This offseason, like the last two, has been filled with a Brett Favre will-he-or-won’t-he retirement dance.  But Favre’s retirement (even if it’s temporary) isn’t the only notable one of the offseason. So we thought we’d play relativity with the various NFL retirements of the offseason. We’re comparing them on a 10-point scale, with 10 being the most important retirement and 1 being the least notable. We’ll update this post until the beginning of the ‘09 season.

10 – Head coach Tony Dungy, Colts – After an unbelievable run of success in Tampa Bay and Indianapolis, Dungy decided to leave the coaching ranks. He will be missed, both for his stately presence and for his coaching prowess. Dungy revitalized a Buccaneers franchise that was completely moribund, getting them to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years and guiding them to the NFC championship game. He was fired, but the foundation he built eventually won a Super Bowl. Dungy then went to Indianapolis, where he won 10 games his first year and at least 12 games for the next six years,  a remarkable run of success that crescendoed with a Super Bowl title in the 2006 season. Beyond his success, he (along with longtime defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin) is the progenitor of the Tampa-2 defense that spread throughout the league, as well as the root of a significant coaching tree. His departure will hurt the Colts – pretty significantly, we think – but the NFL needs him to stay in the public eye enough to be the conscience of football as well. If this is the end of a coaching career, Dungy did enough to merit Hall of Fame induction.

9 – John Madden – The most iconic NFL analyst of the last two generations finally hung up his headset this offseason. Madden had become a bit of a caricature, but his performance this year (especially in the Super Bowl) was still top notch. He revealed what’s inside the game better than any analyst before had, and his off-kilter (and often off-subject) musings always added humor to the proceedings. His successful second career — remember, he was a Super Bowl winning coach with the Raiders — now comes to a close. But he still has a third career as a video game impressario, and his Madden NFL franchise isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. All in all, Madden is in the Hall of Fame with good reason, and the sum of his career is unlike any we’ve ever seen.

8 – QB Brett Favre, Jets – Favre’s repeated retirement dine-and-dash routine has worn thin, which is why we can’t rate his retirement as the most significant of the offseason. (That, plus the fact that might unretire once more.) Yes, Favre has had a wonderful career, but his 2008 campaign ended ignominiously. His legacy will always be his numbers and his chance-taking, but it won’t be spit-shined and gleaming because he has so little regard for it. Favre is still a Hall of Famer one day, but he’d be better off to go ahead and let the five-year waiting period for Canton start (and stay) ticking. (UPDATE: No surprise: Favre didn’t stay retired.)

7 – Head coach Mike Holmgren, Seahawks – Holmgren spent 17 years as a head coach in Green Bay and Seattle, and his teams were usually among the league’s best. He won a Super Bowl in Green Bay and went to another, then made a third trip to the title game with the Seahawks. More impressively, he won eight division titles (three in Green Bay, five in Seattle) and 12 playoff appearances. That’s a really good batting average. Holmgren was a disciple of Bill Walsh whose first staff in Green Bay included a litany of coaches including Jon Gruden, Steve Mariucci, Andy Reid, Dick Jauron, and Ray Rhodes, all of whom would become NFL head coaches. That’s another impressive part of his legacy. Holmgren then moved from Green Bay to Seattle for more authority – he served as head coach, general manager, team vice president, and a couple more titles that filled his business card and made me write at PFW that he had gotten every title this side of Miss Seattle. It wasn’t until he lost some of that power that his Seahawks really hit their stride. I don’t know if I can call his coaching career Hall of Fame worthy, but it’s close. Holmgren will likely return to the league in some capacity, perhaps as soon as 2010, but his retirement is worth noting at this point in case it sticks.

7 (con’t) – SS Rodney Harrison, Patriots - Harrison retired after a 15-year career that approached Hall of Fame level despite starting on the practice squad. While most people think of Harrison’s role on New England’s back-to-back championship teams earlier this decade, he actually broke into the NFL as a fifth-round pick out of Western Illinois with the Chargers. On a San Diego team with a horrible offense (do you remember Craig Whelihan at quarterback?), Harrison partnered with Junior Seau to anchor the No. 1 defense in the league in 1998.  (I wrote a feature on Seau and Harrison following that season and learned a lot about Harrison’s story when I interviewed him for that piece.) That was an impressive accomplishment for a player who left college early because his family needed the money (which wasn’t that much) he got as a signing bonus for being a fifth-round pick, only to get cut and have to spend much of his first year on the practice squad. He emerged as a playmaking safety with a nasty, physical edge. He made two Pro Bowls and was first-team All Pro twice in San Diego (‘98 and ‘01) before moving onto New England in 2003, when he got a higher national profile for bringing his same hard-nosed game to a periennial contender. Harrison ended his career as the only player in league history with at least 30 sacks and 30 interceptions. He notched seven playoff interceptions in his career, a Patriots team record. He also was voted the NFL’s dirtiest player by competitors in 2004 and by league coaches in 2008, and he was fined many times for various hits over his career. Wikipedia even claims that Harrison has the league record for personal-foul penalties, although that is unsubstantiated.  But Harrison’s last four years were injury plagued and also included a suspension for purchasing HGH, and it was probably time for him to hang them up. The fact that he can move straight into the NBC Football Night in America studio made the decision easier. Harrison may not end up as a Hall of Fame player, but his long career as an impact player should at least get him to the finalist level of voting at some point, and that’s a quality resume for a former fifth-round pick.

