Top RB Ward to visit Broncos on Sunday

Apparently now, the Broncos are looking to bring in the cream of the crop when it comes to RBs in the free agency pool. Derrick Ward.

Adam Schefter just reported it on NFL Network, and he said that a deal could very well happen, if Denver is willing to pay the price. And that Derrick Ward would be a perfect fit for the Broncos if this does happen.

I've been bashed for stating this, but it's becoming a reality now. Derrick Ward could very well be a Bronco. And he'd be a great Bronco.

I'm convinced: Cutler is fine, and will not be traded

Alright. So things have really blown up over the past couple of hours. Apparently, Cutler was part of a deal that would have sent Matt Cassell to Denver. And apparently, Cutler is furious and demanded a trade, which was declined by team officials. The Broncos were also reported to have offered their first round pick to the Patriots for Cassell.

I'm here to say,

BULLSHIT!

ESPN, stop reporting false rumors and stop being completely idiotic with this subject. It's dead. It's not happening. And I highly doubt that Cutler is as mad as you guys are saying. Schefter hasn't reported anything about a "demanded trade", and Schefter is 3 times more reliable than you idiots.

Look. I realize that the trade talks have caused a stir. It's a good story to report. And the apparent "demand for a trade" has us pissed off at McDaniels. And I agree that the fact that they even thought about trading him is absolutely pathetic and scummy. But the fact of the matter is, Cutler HAS NOT BEEN QUOTED for demanding a trade. Cutler, however, has been quoted for saying this:

"I've heard the rumors," Cutler said. "I know what they're trying to do. Even though I love Denver and I'd love to remain a Bronco, I know how this business works. If they want me to play somewhere else, so be it."

That is just simply ESPN throwing fuel on the fire.

Although, Cutler is stubborn, and by saying "so be it", he could mean, "Alright, you don't want me? Well then you're not going to have me"

But he hasn't said that. And he won't say that.

Also, Adam Schefter was just reported to have said that EVERY team contacted DENVER for the trade. Denver didn't pick up the phone and say "We want to trade Cassell for Cutler". It is what it is, STOP READING MORE INTO IT!

Newly signed safety, Brian Dawkins, was in Denver all morning. He had to be aware of the trade talks. Do you really think he would have signed with the Broncos if he knew that we were shopping away our franchise QB?

I think he'd realize the ramifications to that.

Also, the report about the first round pick. WHY would the Patriots trade TWO PLAYERS for a 2nd round pick to Kansas City if they were offered a 1st for ONE PLAYER?

Completely stupid topic people. Move on.

Brian Dawkins signs; BRONCOS SHOPPING JAY CUTLER?

Ok, as expected. Brian Dawkins has signed with the Denver Broncos. I've wrote about that before, but now something else has emerged.

The Denver Broncos are working actively to trade Pro Bowl QB Jay Cutler. What the hell is going on in Josh McDaniels office? Ok. So I'm trying to break it down, and every way that I break it down, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! Supposedly we were entertained in a 3 way trade with the Buccaneers and Patriots that would send new aquired Chief QB Matt Cassell to Denver and Cutler to Tampa. But that fell threw, Matt Cassell is a Chief, and apparently the Broncos are still trying to trade Cutler.

And it doesn't stop there. We're also trying to shop one of the top receiving TEs in the league.

It does not. Make. Any. Sense.

I'll be back.

Davis signs; Latest news on Dawkins

Theme of free agency day 1 - Offense
Theme of free agency day 2 - Defense?

With the signing of Darrell Reid, the Broncos have now brought in another defensive player to help bolster that horrific unit of last year.

They have now agreed to terms with ILB Andra Davis, according to Vic Lombardi of CBS 4 out of Denver. Andra is expected to start at ILB next to DJ Williams in the 3-4 defense, as I mentioned before. And it looks to be a very solid signing.

So that's that.

Now, on to another defensive player. The one everyone seems to care about, Brian Dawkins.

The last thing I heard was about 5 minutes ago on NFL Network, when one of the analysts(I totally forget his name, African-American with freckles), announced that the Broncos are close to a deal with Dawkins and the deal looks like it's going to be done.

Another Dolphin to visit

A day after signing free agent safety Renaldo Hill, the Broncos are looking to bring in another Dolphins veteran.

