or another. You may remember that he took a lie-detector test to convince head coach Mike Shanahan that he was acting in self-defense; well, according to the Denver Post’s report on the victim’s testimony, something doesn’t add up.

The victim testified that Kircus threatened him, saying “You don’t know what I’m capable of” after knocking the man to the floor. Moments before, as they were walking out of the man’s house, the victim testified that Kircus said “Once we get to the end of the driveway, you’re not protected anymore.”

Of course, everyone knows lie detector test results are not admissible in court. And although the victim testified under oath he had over 10 alcoholic drinks that night, it all just seems too damning for Kircus to remain on the team. As much as Broncos fans have to be concerned over a fan favorite backup receiver with a penchant for big plays making the team or not, there are serious, serious charges here – felony assault comes with a possible sentence of five to sixteen years in prison. And the judge felt there was enough to go on to go to trial, for that serious of a charge!

Frankly, I’m sick and tired of hearing about athletes on the police blotter – especially Broncos. Brandon’s violations are old news – fine, we’ll get through our first games at Buffalo and against Oakland and he’ll rejoin the team, no big deal. But Kircus’ case just went from late-night incident to polygraph test to FELONY TRIAL. And I hesitate, only for a moment, to remind fans that athletes are often unfairly targeted for these sort of things, and that Kircus DID pass a polygraph, claiming self defense. It’s his first incident of my knowledge, so it’s not like he’s out there looking for trouble every night.

Those excuses aside – Kircus’ face is fine. Last time I checked, it was the other guy who had multiple fractures on his face. There’s no room on MY TEAM for people who could find themselves in jail past the age of 30 in a few months. If you can’t control yourself off the field, you don’t belong on the field – it’s a privilege, not a right, and Kircus’ time on this team has run out. There’s just no room or patience for this kind of news on our team this year. We’ve been through enough already.

Leave it to Rich Tuten to say something like that. I mean, the dude is more like the angry drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket than a coach. But since strength and conditioning is his domain, he has vowed that our player’s constitution will not come between Denver and another Super Bowl ring.

“A strength coach is only good if he makes people do more than they would do on their own. I try to make things challenging to them.”

— Rich Tuten 7/12/07

And how does he ‘challenge’ them? Well, one way is to make them face “The Beast.” The Beast is a 300 pound wooden sled that players must push 25 yards across a grass field (with no wheels). Think that’s rough? Try doing it twelve times!

Players hate The Beast. In fact, it’s the most feared tool Tuten has at his disposal.

“Knowing Tuten, there is a little bit of sadistic stuff going on there. But it all has value going into the season, going into camp. You get your legs ready.”

— Chris Myers 7/12/07

If you don’t believe The Beast is really that bad. Check out this CBS4 video coverage of the players pushing it. Wait til the end of the video, when you see Herculean men doubled over on the field gasping for breath — then tell me it’s a piece of cake.

And, if you want to work on your own Strength & Conditioning, you can take a look at THIS feature by Tuten on personal S&C — enjoy! 

Everyone is getting ready for camp, and NFL.com has even done a nice video feature on what the Broncos have done this off-season and what we can expect later this month at Training Camp (TC).

And speaking of previewing TC, our guest author Dogfish has the final installment of his Camp Preview series. This time the focus is Denver’s defensive secondary.

LINEBACKERS

OVERVIEW:

I’m pretty satisfied with this group overall, but I do think there’s more uncertainty at the position entering this year than we’ve seen in quite some time. I feel that we lost the best player of the unit in Al Wilson, but we should have enough solid LBs to get the job done with some improved D-line play.

D.J.’s transition to the middle will be one of the main areas of focus for this group in TC, especially teaching him how to line up the defense and make the correct calls. We’ll also be breaking in at least one new starter on the strong side, although it’s likely to be a vet who does have some starting experience elsewhere.

I’m also interested to see if anyone can mount a challenge to Gold–I certainly hope so. At worst the competition will keep him on his toes, and at best someone like Holdman just MIGHT prove good enough to replace him. I like Gold, but he didn’t impress last year. While I don’t see anyone unseating him in camp, I can see someone potentially challenging him for playing time down the stretch if he doesn’t play better than he was at the end of last year. And if someone gives him a run for his spot in camp, it’ll make that all the more likely.