6 - C Tom Nalen, Broncos – Nalen was the center on Denver’s Super Bowl teams of the 1990s, and he ended up spending 15 seasons in the NFL, all in Denver. The five-time Pro Bowler was never the top center in the league, but he was often among the top 4 or 5, which is quite an accomplishment. Think about how many different running backs had good seasons in Denver, and you’ll think about part of Nalen’s impressive legacy. He wasn’t massive, but he had the quickness to thrive in long-time OL coach Alex Gibbs’ scheme. He’ll get some Hall of Fame consideration eventually, although enshrinement is a long shot. But he will certainly find his name in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame as one of the team’s all-time greats.

6 (con’t) - OT Willie Anderson, Ravens – Anderson never got a wealth of publicity in his career, in large part because he was stuck in Cincinnati for 12 years. But Anderson excelled as a mauling run blocker on the right side for the vast majority of his career. He made four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro three times (‘04-’06). He spent his final season as a starter in Baltimore. In all, he started more than 180 games, which is impressive longevity on the line. Like Nalen, another ‘09 retiree, Anderson will get Hall of Fame consideration, but my guess is that he’ll ultimately fall short. But Anderson leaves a legacy as one of the Bengals’ all-time greats.

6 (con’t) – DT La’Roi Glover, Rams - Glover was a 6-time Pro Bowler who developed into the perfect under-tackler in the 4-3 defense. He had a slashing style that allowed him to rush the passer and make big plays, while a bigger tackle played the gaps and provided the stoutness against the run. The crazy thing is that Glover spent his rookie year with the Raiders as a fifth-round pick but was then cut. He landed with the Saints, and there he developed into a Pro Bowl player in 2000 and ‘01. He took a big-money deal in Dallas in 2002 and rewarded the Cowboys with four straight Pro Bowl seasons. He then finished his career in St. Louis. Glover’s career arc falls short of Hall of Fame status – John Randle was a similar and better player than Glover – but with 83.5 sacks, he was undoubtedly one of the preeminent pass-rushing defensive tackles of his day.

6 (con’t) – LB Tedy Bruschi, Patriots - Bruschi, who entered the league as a third-round pick and an undersized linebacker from Arizona, became one of the iconic players in New England’s Super Bowl era. He made just two Pro Bowls in his 13-year career, but he was a determined playmaker on all three of New England’s Super Bowl champs. He was also one of the few links between New England’s ‘96 Super Bowl appearance and the glory years of the 2000s. Even more, he overcame a stroke in 2005 and returned to the field to play three more seasons. Bruschi will get some Hall of Fame consideration, but in our eyes he’s just below that level, even considering his significant contributions to the best team of the decade. But he still had a wonderful career all in one place, which is a sterling legacy to leave.

5 – Offensive coordinator Tom Moore and OL coach Howard Mudd, Colts – Mudd had been an NFL assistant for 35 years and Moore for 32 before they both retired this offseason because of a pension-related issue this offseason. (This pension issue is one to watch, and it could force more long-time assistants into retirement or the college ranks.) Mudd, a three-time Pro Bowl lineman himself in the 1960s, spent the last 12 years as a Colts assistant, and his teaming with Moore on Dungy’s staff was hugely successful. Part of Mudd’s legacy will be the strong lines he had with undrafted players (most notably Jeff Saturday) playing major roles. Moore’s recent success was his ability to work with Peyton Manning, but he was also a coordinator in Pittsburgh and Detroit and an assistant head coach in Minnesota. It will be interesting to see if the Colts can continue their offensive success without Moore and Mudd, or with them as consultants and not full-timers. All this continues the upheaval on the Colts’ staff this offseason after years of consistency.

5 (con’t) – QB Trent Green, Rams - Green is the ultimate what-if guy in the last decade of NFL play. What if he hadn’t gotten hurt before the 1999 season? Would the Rams still have become the greatest show on turf? Would Kurt Warner have ever gotten a chance? Or would Green be remembered as one of the better rags-to-riches stories in league history? Entering that ‘99 season, Green had started just one year in Washington, and because of Warner’s emergence, Green got a Super Bowl ring but only five more starts before he finally got his chance as a full-time starter in Kansas City in 2001. Green started 5 1/2 years for the Chiefs, leading two playoff runs and putting up big numbers, before a string of concussions forced him out of the starters’ role. He got a handful more starts in Miami and one back in St. Louis, but his inability to stay on the field scuttled his career. Despite his star-crossed journey, Green established himself as an above-average NFL starter who made two Pro Bowls. That’s a pretty good legacy to leave with.

5 (con’t) – OT John Tait, Bears – Tait played 10 years with the Chiefs and Bears and was a starter throughout, but nagging injuries eventually prompted him to retire this offseason. Tait played both left and right tackle during his career, and he was good enough on the left side to make the Pro Bowl as a Chief in ‘01 and as a Bear in ‘06. Tait was never an elite player, but he was a quality starter throughout his tenure and deserves credit for quite a credible career.