Andre Goodman.

Goodman is expected to be in Denver Saturday, and then will be on the move to Cleveland on Sunday. So we'll probably know his decision early on in the week.

Broncos snag another

In the early hours of Saturday morning, the Broncos agreed to a deal with former Colts DT Darrell Reid, and his agent. Terms of the deal have been undisclosed.

Reid was an undrafted free agent in 2005, brought on by the Colts, and has been a special teams specialist since then. He is an undersized 3-4 DT, so he will most likely be moving to DE in Nolan's scheme, but still will be nothing more than a backup and good special teams player.

This signing is the sixth made by the Broncos in the past two days. I'm still praying that the seventh made(Lucky number 7), will be safety Brian Dawkins. I'm tracking the story down endlessly and hopefully there's a conclusion within the coming hours.

Dawkins was apparently seen at the Denver Nuggets game last night, and told reporters that he plans on sleeping before signing the deal.

So yes, everyone that has been messaging me, telling me that my story is wrong, I KNOW. I'm just keeping it up there because I don't want to jinx the Broncos. Seriously.

Andra Davis close to deal?

Broncos newly hired GM, Brian Xanders has got to be doing something right. Not only has every free agent to visit the Broncos thus far left with a contract signed, but they're also on the verge of bringing in another very solid player.

And he goes by the name of Andra Davis.

Apparently the Broncos are in serious negotiations with him, and possibly on the verge to signing him.

Davis, 30, will be entering his 7th year in the league this coming season, and really is in the middle of his prime. If signed, he's expected to hold down the inside linebacker spot with D.J. Williams in the 3-4 scheme that Josh McDaniels and Mike Nolan plan on running this season.

Two more hooked... One in question

Earlier this morning. I said that there were two more on the Broncos radar. Well, now I'm saying that there are two more on the Broncos roster.

Adam Schefter just broke the news on NFL Network that the Broncos have signed safety Renaldo Hill, and WR Jabar Gaffney. The two players got a matching deal, 4 years worth $10 million dollars.

Jabar Gaffney is going to get plenty of playing time in McDaniels system(Which he is very familiar with), and Renaldo Hill is a front runner for a starting safety spot.

And finally, a totally new name that popped up in Denver tonight was Texans WR David Anderson, who is a restricted free agent. The Broncos apparently have sent an offer sheet out to him. The Texans have 7 days to match it, and if they don't, the Broncos will get Anderson, and the Texans will get a 7th round draft pick in compensation.

Brian "Bronco" Dawkins

It's official.

The Broncos just won the Superbowl.

No, I'm kidding. Obviously.

But Brian Dawkins will be sporting orange and blue next season.

Mike Florio of Profootballtalk is reporting it on Sportingnews.com, and this is without a doubt the biggest news of the offseason outside of the Haynesworth deal.

I still can't quite fathom it, but I am extremely pumped. The vocal leadership that he will provide and bring to this defense is priceless. I honestly can not wait to see him sporting that new jersey.

I don't have the details on the deal, but I'm going to guess it's something similar to what Lynch got when he ended his career in Denver.

Congratulations Denver. You now have one of the best vocal leaders to ever play the game of football on your team.

Broncos sign long snapper Paxton

Josh McDaniels officially brought in his first ex-Patriot player over to the Broncos this afternoon. And it happens to be Lonie Paxton, who is now the second highest paid long snapper in the league.

Lonie Paxton, the guy who was most known for making snow angels after the 2001 playoff snow game against the Oakland Raiders. That's enough to win me over.

Dawkins on his way to visit Denver

Wow.

Just wow.

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network has reported that Brian Dawkins is on his way to Denver right now to talk over a contract.

This news has officially got me completely pumped.

Everyone, just watch



As always, stay tuned.

Buckhalter and Arrington locked up

They have officially signed with the Denver Broncos. Terms of the deal have no yet been announced but they have indeed signed the contract and are expected to be role players in the McDaniels system.

This means that the Broncos still need a starting RB. Every top RB will be available at #12, Raji will be gone, Maualuga is falling, and another possibility, Malcolm Jenkins, could most likely be gone at #12. Look for the Broncos to go after a first round RB, most notably, Knowshon Moreno. But that's for another time.

