July 31, 2011

Broncos Day 7: Training Camp, Signings, News

**ahaha, Orton stares Tebow down... probably mad that the young QB is a threat to his starting job he so cushionally had when McDumby was here. Gotta earn your way boy!!**

Today's training camp at Dove Valley was a hot one and the boys were in pads for 3 hours. Hope they stayed VERY hydrated as a good portion of the day was spent doing red zone drills which no doubt kept attention of the full crowd.

LB DJ Williams sat out the practice for reasons unknown. He sat out the Saturday morning practice but participated in the Saturday evening walkthrough.

Both 11-on-11 scrimmage sessions were spent entirely on red zone drills and while they had some big plays throughout practice, none drew quite the cheers from the crowd than none other than a Tim Tebow play. Tebow was scrambling to his left, heading towards out of bounds going backwards when he managed to throw it long to rookie Mark Dell and the rookie came up big catching the ball over a chunk of our defensive backs. Leave it to Tebow to get the crowd going.

Rookie TE Julius Thomas also had a big day catching a big pass from Brady Quinn and holding on to it for the score after being leveled by LB Braxton Kelley. His other big catch, also a big TD score, came from Tebow in 7-on-7 drills.

In a 1-on-1 drill, it was Brandon Lloyd vs. Champ Bailey (I'm sure this was a sight to see), but Lloyd was the one that came up with the catch, reaching over Bailey to grab the touchdown.

Eric Decker looked mighty fine today as well, catching passes from fellow Minnesota teammate & QB, Adam Weber.

During the second scrimmage session, Dumervil scooped up a fumble near the end zone and took off running with a full head of steam. RB Knowshon Moreno, who wasn’t in this drill, was unaware of this and wandered right into Dumervil’s path. Dumervil gave him a big stiff arm as he ran by that almost knocked Moreno on his backside. (I can just picture that one going down. HA Poor kid).

Picture of the day:

And this HOT picture is for that cheerleader post you put up and thought I wouldn't notice. lol I just saw that you had put it up, not that I'm surprised. Timmy is Yummy!!! :D


Offbeat moment of the day:

The newly elected mayor of Denver visited the practice today, visiting with team officials and observing the practice from the sidelines.

Signings:

Denver waived LB Dominic Douglas; and signed TE Daniel Fells to a one-year contract

In bigger news, Denver managed to get DL Marcus Thomas back and signed him to a one-year contract today. I think we really needed that; I think this was a smart move to grab him back up considering our D needs all the help it can get.

Broncos agreed to terms with TE Daniel Fells on a one-year contract. Denver's tight end picture is now crowded, which is bad news for Dan Gronkowski and possibly even reputed blocking specialist Richard Quinn. Fells is expected to get the first shot at the starting job, but he offers little blocking and even less after-the-catch burst.

Broncos agreed to terms with TE Dante Rosario, formerly of the Panthers. Reunited with coach John Fox, Rosario is expected compete with Dan Gronkowski for the Broncos' "off-the-line" tight end job. It's an indication that rookies Virgil Green and Julius Thomas won't be rushed into the lineup early in the season.

As expected, Denver restructured the contract of safety Brian Dawkins and finalized the deal for running back Willis McGahee. Both were procedural moves. The deal was completed Friday evening. Dawkins will be the Broncos’ starting strong safety this year. He will help bring along rookie Rahim Moore, the Broncos’ first of two second-round draft picks who is expected to start at free safety.

Meanwhile, former Denver defensive tackle Ron Fields went to Miami. He is now with Mike Nolan on his third team, joining the Broncos and 49ers. The Broncos are visiting with former New England defensive lineman Ty Warren and there is a chance he signs with them. Ty Warren, a Texas native and A&M alum, is leaving Denver without a contract to visit with the Texans.

Defensive tackle Jamaal Anderson is coming for a visit, the No. 8 overall draft pick in 2007 but who was a disappointment for the Atlanta Falcons.

Vonta Leach, in whom the Broncos had reportedly shown interest, has agreed to a 3-year deal worth a reported $11M with the Ravens.

Key notes:

Tim Tebow had a nice 7-on-7 session throwing some long TD passes to two rookies, Julius Thomas & Mark Dell.

Newly signed WR David Anderson & RB Willis McGahee just observed, they did not practice today.

Eric Decker spent some time today taking punt returns... looks like he'll be our go-to guy for that this season like he was last year. Eddie Royal also joined on the return practice.

Elvis Dumervil worked with rookie Von Miller in 1-on-1 pass-rushing drills... and Dawkins spent some time working with another rookie, S Rahim Moore, on coverage techniques

News around the league:

NFL reports that the Dolphins are looking into QB Matt Moore since talks with Denver quarterback Kyle Orton are "dead". Doesn't look promising Orton will be traded, which I'm on the fence about. I'd much rather have an experienced QB with Tebow than someone like Quinn who just never seems promising, ever. Despite what Andrew Mason may see at TC practices. No offense to Andrew. But I get why Denver is holding on to Quinn... plain & simple no one wants him yet we're stuck paying him to warm the bench.

And I just thought this was interesting since he is as former Bronco. Honestly, I think it explains A LOT about him and why he acted the way he did while in Denver. Here's the story about Brandon Marshall & his confession that he was diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) earlier this year.