The addition of Eddie Moore is a bit of a wild card. Moore was a second round pick of the Dolphins a few years back, but he never really panned out. It’s debatable whether Bates likes him enough to give him a second chance here, or if he was really just brought in to help the other LBs learn the system. As Bates didn’t get much out of him in Miami, I’m inclined to suspect that it’s the latter, but you never know.

Cameron Vaughn supposedly has nice potential, T.J. Hollowell has been invited back for another camp, and Louis Green has a few years experience with the club. Those guys will be competing for the backup linebacker spot (or spots, depending on how many we keep this year—right now, with the way the rest of the roster looks to be breaking down, I’m leaning towards five), but special teams play is likely to be an important determining factor. I have FA acquisition D.D. Lewis penciled in as a slight favorite to earn one of those last spots based on reportedly solid ST play in Seattle, as well as some experience playing on the defensive side of the ball.
PLAYER TO WATCH:

D.J. Williams! This is his chance to at last prove that he’s the star most people on this board think, rather than the solid-but-unspectacular player that we’ve seen the past two years. Although I won’t read too much into TC reports for a guy who’s playing his third position in four years, it’ll nonetheless be our first indication of how well D.J. will handle the transition. I think his ability to adapt, including making the line calls, will be one of the biggest factors in just how good our Defense can be this year. And it may influence our draft next year as well, so it’s definitely worth paying close attention to. I’ve said before, I think this is a make-or-break year for D.J. in denver, so he needs to come into camp prepared for the mental challenge.

BEST POSITION BATTLE:

Nate Webster vs. Warrick Holdman for the starting SAM linebacker spot.  Other than the battle for the backup spots, I expect this to be the ONLY real battle battle among the LB corps in camp, and it may well drag on right up to the start of the season or even beyond.  Moore was reportedly running with the first team in OTAs, but I suspect that may have been a result of his experience in Bates’ system more than anything else. Of course he could challenge for a starting spot, but I think the other guys will pass him up once they learn the scheme. Webster may be the more physically talented player, but Holdman is probably more reliable and consistent–he’s also been more durable, and I give him a slight edge.

PROJECTED DEPTH CHART:

1. D.J. Williams
2. Ian Gold
3. T.J. Holdman
4. Nate Webster
5. D.D. Lewis

CORNERBACKS

OVERVIEW:

This looks like possibly the strongest position on the team entering camp. Not only did we add a two-time pro-bowler to play across from the legend, but Dominique Foxworth and Karl Paymah make us very strong all the way down to our dime back. Shanahan isn’t likely to overwork Champ in TC or the preseason, so the younger guys will get plenty of chances to play with the starters. That will give Bates a chance to gauge just how good they are, and that could potentially affect any contract talks if we decide to extend either of them before they hit restricted free agency.

Jeff Shoate is still hanging around, and I would guess that this is his last chance to make an impact. We brought in three corners (Bill Alford, Kevin House and Lamont Reid) from NFLE, so we may be looking for another developmental project. I don’t know about PS eligibility for those guys, but if we keep any of them that would seem like the most probable destination. Curome Cox’s ability to play some corner has allowed us to roll with just four true CBs in the past, and I think we will most likely go that route again this year. Whether Cox plays some corner in TC could give us an early indication if that’s what we’ll do.
PLAYER TO WATCH:

Karl Paymah. If this were a regular season preview, Dre Bly would get this spot for sure, but I don’t know that we’ll really learn what we need to know about him from camp reports. He’s a natural fit for this system, and I expect him to play well in shorts and T-shirts, but Paymah is definitely a player to keep an eye on this year. He reportedly had the most upside of the three corners we drafted in ’04, and I thought he finally started to show some of that at the end of last year, with very solid games against Arizona, Cincy and San Francisco. I’ve felt for a while now that confidence was Paymah’s biggest hurdle–if the light has come on, we may see some good things from him.
Paymah was also lost trying to play Coyer’s stupid fifteen-yard cushion. He’s a physical corner who will be MUCH more comfortable in Bates man-to-man coverage, especially when he’s allowed to play bump-and-run. Even if he doesn’t win one of the top spots, I think he could end up playing a fairly significant role for us this season.
BEST POSITION BATTLE:

Dominique Foxworth vs. Karl Paymah for the nickel back spot. Don’t just assume that Foxworth has this locked up because he’s been ahead of Paymah the past two years. As just mentioned, Bates is bringing a new system that may play to Paymah’s strengths more than Foxworth’s. I do expect Fox to withstand the challenge, but I’m not writing Paymah off just yet. Ultimately I really like both players. I’m happy to finally have some QUALITY youth at the position after quite a few years getting by with odds and ends, and I hope that we move aggressively to lock at least one of them up long-term. Whoever loses this battle will still get plenty of opportunities to contribute, as we traditionally have scored early and put teams in comeback mode.