4 – CB Duane Starks, Raiders- Starks was the 10th overall pick in the 1998 draft, and he ended up being a starting corner on the great Ravens defenses for four years. He never quite reached shut-down corner level, as his teammate Chris McAlister did, but he was a solid starter. He had six interceptions during Baltimore’s championship  season and added a pick-6 in Baltimore’s Super Bowl win. Starks left Baltimore for Arizona in 2002, and he bounced to New England and then Oakland after that, with injuries wreaking havoc all along the way. With 25 career interceptions, Starks had a notable career that didn’t reach greatness. But he can be proud of what he accomplished over the last 11 years.

4 (con’t) – LB Dan Morgan, Saints – Morgan was the Panthers’ first-round pick (11th overall) in 2001, and he was part of the core that helped turn the franchise around leading up to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl appearance. Morgan, Kris Jenkins, and Steve Smith were part of a draft class that revitalized the team. But injuries held Morgan back throughout his career, starting in his rookie season when he injured his leg on a Charlotte field so bad that chunks were coming out of it. He made just one Pro Bowl (2004), in large part because injuries and a series of concussions kept him out of action so often. He never played in more than 13 games in a season, and he saw action just four times since 2005. He spent the last two offseasons with the Saints but never saw game action. While his career stats aren’t eyepopping, he does have one unforgettable line on his stat sheet — his Super Bowl performance against the Patriots. He was credited with 18 tackles in the game book, but Panthers coaches tallied 25 stops that Morgan made. He ends up with a good career that could have been truly memorable had injuries and concussions not taken their toll. (More on Morgan’s rookie season in this post.)

4 (con’t) – C Jeremy Newberry, Falcons – Newberry was a long-time 49er who played a total of 10 years in the league. While he never got great acclaim, he earned two Pro Bowl berths and was the centerpiece of the San Francisco O-line for half a decade. He spent a year with the Raiders and Chargers and had signed with the Falcons for ‘09 before injuries caused him to call it quits instead. Regardless of what caused him to leave, he goes into his post-football life with a solid on-field legacy.

3 – OT Todd Weiner, Falcons – Weiner played 11 years with the Seahawks and Falcons, remaining a regular starter until getting part-time play this year. The Falcons wanted to keep him, but Weiner decided that 116 starts and more than 150 games was enough for him to call it a satisfying career.

3 (con’t) – CB Fernando Bryant, Steelers – Bryant, a former Jaguars first-round pick, spent five years in Jacksonville and four in Detroit as a starter, but last year he was cut by New England in the preseason and played in just two games with Pittsburgh, none in the postseason. Still, he retires with more than 100 career starts, seven career interceptions, and a Super Bowl ring he won last year. He ended up playing up to his first-round draft status, and that’s something to be proud of.

3 (con’t) - WR Drew Bennett, Ravens - Bennett had one fantastic year in Tennessee back in 2004, and he was productive in the two following years as well. But after signing a mega-deal in St. Louis, Bennett was hamstrung by injuries and ended up with just 34 catches in two years. Had he been healthy, Bennett would have provided the Ravens at least a competent vet who will provide some assurance to an offense that would have otherwise had to rely solely on Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams. But Bennett was not healthy, and after just a day of workouts, he retired. He leaves the league as a solid NFL starter who had some disappointments but some high points as well. That’s not a bad legacy.

3 (con’t) – DE Kenechi Udeze, Vikings – Udeze, a former first-round pick out of USC, played just three full seasons with Minnesota, all as a starter, and had just 11 career sacks. His career was cut short by leukemia, which caused him to sit out in 2008 and then to retire after a comeback attempt just before training camps started in 2009. It’s sad to see a career cut short by cancer like this, but if a football career is all Udeze loses in this battle, that’s still a win in the broad view.

3 (con’t) OT Marvel Smith, 49ers – Smith, who signed with the 49ers in the offseason to try to recover his career, instead had to retire due to a bad back. The long-time Pittsburgh Steeler, who was a Pro Bowl player at left tackle when the Steelers won Super Bowl 40, started 108 games over his nine years in Pittsburgh, but he had to go to the bench last season after the first five games because of his troublesome back. He leaves the game with two Super Bowl rings and a solid tenure as a Steeler.

2 – OT Todd Wade, Jaguars – Wade hardly played last year, but he started 96 games over his career with the Dolphins, Texans, and Redskins. He was never among the best tackles, but he was a solid starter, which is saying something.

1 – TE Chad Mustard, Broncos – Mustard only had 12 career catches over five seasons, but his unique name and even more unique backstory led to this unbelievably good headline and story by Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald.

It was announced today that due to a torn triceps, Titans Center Kevin Mawae will not participate in the Pro Bowl making the 1st alternate Casey Wiegmann (Iowa Hawkeye…w00t!) the man.  This makes for 3 Denver Broncos in the Pro Bowl this year with Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler being the others.  It is a bittersweet victory for the team given the season but much deserved for Wiegmann.

The Broncos allowed only 12 sacks all season, tied for the league best and in large part to the place of Weigmann.  He was a free agency pickup from the Chiefs in the off season and with Tom Nalen going down due to injury, Casey stepped in seamlessly and led what might have been Denver’s dominant bright spot for the season and the future. This is his 13th year in the league, first with Denver, and he has started 127 games in a row which is the longest active streak for a Center in the league.

Congrats Casey, you deserved this!

