Sometimes opening kickoff won’t come soon enough. Welcome to June, NFL fans, the longest stretch of the so-called offseason and the biggest gap before anything significant in the land of the NFL. OTAs and minicamps continue, and we (im)patiently wait for training camps to go underway in July to get this season really going. February has the Super Bowl, ending the previous season. In March, Free Agency begins. April sees the continuation of team spending sprees, culminating in the “Super Bowl of the Offseason” in the NFL Draft. In May, you’re studying your teams’ drafts, meeting rookies and reading grades by the so-called experts.

So what the hell is there to do in June? Consider this the Football Addicts’ Survival Guide – how to survive June, waiting for your team to take the field in September.

In depth interviews with the players and coaches who were there helped launch America’s Game to critical success. Photo Courtesy

10) Watch America’s Game

NFL Network’s superb America’s Game series features each Super Bowl champion and their road to glory. If you don’t have the NFL Network, you need to get it ASAP. I have Dish Network (as opposed to DirecTV, which also carries NFL Network), which is much more affordable at only around $30 a month, and that includes the NFL Network with the basic package. You can also order the DVD versions at a pricy $25 per episode online – I ordered mine in March, and they are finally shipping soon (according to the people I talk to at customer service).

9) Do Chores

Get everything done that you can now, newlyweds. The Honey-Do List doesn’t go away when the season starts, and for most hard working married men, Sundays constitute half of your free time during the football season. Word from the wise – the more you get done now, the less you’ll have to do later. Organize the garage. Clean out the shed. Set up a drip system for your wife’s garden, and plant some flowers for her too. Paint the walls and fix the twenty something things that need fixing. That way you’ll be fully ready to keep your focus to football on Sunday afternoons in the fall (oh, and for anything that DOES come up during the season, get it done on the Saturday prior. You’ll thank me later).

8) Watch other sports

We all know nothing compares to the NFL. I’m not at all a hockey or NASCAR fan, and I’m a very mild baseball fan. I am, however, a solid fan of the NBA, and I’m still reeling from the heartbreaking loss my Suns suffered about two weeks ago. Go Cavs, please crush the Spurs, if for no other reason than to put a wicked, satisfied smile on my face knowing San Antonio choked big time.

7) Troll Chargers/Chiefs/Raiders Boards

I don’t actually do this, but I hear it’s fun – Broncos fans, feel free to raid (no pun intended) various message boards of web sites focused on our AFC West counterparts. Healthy debates and dialogue mixed with respectful feelings of admiration encouraged, of course.

6) E-mail Adam Schein

If you don’t have Sirius Satellite Radio, go and get it now. There are plenty of affordable plans and units, and you will learn more about football than you ever imagined from Channel 124 – Sirius NFL Radio. You can even listen on the Internet now, so you literally have no excuse not to. Once you do, be sure to send the host of the Afternoon Blitz, a semi-celebrity in his own right, Adam Schein, a line. I love sending my e-mails for the E-mail Wednesday editions, and nothing gets me more fired up than hearing Schein talk Broncos. Last year he correctly predicted that the Broncos weren’t equipped to make a run – this year he says we’re in the mix and it gets me fired up every time I hear it. Drop him a line at aschein@siriusradio.com.

5) Early FF Mock Drafts

The rebirth of the regular season also means the return of the fantasy season, and BroncoTalk has you covered. While I prefer ESPN’s fantasy football service, they aren’t drafting yet, so you’ll have to turn to the #1 fantasy provider in Yahoo! Fantasy Sports for your early fix. If you’ve never tried fantasy football, I highly recommend you try it – it’s a ton of fun. I’ll also likely be starting a BroncoTalk League of 12 people for a little fun within the site.

4) Madden was made for a reason

The Madden video game franchise is all that NFL fans have to quench their NFL thirst this year – ever since they snagged the exclusive rights to the franchise, it’s been our only option (if you can’t tell, I preferred the ESPN games by Sega). It’s still helluva lotta fun, especially since in the virtual version of football our defense can actually slow down Peyton Manning.

3) Play football

Watching football is fun – playing it can be much more fun. The hardest part is getting a group of guys willing to knock the snout of each other, but if you have that, take advantage. I’m a big guy myself at 6-3, 300 lbs., so I’m used to providing the blocks for my rotation of quarterbacks throughout the course of a game. It’s healthy, it’s fun, and it’s way better than golf.