Check this out, Matt Willis, Ninja Warrior, haha (Willis just became one of my favourite players, Aussie).

July 30, 2011

Broncos Report - Training Camp and Signings continue

Another day and still no DTs and Orton hasn't been traded. So yeah not sure what is doing with our Broncos. Hopefully we get some DTs in camp soon.

Broncos signed RB Willis McGahee to a four-year, $10 million contract.They're different terms than were reported Friday, but McGahee is nevertheless a Bronco. Set to turn 30 and coming off a season in which his production fell off dramatically, McGahee's best fantasy bet for 2011 is a repeat of his 2010, where he vultured a good amount of goal-line carries from Ray Rice

Broncos signed WR David Anderson, formerly of the Texans.Anderson can play special teams and was on GM Brian Xanders' radar last offseason when the Broncos approached him about a restricted free agent offer sheet. The 28-year-old slot receiver type is unlikely to see many snaps on offense.

Broncos released FS Renaldo Hill. Hill missed Thursday's practice with dehydration and was seen walking to the weight room instead of practicing Friday. In the meantime, second-rounder Rahim Moore has joined the starting lineup. Hill held his own at age 31 last season, but the Broncos weren't going to pay his $2.4 million salary.

Ty Warren, the former first-round draft pick who was released Friday by the New England Patriots, will visit the Broncos tonight, according to an NFL source. The Broncos have a defensive tackle position ready to be filled, and at 320-plus pounds Warren can fill it. Warren was a 5-technique defensive end in the Patriots’ 3-4 defense but he would fit as a nose/3-technique defensive tackle in the Broncos’ 4-3. Warren, 30, had 7 1/2 sacks 2006, but has battled injuries the past three seasons, including a hip injury that forced him to miss all of last season. A visit does not mean Warren will sign. The Broncos visited with three players Friday _ tight end Daniel Fells and defensive tackles Derek Landri and Jason Hatcher _ and all left without a contract, although the team will continue negotiating with each.

Free agent DT Marcus Thomas recently made a visit to visit club headquarters of an "east coast team."The team is unidentified. Thomas is best suited to play in a 4-3 defense, and the Broncos can offer that. Denver still has interest in re-signing him.Officially, it’s called a free-agent visit. The Broncos will bring unrestricted free agent Marcus Thomas, who played for them the previous four years, into Dove Valley headquarters for a visit.

Imagine the Broncos’ recruiting pitch: “Now over here, Marcus, is where you ate three meals a day for the past four years … ”’ Anyway, we can only assume Thomas is really coming in for a physical and to prove he’s in shape. At which, he would likely get a deal done to stay with the Broncos. -DenverPost.com

The Carolina Panthers released veteran defensive end Tyler Brayton on Friday. Brayton, a former University of Colorado slatwart, could be a fit with the Broncos as a versatile lineman who could back up Robert Ayers at left defensive end and play inside on passing downs. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Brayton played the past three years for Broncos coach John Fox in Carolina. Brayton had a combined 9 1/2 sacks in 2008-09.

Louis Leonard and Kevin Vickerson are working as the Broncos' starting defensive tackles early in camp.The Broncos were reported to have set up Friday visits with Jason Hatcher and Derek Landri, but otherwise they haven't been taking their interior defensive line situation seriously all offseason. Leonard, a former undrafted free agent, has five career starts in four seasons and one career sack. This will remain a defense to target for fantasy running backs. - Rotoworld.com

The Miami Herald confirms that the Dolphins' attempts to trade for Kyle Orton are not over.The main stumbling block here appears to be Orton, who is entering the final year of his contract, agreeing to a new deal with the Dolphins. If the Broncos inform Orton that he won't be starting over Tim Tebow, perhaps he'll see an opportunity to beat out Chad Henne in Miami and lower his demands. We'll be hearing plenty more about this situation over the next week.

The Broncos will not release Kyle Orton, according to the Denver Post.The Broncos would owe Orton $2.9 million in salary on top of his $1.5 million roster bonus if they cut him. In other words, it's not happening. He's also wisely not willing to take a paycut on a long-term deal when he could simply hit the open market as a free agent next season. The Denver media continues to say a deal is dead while the Miami media says a trade is still very possible.

Andrew Mason is reporting that Tebow continues to struggle in training camp.  Brady Quinn participated ahead of him in one team drill today.   Is it fair to wonder if the Orton trade rumors affected him a lot more than Orton?

All rookies that were injured yesterday managed to participate today showing no signs of ill effects which is good. But I am still wondering what is going on? Hoping to have a few new DTs soon. ~ Aussie.

July 29, 2011

Broncos Report - Training Camp, Injuries and FA signings


Today went from ok, to bad, to worse, back to ok as news flitered out from Dove Valley. Check it out below.

The Denver Broncos have made their first splash in the free agent market, reportedly coming to terms with free agent running back Willis McGahee on a 3-year contract. According to Pro Football Talk, the deal is worth $7.5 million with $3 million guaranteed. Jason LaConfora, however, tweeted moments later that there wasn't an agreement with McGahee. There's some confusion on the McGahee front. Checked with more sources and told no deal with DEN. Team likely to workout RBs this weekend. Why the confusion? Simple, the Broncos can't talk to Willis McGahee until the official personnel list is released by the NFL at around 4PM et this afternoon.