The Denver Broncos interviewed their sixth head coaching candidate on Wednesday when they sat down with Vikings’ defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Frazier succeeded Dallas Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the Broncos own Rick Dennison, Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Frazier’s Viking defense forced 25 turnovers this season, 12 more than the Broncos’ all-time low mark of 13. The Vikings defense was the league’s sixth ranked unit and had the best run defense in the game (that would be nice wouldn’t it Broncos’ fans).

A seventh coach has been added to the interview list. Miami Dolphins assistant head coach Todd Bowles will interview with the Broncos’ brass Thursday in Denver. Bowles is the last known candidate to be scheduled for an interview. It is possible that following the sit down with Bowles that more will be heard about which candidates have impressed the club thus far. The popular name flying around insiders in the NFL continues to be McDaniels of the Patriots. The choice of McDaniels would be head scratching to me on a couple of fronts and I will get a post up about why sometime tomorrow. At this point, however, it is complete speculation. Pat Bowlen and his group have not given one single interview with a media outlet since they began the process to replace Mike Shanahan. It is absolutely possible Bowlen nor anyone on his committee will speak publicly again until Shanahan’s replacement is named.

Center Tom Nalen retired Tuesday from the NFL after 14 years with the Broncos. (Associated Press)

In other Broncos’ news, ESPN’s Bill Williamson is reporting that long-time center Tom Nalen is going to retire from the NFL. Nalen was drafted by Denver in the seventh round (218th overall) of the 1994 draft. In 14 years, Nalen was named to the Pro Bowl five times and was a 1st team All-Pro once. Nalen sat out most of the 2007 and all of the 2008 campaigns after he tore his right biceps on October, 7 2007.

Nalen deserves one hell of a tip of the cap from Broncos’ fans. Tommy spearheaded some of the best offensive lines the Broncos have had in franchise history. He blocked for six 1,000-yard rushers. His best years were around the time of the Super Bowls in the late 90s and early 2000s. He was known as your prototypical O-lineman. Nasty and tough on the field, kind and soft spoken off it. Tom Nalen was the last link from the Super Bowl years of ‘97 and ‘98. Thanks for the memories, Tom.

Tom Nalen - CBS4.com

Tom Nalen after being injured again has decided that it is time to call it quits and retire from the NFL at the age of 37. Nalen is expected to retire as he played, silently. It doesn’t look like for the time being that there will even be a press conference.

Nalen led a group of offensive tackles in Denver that refused to talk to the media and that tradition has been passed on to following Offensive Linemen in the Ryan Clady era. (Yes we are now officially calling Ryan Clady’s ongoing tenure with the Broncos an era of the Offensive Line.)

Not many people think that Nalen will be a first ballot hall of famer but I do think that he will eventually end up in Canton. For the time being Shannon Sharpe is the focus of that possibility as he is now a finalist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

Nalen participated in part of training camp prior to the Broncos 2008 season and was expected to play in the first game before being relegated to the injured reserve. Nalen hasn’t played since 2007 after he succumbed to an injury that would precede the injury that would sadly end his career.

It only makes sense that he wouldn’t make another go at it not only because of his age but because of Mike Shanahan (the only coach that has ever trained Tom Nalen) being fired. There was no real reason to stay with the Broncos. 

With a lot of talk about the 2009 NFL HOF inductees going around, I decided to make my very own Denver Broncos Hall Of Fame. So tell me what you think, and tell me if I missed anybody that you think should be in it. Anyway here we go! (Note, this is just players…)

Denver Broncos HOF RB: Floyd Little, the first Bronco great Denver Bronco! He was with the Broncos 1967-1975. In those years he complied 6,323 yards, 43 TD’s and added 9 TD catches. He was our first great, and also belongs in the NFL HOF. No other Bronco will were his #44 jersey, it was the first to be retired.

Denver Broncos HOF QB: Craig Morton, was the Broncos first big quarterback, and ironically he wore #7, he was not the good ‘Ol #7. But he’s very far from it. But he was a great QB, he played for 19 years! In 1981 he had 21 TD’s and 3195 yards. He never had the best numbers, and no doubt does not deserve in the NFL HOF. But he had heart, and was a good Denver QB.

Denver Broncos HOF LB: Randy Gradishar, was incredible! It is a crime that he’s not in the Pro Football HOF. He led a Denver ’D’ of the ‘70-’80’s, what was a 3-4 dominate force before 3-4’s time. He was the NFL’s 1978 Defensive Player Of The Year.  Merlin Olsen said about Gradishar: “If you ask me to name the five best linebackers I played against, or had a chance to cover in my broadcasting career, Randy Gradishar would be on that list . . . There is no question about his credentials; Randy Gradishar belongs in the Hall of Fame.”

Randy was incredible, and you could just talk about him forever. He was the best.

Denver Broncos HOF WR: Mark Jackson, if you know anything about the Broncos, then you remember “the drive” when Elway became JOHN ELWAY, and when Mark Jackson was introduced to the “Three Amigos”. He caught the TD pass that ended the drive, and became a Broncos Fan favorite from that point on. He was a great wide out.

Denver Broncos HOF QB: JOHN ELWAY, is one of the two Broncos currently in the Pro Football HOF. You don’t need to know anything about #7, but I will say there will never be another like him.

Denver Broncos HOF T: Gary Zimmerman, the second Bronco to be put into the NFL HOF. He was great, and led a line that could give you 5 minutes in the pocket, and also open up holes for a freight train.