PROJECTED DEPTH CHART:

1. Champ Bailey
2. Dre Bly
3. Domonique Foxworth
4. Karl Paymah

SAFETIES

OVERVIEW:

Really, there’s not a whole lot to talk about here. Unless something unexpected happens, the depth chart looks to be rather set here–at least towards the top. We didn’t bring in any new blood at the position except for UDFA Roderick Rogers, and I can’t see him as more than a PS player at this point. Steve Cargile and Quentin Harris were desperation hires last year–I doubt either makes the squad. Maybe Brandon or Abdullah can at least challenge Ferguson for a starting spot (I’m sure Lynch will put in a good word to Shenanigans for Hamza :) ). . .

Really, the health of Ferguson and Brandon will be the biggest question that TC can answer. And even if they do prove to be fully healthy, I think their reps will probably be limited until at least the preseason (probably Lynch’s as well– he hardly has anything left to prove, or learn).

PLAYER TO WATCH:

Sam Brandon. Given the TEs we have to face in our division, Brandon’s importance can’t be overstated IMO. He may not start, but he plays a valuable role! Gates had his biggest game against us last year with Brandon out of the lineup. Coming off a knee injury can be tricky for a DB, and Brandon also backs up the CB spot. His return to full health is important to us, and if he’s ever going to challenge for a full-time starting position, this should be the year.

BEST POSITION BATTLE:

I’ll say Ferguson vs. the Field for the starting SS spot, but I’m really not sure how much of a battle it’ll turn out to be.

PROJECTED DEPTH CHART:

1. John Lynch
2. Nick Ferguson
3. Sam Brandon
4. Curome Cox
5. Hamza Abdullah

Well, that wraps up the special camp preview series by our guest author Dogfish. I strongly encourage you to check out the forums over at broncomania, where Dogfish and many other insightful fans chat about everything under the sun!

Running behind the 8-ball as of late – I still haven’t even unpacked my luggage! Today was supposed to be the unveiling of the final BroncoTalk Offseason Award (Best Offseason), the “Best Picture” of these awards, if you will. But I want to make sure I do this award justice, and in my current hurried state I don’t think I could do that. So next week I will announce the winners of the Worst and Best Offseason, but I want to give YOU the opportunity with your thoughts. Today I will give you the list of “nominees” – the teams I’m considering to win each award. Just leave a reply with your thoughts on the subject and help influence the BOAs as they come to a close!

Nominees for Worst Offseason

Green Bay Packers

Co-Winner: Worst Draft
Lord Favre did not get any help this season, and he’s grumpy because of it. Comparing the cold shoulder Packers fans must be feeling to the “This One’s For John” mentality of the Broncos as Elway finished his career must be gut-wrenching for Green Bay fans out there.

Indianapolis Colts

Winner: Least Improved Defense
Their defense was milked by the entire NFL, and they also lost slot receiver Brandon Stokley to our own Broncos. Will they be able to repeat as Super Bowl champs with a defense full of backups?

Kansas City Chiefs

Winner: Worst Trade, Least Improved Offense
The Chiefs lost their starting quarterback, are facing a potential holdout from their Pro Bowl runningback, retired another great O-lineman, and kept Herm Edwards. While that last one is especially damning, it’ll be hard for the Chiefs to be considered anything but the frontrunner for this award.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings did little to improve their quarterback situation, or any situation, for that matter. They drafted Adrian Peterson, which was a solid move, but was that enough of a move to get them out of the bottom of the NFL?

Tennessee Titans

Co-Winner: Worst Draft
When you consider everything the Broncos did to help Jay Cutler succeed by surrounding him with talent, the boring offseason of the Titans almost seems sad in comparison (good luck Vince Young).