According to the Oregonian, Miami is signing former Panthers QB Matt Moore to a two-year deal worth $5M that could reach $7.5M with playing time incentives. Not sure how much this will figure in the Denver/Miami/Orton talks, but it has to count for something. As Klis confirms and has been pretty clear all along, the Orton deal has broken down due to Orton and Miami not agreeing on a contract - it wasn't about compensation to Denver. Meanwhile, Dave Hyde of the Sun-Sentinel says the deal is dead "barring unforeseen circumstances." Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald says Orton is seeking "Kolb type money" from the Dolphins. NFL.com reports the Dolphins are still interested in Orton. That would be good news for Denver.NFL Network's Michelle Beisner reports the Dolphins never made an official trade offer for Kyle Orton.It's a good bet the two sides at least discussed the parameters of the deal, but it never graduated to the next step without a long-term contract agreement with Orton. We still don't believe we've heard the last of the Dolphins and Orton.

The Pats have released 6'5" 300 lb. DE Ty Warren; Ted Bartlett thinks he'd be a fit for Denver; he was a 4-3 DT at Texas A&M. Meanwhile, TJ thinks Warren would be a versatile piece for Dennis Allen's defense.

The Broncos have finalized the contract of Nate Irving. All 2011 draftees are now signed.

Matt Prater has signed his $1.835M tender. Like Matt Prater, Wesley Woodyard has also signed his $1.835M tender but cannot practice until Aug. 4. Can't say I knew this was a likelihood, but Ryan McBean is back with the team after signing an exclusive rights tender, they probably wanted him back as we couldn't get any DTs.

The Broncos' players voted unanimously to ratify the new CBA and recertify the NFLPA as a union

Brandon Mebane has decided to return to the Seahawks.

Linebacker Von Miller, the Broncos' first-round draft pick, limped slightly as he walked off the field with about an hour left in today's practice. After practice, head coach John Fox confirmed that Miller is day-to-day with a bruised quadricep. Later in practice, Carter took a ride on a cart across the field, but got up and walked under his own power into the locker room as well.

Luckily The two Broncos rookies who left practice early Friday with apparent injuries should return to the field soon. First-round pick Von Miller suffered a bruise, while safety Quinton Carter (a fourth-round pick) had “heat stress.” It was the first full practice for both players. Fox didn’t give a specific timeline for either player’s return, but neither malady is believed to be serious.

Orlando Franklin and Julius Thomas both were treated for cramps. The new guys better acclimate fast because temperatures are forecast to be in the 90s all weekend.

The Broncos have released RB Correll Buckhalter and TE Daniel Coats, and waived RB Mike McLaughlin. It was announced that Buckhalter would be let go on Monday, presumably for salary cap relief purposes; he was due to make $1.92M in salary and count for $2.47M against the salary cap. His release will provide the team with $1.47M in cap relief.

Check out DenverPost.com for a good analysis of today's camp.

So that is the skinny of it, let me know what you think. ~ Aussie

July 28, 2011

Broncos Day 4 - Training Camp, Signings and hopefully Trades

First day of Training camp begins and all rookies are now signed. Lets check out the news...

According to the Arizona Republic, the Cardinals identified Kevin Kolb as their quarterback priority due to concerns about Kyle Orton on third downs and in the red zone. Orton finished at the bottom of the pack in passer rating in both situations, usually a sign of poor arm strength and questionable decision-making. The Cardinals believe Orton has proven to be a mediocre starter, more of a place-holder than a solution. It's quite possible that Kevin Kolb will have similar issues of his own.

Broncos signed No. 45 overall pick S Rahim Moore to a four-year contract.

Broncos signed No. 108 overall pick Quinton Carter to a four-year, $2.49 million contract. Carter is coming off an All-America selection after a fantastic season at Oklahoma. More of a long-term NFL prospect, he'll likely start out on special teams behind veterans Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill.

Broncos agreed to terms with No. 2 overall pick OLB Von Miller on a four-year, $21 million contract. The rookie salary system has taken all of the drama out of the early first-round signings. The good news is that prolonged holdouts will soon be vestigial -- even the notoriously slow moving Bengals have their top pick in the bag. Widely considered the most explosive edge rusher in the draft, Miller is expected to step right into the starting strong-side job in coach John Fox's defense.

The Rams have begun talks with free agent DT Justin Bannan. The Rams and Broncos appear to be in on the same defensive tackles. St. Louis isn't considered a serious contender for Brandon Mebane, so Bannan could be a fallback option.

According to ESPN's John Clayton, a Kyle Orton "won't happen" until the Broncos get a better offer. "That could still happen," says Clayton, "but they will keep him for now." The Broncos are trying salvage decent value for Orton when it's widely believed they could end up releasing him and going with Tim Tebow as the starter. We'll find out if the Dolphins have legitimate interest in Vince Young after all.

The Miami Herald suggests the Kyle Orton "stare-down" could last until August 4, when teams must get under the salary cap. The Dolphins know that the market for Orton has dried up, eliminating all of the Broncos' leverage. So Denver goes out and makes Orton the first-team quarterback Thursday, a likely bluff to get Miami to blink. The Dolphins reportedly have some restructuring of their own to do before bringing in Orton, so this is going to take a little time. We still think he'll end up Miami and Tim Tebow will be Denver's starter.