Denver Broncos HOF S: Steve Atwater, The best safety in NFL history! The fact the he’s not in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame is also outrageous. Atwater returned 24 interceptions for 408 yards and a touchdown. Tackles: 1180.Forced Fumbles: 12. Two Super Bowl rings. His stats tell the story of his great career by themself.

Denver Broncos HOF RB; Terrell Davis, paved the way for modern day backs running style. Such as M. Barber, and Tiki Barber, and many others. The style of just flat out getting the job done. Every run counts, you never slow down, back down, fall down, or get down. He is one of my all time favorite Broncos, though many talk about his injury shortened spam in the NFL, they never seem to realize how incredible his stats are for only 7 years Pro. His 7607 rushing yards, and 65 total Touchdowns are mind blowing especially considering he only played in 20 games in 1999-2001 (Three Seasons). He also was the Super Bowl XXXII MVP. He deserves NFL HOF and has a chance to get in this year.

Denver Broncos HOF LB:Bill Romanowski, Romo due to stats not being collected and counted like they are now-a-days he does not have mind blowing stats, but his 39.5 counted sacks to say some. Bill was feared, and one of the best.

Denver Broncos HOF TE: Shannon Sharpe: Sharpie, had in his sweet career, 815 catches, 10060 yards, and 62 TD’s make him one of the best ever.

Denver Broncos HOF DB: Darrent Williams, DWill will always in Denver Bronco fans, players, and coaches hearts, along with anyone associated with the NFL. Many people do not realize how good his career really was. If it was not sadly shortened by death he would have become an All-Pro NFL HOF DB.

Denver Broncos HOF LB: Al Wilson, the best of his time. Yes, the best of his time. Ray Lewis is overrated, and the others did not have the heart of Al Wilson. Even after his career ending injury, Al fought, and tried to get back into football. But his injury was to bad. I love Al, him and John Lynch. They were the best ever.

Denver Broncos HOF WR(s): Ed McCaffery, and Rod Smith, much like the duo that Brandon Marshall, and Eddie Royal, they were the BEST! And both could find them selves in Ohio’s Hall.

Currently NFL playing current or former Broncos who will get into the Denver Broncos HOF: Jason Elam, John Lynch, Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams, Tom Nalen, Jay Cutler, Elvis Dumervil, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Dre Bly, it’s to soon too say, but MAYBE Selvin Young. LOL that’s like the whole Bronco team.

Honorable mentions: Otis Armstrong, Bill Thompson, Matt Lepsis, Rick Upchurch, Tom Jackson, Tyrone Braxton, and Reggie Hayward. Many more, tell who you think I missed, or should maybe not be in, via the comments.

Jon Krause is a member of the Bronco Madness staff, you can catch his own blog at Broncos Zone.

I’m going to get a bit off topic in this article when I talk about what it takes to be a fan favorite. I have always wondered how these players become so popular with fans and after I did some studying I am here to share this with you.

To start off I chose some current and past Broncos “Fan Favorites” and I will analyze why everyone loves them so much. My first of which would be the all great John Elway to kick off our fan favorites of the past.

John Elway: John Elway is every fans great love. They can not get enough of this guy. It does not matter what fandom you are John Elway is one of the most lovable players of all time. If you can have the affection for him that people do from other teams you can only imagine how Broncos fans feel about him. Really… I think you know. You are probably that guy I am talking about. I think that main reason that John Elway is a fan favorite is that he was just plain good. Nobody could stop this guy. Elway turned around the Broncos franchise into one of the all time greatest teams ever. He was pure magic his entire career and while being soft spoken and letting his play do the talking he was a fan favorite.

Shannon Sharpe: Unlike John Elway who earned all sorts of affection from fans through his soft spoken and gentle manner off the field Sharpe was the opposite. Elway was not quiet on the field but Sharpe was loud everywhere making him as well a fan favorite. Sharpe is a member of the trash talk Hall of Fame and I would say began the trend of Touchdown Dances, trash talk and just pure craziness in the NFL. While this could hurt some in their attractiveness to fans Sharpe while wild did not exceed some limits like players are doing today just to get media attention. Chad John… I’m sorry, Chad Ocho Cinco anyone? Sharpe also became a favorite with his pure talent. He is the one player who I loved enough to get his signed jersey.

Tom Nalen: When fans grace you with the nickname Tommy Nails… Well there is something special about you. He is a hero to anyone who ever played on the line. Ever. He is a future Hall of Famer who is aloof yet very intimidating. Fans love his quiet yet scary swagger. He has been a staple on the line for years and is all that is left in our minds of the great Super Bowl era. While he has become injury prone Tom Nalen stays in the hearts of fans everywhere. He is the kind of guy who you do not want to mess with. Nobody knows what will happen if you do because no one has dare gone near that point. Tommy Nails defines a fan favorite.

Nate Webster: Webster is not a fan favorite because he is a future Hall of Famer or he won a Super Bowl or any of that stuff. His talent is decent but still not starting material and one of the best reasons he may be a fan favorite is that he has a gimmick. Yes, a gimmick can be very good for your fan favoritism. That would be his helmet flying off. As Hercules Rockefeller once quoted on BroncoTalk “You do not mess with Nate Websters helmet. That thing is a sentient being. It will kill you and everyone you care about.” True Herc… Very, very true. With the nickname hats and his presence on the field, Webster has become very popular among fans, blogs and reporters of all kinds. Helmets off to Webster.

