Pick ‘Em Mondays on BroncoTalk continue, and today I’m picking the winner of the AFC East. OK… let’s get that out of the way. The Patriots are Vegas’ favorite team to win it all this year, so who am I to try and argue they won’t even win the division? But what about ranks 2-4? Ranking the teams of the AFC East is my task today as I continue one of the many Segments I run each weekday.

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On Sirius NFL Radio, they feature a two-minute news flash update twice an hour called the two-minute drill. Any recent signings, trades, cuts, etc. are brought up, as well as clips from recent interviews reviewing the recent top stories.

Lately, the two-minute drill has become nothing more than a glorified police blotter. With the recent arrest of Adam “Pacman” Jones, the circumstances surrounding Michael Vick‘s alleged dog fighting ring, as well as the possible trouble Terry “Tank” Johnson is in again with a thin DUI, having high character players on your roster has never been a more pertinent issue. And to the surprise of many, including myself, Mike Shanahan and Ted Sundquist have not shied away from making moves to grab high-risk players this offseason. We have at least six potential high-impact players in 2007 that are on a “one-strike-and-you’re-out” basis. To say they’re on thin ice could be the understatement of this arrest-filled offseason.

1. Todd Sauerbrun

Punter Todd Sauerbrun was brought back to the Broncos after he was cut last year. He’s already had enough strikes in Shanahan’s mind, but he’s getting that all too rare and special “second chance.” Broncos fans all know that after his four-game suspension was announced during training camp, Paul Ernster played admirably for us, particularly in the defensive and special teams slugfest against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. So the Broncos brass let the 3-time Pro Bowl punter go. Ernster didn’t follow up his early performances with similar ones all the time, and ultimately the moves were made to bring back Sauerbrun. He knows, though, that if he even thinks about touching the illegal weight-loss supplement ephedra again, he won’t be wearing orange and blue in the future.

2. Brandon Marshall

With Rod Smith‘s future probably the biggest question coming into this season, the pressure is on second-year receiver Brandon Marshall to step up and take the reigns of this Broncos receiving corps. But earlier this year, Marshall was making the police blotter as reports indicated that he had been charged with misdemeanor kidnapping.

Yeah, misdemeanor kidnapping – like anyone had any idea that that crime even existed. Apparently Marshall allegedly blocked his girlfriend’s taxi with his car, and some reports even indicated that he was shouting at the cab driver and even slammed his fist into the car. Ultimately the charges were dropped, but when Shanahan was asked before the Draft how he was handling the Marshall situation, he simply stated that he knows it won’t happen again. And as I said then, that’s good enough for me.

3. David Kircus

Another Broncos receiver made the police blotter this offseason, as young up-and-comer David Kircus was arrested for assault about a month ago. Kircus insisted on taking a lie detector test to prove his innocence, and in the Court of Shanahan, that was enough to warrant keeping him on the team. Much like Marshall, another incident involving the real courts and Kircus could be looking for work elsewhere.

4. Marcus Thomas

The shortest leash has to belong to Marcus Thomas, whose first-round talent fell all the way into the Broncos’ laps in the fourth round. He has a history of disobedience and rebellion in college, but his potential is so great that the Broncos decided the risk was worth it. And now this talented troublemaker finds himself at a turning point in life, and so far so good. But one joint and the game’s over for Thomas – Shanahan and Sundquist aren’t going to put up with the egg on their faces that a violation of their agreement would impose.

5. Jarvis Moss

Another Florida rookie is on thin ice – our first round defensive end Jarvis Moss has also had a history with marijuana and will need to make sure he stays clean to see the field. I’m not as concerned about Jarvis – he got a second chance at Florida, just like Thomas did, except that he took advantage of the opportunity and stayed clean, finishing his college career with a once-in-a-lifetime performance at the BCS Championship Game. Expect big things from this talent.

6. Travis Henry

The best free agent signing of the offseason could become the worst the second Travis Henry touches a joint again. He’s one violation away from a full year suspension – but the good news is that the NFL’s substance abuse policy rotates its violators out of the system after two years. Henry is on the cusp of that success, but he’s not there yet and until he reaches the point where he is rotated out of the system, Broncos fans have a legitimate fear. Without Henry we’ll be relying on Mike Bell to carry most of the load – and while he had moments last year, he doesn’t have the experience or history of making the big plays consistently that Henry does.