Update: Eagles agreed to terms with QB Vince Young on a one-year contract. The Dolphins have reportedly touched base with free agent Matt Moore as a fallback option in case the Broncos don't come around on Kyle Orton. To me it looks like the Broncos wanted to much for Orton, say a second. Dolphins said well we can get Young. Young now has signed with the Eagles. The Dolphins still trying to cover they buff have looked at Moore. But Moore is a big down grade over Orton. Expect the two sides to agree on a trade. I still say a 3rd that esclates to a 2nd (say if Orton throws 4000 yards) would be good.

Kyle Orton was the first-team quarterback as the Broncos opened training camp practice on Thursday. Tim Tebow, the Broncos' likely Week 1starter, was second string. Brady Quinn worked with the threes and undrafted rookie Adam Weber was on the fourth team. The Broncos are still in trade talks about Orton, so it's surprising that they let him practice. If Orton blew out an ACL and needed to go on injured reserve, all of his nearly $9M in salary and bonuses would be guaranteed.

Broncos FS Renaldo Hill was not present as the team began training camp practices on Thursday. The beat writers believe Hill has been released. It's also possible that the Broncos gave him permission to seek a trade, although that would result in Hill's eventual release as well. The 32-year-old is due a $2.4 million base salary this season. The Broncos plucked two promising safeties in the draft.

Broncos signed No. 67 overall pick Nate Irving to a four-year contract. Working in Irving's favor is his athleticism and the weakness in the middle of the Broncos' defense. Working against him is John Fox's age-old refusal to start rookies. Fox did do it with Jon Beason in Carolina, which makes us think he may move Irving along quickly as well. The former North Carolina State star and Bill Parcells favorite will battle veteran Joe Mays.

Broncos signed No. 46 overall pick RT Orlando Franklin to a four-year, $4.35 million contract. The Broncos love Franklin's potential as a mauling run blocker, but he's considered a work in progress in pass protection. That could be a rookie-season issue as he guards Tim Tebow's blindside.

ESPN's John Clayton reports that the Broncos are holding out for a second- or third-round pick in a Kyle Orton trade. Clayton suggested the Dolphins have yet to meet that demand, instead offering a "four or a five." The Fins have blown so many second-round draft picks on quarterbacks in recent years (Pat White, John Beck, Chad Henne) that we're a bit surprised they wouldn't want to shore up the QB spot with a top-15 NFL passer like Orton. They're also working on a Reggie Bush deal, of course.

He said his current expectation is to be the Broncos’ starter. “I expect to be here,” Orton said. “I expect to be the starter here and go out there and play the best football of my career.”

Mays is the starting MLB....for now. - DenverPost.com

Heap of photos from the first practice, click here.

Quinn also had the first day's best line. Asked if there was any tension between Orton and Tebow, Quinn said: "Look, if you're going to ask questions about football, ask questions about football. I'm not here to talk about anyone's relationship status. Save that for Twitter or Facebook or some message board."

Orton looks better than Tebow in practice, well who would have thought, he is a veteran of 4 season and Tebow a few games. Lets see what happens in August (if Orton is still here).

The Broncos will host DL Jason Hatcher for a free agent visit on Friday. The Cowboys already lost Stephen Bowen to the division rival Redskins, and they're in danger of missing out on Hatcher, too. Dallas' third free agent defensive end, Marcus Spears, is drawing scant interest on the market. It appears the Cowboys' pursuit of Cullen Jenkins is costing them players. In Denver, the 6-foot-6, 311-pound Hatcher would likely move to tackle.

Klis confirms that DT Derek Landri will be visiting the Broncos tomorrow.

How are these for classic Bill Belichick moves? This morning, he traded a fifth-rounder for Albert Haynesworth, and now he's dealt a late 2012 pick and a late 2013 pick for Chad Johnson.

Sacco says the Irving deal is not quite done yet, and why wasn't Rahim Moore already in town?!

Renaldo Hill, wasn’t at practice today. Head Coach John Fox said after the session that Hill was absent due to dehydration. Demaryius Thomas walked onto the field late in the session, posting up on the sideline as he watched his teammates run through practice. He posted on Twitter this morning that it’s “time to get work in…mentally.“

"The last drill of practice had Assistant Special Teams Coach Keith Burns bouncing a soccer ball near the goal line. One player’s job was to leap in the air and tip the ball without stepping into the end zone, and another had to field it inside the 5-yard line and avoid a touchback. That created plenty of laughs, and a light-hearted argument from Perrish Cox when it was ruled he stepped on the line. “I wasn’t in!” he protested."..... :P

Robert Ayers was back to wearing No. 56 in the afternoon session. He was wearing 91 in the morning session, but Fields (A former player) took expectation to this. When Fields is officially released Ayers will get his number. I was wrong, as per DP.com, Ayers said Thursday evening that the folks at Reebok told him that he would have to pay a large amount of money to switch numbers now because of remaining inventory of his No. 56 jerseys. Ayers said Reebok told him one figure yesterday, a number he was OK with, and then a different — and much larger — figure Thursday afternoon. Ayers is hoping to work out a deal with Reebok that will allow him to make the switch to No. 91 — the number he wore in college — this year. Worst case, he makes the switch in 2012, when the league makes the switch to Nike apparel.