Buckhalter has been known as a good RB around the league, his inability to stay healthy has hurt him. He's 30 years old, so he has some wear and tear, and he's probably best suited as the backup RB here, AT BEST, in Denver.

J.J. Arrington was the better signing in my opinion. A great returner, a good receiver out of the backfield and a good overall 3rd down back. He could be used as a Kevin Faulk type player in McDaniels system and expect him to be an intrical part of the team this year.

Two more on Broncos radar

Ok, I'm home. For the weekend.

You know what that means?

A ton of Bronco coverage from now until Sunday Night. And it's going to be a busy busy weekend.

As you all know, the Broncos have been one of the most active teams on the market over the past 10 hours and it's not stopping anytime soon. This morning, Mike Florio reports that the Broncos have scheduled two more visits with players that include the likes of WR Jabar Gaffney, who played under head coach, Josh McDaniels at New England, and former backup defensive linemen for the 49ers, Ronald Fields.

Apparently there is an offer for Fields, and he is expected to visit in the coming days, so he could be a definite lock. Gaffney on the other hand, has just been scheduled to a visit, so no deal seems imminent at this point.

Arrington, Buckhalter: Part 3

Wow, haha.

My initial report was correct. According to Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com, The Broncos are simply just bringing RBs J.J. Arrington and Correll Buckhalter in for visits after all. Apparently, NO deal has been in place for either player, not yet at least. So we're back to stage one.

Sorry for that miscommunication.

Also, Alex Marvez of FoxSports is expected to change his report from a signing, to a visit. If he hasn't already.

Buckhalter and Arrington already signed?

Interesting.

So I just got a message on my Youtube channel from a fellow subscriber(broncofan599) saying that he got an ESPN text alert telling him that FoxSports is reporting that previously mentioned RBs, J.J. Arrington and Correll Buckhalter have signed multiyear deals with the Broncos.

So I took the initiative and checked it out myself. And I found that Alex Marvez did in fact report that the Broncos have the deals set in place, and later on Friday they are both fully expected to sign the dotted line.

I think you could throw out the Derrick Ward rumors now. It's highly doubtful that the Broncos would bring in these two, and then Derrick Ward on top of that.

So now, pending the two physicals, Josh McDaniels has just made the first two significant moves of his Denver Broncos career.

FS Hill lines up a visit

So the Broncos are making the splash that they were expected to make, being the most active team in the league as of right now as far as bringing in players for visits. According to Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, the Broncos have now also lined up a visit on Friday with former Dolphins safety, Renaldo Hill.

I think it's safe to say, good riddance to Marlon McCree.

RB Arrington, and RB Buckhalter set for visits

John Clayton of ESPN just reported on SportsCenter that the Broncos have made contact with two runningbacks early in the free agency stages.

Apparently the Broncos have set up visits with former Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter, and former Cardinals RB J.J. Arrington.

More information to follow in the coming hours.

Stay tuned.

It's finally underway

So the free agency period has started about exactly one hour ago, and it started off with a bang. There weren't any actual free agents signed to other teams, but retained by their former teams.

Those names include DeAngelo Hall who struck gold, receiving a contract over the course of six years worth $54 million dollars, including $30 million being spread out over the course of the first three years. Another player that signed a new contract with his 2008 team was FB Tony Richardson, who reportedly re-signed with the Jets.

Bronco fans, don't get nervous, don't get scared. The Broncos are fully expected to make an impact and a splash in the free agency within the next 48 hours and I'll be right on top of it. There has been a big rumor leaked around here though, and I'll put it out there right now. The name that has been swirling around as of late is LB Ray Lewis. Apparently the Broncos are interested in him, and Lewis has expressed interest in reuniting with his old defensive coach, Mike Nolan. Now it just comes down to the question if the Broncos are willing to pay what the Ravens, Jets, and Cowboys are willing to pay. If they are, we could see Ray Lewis in orange and blue next season.

One thing is for sure. It's going to be a sleepless first half of the night at my computer, the second half will be spent at work. The hours are about 4 AM EST - 9:30 AM EST. So if the Broncos do make a move within that time, don't expect an update from me immediately. But as soon as I get home I'll be sure to report it.