Eddie Royal: Eddie is what the Broncos have been looking for since the Rod Smith, Ed McCaffery days. They have wanted a killer one, two receiver punch. With Eddie Royal by Brandon Marshall’s side they have finally got it. Fans love him due to the fact that he fits a need in Denver. He is great because he can return the ball and play Wide Receiver both at elite levels. He is cool headed and he has become very humanized by the media. He seems like a fun person too.”Eddie’s a little bit of a girl. He listens to some girl music. Every now and again, we’ll hear him listening to Backstreet Boys or Natasha Bedingfield.” One of his good friends had to say about him. Hearing things like this makes us feel like he is down to earth and that you can really connect with him.

Now mind you, there are a lot of other fan favorites. These are just some I picked up. If you have noticed there are some common things among them. First off, they all have some sort of swagger or an appearance to us and the media. That makes them look either good or bad but all the time fun. Some have light hearted personalities and others are trash talkers. Either way we like them. 

Also a popular thing is to have a gimmick. Whether it is a Touchdown dance, or having your helmet fly off it helps you stand apart from the crowd making us see you more only to enjoy you more. Nicknames are another way that a person stands out to us making them popular among groups. We like hearing them. It makes players like The Bus, or Big Game all fan favorites from other teams. I hope for your own sake that you know who they are.

So as you can see, there is almost an art to becoming a fan favorite. I just thought point this out. Tell me if you have any other ideas of what makes players fan favorites. I am interested to hear your opinions.

15 year veteran center Tom Nalen was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday due to a nagging left knee injury that was operated on during the summer. Nalen was a key to the powerful running game, and back to back super bowl titles in 1997 and 1998 as well as Terrell Davis’ 2000 yard rushing season in 1998.  Sadly, this will likely mark the end of Nalen’s career as well.  Signing veteran center Casey Wiegmann during the off season is proving to be a smart move.  Wiegmann was originally slotted as backup to Nalen but obviously is the starter now and playing well.

It looks like it may be the beginning of the end for the future Hall of Famer Tom Nalen. This morning the Broncos placed him on the injury reserve with a left knee injury Mike Shanahan officially announced.

The 15th-year center underwent two surgical procedures on his left knee before the start of the 2008 season, and though he and the team held out hope that he would be able to return to action, this announcement signals the end of his 2008 campaign. 

“The Broncos selected Nalen in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL Draft, and he has been with the team ever since. Nalen ranks second in Broncos history with 188 starts while his 194 career games played in a Denver uniform represent the third-highest total in club annals. He helped Denver post the most rushing yards with 29,131 and the most individual 100-yard rushing games with 93 in the NFL from 1995-2007 in addition to tying for the league lead in individual 1,000-yard rushing seasons with 11 during that time.” -Denver Broncos Official Site.

Casey Wiegmann has been holding down the fort while he has been gone and has been doing quite a good job of it. Also behind Wiegmann is Kory Lichtensteiger a rookie out of Bowling Green. 

Tom Nalens 5 Pro Bowls happen to lead all Broncos offensive linemen. He is the last remaining player on the active roster from the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl winning squads. One of my favorite quotes by him about being the only remaining player from the Broncos Super Bowls was “I don’t sit around with my feet up going, ‘Yeah, I outlasted everyone.”

I will miss good ol’ Tom Nalen and though he is not officially retired I doubt that we will ever see him suit up in the old orange and blue jerseys again. He is a shoo in for the Ring of Fame and should go into the Hall of Fame. I love Tom Nalen and will miss him dearly. 

In other news, Hamza Abdullah was waived by the Broncos this morning. He was a starter until the third week of the Pre-Season.

I think that it might be time for the final member of the Broncos last Super Bowl team to retire. That would be Tom Nalen who got bad news this morning about his right knee. 

Tom Nalen will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery for the second time in two months. Nalen is expected to miss the rest of the preseason after actually coming back to practice a few days ago. 

Mike Shanahan I think is blowing smoke as he said at first that the injury Nalen faced was nothing serious and now is going on to say this: 

“What we are going to do is have Tom get his knee cleaned up a little bit — more preventative than anything else,” Shanahan said. “It hasn’t healed the way we would have liked. Hopefully it’s nothing serious and can alleviate some of the swelling and the pain and hopefully he is ready to go by the first game.”

Nonsense utter nonsense. The man is going through his second surgery in a month. That is nothing to just say is no big deal. It takes time to recover from a surgery such as the one he is facing. I’m no doctor but I even know that.

I like how Wiegmann has looked and I feel that it might be time to move on from Tom no matter how much it may hurt us. We will see how it pans out. Maybe he will feel fine and we can put him back in the lineup. If so then we should give him a chance. Until then good luck Tommy. 

- I think the Broncos are darn lucky that Brandon Marshall wasn’t suspended for more games than the three handed down by Roger Goodell.  Considering the suspension will likely be reduced to two games after Marshall undergoes counseling, the Broncos should be thankful they aren’t losing their star receiver for half the season.  Granted, Marshall will miss two division games (at Oakland and home versus San Diego) but at least he isn’t out for a longer period of time.  Marshall is still poised to have a big year on the heals of a 102 catch season, and hopefully he has learned his lesson about toeing the line off the field.