From what I heard sounds like practice is going well. ~ Aussie.

July 27, 2011

Broncos Day 3 - Signing Draft picks, Free Agents, Trades and more

Here we go again with another crazy day, as before I will do my best to update throughout the day.

DeAngelo Williams will remain with the Panthers, NFL Network's Michael Lombardi reported, receiving a new deal worth $43 million over five years with $21 million guaranteed.

FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reports the Seahawks have agreed to terms with Sidney Rice on a five-year contract, $41 million contract.

According to Klis, the Broncos and Dolphins have been "feverishly working on" the Orton trade, and only a new contract is left, not that that's a trifling detail. The Broncos' players, including Orton, have left the building for lunch and will be back for John Fox's opening meeting at the top of the hour. Klis figures that Orton will not be among the attendees. - IAOFM.com

Hearing that the only hold up in the Orton to Fins deal is Orton signing a new contract, from twitter through IAOFM.com.

According to the Denver Post, a Kyle Orton trade was no longer "imminent" as of late Wednesday night. Orton attended morning and evening meetings at Broncos headquarters, and the team expects him back for the first training camp workout Thursday. The Miami Herald is reporting that Orton's camp is still in talks with multiple teams, including the Broncos, and that a trade would involve "many moving parts." Orton will restructure his contract as part of a deal, and he could be waiting for the Cardinals situation to finalize.

Mike Lombardi says the Broncos are competing with St. Louis, Seattle, and one unnamed team in the Brandon Mebane sweepstakes.

According to Adam Schefter, the Broncos have dealt WR Jabar Gaffney to Washington in return for DE Jeremy Jarmon. Jarmon was a third-round pick out of Kentucky by the Redskins in the 2009 supplemental draft and has played in 16 games over the past two seasons (starting one). Meanwhile, Mike Lombardi says the Broncos would have cut Gaffney had they been unable to trade him. Gaffney's departure should mean more playing time for second-year receiver Eric Decker and increases the likelihood that either Matthew Willis or Britt Davis will stick around.

The Broncos are planning to bring in St. Louis right end Daniel Fells on Friday in an attempt to sign him. - ESPN.com

Complete list of Undrafted FA on DenverPost.com, check it out here, also has more information on each player.

The Broncos have shown interest in free agent S Eric Smith. The Jets are also working to re-sign him. Denver is loaded to the brim at safety, so that wouldn't seem like a particularly desirable landing spot for Smith. The Broncos just drafted their safety tandem of the future in FS Rahim Moore and SS Quinton Carter. Brian Dawkins is also supposedly coming back. - Rotoworld.com

Broncos placed WR Demaryius Thomas (Achilles tendon surgery) on the non-football injury list. No surprise here. It's just a procedural move so that Thomas will be eligible for the list into the season. After undergoing his surgery in March, Thomas is unlikely to be ready to play before Thanksgiving at best.

Broncos signed No. 204 overall pick TE Virgil Green to a four-year, $2.16 million contract. One of the most physically impressive tight ends in the draft, Green was also highly productive at Nevada. He slipped to the seventh round due to a four-year old knee injury. Expected to man the "move" tight end role in Denver, Green will make a more immediate impact than fourth-rounder Julius Thomas. Yeah first one in the books!

IAOFM.com says Draft choices Julius Thomas and Mike Mohamed have been signed along with Virgil Green. Broncos still finalizing contracts of our other picks. Rotoworld now confirming that, Mohamed and Thomas are now signed as Broncos. 3 down, more still to come. Check out Elway's twitter for more.

Broncos signed No. 247 overall pick Jeremy Beal to a four-year contract. Beal was an incredibly productive pass rusher at Oklahoma, but scouts believe he lacks the athleticism to last in the pros despite all his domination of the Big 12 conference. Beal will have to fight for a reserve role as a rookie. 4 down.

The Broncos have also expressed interest in Miami’s Tony McDaniel. The Broncos are also still negotiating with their own Marcus Thomas. - DP.com

Free agent DT Daniel Muir is reportedly drawing interest from the Broncos and Rams. Not exactly consolation for losing out on Brandon Mebane. The Broncos are interested in seemingly every defensive tackle available, so their inclusion is no surprise. Muir is more of a rotational tackle than starter-caliber.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch concedes that it "doesn't appear likely" free agent DT Brandon Mebane will sign with the Rams. The Rams are said to be concentrating on defense, but the Broncos and Seahawks have been more aggressive on Mebane. The 26-year-old is expected to get "expensive" before deciding on a team.

The Broncos also made one of their first calls of free agency to Cowboys defensive end Stephen Bowen. Bowen has been durable in his career having played 16 games in three of the last four seasons and 14 in the fourth one. He’s also 27 and may be able to play both inside and outside in the Broncos’ scheme. The Broncos have tried to get Bowen to commit to a visit, but he’s a popular target and will be difficult for the Broncos to land. So it is official, if you are a DT the Broncos need you haha.

Stayed tuned for more throughout the day as more news comes ~ Aussie.

July 26, 2011

Broncos Day 2 - Signed UDFA and Players return

Well here we go with more news, I will try to update throughout the day when more news comes...

Broncos seem to be adding Minnesota QB Adam Weber, former teammate of Eric Decker.