However, I have my cell phone on full blast, I have all the rumor sites bookmarked, and I'm going to take a wild shot in the dark here and say that I'm going to be a little sidetracked at work this morning.

Broncos interested in Ward

On Wednesday, I posted a video, and a little article about Derrick Ward being interested in playing for the Broncos. Well, according to Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post, the feeling between Ward and the Broncos is mutual. Apparently the Broncos have Ward high on their free agency priority list, and are ready to make a heavy run at him.

But there is doubt, and there are questions surrounding Ward.

The doubt in a lot of spectators minds is basically this... Ward is 29 years old, and the Broncos made a mistake in the past, with a high priced free agent RB, in Travis Henry.

Let me shut both of those statements down right now.

Ward is a 29 year old RB with a total of 342 carries up to this point in his career. Adrian Peterson had about 20 more than that, this year alone. And if you look at a football player at 29 years old(Outside of a RB that has been starting his entire career), you're looking at a football player that is in his prime. 29 years old, with little-to-no wear and tear is not a problem. The Broncos could easily get at least 5 years of service out of him. In fact, I've made the bold statement elsewhere that if Ward signs with the Broncos, I'm going to predict him having at least 3 1,500 all purpose yard seasons, and at least one pro bowl appearance.

And as far as Henry, that was Shanahan's mistake. Not only that, but Henry had a past history of run-ins with the law. He was a "buyer beware" free agent prospect in 2007, and the Broncos took a chance on him. It didn't pay off, but if it had, you could bet that the Broncos would have seen the playoffs this year, and Mike Shanahan would still be the coach of the Denver Broncos. However, that's getting off topic. The fact of the matter is, Ward has a clean past. And McDaniels is not Shanahan. Shanahan's mistake should not reflect in any way on McDaniels. Bowlen put the franchise of the Denver Broncos in the hands of McDaniels and Xanders. Therefore, Bowlen should allow, and fully trust any move that McDaniels and Xanders want to make.

The main question surrounding Ward is his price tag, and that's the only question. There is an undoubted amount of talent left in him, and a ton of gas left in the tank. If the Broncos really want this man, they'll have to pay. And the question lies on whether or not they want to pay. What it really comes down to is, is Ward worth the $4 million a year he's asking for? But, if Xanders and McDaniels feel that Ward is the best definite fit for the Broncos at runningback(Which seems apparent), then I fully believe that Bowlen will allow them to access the checkbook, give Ward his money, and watch him perform at a productive level in orange and blue for the next several years.

Derrick Ward to the Broncos?

Oh, oh, oh. My, my, my. Let the speculation of the free agency commence. Derrick Ward was a special guest on NFL Total Access tonight, and, well. I'll let you watch and figure out the rest...

Broncos restructure DJ Williams' deal

With the announcement of the release of Dre Bly, the Broncos actually put themselves in a position where they would actually be losing money in the cut. Well, that is still true, but they've gained some of that back.

Mike Klis of the Denver Post is reporting that DJ Williams agreed to reduce in 2009 salary to $900,000, and transferring the rest to a guaranteed roster bonus of $4.5 million. So the savings of this move is essentially $3.6 million. However, the $3.6 million is only not the actual savings against the cap. Because there is no new CBA deal in place yet, all guaranteed money has to be paid in 2009. So the Broncos are ahead of where they were last night after the Bly transaction, but only by about $400,000.

In this article from Klis, there's also a snippet that the Broncos are trying to extend the contracts of two of their three pro bowl players this year, WR Brandon Marshall, and C Casey Wiegmann. They are both in their last year of their contracts. However, unless a deal is reached for a new CBA by next season, Marshall, if not extended, will be a restricted free agent next year. Which means, that the Broncos will place a tender on him, a team will decide if the tender is worth it, and if they do they'll offer him a contract. The Broncos will be placed in a position to either match the contract, or let him go for an immediate compensation of a draft pick(The draft pick depends on how high the Broncos set the tender).

One thing is for certain and that is the fact that DJ Williams, and Brandon Marshall both to appear in the Broncos long term plans. Which is very comforting for a Bronco fan.