2) Coach football

Giving back isn’t something we should only expect from our superstar athletes. One of my most rewarding experiences was volunteering to coach for my local pop warner team last year. With practices usually starting in late June / early July, it’s a great way to do something constructive that can make a difference for our young neighbors.

1) Start a blog

Perhaps I’m a bit biased when it comes to my #1 way to kill time – I started this blog in February of this year, and it’s helped me kill time like you wouldn’t believe. I love providing stuff for you, the reader, and I can’t wait to finish updating to the domain (broncotalk.net) so I can get more community-driven content like comments and perhaps even forums. If you want to get started in the blogosphere, head over to WordPress and get yours for free. Whatever you call it, it will have the convenient subdomain of yourtitle.wordpress.com. Drop me a line and I’ll be glad to link to it from this site.

We’re still three months away from kickoff, but at least in July and August we’ll be talking about training camp and preseason games and real fantasy drafts. June doesn’t offer much in the way of news and action, so you have to take it upon yourself to make the time fly by. Take advantage of my tips and you might be able to survive the dredge fest that is June for the NFL fan.

Now that Sam Adams has signed his one year deal with Denver, he has only one serious hurdle to pass before making the team. While his 13 seasons spent stuffing the run will certainly give him wisdom and an edge when learning Bates new system, his biggest challenge will come via Rich Tuten.

“I’m not worried about the system; I’m worried about the altitude and Rich Tuten. People understand early that this is a little bit different of a strength and conditioning program. It doesn’t matter who you are – you run here. That’s my big concern.”

— John Lynch 6/4/07

John raises a great point. Lynch spent his off-season in an intense boxing training program just to keep himself in the top shape necessary to tackle Tuten’s strength and conditioning (S&C) program. Brandon Marshall spent time at a WR retreat where S&C was a big part of the program for the same reason. Even our highest paid off-season acquisitions, Travis Henry and Daniel Graham, have commented on how demanding Tuten’s S&C program can be.

Enter Sam Adams at a scale busting 350lbs. Add to this the fact that Adams has recently been dogged by complaints that he’s out of shape. The last few years he actually spent the Bengal’s Training Camp working with their strength and conditioning coaches rather than drilling on the practice field with his teammates. And, after being released last month, he visited with the Rams – who were unsatisfied with the results of his physical and elected not to sign him.

However, none of that hindered Mike Shanahan — who had dinner with Adams last week when he visited Denver. I’m pretty sure they discussed Rich Tuten.

And now Adams will find himself under that not-so-loving care as Tuten and his staff prepare the team for a season of football. If Adams can embrace this program, he might find it well worth the sweat and pain. Adams is also coming off a minor knee surgery this off-season and there are few NFL teams that can claim to have the track record of Greek and Tuten when it comes to getting players back on the field.

Here’s a look at the D-linemen we currently have on the team by weight:

DT Sam Adams 6’4″ – 350lbs — Just signed as a free agent

DT Gerard Warren 6’4″ – 325 lbs

DT Antwon Burton 6’2″ – 318lbs

DT Amon Gordon 6’2″ – 305lbs

DT Marcus Thomas 6’3″ – 296lbs — Fourth-round draft pick from Florida

DT Alvin McKinley 6’3″ – 295lbs — Signed as a free agent

DT Demetrin Veal 6’2″ – 288lbs

DE Kenny Peterson 6’3″ – 285lbs

DT Steven Harris 6’5″ – 285lbs — Undrafted rookie free agent from Florida

DE Ebenezer Ekuban 6’4″ – 275lbs

DE Tim Crowder 6’4″ – 271lbs — Second-round draft pick from Texas

DE Carlos Hall 6’4″ – 259lbs — Signed as a free agent

DE Kenard Lang 6’3″ – 257lbs

DE John Engelberger 6’4″ – 252lbs

DE Jarvis Moss 6’6″ – 251lbs — First-round draft pick from Florida

DE Elvis Dumervil 5’11” – 250lbs

FURTHER STORY in the Denver Post

FURTHER STORY in the Rocky Mountain News

FULL STORY at DenverBroncos.com

Adams adds girth to an already deep DT rotation. Photo Courtesy

It seems that Dre Bly, Travis Henry, Daniel Graham, D.D. Lewis, Warrick Holdman, Brandon Stokley, Todd Sauerbrun, Alvin McKinley, Patrick Ramsey, Montrae Holland, and Paul Smith weren’t enough for Mike Shanahan‘s tastes after our 9-7 showing last season (did I miss anyone?). After failing to land Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson through trade in March, Shanahan and new Assistant Coach/Defense Jim Bates have been looking to add a beefy run stuffer in the middle of our defensive line. After interest from the Patriots, Texans, and Seahawks was evident, Sam Adams visited Denver and the Broncos weren’t about to let him leave without a contract. He signs a one year deal that adds plenty of depth to our DT position.

It’s exciting to hear news like this in the deepest dredge of the offseason. June is my least favorite month for football talk – what with Training Camps and the like still over a month away, and little news to speak of. But this signing is exciting, if only for the fact that it’s news – in June!

But now, in all seriousness, it’s a great move by the Broncos. We face Ladainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson twice a year – no other division can boast that echelon of running prowess. Reports indicate that Adams has lost weight, but I don’t expect the journeyman veteran to play at anything less than 350 lbs., making him a huge roadblock for any opposing offensive line. My concern is his injury history, and of course, his stamina.

Fans of my blog have read my concerns, no, my pleas, for the Broncos to do everything in their power to BEAT THE COLTS. Heaven forbid Peyton Manning goes no huddle with Sam Adams stuck on the defensive line, gasping for air between plays. Remember that Adams will be playing a role in our defense – likely on first and second downs only, and possibly on third and shorts against predominantly running teams. It adds depth to our rotation, which is always a good move – hopefully Adams can catch a spark and rejuvenate his career, here in his 5th city in 6 years.

The NFL’s new alcohol policy has not stopped Mike Shanahan from ordering more Sam Adams…. 

Broncos have signed yet another veteran to their team.  This time it’s defensive tackle Sam Adams. 

Adams turns 34 this month, and after working for five other NFL teams, the 6′ 4″, 340lbs Adams gives Denver the big player in the middle of it’s D-line that Jim Bates likes. 

“Adams is a proven defender versus the run, a mammoth inside presence who regularly commands double-team blocking, and who can engulf offensive linemen. A classic two-gap player, he rarely registers impressive tackle numbers, but his value has never been measured by statistics. By typically occupying two blockers on running downs, he usually allows other defenders to flow to the football.”

— Len Pasquarelli for ESPN. com 6/4/07

 OTHER ADAMS NOTES: 

  Adams has a total of 44 sacks in his 13 NFL seasons.

  Adams has made three Pro Bowl teams (the last in 2004 while with Buffalo).

  He was selected in the 1st round (8th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1994 NFL Draft.

  Adams has played for Seattle, Baltimore, Oakland, Buffalo and Cincinnati. 

  He won a Super Bowl with the Ravins (Super Bowl XXXV) but lost one with the Raiders (XXXVII).

  Adams will be the 13th veteran the Broncos have added this offseason. 

  Broncos defensive line coach Bill Johnson coached Adams at Texas A&M.

  His nickname is “The Man Mountain”.

  He is the son of Sam Adams Sr. (who played offensive guard for the Patriots and Saints).

 FULL STORY at DenverBroncos.com

FULL STORY at ESPN.com

Quick Hits is a new (actually re-instated; I had used it when this blog first got started in February 2007) feature of BroncoTalk.net that gives me the opportunity to share some stories with you that are worth reading. Most of these stories may not need me to go into further detail than what is already presented in these articles – but sometimes I just have to add to them anyways. In other words, if there’s not enough for a full-blown blog post, you’ll find it under Quick Hits.

• Cecil Sapp looks good in minicamp, and could even compete with Mike Bell as our #2 guy behind Travis Henry at tailback.
• MHR goes to Fan Fair 07 in a move that makes me green with envy. Have fun Sports Guru.
• Wearing #8 and looking good, Patrick Ramsey is impressing the Broncos staff as one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league.