San Diego Chargers

Winner: Worst Coaching Decison.
Gone: Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator. In comes Norv Turner, who has never had this talented of a team, and no one really knows how this historically unsuccessful head coach will do with this team. But you have to consider the Chargers’ offseason as pretty bad when you think about the huge coaching overhaul, despite little changes in player personnel.

Best Offseason Nominees

Arizona Cardinals

Winner: Best Coaching Decision
The Cardinals hired Ken Whisenhunt, hopefully changing the culture in the desert for years to come. The hiring of Russ Grimm will help the O-line, and this talented team may actually play up to their potential in 2007.

Carolina Panthers

Winner: Best Draft
My winner of best draft makes the nominees mostly because of their draft – the cutting of Keyshawn Johnson and few free agency moves makes them a long shot to win it all.

Denver Broncos

Winner: Worst Cut, Best Free Agent Signing, Most Improved Defense
I promise to be objective about the Broncos offseason and this award – while we made a ton of moves in the positive direction, we still cut Al Wilson and tragically lost two of our young players. And perhaps all of the moves won’t allow us to gel the way we would like… all that aside, know that our Broncos are among the frontrunners for this award.

Detroit Lions

The Lions, rebuilding since 1957, had an exceptional draft and complemented it with an active offseason. Their receiving unit is now one of the tops in the entire league; they added depth along the offensive line and runningback position, and simply getting healthy will help this defense in huge ways! I’m high on the Lions in ’07.

Houston Texans

Winner: Best Trade
Making improvements at the quarterback position is always a ticket straight to a nomination here – the Texans believe they’ve found their guy in impressive backup Matt Schaub. When you consider the possible shift in the W-L columns, they could definitely have the most improved offseason when considering the wins alone.

New England Patriots

Winner: Most Improved Offense
The media’s favorite team gets a nomination easily – quantitatively, they may have done more moves than any other team save the Broncos. Tom Brady has a lot of weapons now, so look for the Pats to return to deep playoff runs for the bazillionth year in a row.

Oakland Raiders

I’ll keep this short and sweet – I want the Raiders to get better. So I can hate them again and not just stupidly pity their patheticness. They made some moves this offseason, so they get a nod.

There are the nominees! Leave a comment, let me know if I left someone out! Good or bad, I encourage your feedback – and of course, let me know who should win each award and why. See you Wednesday when I award the Worst Offseason!

A day late, but with all the post-mini-camp news, who can blame me! :)

Here, again, is our guest author Dogfish’s Training Camp Preview of the D-line. For those of you who don’t know, Dogfish is an All-Pro contributor on the Broncomania forum with nearly 10,000 posts. I admire the insight and thoughtfulness of his work and have been given permission to post his TC Previews here on this blog.

GUEST AUTHOR: DOGFISH

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

OVERVIEW:

After losing one starter to free agency, forcing the other to take a pay cut, and bringing in at least three new players with starting potential, no position on the team saw more change over the off-season. . . HALLELUJAH! It was well past time. With a new D-line coach and DC in addition to all the new faces, competition should be wide open, and camp will go a long way towards sorting out a suddenly-crowded position. TC will be a good opportunity for Bates to start determining which DTs are the best fits for his system.

Nobody has more to prove than Gerard Warren. He may have been hindered by injuries last year, but it’s hard for me to believe that Shanahan would have forced him to redo a one year-old contract if he felt that Warren gave it as much as he could under the circumstances. He’s not going to win a starting job by default this year, so he’ll have to put forth a solid effort, and TC is the place to set the tone.

Rookie Marcus Thomas has to prove that he deserves the chance we took on him, and the best way to start is by demonstrating a high work ethic in camp. If he does, he can put a lot of pressure on the vets. Hopefully Thomas will also hit the weight room hard. TC will be our first look at Sam Adams, and how well his knee has healed. It will also be Jimmy Kennedy’s best chance to make an impression, and show that he’s willing to work hard and control two gaps without complaining. Kennedy has the natural talent to win a starting spot if he’s motivated and can keep his motor running–something he seemingly hasn’t done in the past. Alvin McKinley probably needs to show up with some additional weight if he’s going to be effective doing what Bates wants him to do.