Why do I bring all of this up now, you ask? For both fans and players, we are in the deepest muck of the NFL offseason. Players are bored, waiting for training camp (and in the Broncos’ case, minicamp), and if there was ever a time for idle hands to do their dirty work, it’s now. Staying focused on the prize will be the only way the Broncos can hope to make a run this offseason. For fans, we’re counting on all of our players, not just the ones mentioned, to stay out of trouble and and out of the police blotter.

Well, it’s not unheard of for players to move between division rivals. In fact, sometimes it’s the best thing that can happen to a player. In 2001, Eddie Kennison retired (the day before a game) from Denver only to ‘unretire’ the next week. When the dust settled he was playing for Denver’s divisional rival KC. As a Chief, Kennison has experienced a career boost – posting more than 800 yards receiving in each of the past six years (including two +1000 yard years).

Now, the rumor circulating Kansas City is that their former starting safety Greg Wesley is looking to leave the team. Denver has expressed interest and it looks like they may have even offered a draft pick for the safety. However, the Chiefs are in a bad position. They don’t want to give Denver a player they would have to face twice a year (especially one with inside info on all aspects of their game). Adding Wesley to Denver’s already wicked secondary is not something the Chiefs relish. This is making them very hesitant to pull the trigger on the deal.

However, with Wesley unhappy and KC looking to unload his $2.7M base salary, if they don’t do the deal with Denver they will be forced to cut Wesley. In that case Denver could sign Wesley without giving KC a dime – which is just as undesirable for the Chiefs.

Either way, it is likely that Denver will end up with Wesley. In that case he will join the best secondary in the NFL. And if working with Champ Bailey, John Lynch and the newly revamped Defense isn’t enough to help Wesley’s career, maybe two games against his former team will.

We can only hope so! :)

Kansas City Star Article: FULL STORY

Greg Wesley’s NFL stats: LINK

2001 Article on Eddie Kennison’s Move to KC: FULL STORY

Edit: 6/24/07 7:50am

It’s worth nothing that TSG over at the Mile High Report has a very good point about this story…

“In reality this story, which you have heard nothing of in the Denver media, was probably leaked by the Chiefs in hopes of generating interest in the seven-year vet around the league. “

— The Sports Guru 7/22/07

TSG’s Insight on this trade talk: FULL STORY

The Kansas City Star reports that the Chiefs and Broncos, bitter AFC West rivals, are talking trade. I mentioned in yesterday’s AFC West Watch – Secondary post that Safety Greg Wesley was disgruntled, and now it seems my #4 ranked secondary is willing to make my #1 ranked unit even better.

From the article:

Of course, the rivalry between the Chiefs and Broncos will likely get in the way of this deal getting done, and so the Chiefs will likely cut Wesley anyway. In which case we could pursue the Safety for free.

It does make me wonder how we can possibly afford all of these players, and how in the world we’re going to re-sign defensive playmakers like D.J. Williams and Champ Bailey in the next year or two. I wouldn’t mind the trade – Wesley has had better stats than any of our Safeties besides John Lynch over the past two years. His $2.7 million base salary is pricey, though, and so I would much better prefer picking him up in free agency, where his price tag is possibly lower and the compensation is null.

Of course, the Chiefs know this… hence the real possibility that the Broncos could be dealing with the enemy, and that the deal could come to fruition in the next few days.

“… And can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day walking in, sing a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. Now then, friends, they may think it’s a movement…. And that’s what it is….”

— from Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie

For those of you not aware of the Free Thump Belton Movement, let me bring you up to speed…

Back in March, a Denver Broncos fan with the screen name Fan In Exile read a post on the message board about players on the roster that would certainly be cut before the regular season. He was struck most by the negative nature of the post and the way purported fans ridiculed these unknown Broncos.

“It really irritated me first because we on the board aren’t pro-talent evaluators, and it was only march. So I decided I wanted to cheer for someone who really looked like he wouldn’t make the team, instead of just writing him off as camp fodder. I mean these are real people chasing their dreams – that’s worth cheering on.”

— Fan in Exile 6/21/07

That decision lead him to review the list composed by the author of the post. Among the list, was a name he had never seen before (anywhere) — Fullback Thump Belton.