Possible replacements for Bly

First, I'd like to say that I was wrong in saying that Dre Bly's release will save the Broncos money. According to Bill Williamson of ESPN, the Broncos actually lose money in this deal. Approximately $2.6 million. The reason for this is because Bly has $9 million dollars caught up in dead money. Which is $2.6 million more than what his base salary was expected to be in 2009. And that is where the difference is. Regardless, the Broncos still have plenty of room to manuever and make plenty deals this offseason.

Moving forward, I took the time to look at some possible suitors that could replace Bly next season. Obviously the Broncos want to get younger at the position. So that takes recently released cornerback, Chris McAlister out of the equation. So I continued to look through the list of free agent cornerbacks that are scheduled to hit the open market in a week and a half.

And I saw two names that intrigued me.

Ronald Bartell(Bill Williamson actually mentioned him in his article about Bly's cap impact), and Dunta Robinson.

Robinson has an outstanding rookie campaign and has really fell off since then, not being the same player. But is still a very solid and young corner that can get better. Bartell, on the other hand, has been improving every year and could really be the sleeper of this free agency class. While he only nabbed 3 interceptions this past season(Which is more than any Bronco defender did), he had a phenomenal amount of pass deflections, accounting for 19. He is really an up and coming player in this league and I'd be ecstatic if the Broncos ended up bringing him in.

Another possible suitor could be cornerback Lito Sheppard, who could be available via trade this offseason, however I don't see McDaniels trading away his draft picks this year. If anything, he'll strive to aquire more.

But we will see. With this move, and the lack of depth at the cornerback position, one thing is for certain and that is the fact that the Broncos will be in the market for a cornerback in the free agency period. And seeing that it's clear that the Broncos want youth at the postion, I also wouldn't count out the possibility of a midround pick used on a cornerback.

Cornerback Dre Bly ousted

This morning I mentioned the possibility of a third round of cuts on the way, that could include Dre Bly. Well, that third round of cuts is here, and they include Dre Bly. And only Dre Bly. With this move the Broncos will gather together another few million dollars of cap space to spend this offseason. That's the good news. The bad news is that they have just lost, in my eyes, one half of one of the best cornerback tandems in the league(When they have a supporting cast).

Bly was aquired almost exactly two years ago via trade with the Detroit Lions that sent Bly to Denver in return for former first round pick, OT George Foster, RB Tatum Bell(Who resigned with the Broncos this past season after not panning out too well in Detroit), and a 5th round draft pick.

Bly spent the last two seasons as a Bronco, leading the team in interceptions both years with five in 2007, and two in 2008. He also recorded 137 tackles in that two year span.

With this release, and all signs pointing to Karl Paymah being left to hit the open market. The Broncos are left at the cornerback position with Champ Bailey, Jack Williams(Rookie last season), Josh Bell(Undrafted rookie last season), and Rashod Moulton(Second year practice squad player). All of a sudden there is a definite need at the cornerback positon, that definitely needs to be addressed.

Second round of cuts frees up $20 million in cap space for 2009

As announced last night, the Broncos released six "key" veterans to last years team. Initially I thought maybe the Broncos would have saved $7-$8 million total for 2009. But I was wrong. Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com(http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/02/17/broncos-cap-moves-clear-more-than-20-million-in-cap-space) is reporting that the Broncos are going to save more than $20 million in cap space for 2009.

Now obviously, this is not all base salary, but as far as bonuses off of incentives that were due(Mainly to Dewayne Robertson), the net gain of this move exceeds $20 million. So yes, essentially, the Broncos have saved that much money just off of these cuts.

So if you add that, on top of this, the Broncos now have well over $25 million available to spend this year alone. Keep in mind that this is just the second round of cuts too. We could realistically be expecting at least one more round of cuts, that includes cornerback Dre Bly. According to USA Today, Bly was paid $10.4 million in 2008 alone, with a base salary of $1 million, and the rest being bonuses. I'm not positive on his 2009 cap numbers, but if it's anything that resembles his 2008 numbers, the Broncos could be looking at a spending budget of at least $30 million next month.

Regardless, the Broncos have money to spend, and should be one of the most active teams in the league in two weeks.