The rest of the DTs are going to be hard-pressed to earn spots on this team, so camp will be crucial for these guys. Demetrin Veal was just signed to an extension, but he needs to show that he can fit somewhere in Bates’ defense. Amon Gordon’s lack of hustle is likely to catch up with him now that Andre Patterson is gone. Antwon Burton’s size gives him some potential as a run-stopper, but it looks like he’s going to get caught in the shuffle with more accomplished players ahead of him on the depth chart. Swing-DL Kenny Peterson was likely gone regardless, but he certainly punched his ticket out of town by drawing a four-game suspension for steroid use. Undrafted rookie free-agent Steven Harris will have a chance to earn a spot on the practice squad with a solid camp.

PLAYER TO WATCH:

It would obviously be very easy to go with Marcus Thomas here– and I will no doubt have a keen eye on Thomas. I’m as excited by his potential as anyone else, but I’m going to go with Jimmy Kennedy here. Kennedy is far ahead of Thomas in terms of strength and NFL game experience. . . and don’t forget that he was a #12 overall pick a few years ago. So far he hasn’t shown the desire and absolute dedication required to make the most of that talent, but he could be a big factor for us if the light comes on. I won’t hold my breath, but maybe getting traded was enough to get his attention. He’s also in his contract year, so hopefully he’ll be motivated by that.

BEST POSITION BATTLE:

Marcus Thomas vs. the Field for playing time. Since I understand quite well just how much impact role players can have on a team, I don’t get anywhere NEARLY as worked up over who’s going to start at certain positions as a lot of posters around Broncomania do–and Thomas could be behind Sam Adams on the depth chart, and still end up taking more snaps than Adams does. Thomas’ natural talent is very apparent, and how hard he’s willing to work should go a long way towards determining just how much playing time he gets in our rotation. His quickness gives him the potential to be the most disruptive of our DTs, so hopefully he shows enough to at least win a nickel pass-rusher spot to start the season– that’s where I see him making the most initial impact.

I also think we may see McKinley and Veal battling for the last roster spot at DT.

PROJECTED DEPTH CHART:

1. Gerald Warren
2. Sam Adams
3. Jimmy Kennedy
4. Marcus Thomas
5. Alvin McKinley

DEFENSIVE ENDS

OVERVIEW:

The revamping of our defensive line continues at DE, and like at DT the camp competition should be pretty fierce. Given the big difference in experience, I’m not entirely sure that starting spots will be on the line. It’s certainly possible given the emphasis Bates places on pass-rushing ability, but IMO the MOST probable scenario is that Lang and Ekuban will hold off the youngsters initially. Still, it would be exciting to see one of the new guys earn a starting spot right off the bat, so I’ll definitely be paying close attention.
In addition to Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder, I think we’ll carry either two or three veteran DEs– depending on how the rest of the roster breaks down, of course. If we only carry two, then Lang, Ekuban and John Engelberger will likely battle it out for those two spots. I think Carlos Hall has very little chance to make the team after we spent first-day picks on two DEs. I doubt we’ll keep another pass-rush specialist with Dumervil and Moss.

Camp will be important for Johnson and Bates to get a better idea of everyone’s capabilities. TC’s importance is obviously highest for the rookies, but with new coaches and a new system, the importance increases for the vets as well–and these guys will be fighting for their jobs, and quite probably their last chances to start in the NFL. Once Bates and Johnson see what the older guys can do, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them given some practices off so the younger guys can get more reps, and the coaching staff has a better opportunity to evaluate them and to teach technique. I expect that we’ll see Crowder or maybe Dumervil running with the first team in some afternoon practices.
PLAYER TO WATCH:

Elvis Dumervil. We all know the impact that Dumervil made last year as a rookie playing a part-time role. It’ll be interesting to see how he builds on a fine first season. I was pleasantly surprised by his production, but I was concerned as to whether we’d see a drop-off once teams got some game tape on him. Dumervil exploded on the scene with five sacks in a two-week span in October, but managed only one sack in four games during November. I was afraid that teams may have figured out how to deal with him, but he did rebound somewhat with two-and-a-half sacks in five games in December. Dumervil’s weaknesses are pretty obvious, so it will be extremely important for him to continue to hit the weight room and refine his technique.

Bates has had a lot of success with pass-rushers in his other stops, so I’m excited to see if he can maximize Elvis’ potential. He’s had a year to adjust to the size and speed of his opponents, so we’ll see how he can produce in a scheme that relies on it’s front four to generate pressure.