Final list of UDFA that have agreed to be with the Broncos:

CB Brandon Bing, Rutger
WR Mark Dell, Michigan State
RB Mario Fannin, Auburn
WR Jamel Hamler, Fresno State
CB Chris Harris, Kansas
FB Patrick Hill, Miami
TE Justin Jones, Utah
LB Deron Mayo, Old Dominion
OT Curt Porter, Jacksonville State
CB James Rogers, Michigan
QB Adam Weber, Minnesota
DT Colby Whitlock, Texas Tecvh
WR Marshall Williams, Wake Forest

Looks like G Bryant Browning, who was originally reported as agreeing with Denver, but ultimately he chose to join the St. Louis Rams.

Nick Bellore is apparently headed to the Jets instead of Denver.

FB Patrick Hill has decided to join the Titans instead of the Broncos (thanks Digger).

Miller said he’s eager to be Robin to Dumervil’s Batman. But what about Ayers and Weapon X?

Weight watchers, Knowshon lost a few, as did Vickerson. But Doom has put on weight.

About 20 players at Dove Valley in first 90 minutes. Tim Tebow among first players to arrive at Dove Valley.

Orton is on the trading block, with interest from Arizona & Miami. And now also the Titans. Don't expect Orton to be traded until Hasselbeck is signed, the loser for his services will want Orton.

Miller doesn't want to miss any camp time by holding out.

Charles Johnson resigns with the Panthers. The Broncos were apparently in on the bidding for his services.

According to NFP's Aaron Wilson, Willis McGahee is interested in possibly joining the Broncos. ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms the interest between Willis McGahee and the Broncos is mutual. McGahee is eying Denver, and the Broncos apparently view him as a fallback option if they lose out on DeAngelo Williams.

Broncos training camp has been set. Check the webpage here or the blog page for details.

Reports Veteran LB Paul Posluszny agreed to terms on a six-year deal with the Jaguars, a league source said Tuesday. That is a bummer, I personally was hoping we would go after Posluszny, he is a solid LB that could have helped the corps greatly.

Broncos pushing to re-sign Marcus Thomas, as reported by DP.com

Also Kevin Kolb is still the Cardinals' top choice, according to the Arizona Republic. The Cardinals also had trade discussions Tuesday with the Broncos about Kyle Orton and expressed interest in both Matt Hasselbeck and Marc Bulger. But now that they have the leverage against the Eagles, they can hold out for the deal they want. The Republic says the Cardinals are "willing to part with starting cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but the two sides apparently can't agree on other parts of the deal." The Eagles likely want a first- or second-round pick in addition to DRC. Lets wait and see what happens.

Redskins agreed to terms with DT Barry Cofield on a six-year contract. So he is now off our list, also heard the Seahawks are trying hard to resign DT Mebane so we may yet again miss out on DTs.

This was on ESPN, 'I hear the Broncos are clearing cap room and want to be players for key defenders.' That is good news, but the Broncos have yet to be seen in FA.

Stay tuned for more to come. ~ Aussie

July 25, 2011

Broncos Day 1 - Undrafted FA

Well it has begun, I will try to update this and keep everyone as up-to-date as possible.

Broncos informed RB Correll Buckhalter of his release - from Rotoworld.com
FOX 31 Denver's Josina Anderson suggests Buckhalter could return at a lesser salary than the $1.92 million he was due, but we doubt it. Going on age 33, Buckhalter petered out with a career-worst 2.49 yards-per-carry average last season. It's not out of the question that the former Eagle's NFL career is over.

Rutgers cornerback Brandon Bing announced via his Twitter that he’s going to be a Bronco. Jason Baum, Rutgers Associate Athletic Director for Communications at Rutgers University (read: Sports Information Director), also Tweeted the same. Update, 9:35 p.m.: Other players whose names have been linked to the Broncos include Kansas cornerback Chris Harris (who wrote it on his Twitter page); Michigan cornerback James Rogers; Miami fullback Patrick Hill; Toledo tight end Justin Jones; and Ohio State guard Bryant Browning. - from DP.com

NT Ian Williams agreed to go to the 49ers.

10:38pm ET - According to @NFLDraftInsider, the Broncos have agreed to terms with undrafted rookies RB Mario Fannin from Auburn, FB Patrick Hill from Miami and WR Mark Dell from Michigan State, G Bryant Browning from Ohio State, LB Nick Bellore of Central Michigan, and DE Deron Mayo from Old Dominion, younger brother of Pats LB Jerod. According to @NEPatriotsDraft Denver has also signed WR Marshall Williams from Wake Forest, TE Justin Jones from Toledo and CB James Rogers from Michigan, and DT Colby Whitlock of Texas Tech. Rutgers CB Brandon Bing says he's also agreed to join the Broncos, so does Kansas DB Chris Harris. According to @Ethanhamm, Denver has also added OT Curt Porter out of Jacksonville State. - from IAOFM.com, Rotoworld now saying the same thing on RB Fannin.

Looks like the Broncos have begun to make moves. ~ Aussie.

Football is Back!

That is right, after over 4 months the deal has been done and football is back.

Check the NFL.com article for more info...

Prepare for some quick action as Football starts up again and if you are like me, you can't wait for Free Agency. Lets get this football party started!