McDaniels begins spring cleaning

As I reported earlier this offseason(http://broncoscentral.blogspot.com/2009/01/broncos-to-be-major-players-in-free.html), the Broncos will be making a drastic amount of cuts on the defensive side of the ball. Well that has started. Tonight, the Broncos have let go of six players, three of which were considered three of the better starters on last years horrid defense. This set of cuts include the likes of DT Dewayne Robertson, LB Jamie Winborn, LB Niko Koutouvides, S Marquand Manuel, DE John Engelberger, and TE Nate Jackson.

The biggest surprise to these set of cuts is probably DT Dewayne Robertson. The fact that he is a fairly talented DT in a 4-3 system tells us that McDaniels is certainly going to focus on building a 3-4 defense for the Broncos. Robertson was traded to the Broncos from the New York Jets prior to last years draft for a conditional 2009 draft pick depending on Robertson's playing time. Robertson didn't see the field as much as expected, which gave the Jets the lower half of the deal. Robertson was also due an additional bonus this spring.

Manuel and Koutouvides were two other veterans brought in last season to help improve the defense. Koutouvides was a complete bust, starting a whopping zero games, and amassing a record setting twelve tackles last season. I felt as if Manuel could be a solid backup safety, but I guess me and McDaniels don't see eye to eye. So he was ousted this evening also.

The other three were Bronco veterans. Engelberger was traded to the Broncos in the offseason of 2005 for former Bronco first round pick, CB Willie Middlebrooks. Engelberger saw significant playing time over the past three seasons, but once again, he brought nothing that seemed to impress Josh McDaniels.

Jamie Winborn joined the Broncos in 2007, and really excelled towards the end of the 2007 campaign. However, last season his play really fell off and he couldn't seem to gather any success.

And finally, Nate Jackson, who has been a Bronco since 2003. Was a decent receiving TE who Shanahan was a huge fan of, but never seemed to pan out.

So this set of cuts gives the Broncos some extra room to manuever financially. The rest of the cuts(If there are any), should come by Wednesday so that gives McDaniels and his staff full focus on this weeks scouting combine.

New practice facility led to no practice facility for Shanahan

According to Woody Paige of the Denver Post, one of the significant reasons that former head coach of the Denver Broncos, Mike Shanahan, was fired earlier this year was because of the fact that he was demanding a new practice facility.

And Bowlen simply said, "no."

Mind you, the practice facility was restored just 5 years ago. And the practice facility is also named after Bowlen's deceased father, Paul.

This disagreement was the elementary stages of the conclusion of one of the greatest friendships ever in the history of sports. As time moved on, Shanahan went from Superbowl winning mastermind, to leading a shipwreck.

It was obvious that there was need for a change, and Bowlen finally opened his eyes to the apparent. He opened his eyes to...
Money spent wastefully.
Unproductive draft picks.
Three years, three defensive coordinators.
Guaranteed playoffs.
But no playoffs.

The straw that broke the camels back, if you will.

And Bowlen wasn't standing for it.

Complete overhaul on the blog; New Youtube account

Well Wednesday is the combine, really the true start of the offseason. It's when everything kicks off, and technically when the dawn of a new season starts. So I felt that I should address this before we get deeper and deeper in the offseason. Things are dead now, and I thought I'd spice things up a bit.

Tonight, I was motivated to take charge in some things that I've been wanting to cover over the past few weeks. I finally got to doing that, and it's like a monkey off of my back. First off, I'd like to thank all the support I've gotten on this blog, and on my Youtube account. I'm really appreaciative of all of that. Thanks guys.

Anyways, about this blog. I completely redid the template, I think it looks a bit more professional now, and now I have a banner that makes it a little more attractive. Attractiveness and professionalism are always good things to have. So that's a plus.

But the big news tonight for me is my transition from the name that made me on Youtube. I've been known as "playa3247", and I didn't feel like that was the name that was going to get me anywhere that I felt like I needed to go. So, I also changed the name of my blog from "How High is a Mile High?", to "Broncos Central", it's a lot shorter and a lot more easy to convey to people as I'm trying to advertise myself. So I followed suit with my video blogging on Youtube, and changed my name to "BroncosCentral", it makes things a lot more easy and organized with the blog and the Youtube channel all linked to one name. I'm also hoping this gives me a boost in respect and a boost in viewers.