Thump Belton was picked up by the Broncos in late 2006. He had not played a game in the NFL although he spent 2004 and 2005 on the practice squads of Detroit and Chicago. Without pro experience and sitting behind guys like Kyle Johnson, Troy Fleming, Cecil Sapp and Paul Smith, Belton looked like the perfect long-shot to root for. However, Fan In Exile did not just pick Belton because of his long odds –he liked the idea of a fullback named THUMP.

Now that he had his player picked out, it was time to activate the masses. And with an elegant post including a quote from Animal House, the Free Thump Belton Movement was launched!

“So here’s the plan, we start a movement. We come up with sigs and a slogan. We do everything we can to make sure he stays with the team and becomes the starting fullback. Then we can make signs and posters and tee-shirts and go to games it will be awesome.”

— Fan In Exile 3/8/07

FULL THREAD

Now, more than three months after his first post, the Free Thump Belton Movement has picked up some momentum. In recent articles on Thump, Andrew Mason from denverbroncos.com referred to the Movement and it is even found it’s way into Belton’s Wikipidia page.

“I have been surprised. I didn’t know Andrew even read the boards much less that he noticed the Free Thump Belton Movement. It also surprised me that someone would put it on Thump’s Wikipedia page. I think it’s pretty cool.”

— Fan In Exile 6/21/07

And as articles on Belton began coming out, we learned more about this relatively unknown player.

Belton, it turns out, was one of the hottest recruits in North Carolina after rushing for 1,327 yards and 18 touchdowns during his senior year at West Charlotte High School. Syracuse recruited him heavily, but Belton was declared academically ineligible because of his SAT scores.

Belton had to spend two years in a Junior college before he could jump to a Division-I school. To add further hardship, Thump tore his ACL this first year at community college, thus ending his first college football season. In the end, it may have been the best thing that could have happened to him. With no football distractions, Belton concentrated on his academics and it paid off. He took 23 credits during three semesters and graduated half a year early.

In January 2001, he transferred to Syracuse where he saw action in every game his first season and rushed for 57 yards on nine attempts. In all Belton totaled 327 yards on 61 carries (5.3 avg) during his years at Syracuse.

After college Belton was picked up as an undrafted free agent by Detroit where he spent 2004 on the practice squad. When Chicago offered him a roster spot, he dashed North in a heartbeat. However, in Sept. of last year, after another year on another practice squad, Chicago cut him loose. With no teams interested, Belton went home to North Carolina and spent the end of last year teaching and coaching at a local High School.

In December last year, the Broncos called and offered him a chance to come into camp to compete for a roster spot. And so, with little fanfare, Thump Belton entered the mile high city and began working with Rich Tuten in Denver’s off-season conditioning program. Preparing himself, as best he can, for the coming fight for a place on the Broncos roster.

Fan In Exile, has learned much about the player he picked for his nickname in March. So, what’s impressed him most about his Movement’s star?

“First that he said his experience brought him back to his faith. I’m a pastor as well as a Broncos fan so I look at this and think it’s great that he’s looking after his spiritual well being first. Next, it’s impressive that he took full responsibility for why he wasn’t with Detroit and Chicago anymore, I think that’s the sign of a quality person. Next it’s impressive that his job was substitute teaching at a High School and coaching high school football. I think this shows he isn’t just looking for a high paying job, but thinks about others, and loves football, which I find pretty cool.”

— Fan In Exile 6/21/07

And what if the ‘Fullback with a Fullback’s name’ makes the team?

“I think that depends on where he is on the depth chart. If he’s a back-up I could celebrate with a Start Thump Belton movement. If he’s the starter maybe a Give Thump the Ball movement. “

— Fan In Exile 6/21/07

Whatever happens, I agree with my exiled friend. Thump Belton is more than just ‘camp fodder’ or ‘filler’. Like every other unknown player, he has a story. He has beliefs and passion. He has the desire to play football and is willing to work toward that dream. Few people will lay aside their stable jobs and move away from their families to follow their dreams, but many NFL players do that every year.

It seems to me that many members of the media (and some fans) seem to occasionally cross the line between speculating and mockery. Between analyzing and cruelty.

I would challenge fans of the Broncos to be more like Fan In Exile. Whether you join the Free Thump Belton Movement, or choose another of our newest and most unknown players, I would encourage you to pick a favorite. Learn about them. Cheer for them. Talk to other fans about them. Make it personal. To me, that’s what it’s all about.