Mark Fenton would likely see his first playing time in 2008. Photo Courtesy

The Denver Post reports that the Broncos are trying to pull a Matt Lepsis – bringing in an undrafted offensive lineman from Colorado to anchor our line for years to come. Center Mark Fenton, who earned First-Team Big 12 Honors as a Junior in 2005, could fit that bill well.

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 295 Pos: C/G Class: Senior 40-Time: 5.09

On Mark Fenton:

The biggest knock on Fenton has always been his size – well, scratch that off the list. He’s a Denver Bronco now, and everyone knows Broncos love smaller O-Linemen to actively execute our zone blocking running game. Given that he’s in Denver now, the biggest con would be his apparent lack of natural athleticism when it comes to speed and agility. Not the fastest “small” offensive lineman, Fenton would need to increase his speed and reflexes to adjust to our complicated system.

That being said, he would be one of the larger linemen on our squad at just shy of 300 lbs. Right now the Broncos have him playing guard instead of center, where he played in college (interestingly enough, he was originally recruited out of high school as a Defensive Lineman). Fenton says the transition is going well, and he looks forward to the competition at right guard to come in Training Camp.

“If you can play center, you can play guard. There isn’t much difference. … I’m playing with grown men now. When you’re in college, you’re also a student. But at this level, everybody is responsible for their own actions. I like it.”

Fenton was also a finalist (top 6) for the Rimington Award in 2005, which is given to the nation’s best center. So why did he fall out of the draft? A big part of that has to do with injury concerns, mostly revolving around his broken leg he suffered this past year. He also pulled a calf muscle while running his 40 time. If Fenton can stay healthy, Broncos fans can look forward to him making his first real contributions in 2008. Remember that in our system, it usually takes a player several years to learn it and contribute. Even Lepsis didn’t play a game until his sophomore season, and he didn’t start a game until his junior year. But Shanahan and Sundquist have a knack for finding quality linemen late in the draft – hopefully Mark Fenton turns out to be another success story at guard, and possibly, ultimately, center.

The 2007 Draft is the Super Bowl of the offseason – its popularity and coverage has grown so much over the years that the NBA playoffs are showed on ESPN2 – while the Draft is given full coverage on ESPN through the second round. Think about that – one league’s PLAYOFFS are bumped down to secondary status so another league’s offseason event can get full support. Incredible.

As in all drafts, there were winners and losers this past April 28-29, and the losers have been well documented. My choice for best draft didn’t make a huge splash in the first round – hell, in my Top 10 draft picks countdown, they didn’t have a single entry. However, this team would be all over 11-15, with solid choice after solid choice.

The BroncoTalk Offseason Award for Best Draft goes to…

The Carolina Panthers

HONORABLE MENTION:
2) The Cleveland Browns
3) San Francisco 49ers

The Panthers hope Jarrett finds paydirt for them, too.

The Panthers cleaned up on Day 1, and the real difference is that they didn’t need to mortgage their 2008 draft to do it. The first trade of the day sent the Panthers an extra 2nd rounder for their 14th overall, and the Jets took outstanding CB Darrelle Revis. At 25, with the Jets’ pick, they selected Jon Beason, one of the top-ranked LBs who could play either inside our outside. With their two second rounders, they selected WR Dwayne Jarrett and C Ryan Kalil, both out of USC. Both could have been first rounders, so the Panthers really cleaned up. Finishing up on Day 1, they chose Defensive End Charles Johnson in the third round. They finished up with 2 5th rounders and a 7th rounder, and in a word, cleaned up.

Who would you rather have, Darrelle Revis, or Jon Beason, Dwayne Jarrett, and Ryan Kalil?

While maybe not as flashy as the Browns’ or Niners’ draft, both with 2 first rounders, the Panthers’ draft was full of all the guys that should have been in the first round. When the Chargers and Colts both select WRs, and neither of them are Jarrett (I mean, San Diego’s Craig Davis had 7 career TDs. Indianapolis’ Anthony Gonzales had 11. Jarret – a mere 41 career TDs), you know someone’s going to get great value in the second round with Jarrett falling.

The BroncoTalk Offseason Awards continue next week as I run down the best free agent signings (and, of course, the worst). My plans for the last few weeks is for reader input to help influence who wins which awards based on the nominees – look for this to start with the Least Improved Special Teams and Most Improved Special Teams in two weeks. Until then.