- The Broncos have a couple of injury concerns already in camp that haven’t been discussed much.  One is center Tom Nalen, who sat out the final 11 games last season after tearing his right biceps, and is currently recovering from off-season surgery on his left knee.  Nalen will likely miss the entire preseason (let’s be honest - that’s not really important) but it doesn’t seem for sure as though he’ll be ready for the opener at Oakland.  The fact that Nalen is missing time now also begs the question as to whether he’ll be able to finish the season healthy.  Nalen is the leader of the offensive line and his absence was definitely noticeable last year.

- The other injury is to rookie running back Ryan Torian.  Torian was carried off the field this morning after being hit by Jamie Winborn and Nate Webster.  Torian suffered a broken elbow and will miss 6-8 weeks, meaning at the earliest it will be late September before he can return to action.  Even though he was selected in the fifth round, the Broncos had high hopes that Torian could become the feature back in the offense because his running style is a perfect fit for the team’s running scheme.  Torian will now miss the rest of camp and the preseason, which is more important for a rookie because he needs that period to adjust to the rigors of the NFL, plus it might actually impact Torian’s chances of making the team. 

- As far as Brett Favre is concerned, I think the Days of Our Lives theme music is appropriate here.  This has become such a circus it’s ridiculous.  At this point, if the Packers are that convinced that Aaron Rodgers is their guy and they don’t want Favre around, they should just release him.  Of course, they’re not going to do that because Favre would sign with division rival Minnesota immediately if not sooner.  It’s funny, I’m tired of hearing about Favre, but on the other hand I’m dying to see what happens next in this saga.  It has gotten to the point where it’s so crazy that it is rapidly becoming entertaining and tiresome at the same time.  Regardless of how it turns out, any Favre game against the Packers will be must see, wherever Favre ends up playing.  That is, if he ends up playing.

- It will be interesting to see how this affects Favre’s legacy.  He’s a sure fire Hall of Fame lock for sure, but will he be remembered for this drama at the end of his career?  I am intrigued to see how Favre will be recalled in ten, or even five years.

- It is also interesting how because of the Favre saga, we haven’t heard much about the other 31 teams in the league besides the Packers.  Maybe this is one of the reasons why it doesn’t quite seem like it should be time for football yet.  Of course, it is only preseason right now, so really we’re still a month away from any football that matters, but I don’t generally remember football sneaking up on me as much in previous years as it has this year.  Maybe it won’t seem that way once the Broncos have their first preseason game (or as I prefer to think of it, glorified controlled scrimmage) on Saturday night.

While I am gone I asked Ian to do an article for us and I hope that you folks really enjoy it. As always thanks Ian for your contributions to the fastest growing Denver Broncos site on the web! 

Is it deja-vu all over again? In just under seven days, the Denver Broncos have retired a man who owned nearly all of the receiving records. We’re still in doubt over whether he will be a inducted into the Hall of Fame. Now there’s a possibility that another Bronco could join him the same year he is inducted into the Hall in Canton, OH. That player is of course John Lynch, who left his joint press conference today kind of murky on whether he would play again. He may go back and take a job at Fox News, he may line up as a San Diego Charger verse Denver twice this season. No one really knows, including John, apparently.

Beyond that, the golden boy rookie fullback Peyton Hillis who many (me) expected to be busting holes and leading the fearsome foursome (is that nickname already taken?), Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Ryan Torain and Anthony Aldridge, through the valley and into the promise land… Is injured. At least he’s been injured, with a pulled hamstring, for all but three days thus far in training camp. Now there’s Tom Nalen, bursa sac, the same inflammation that will sideline Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning the entire preseason. If Nalen needs surgery, do you really see him not retiring?

The Brandon Marshall situation is due to come to a head any minute now, I wrote a while back on my blog that I didn’t think that Marshall would end up getting suspended. However, with every new text message barrage, due to some event with the Broncos, I’m just positive that this is the one that’s going to determine whether or not he’s out for two, four, eight game or whether he got thrown a very major bone. I covered what life would be like without Brandon Marshall earlier this month. Fans can be even more assured now than they were then, Eddie Royal looks great every practice and could slide into number two, if Darrell Jackson had to slide to the primary spot at wide out.

What now Broncos fans? Gone are John Lynch and Rod Smith, fullbacks are dropping like flies and we can’t even get an accurate assessment of our offensive line. with right guard Montrae Holland pulling sled duty for likely the eighth day in a row (tomorrow). Chris Kuper’s hand is going to start looking like the crypt keepers if he continues to take the beating that DeWayne Robertson’s handing out during seven-on-seven drills and eleven-on-eleven scrimmages. Will Ryan Harris be able to succeed as the right tackle or is he just keeping the seat warm until Kuper can push over and Holland can make weight? Don’t know and I’m kind of scared to ask.

Safety Marlon McCree will fill in nicely in Lynch’s absence, McCree was already playing most of the strong safety positions. Except in the base defense that Denver was running, that’s when Lynch would relieve him. Rookie safety Josh Barrett has looked very strong and will also see time, Marquand Manuel, who may have been cut had Lynch not retired is also a very hard hitting option for Denver. Fans, rest assured, the back half of Denver’s defense will be great this season. I forgot to mention that free safety Hamza Abdullah is playing like a maniac on red bull and seems to have locked up the free safety position and earned the trust of Mike Shanahan.