BEST POSITION BATTLE:

Ebenezer Ekuban vs. Tim Crowder at LDE. Bates likes guys with speed off the edge at both DE spots, and Crowder may have more than Ekuban at this point in their respective careers. Crowder is also the most polished and balanced of our young DEs, and in my mind is likely to be the first to mount a serious challenge for a starting spot. I’m sure Ekuban has heard all the talk, and the selection of DEs with our top two picks sent a clear message. We’ll see how he responds, but I would expect his pride to bring out his best effort. I think this particular battle could go all year, but TC will be a nice preview.   :)
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART:

1. Ebenezer Ekuban
2. Kenard Lang
3. Tim Crowder
4. Elvis Dumervil
5. Jarvis Moss

Great preview, Dogfish! And we’ll wrap up the Training Camp Previews tomorrow with a look at the defensive secondary.

News out of Denver is that we’ve signed our controversial 4th round pick, defensive tackle Marcus Thomas. He is the first draft pick we’ve signed, and as per team policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. [UPDATE: According to the Post-Gazette, the deal will pay Thomas $3 million over four years.]

Of course this is great news for Broncos fans. One less thing to worry about as Holdout Season, ahem, Training Camp approaches. It just makes me wonder how many millions of dollars Thomas lost by breaking his curfew and smoking marijuana in college. But the Broncos picked him up in the 4th when he could have gone undrafted completely. If he stays clean, he could be a real steal that could be tough to re-sign in years to come.

Most fans know that, physically, Thomas can… but I’m sure the rookie 300-pounder is doing back flips right about now.

I’ve already run through the Top 10 Games of 2007 when the schedule was first released… but what about the individual matchups Broncos fans can look forward to as the season approaches in a few months? Player versus player… one side of the field against another… the matchups are what make the NFL fun. The top 10 matchups in 2007 are discussed in this edition of Top Ten Tuesdays.

10) Broncos vs. the Super Bowl Teams (again)

In 2005, we played the Patriots and the Eagles, winning both games against the Super Bowl contenders. Last year we faced the Steelers and Seahawks, going 1-1 against the previous year’s Super Bowl entries. This year we will again face the teams that found themselves fighting for the World Championship in the Colts and the Bears. We’ve gone 3-1 in those games… can we improve to 5-1?

9) Tom Nalen vs. Igor Olshansky

The Chop Block/I’m Gonna Punch You in the Head Debate raged on at the end of last year, and there’s no love lost between our epic, heroic center Tom Nalen and the brash and evil Chargers defensive lineman Igor Olshansky (what, you think I’m biased?). Nalen’s legal block gave him a fine and caused much controversy – like from this blog post, stating the Nalen was dirty for chop blocking on that play and Olshansky had the RIGHT to hit him… yeah… ok… crazy. It’s something to watch whenever Jamal Williams steps off the field.

8) Dre Bly vs. Detroit Lions / Denver Broncos vs. George Foster, Tatum Bell

A mess of players will be facing their former teams when we head into Detroit in Week 9. Dre Bly‘s is the most significant in that he played for his team for so long, unlike the few years George Foster and Tatum Bell enjoyed in Denver. Emotions will be high as these players face the teams that were oh-so willing to trade them away.

7) Mike Shanahan vs. Al Davis

Year in and year out, watching Al Davis sweat as his Commitment to Schmexcellence goes out the window is priceless Denver footage. If only all of my readers could give it to their former boss like this every year….

6) Dre Bly vs. Reggie Wayne

Reggie Wayne destroyed our zone defense last year, and many fans somewhat unfairly pinned the blame on second year cornerback Darrent Williams. Will newly acquired former Pro Bowler Dre Bly be able to keep up, especially now that our new-look defense will focus more on man-to-man coverage than our Cover Two scheme did last year?

5) Mike Shanahan vs. Gary Kubiak

Yoda vs. Obi-Wan, anyone? The Houston Texans have stolen Gary Kubiak, Rick Smith, Jeb Putzier and even Shanahan’s own flesh and blood, his son Kyle Shanahan, away from the Broncos. But the real matchup, similar to the preseason game last year, is where Shanny will face Koobs on the NFL Network on Thursday night late in the year. Both coaches now have the quarterbacks they’ve wanted – it promises to be a classic teacher vs. student matchup I’m really looking forward to.