The BroncoTalk Offseason Awards continue! Today I reveal the worst draft of 2007, and it’s also the first tie of the BOAs. Both drafts were do bad, I couldn’t choose who to pound on more. On to the BOA!

The BroncoTalk Offseason Award for Worst Draft goes to…

IT’S A TIE! The Tennessee Titans and the Green Bay Packers
HONORABLE MENTION:
3) San Diego Chargers

The Titans reached for Michael Griffin with the 19th pick.

I know that Michael Griffin was my top ranked Safety behind LaRon Landry. But that still doesn’t mean Tennessee should have snagged him at 19. He would have been available in the late first and could have even fallen to 19 in the second round. Then they follow that up by choosing Chris Henry in the second round, a workout warrior who was less than productive in Arizona. Bad job by the Titans.

Equally bad was the job done by the Green Bay Packers, who saw their main target Marshawn Lynch fall to the Bills at 12 ahead of their 16th pick. So what do they do? Reach, and I mean REACH, for a Defensive Tackle in Justin Harrell, then follow up that pick by trading down in the 2nd and selecting Brandon Jackson, another reach for a runningback from Nebraska. In what will likely be Brett Favre‘s last year, the Packers did little to nothing to improve their team for the coming year.

Tomorrow I’ll run down the best draft, and if you really want, I’ll give you a hint. What’s that? You’re really dying for a hint? Oh. Well alright then, just one little hint.

It’s not the Cleveland Browns.

Preseason star David Kircus gained Shanahan’s trust over the weekend. Photo Courtesy

Brandon Marshall and David Kircus have been making all the wrong headlines this offseason, both finding themselves on the wrong side of the law.

In March, Marshall was charged with a lesser-known type of domestic voilence – namely, misdemeanor kidnapping – when he blocked his girlfriend’s taxi, refusing to let her leave. Reports were conflicting, but Marshall’s attorney insisted the charges would be dropped. It looks like he was right – just this week, the charges were dropped and Marshall is free to focus on being our starter in Rod Smith‘s absence.

Adding fuel to the fire was the recent arrest of preseason wonder boy David Kircus, whose big plays in those meaningless games highlighted his upside and bright future as a Bronco. Kircus reportedly struck a man in the face at a late night/early morning party last week, causing severe structural damage to the man’s face (ouch). 2nd degree assault charges were filed, and Mike Shanahan said in a press release that Kircus would not remain on the team if it showed he was in fault for the incident.

Well, Denver can let out a collective sigh of relief yesterday as it was announced that Shanahan has decided to back Kircus in regards to his off-field incident. While the situation is still pending where the law is concerned, Kircus reportedly volunteered to take a lie detector test to clear his name. According to Shanahan, he passed with flying colors, stating that Kircus was defending himself in the incident.

Of course, polygraphs are not admissable as evidence in legal situations, but at least Kircus’ future with the team is solidified as OTAs continue in Colorado.

David Kircus WILL be with the team regardless of the outcome of his trial…

Mike Shanahan said today that David offered to take a lie detector test to prove that he did not take the first swing in the fight that lead to his assault arrest. Shanahan has used lie detectors tests before and had been pleased with the results, so he allowed Kircus to take the test.

“I said, ‘Well, David, I’ll give you a chance to take a lie-detector test,’ and he wanted to do that, and he passed it with flying colors, so he will be on our football team.”

— Mike Shanahan 5/29/07

When asked what would have happened if he had failed the test, Shanahan answered:

“If he flunked the test, he would not be with us. But he wanted to take the test. He said, ‘Coach, if I flunk it, I won’t be on this football team. If I do pass it, I’ll be on this team.’ I said, ‘Hey, that’s fair enough for me.’ Anybody that wants to go in there and take a lie detector test where his career is based on whether it comes out positive or negative, I’ve got a good feeling about.”

— Mike Shanahan 5/29/07

I think this will also bode well for David’s upcoming legal battle. I mean, if you can convince Mike Shanahan, you have a pretty good shoot with the jury! Let‘s hope so, as Kircus has shown truly promising ability last year and I was looking for an even better showing this year.

FULL STORY on DenverBroncos.com

FULL STORY at the Denver Post

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