I, myself, am pulling for Andre Hall and a handful of others… however, I would like to think I have an honorary membership in the Free Thump Belton Movement. :)

Getting to Know Thump Belton at Denverboncos.com: FULL STORY

Andrew Mason’s Bonus Blog on Thump: FULL POST

Syracuse’s Daily Orange newspaper article from 9/20/02: FULL ARTICLE

P.S. If you haven’t seen Animal House, please do yourself a favor and rent it.

Williams to be honored through the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center. Photo Courtesy

DenverBroncos.com reports that funding has been approved for the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center, the refurbishing of an abandoned Boys and Girls club in Denver, CO to be named after the departed Broncos cornerback. It’s a very appropriate Memorial in that it keeps the wishes of Williams at its heart: Williams had stated that he was to begin work helping troubled teens this offseason before he was tragically shot down on January 1.

The Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center will feature a lifesize bronze statue of the cornerback, with a wall intended for a mural to honor his life. But the real treasure in regards to this Center is its focus on helping teens in Denver, CO. An excerpt from the article on DenverBroncos.com:

The Broncos decided to support the teen center concept after much debate on how to best honor Williams’ memory. Vice president of community development Cindy Galloway Kellogg said creating a lasting legacy was top of mind.

The article goes on to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been raised specifically for this project through the Mike Shanahan Golf Classic and through the Denver Broncos license plate sales.

The Broncos have done just what VP Kellogg had in mind – honoring Williams not only in name, statues and murals, but in honoring his life’s legacy and helping his loved ones know that his impact will be felt in the lives of teens for years to come. What a great way to honor Williams – as a Broncos fan, I’m proud of this organization for doing something so right and good in the face of such a tragedy. Williams will always be kept fondly in our hearts, and now generations to come will know what Williams meant to his family, friends, and fans.

The AFC West Watch segment of BroncoTalk continues, and today the Secondaries are up for debate. Every Friday I rank a unit of each team in the West 1-4 based on talent and how I feel the group will perform in 2007.

So this week, it’s the Secondaries that are under debate, and I can tell you right now that the Broncos are shoo-ins for #1. I mean, it’s not even close. Stack up Champ Bailey, Dre Bly and John Lynch against anything the other teams can bring and it’s not even close.

John Lynch and the late Darrent William team up to take down Texans RB Wali Lundy in a 2006 preseason game. Photo Courtesy

1) Denver Broncos

CORNERBACKS: Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, Domonique Foxworth
SAFETIES: John Lynch, Nick Ferguson, Sam Brandon

The Broncos secondary is one of the most talented units, on paper, in the entire NFL. But every secondary can be suspect when an adequate pass rush isn’t there, and this has been the cures the Broncos have suffered for several seasons now. With the entire revamping of our defensive line via Jim Bates and the hundred or so players we’ve brought in, I expect our pass rush to improve with this infusion of young talent complemented by veteran leadership (that doesn’t come from Cleveland).

2) Oakland Raiders

CORNERBACKS: Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, Stanford Routte
SAFETIES: Stuart Schweigert, Michael Huff, Jarrod Cooper

The Oakland Raiders’ secondary is led by up-and-coming star Nnamdi Asomugha, who had 0 interceptions during his 3-year career until he had 8 last year. Meanwhile, another young star seems to be blossoming in the Raiders secondary in second year safety Michael Huff, who played in all 16 games last year and racked up over 70 tackles in the process. He wasn’t exactly turning heads last year, and Schweigert is still “the man” back there, but I look for him to make strides this year, particularly in pass defense and interception tally. Don’t forget, Broncos fans, as much as we hate to admit it, that the Raiders defense played admirably last year. I’ve heard the excuses about “not playing our best offense” against such a bad team, but the talent is there and so they get spot #2 today.