I am thinking that I will struggle to keep up with all the news coming out of Dove Valley. So I was thinking of just doing a days recap of those events to keep everyone up-to-date. ~ Aussie


July 21, 2011

Broncos Cheerleaders Calendar Shoot

We are drawing very close to the end of the work stoppage and we should return to football very soon. With that joyous feeling I thought it would be good to share with you these lovely ladies. About this time every year the Broncos Cheerleaders have a calendar shoot which is hot and steamy. I know you guys don't frequent much at DenverBroncos.com anymore so I am more than happy to share these with you. Plus with Princess still MIA after America's devastating loss to Japan I thought this would be the perfect time to throw this up. So while Princess is away the boys will play. Click for larger images. Enjoy...






























July 17, 2011

The Helmet Issue

This article is on an idea or an issue that I have been thinking about for a little while now. It goes back to the helmet and concussions discussion that we had last year but on a little different tangent. This is all about the little guys, not the professional players, but what is the NFL (Riddell) going to do or help out the numerous other players that play the beautiful sport of gridiron. I am talking about the issue of new quality head gear and it’s availability to everyone else not in the NFL, NCAA and I would think some high schools.

The helmet first began as a strap on leather helmet in the early years of the 20th century. It was developed as such for the better part of 40 years before John Riddell and his son created hard plastic helmets. From there they have been developed to what we have today. The helmet was originally developed to prevent head injuries and skull fractures. The face mask was included to protect the good looks of players. But it wasn’t till the being of this century that the focus of helmet design changed to better protect the brain and prevent brain trauma including concussions. It took over a century for us to decide to protect one of if not the most important part of our body being the brain.

One reason I believe it took so long is we are only now seeing the effects and gathering the scientific data that brain trauma is having on retired players from that era. It’s thanks to great players like Steve Young and Troy Aikman giving significant exposure to the issue of concussions. It is no coincidence that two years after Aikman retired that one of the first helmets was release and designed to help reduce the likely hood of concussions, the Riddell Revolution.

Recently Riddell released their new helmet the 360. It is the first helmet really designed specifically to prevent brain trauma and concussions. This is because the front of the helmet has been redesigned. As a MMA fan and a bit of a boxing fan I know and most of you can assume that getting knocked out or rocked happens when you get smashed in the face. And the same is for football. Not often is someone smacking you real hard in the back of the head.

This is an extract from Technology Review on the new helmet and the issues with concussions:

The Riddell 360 reduces the force of impact to the front of a player's head, where 70 percent of hits occur and where 70 percent of concussions result from hits to the front of the helmet. The average player sustains an estimated 950 impacts to the head during a season. These hits could result not only in concussions but also long-term brain damage.

Riddell has gathered statistics on head injuries using its own HIT technology, a system that employs sensor-equipped helmets to measure the location, magnitude, and direction of hits experienced during a game or practice. To date, the system has gathered data on over 1.5 million head impacts. The NFL recently announced that it will use the HIT technology to measure head impacts during the 2011 season. The league is working to advance the system and build new sensors that can be placed not just around the top of the helmet, but also behind a player's ear and in a mouthpiece for more accurate readings.

Riddell redesigned key aspects of the helmet to better protect its front section. Faceguards are normally made of carbon steel and attached to the upper front of the helmet; so when a player gets hit in the face, energy is transferred to the front of the head. In contrast, the facemask on the Riddell 360 is made of a hybrid of carbon steel and a lightweight, flexible material. It's attached to the side of the helmet with hinge clips, which means the faceguard flexes on impact, absorbing more of the energy before returning to its original shape.

Riddell researchers also created a "face frame structure," a continuous padding arrangement made from materials that help reduce the amount of force transmitted to the player's head from a hit to the front of the helmet. The padding inside the helmet has a hexagonal design that forms well to the player's head. And the helmet has an inflatable liner in the side and back for a custom fit. This prevents a player's head from moving around inside the helmet, and keeps the helmet from popping off.

The helmet, priced at over $400, will ship to all Division 1 college teams this spring.

Another major challenge in helmet design is protecting against rotational or angular accelerations, hits that cause a player's head to rotate or spin slightly, which most often lead to concussions. Since 2007, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been funding studies, using the HIT system, to measure how this type of head impact causes injury. The HIT technology measures both rotational and linear acceleration of a player's head. Linear acceleration is the result of a direct hit that causes a player's head to move back and forth. The resulting reaction force is expressed in g-force (with one g being equal to the force of gravity). Research conducted by the NFL has determined that 98 g is the threshold for concussions.

"[Riddell's] helmet concept and design is certainly unique," says Joseph Maroon, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and the team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. "But the problem is that there is a lot about concussions and head injury that we don't fully understand."

This is a key issue for those researching ways to protect football players. A study published in the Journal of Athletic Training in December 2010 found that brain trauma can be caused not only by hits that leave a player woozy, but also by the accumulation of smaller hits.

"The discussion that is happening now is, which hits do you want to protect against? The huge catastrophic concussions, or the smaller hits that a player takes 50 times a day?" says Chris Nowinski, president of the Sports Legacy Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Waltham, Massachusetts, that studies brain injury in athletes. "Frankly, I don't think people know which way to go at this point," says Nowinski.