4) Jay Cutler vs. Vince Young

I’m really stoked to show the entire NFL what a real quarterback looks like…. ok, not that I’ll be doing the showing. Jay Cutler‘s arm will be. It really can be considered The Arm vs. The Legs in this Week 11 Monday Night Football duel of these first rounders. Both show a lot of promise and have their fans thinking Super Bowl – can Cutler advance to 2-0 against his first round draft classmates?

3) Champ Bailey vs. Thin Air

In case you’re wondering what the above saying means… don’t expect Champ Bailey to get many balls thrown his way. BUT WHEN HE DOES… but when a ball does just happen to go within 10 feet of #24… pay attention. You’ll be witnessing magic in the making, as one of the all-time greatest perfectionists at his position goes to work. Just going back to the ole TiVo and watching him perform is simply breathtaking. Champ Bailey strikes fear in the heart of every quarterback, and if offensive coordinators have learned anything, it’s “THROW AWAY FROM CHAMP!”.

2) Jay Cutler vs. Shawne Merriman

The ‘roided-out freak of nature Shawne Merriman will try everything he can to deliver a little Lights Out to Jay Cutler when we face San Diego twice this year. This could be re-worded to be the Broncos O-Line vs. Tainted Supplements, but it’s still going to be interesting to watch how Cutler performs under the heat. No one can argue that, legitimate or not, Merriman knows how to get to opposing quarterbacks. Leading the league in sacks in only 12 games proves that. Will Cutler be able to remain cool under fire through four quarters (not just the third) when the AFC West is on the line? We’ll find out.

1) Ladainian Tomlinson vs. the Broncos Defense

Seven touchdowns against the Broncos. Seven. A holy number in Denver tainted by such a horrible defensive performance. Yet no other matchup will mean as much to our season as Ladainian Tomlinson against our new, hopefully re-vamped defense. Will the changes across the entire defense equal San Diego success? As much as I hate the Raiders… as much as I hated the Chiefs two years back for being one of four teams to beat us (and to do it by the ref’s will, but I digress)… it pales in comparison to how much I CAN’T STAND the Chargers this year and want to beat them so badly. Christmas Eve is my Super Bowl… stopping LT is the only way we can hope to beat the Chargers this season and retake the AFC West.

Sorry again this post is coming so late… blame it on the jet lag, combined with working two 12-hour shifts in the two days I’ve been back (yeck)… I’ll be all caught up by this weekend, I promise!

Marcus Thomas, Denver’s fourth round draft pick, officiall signed his contract today.  The four year deal rumored to contain a signing bonus of $428k, is likely heavy on incentives as well as penalties for improper actions. 

Although I don’t see any serious risk of Thomas doing anything to ruin his chances to make the team, his drug use and failure to make curfew at Florida cost him dearly in the draft as he slid into the second day.  It also resulted in a steal for the Broncos, as Marcus had been projected as a top ten lineman on pure talent.  If Thomas can make the leap to the pro-level, the pick up will go down as a real gem in Shanahan’s drafting history.

I think Thomas does have the best shot at contributing this year, but we’ll have to see how our crowded D-line shakes out during camp.

Denver’s three other picks (Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder and Ryan Harris) are still working out their contracts with the Broncos.   Denver usually signs its rookies leading up to training camp which begins July 29th.   

Denver Post: FULL STORY

Denverbroncos.com: FULL STORY

So, Rod Smith’s recovery is going slower than expected.  Not all that surprising, but as the wide receiver position is an open competition this year (beyond Javon Walker, of course), it makes Smith a hot topic.  ALL of the major papers and websites have articles running on Smith, who met with reporters after mini-camp wrapped up on Tuesday. 

“Everybody’s body is different.  When you get a little older, it takes a little longer. My body said, ‘No, you’re not (ready).’ I have to listen. The thing is getting ready for football season. I know camp is a part of the season, but football season starts in September. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

— Rod Smith 7/10/07

Article and video on Denverbroncos.com: FULL STORY & VIDEO

Article at Rocky Mountain News: FULL STORY

Notes on Smith in the Denver Post: FULL STORY

Associated Press Article: FULL STORY

Tony Scheffler had a doctor visit on Friday (before mini-camp) that confirmed he is on schedule with his recovery.  That’s good news on an injury that can be problematic.  Scheffler broke his foot (specifically his fifth metatarsal bone) and had to have a screw inserted to repair the split.  That surgery was May 21st, and Tony has been in a boot until last week. 