Well that's it, it's going to be a tough time in the video making world, knowing that I have to rebuild my reputation on there. But it'll certainly be better for the longterm goals that I'm trying to accomplish.

So tonight I made a farewell playa3247 video, and a hello BroncosCentral video(I'll be making a more official BroncosCentral video in the coming days), and here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYMTUn15H-U

McChesney added, Shaw dropped

Another move has been made this evening as the Broncos announced the signing(to a future contract) of OG Matt McChesney. They have also released DT Josh Shaw. Shaw has been a Bronco since the beginning of last season, and got a minimal amount of playing time, only recording 5 tackles.

McChesney was an undrafted free agent in 2005, signing with the St. Louis Rams and has previously played with the Jets and the Dolphins. He is also a Colorado alumni, and was named to the All-Europa team of 2007 for the Frankfort Galaxy of the NFL Europe.

Xanders promoted, Goodman and Goodman fired

Those busy Broncos are back at it. Move after move after move in the front office, and now the Broncos have finally appointed former Co-GM to take full duties. Meanwhile, they let go of the VP of football operations, Jim Goodman, and the man who shared Xanders job in the past, Jeff Goodman.

This does come to a bit of a shock to me, because mainly, all three of these men, not only played a huge part in the search process for the Broncos new head coach last month, but they also helped put together the past three drafts. The past three drafts that have included players like Jay Cutler, Tony Scheffler, Brandon Marshall, Elvis Dumervil, Ryan Clady, Eddie Royal, and Peyton Hillis. Although, those are only players from two of those three drafts, the other draft included the likes of Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder, and Marcus Thomas. Ugh.

But moving forward I feel confident about this move. It puts one man in control of everything regarding the roster, and without conflicting opinions, one man can work better. In this case, three heads are not better than one. But since McDaniels will most likely still play a big part in the roster moves over the course of his Denver Bronco head coaching career, I'll still say that two heads are better than one.

The Broncos let go of five

To no surprise, the Broncos have made their first cuts of the offseason and released five players this evening. However, every one of these cuts were to offensive players, which should be shocking to most. Another somewhat "shock" is the release of RB Anthony Alridge who Mike Shanahan has given praise to last training camp, before he suffered a season ending ankle injury(The first of the seven runningbacks to be placed on IR this past season).

Other cuts include, RB Alex Haynes, RB PJ Pope, TE Chad Mustard, and WR Cliff Russell. Outside of Haynes and Alridge, the other three players saw playing time last year. Russell was the kick returner for the Broncos for a few weeks in the beginning of the season before he got hurt for the year, and PJ Pope started coming on towards the end of the year. Mustard was off and on all year, after getting released and resigned consistently by the Broncos all year. But this time he got released, and I think it's safe to say that he's gone for good.

What I see out of these cuts is simply the fact that when Coach McDaniels stated the offenses problems, he was specifically referring to the running game. With 3 of the first 5 cuts being RBs, I have to begin speculating. So, this makes me believe that McDaniels could be targeting a big name RB in free agency, OR, he could be looking at a top flight RB in this years draft.

Either way, the roster is getting trimmed, and the scrubs are trickling down. Personally, I love the moves because he's emptying the trashbin in his office. More specifically, he's throwing away these guys contracts.

An actual real RB in Denver next season? A 2nd round guy starting instead of a UDFA? Dare I say it?

We'll see.

Former Patriot to the Broncos... More to follow?

So Josh McDaniels has made another splash in the coaching department. Now bringing in ex-Patriot linebacker, Roman Phifer. The former first round pick is expected to help coach the linebacker position.

Phifer played with three NFL ball clubs in his NFL career. Starting his career out with the LA Rams, in which he led the team in tackles 3 out of those 8 years. Then he moved on to the Jets for 2 years, and finally finished off his career with his final 4 years in New England, winning 3 Superbowls.

Now I know, for the casual fan this isn't big news. But it made me think. If McDaniels is willing to bring in a former Patriot to become a coach(His first pro coaching gig, mind you), then the majority of the Broncos free agents this year could very well be former Patriots. So I decided to give it a look, and this is what I've come up with.