Rick Greenwald, president of Simbex, a research and product development company in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and principal investigator of the NIH studies using the HIT system, says researchers still don't know how much rotational motion causes a concussion, and therefore don't know how much they need to reduce it in order to prevent concussions.

Nowinski says brain trauma and concussions are always going to be a problem in helmeted sports. "There is a lot about head injuries that we don't know and don't understand," he says, "and that is going to be true for a very long time."

From the extract you can see that Riddell is taking big steps forward and that we have a long way till we fully understand the extent of concussions and brain related trauma and diseases.

The issue I have is what about the rest of us? As the article says the new helmet will be shipped to all Division I colleges and it does cost over 400 dollars. My issue is the game is much bigger than just the NFL and college. These guys are fully funded and have easy access to this equipment. I believe some highly funded high schools would be the same. But what about the under paid high schools that don’t have the funding? Then start looking aboard, Mexico, Canada and Japan have numerous teams, most probably don’t have much of this gear. Then go further afield to places like Europe, New Zealand and here in Australia. These places probably find it harder to get this equipment and are still using very old style gear. I know for a fact that here in Australia that we are not fully equipped, sometimes teams share gear so that players are fully equipped. I would say the same is for New Zealand teams.

An example of this situation is I know that on my team that only one player has a Riddell Revolution helmet and he won that in a team fundraising auction, it was the main item in the auction and got a lot of bids. Do remember this is a helmet that came out almost a decade ago. This means the rest of us are using equipment that doesn’t protect us against concussions and brain trauma. Plus the gear we do use the helmets haven’t been reconditioned in years.

Another example was a friend of mine went to a gridiron camp here in Australia otherwise known as the Down Under Bowl. A few Australian teams take on a few American teams in a competition. Anyway my friend was having a conversation with an American player about his speed and skill and ways to improve it. My friend said there wasn’t much he could do about that (he is very tall). To that the American player said ‘Well lets at least do something about your helmet, it is ancient.’ So hopefully you start to see the position that we are in and I would think many other players around the global are in too.

For us in Australia to purchase this equipment we have to go through third party vendors as Riddell and most similar companies do not ship outside the US. This takes more time and extra cost, plus is an exercise in its self to do, which many players don’t have the time or the money to do so.

I take issue with the cost of the product. I understand Riddell need to make money and this is their top of the range product. But you are making parents and players skip on the safety equipment that they really need because it is close to being unaffordable. Thus we are putting a price on tomorrow’s youth, their health and well being.

For me personally I take issue to this, the cost, the availability to the product. A bit of my story, I am not that old. Only 21 years of age and I love my gridiron, I am in my 5 season of gridiron having started playing when I was 17. Over those 21 years I have suffered 3 concussions. The first one I came off a scooter (the foot push ones, like razor not a bike scooter) head first into the tarmac (no helmet, stupid me) in the 7th grade. I suffered headaches and migraines over the next few years having them frequently, every few months. The next concussion happened in year 11 during a school rugby league game. I made a tackle down the sideline. I believe I connected the side of my head on the player’s hip then he landed on top of me, smashing my head into the ground again. The third was last year during a gridiron game. I came down from the safety position and made a tackle on the RB on a sweep play. I believe I did a similar thing to the second concussion. I got my head across the player’s body and connected his hip on the side of my head. Also I was giving up probably 30 kilos to this guy (do the math, that is over 60 pounds). This was by far the worst concussion that I have had, the others I came too pretty quickly. This one I don’t remember going back to the huddle and the next play. I came too on the sideline talking to the trainer and had a green tint in my eye sight for the next 10 mins (so the lower bottom part of my vision had a green look to it).

My concussions compared to someone like Jack Bechta who shared in his Damaged Goods article that “As a former NCAA college player, I suffered 3 concussions. One so bad I didn’t know where I was for 36 hours and couldn’t remember the names of my teammates. My freshman year in college I was taught to block by leading with the butt of my helmet.” are not as bad. That probably goes back to the competitive level I play at.

I have been lucky that my concussions haven’t happened often with several years in between each and not to the extent of some other concussions. But it is just that, remember that article extract says that small repeated impacts to the head are just as if not more worse than suffering concussions.

In sad news a union player recently suffered brain and spinal injuries making a tackle that he won’t recover from. Click here for more. A shock reminder that it can all end so suddenly.

Since the greater focus on head injuries the last few years I have been monitoring the news and following all information about concussions and brain injuries I can, as I worry for myself. You know I want to grow old and see my grand kids come of age, I don’t want to leave a young family behind or force them to take care of me from injuries I suffered playing this sport.

I have read studies where they say that anymore than 3 concussions and you start to get into the danger zone where you can create permanent damage. That scares me, I will be honest.

For me I will invest in one of these new helmets, but it won’t be till next year when I have the money and the time to get one because for me this is an invest, the helmet I probably will have for the next 5 or so years. By then I also hope the price comes down so they are easier to afford. This won’t solve all the problems as I could still get concussed. But it will go a long way to easy my mind and better protect me then what I currently use. I do worry till then that I may suffer that head injury that puts me over the edge. I want to play this sport for the next 10 years. I don’t want to give up the sport I love at 21.


Painful remind of what happens when it goes wrong, these kids are 7.

I will open it up to discussion then. What are some ideas that could be implemented to provide better equipment for players around the world? ~ Aussie.