3) San Diego Chargers

CORNERBACKS: Drayton Florence, Quentin Jammer, Antonio Cromartie
SAFETIES: Marlon McCree, Clinton Hart, Eric Weddle

I think the cornerbacks in San Diego, particularly Drayton Florence, are a bit underrated. I mentioned earlier this week that I’ve been watching the worst performance of our season, the Week 14 loss at San Diego, very carefully, and studying what we need to do to improve. I also watched it again just for this post, and I came away impressed with the Chargers secondary. I also dug a bit deeper in my research – and Javon Walker and Rod Smith had their worst statistical games against the Chargers than any other team in the West (interesting of note: the two receivers only scored one touchdown total in the games against the AFC West). I definitely attribute part of this to the fierce pass rush, but some of it is definitely the tight coverage. For instance, in the game I’ve been re-watching, Florence was batting down passes left and right, against the strong-armed Cutler, nearly picking him off twice. Jammer wasn’t too shabby either, and last year rookie Cromartie was impressively quick in punt returns. Add in their safeties, who are servicable, complimented by 2nd round pick Eric Weddle this year who will surely grow, and the Chargers somewhat underrated unit trumps the overrated unit of…

4) Kansas City Chiefs

CORNERBACKS: Ty Law, Patrick Surtain, Benny Sapp
SAFETIES: Greg Wesley, Bernard Pollard, Jarrad Page

On paper, the Chiefs have one of the best cornerback tandems in the National Football League. But on paper doesn’t matter, and the unit was disappointing to say the least last season. A total of 5 interceptions between former Pro Bowlers Law and Surtain just won’t get the job done. And while Greg Wesley is a solid safety, despite any recent contract dispute news, he isn’t enough of a star to save the Chiefs from bottom-of-the-barrel status. I think the Chiefs easily have the potential to trump the Chargers in terms of picks and just dominance in the back 4 this year – it was a very close call between them. In the end I figured the Chargers’ younger unit would improve, while the Chiefs’ aging secondary might not be much better than they were last year – hell, they’re more likely to get worse as Law and Surtain age.

There you go, the second installment of AFC West Watch is in the books. I plan on using a scientific equation of my design to determine the AFC West rankings, based on the rankings of each unit – no, I’m not kidding. It’s kinda my thing being a Computer Science and Mathematics double major. Right now the Broncos are seeing a clear path to the top – but as I start to look at the runningback situation of each team next week, and the linebacker corps. the week after, that’s likely to change.

Debate my rankings with the Comments below. I’m always looking forward to hearing your thoughts, now that I finally have a Comments system.

We’ve entered the final dead period between the first OTA days and fast and furious time of mini/training camp next month. Most of the Broncos are taking time off and so are sportswriters and mainstream media types. So, where does that leave all of us obsessed fans?

Here are three activities that might assist you during this football drought…

Join a Denver Broncos forum — Why not chat with other die-hard fans while we wait? My personal favorite is Broncomania, but I also participate in BroncoFreak, and Orange Mane.

Check out Mile High Report — The Sports Guru never takes time off and has undertaken the job of breaking down each position on our roster during this down time. So far we’ve gotten to hear his opinion on: TE, DT, O-LINE, DE, QB, LB, RB, Safety with more to come soon.

Watch YouTube — There are several great Broncos YouTube clips out there. Some of my favorites are Cutler to Walker, Tips from Champ Bailey, and Cutler Beats UT. And if walking down memory lane is your thing, we have TD’s Tokyo Hit (1998), John Elway Classic Scrabbling, When We Where Kings and the complete John Elway Retirement Press Conference (in eight parts).

The Best Broncos Clip on YouTube is this one on Champ Bailey!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMzlLjs6i9g]

For those of you still doubting that Greg Eslinger will become a member of our 53 man roster this year, please listen carefully… 

The Denver Post is reporting that Eslinger was just named to the All-NFL Europa team for his efforts this year.  He started all 10 games for the Cologne Centurions, where he helped his O-line produce the league leading rusher Derrick Ross reach 802 yards. 

This is just one more reminder that the Minnesota center that trumped alumni Ben Hamlton’s stats while in college is heading in the right direction for a permanent home on the Denver roster.

Check out my ealier post on Eslinger:  HERE

Denver Post Article: FULL STORY

According to Real Football 365, Titans quarterback and reigning Rookie of the Year Vince Young suffered a calf injury during practice today and was held out of practice. Of course, we all know about the Madden video game curse – it looks like it may have given the young QB a warning shot.

I said it when the cover was announced – I want to see Jay Cutler and Vince Young go at it late in the year on Monday Night Football in November. Is there a better reason to see the Broncos and Titans go at it? Luckily this injury isn’t serious, but it’s something to talk about so it goes under the good ol’ Quick Hits category. Young should be fine, but watch out for that curse, man. Next year just let Ladainian Tomlinson grace the cover, alright?