“I’m kind of in their hands and they’ve stressed to me I should be about ready to go come camp. But it’s kind of hard to guess what will happen in the next two or three weeks.  At this point, I’m not terribly concerned about it.”

— Tony Scheffler 7/10/07

The good news is that Scheffler has continued to work out (his upper body) and has lost 11 pounds from his ill-advised off-season bulking up plan.  The coaches were not pleased with Tony’s idea, and he has managed to lose almost all of the added weight. 

The bright spot during mini-camp was seeing Brandon Stokley, not only in a Denver uniform finally, but actually participating in 7-on-7 drills.  He seems to be ahead of schedule and should be full speed by the preseason (if not camp).  That’s really good news for a position with many questions marks.

The NFC South got completely flipped on its side in 2006 – almost completely reversing the ranks of each team in the division from the year before. If you haven’t noticed, my rankings are pretty wacky as well – I’ve learned through picking division winners throughout the years that sometimes you just have to look at the roster and ignore the wins and losses from the year before.

So when looking at the NFC South, home of the Saints, Panthers, Falcons, and Buccaneers, I’m looking at the roster and ignoring the wins and losses from the year before. And I just might be one of the only NFL fans out there who isn’t flying high with the Saints.

1) Carolina Panthers

You would have to include the Carolina Panthers in the list of “Underachieving Teams” in 2006, along with the Broncos, Bengals and Steelers. They are more talented than their record indicates, and a big part of this was the seeming inexplicable decay of quarterback Jake Delhomme. When I look at the rosters in the division, I would say the Panthers have the best offensive line, the second best quarterback, the second best running back squad, the best wide receiver (possibly in the league), far and away the best defensive line, and solid linebacker corps. and secondary. You can’t look at any point, besides perhaps their depth at receiver since cutting Keyshawn Johnson, as a real weakness. Their coach, John Fox, is the best in the division as well. Look for them to bounce back and head into the playoffs as one of the top seeds in the NFC.

2) New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees is a top 3 quarterback in this league, and he almost singlehandedly turned this team around. But other than that, I don’t see a ton of talent – to me, I see overachievers who haven’t shown they can consistently perform at that level day in and day out. Their offensive line was suspect a few years ago – with few changes last year they suddenly performed very well – can that magic continue? At receiver, Marques Colston broke out from the seventh round and impacted every game he played, but can he stay healthy and can he perform when defenses are centered around him. And don’t get me started on the extremely overrated Reggie Bush – I saw nothing last year to suggest the Texans made a mistake skipping him in the draft. On defense they have a huge gaping hole at cornerback, and their linebacker corps. seems to be full of former, no-longer-wanted Eagles (kinda like the Browncos… maybe the Eagaints?). 10-6 wasn’t that impressive to begin with, but they’ll probably make the playoffs thanks to Brees, Coach Peyton and the underrated running ability of Deuce McAllister.

3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Although aging, there’s talent on this defense, and the Bucs always seem to be a yo-yo team that excels one year, then chokes the next. If that’s the case, they’re due to return to a winning form and behind either Chris Simms, Jeff Garcia or even Jake Plummer, they’ll win 7 or 8 games this year and fall just out of the playoffs.

4) Atlanta Falcons

Michael Vick disgusts me… he’ll get suspended for 4 games or so, maybe more, and the Falcons will be quarterback-less since they just traded away Matt Schaub to the Texans for a couple second-rounders. But even past that, I don’t see any real playmakers on this squad. Loud-mouthed Deangelo Hall shut down nobody last year; Warrick Dunn isn’t what he used to be, and Patrick Kerney has found greener pastures in Seattle (although they could have been much greener in Denver, but I digress…). It will be tough for this team to win 4 or 5 games this year, and I’d be floored if they did anything beyond that.

Not as drastic of a fliparound this time – but I expect the Panthers to return to form while the Saints find themselves in the playoffs as the wildcard. Next Monday it’s the AFC South, home of the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts, along with the Houston Broncos, er Texans. Until then…