Well, to start things off. As I previously mentioned in another blog entry, we have approximately $34 million to spend this offseason(As of NOW, before the cuts that WILL eventually happen before free agency which will free up $10-$15 million). And I'd just like to say that it's seriously nice to know that we have room to spend this year. Unlike every other year when we're $3-$4 million under and we have to ask 6 or 7 players to restructure their contracts. With this much room, it almost automatically assures McDaniels that he'll be able to mold the team to his liking. So I fully expect at least 4 or 5 Patriots in a Broncos uniform next year, including:
-Mike Wright
-Lamont Jordon
-Pierre Woods
-Larry Izzo
-Rosevelt Colvin
-James Sanders

Those are probably the guys on McDaniels board right now.

Also there's those ex-Patriot veterans that McDaniels has worked with during the Superbowl years and would bring a leadership role with them...
-Willie McGinest
-Ty Law
-Lawyer Milloy

It's a stretch that we bring in ALL of these players, but I could easily see at least 3 of them sporting orange and blue next year. The next 3 weeks are going to be interesting. And the following 3 weeks after that are going to be even more interesting.

Stay tuned.

With the Pro Bowl over, it's officially the offseason

First off, I would like to apologize for my absence. I got a case of bronchitis(Or is it... Broncoitis?) last week and I was down and out. Then I got pretty lazy as far as this, but I'm back. And I will be back from here on out(Or at least until I miss the Broncos again). But anyways. There wasn't much to talk about in the Bronco world anyway. Besides, Brandon Marshall's guarantee that the Broncos will make the Superbowl, eventually(God I would hope so). But other than that, yeah, pretty much nothing.

As far as the Pro Bowl though, it was pretty entertaining. Seeing Larry Fitzgerald continue his amazing postseason success and bringing it to Hawaii was something nice to witness. I'm pretty mad about Cutler and Marshall's performance, however. So many opportunities for Marshall to see the endzone, and a bunch of drops. Cutler had the interception, I was pretty mad about that too. But hell, what are you going to do. It's the Pro Bowl, no biggie. Haha.

But moving on. It's the offseason, and this is pretty much the most depressing part of the year. This week, and next week, until the NFL Combine rolls around. Then the draft talk picks up. Free agency is right around the corner and it's an overall exciting part of the year. But until then it's like blah.

The offseason in general still is not football season though. And that's what I live for(Really, it is). So I've written down some important dates for my personal life to look forward to, so I can focus on them, and then focus on another thing, and before I know it, it'll be July and training camp already. Fortunately for you, however, I have not only written down important dates for my personal life, but for my online loser life also. Which I will post in this blog. So basically you can check these dates out and see when I'm going to be posting or writing about what.

And here it is.

2/20/09 - Johns Hopkins Lacrosse opens up. This is when I will return to making videos on Youtube, and you'll be able to see my postgame breakdowns of those games, just like the end of last season. You can forget about this. Now that I made my transition on Youtube to strictly NFL/Broncos, I will be discontinuing my analysis on College Lacrosse.

2/26/09 - I will be making a combine recap blog. Stocks that are rising, falling, etc. will be included.

2/27/09 - NFL Free Agency begins, yay. I will be posting a blog entry for each signing of the offseason for the Broncos. Including a list of the free agency we have signed thus far at the end of each entry. And if they're big names, you can expect to see a video on it.

3/2/09 - I will be releasing my first of 3 Denver Broncos mock drafts(Pre-free agency).

4/6/09 - I will be releasing my second of 3 Denver Broncos mock drafts(Post-free agency).

4/24/09 - The eve of the draft. I will be releasing my final Denver Broncos mock draft. You can expect to see a video on this one, as well as the blog.

4/25/09~4/26/09 - Draft weekend, expect full coverage from me on this. This includes big trades, surprise picks, etc. I'll be expanding out, this will be deeper than just a Broncos blog entry, this will be for the entire NFL.

4/27/09 - My second annual Denver Broncos draft recap video. Last year's draft recap video was the video that put me on the map on Youtube, and I expect to do a very similar thing this year. Not quite as long though. And I'll probably write something up as far as a deeper analysis.

And that's it for now. After the draft I'll make another post similar to this with a new schedule(May-July) to get me through the rest of the offseason. But for now I'm just taking it one week at a time and looking forward to our future aquisition and our future draft picks. So, until next time, I'll see you all later.