Back to Tom Nalen’s possible injury, for just a moment, his backup Casey Wiegmann has started every game that he’s played in since 2001. Yes, he was starting then for the Kansas City Chiefs, but we won’t hold that against him. He’s a very worthy backup and in my opinion Denver has very good depth at the offensive line, with tackles Erik Pears, PJ Alexander and rookie Tyler Polumbus, guards Dylan Gandy (who may challenge very soon for a starting spot) and rookie Kory Lichtensteiger. I just can’t figure out why if Ryan Harris is doing so bad, he hasn’t been replaced on the first-team. Maybe he’s not as bad as fans think he is…

Have a good weekend guys!

Ian Henson is a contributer to Bronco Madness you can catch his own blog Broncos Denver Broncos.

It is time to review the third day of Training Camp for all of you. So have fun reading what todays Training Camp looked like. Since Bronco Madness was absent we pulled together what other people are saying about camp. 

We have put in brackets the site of origin where we found this info. So enjoy our notes for day 5 of Training Camp!

• Jay Cutler was even hotter than the heat wave sweeping through Denver this week. He looked amazing but he did not show many long 60 yard heaves. [Denver Post]
• Peyton Hillis was sidelined for the second straight day. Tom Nalen was also absent as Casey Wiegmann took downs with the first team. [Bronco Talk]
• Nate Jackson looked good playing opposite Tony Scheffler at TE with the first team. Sounds intriguing but I would rather see Daniel Graham out there with Scheffler. [Denver Broncos.com Blog]
• Darrell Jackson fumbled on a reverse from Cutler but other than that looked good out there. It looks as if Glenn Martinez passed Keary Colbert on the depth chart as he played mainly with the second team while Colbert played with the third. [Broncos Denver Broncos]
• Patrick Ramsey looks horrendous out there while the backup Darrell Hackney looks very good. [Every Broncos Site Ever]
• Chad Mustard was put on the PUP. [Bronco Talk]

Here is the full transcript of quotes from todays camp thanks to BroncoTalk. They include Shanny and Michael Pittman!

BRONCOS HEAD COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

On the Broncos’ running backs
“I feel good. Like I said before, the running back position and the safety position I usually save the evaluations for the preseason games. Thus far, I am very happy with both.”
On RB Ryan Torain’s quickness
“We talked about him in the draft and I thought he was a first round talent. He hasn’t disappointed me yet. We’ll get a chance to see if he can hold onto the football, if he can remember his plays when the lights are on. So far he has worked extremely hard, and he’s impressed most of the coaches.”
On C Tom Nalen’s health
“He’s fine. I wanted to go a couple days with Tom (and then) give him a day off. He is such a hard-nose tough guy that he wants to go four or five days in a row, but it is rest well needed. We’ll do that every few days, so we don’t overwork him (and) get him back in football shape with his knee. Knowing Tom, he won’t skip a beat. ”
On Nalen’s offseason recovery
“He’s rebounded very good. One of the reasons we want to give him that day off is so he doesn’t overdo it. He’s come back from the surgery and worked extremely hard and is in good football shape. Any time you put on the pads and go through this grind it does take its toll, especially when you are a little bit older. Try and be smart with it and still get him in football shape and get him ready for this season.”
On turnovers during the morning practice
“We’ve had that every day. We try to limit that and that’s part of camp. We’ve had five good days, players have been a little more fresh than in the past because we are not actually doing two-a-days like normal practices. W e are in pretty good shape. Ninety-nine percent attendance in the offseason really helps us in camp because we don’t have to overwork them by running them too much. I have been pleased with what they have done. We area just keep working on eliminating those mistakes. That’s what camp is for, especially in the first week.”

BRONCOS RUNNING BACK MICHAEL PITTMAN

On Coach Shanahan’s approach to camp
“This is my first camp here, but this has been my easiest camp. Last year I was at Tampa, the past six years I was at Tampa. I think Coach is doing an excellent job keeping us fresh. Having one practice in the morning, and we come out here and hustle really hard and he rewards us with a walk-through in the afternoon. As a veteran, an 11-year guy, I can tell that my body feels much fresher. I’m taking more reps now because one of our fullbacks is hurt, but I feel a whole lot better now in this part of camp.”
On the competition at running back
“We are friends. It’s a great competition right now. Selvin Young, he’s the lead guy. Andre (Hall) is another good guy. Ryan (Torain), a rookie draft pick, myself. It’s going to be great competition. Last year, I believe at this time Selvin was fourth on the depth chart. Look at him now—He is number one. With this offense, and with the coaching staff, I believe they will play the best player.”
On his impressions of QB Jay Cutler
“I like Jay. He is a laid back, mellow type of guy. I’m used to Jeff Garcia, the fiery type. Jay is a great quarterback. He is a young guy, but he shows great leadership. I think he has a bright future for him.”
On lining up as a fullback
“I’ll do it, I’m not a fullback, but I will do whatever my coach asks me to do. I’m a tailback, and that is what I have been drafted to be coming out of college. If my coach asks me to go in there and feel some blocks, I’ll feel some blocks. I’m 220 pounds, I’m strong, but I am not as big as some of these linebackers in league, but I’ll do whatever they ask of me.”
On his durability
“I bring a lot to the table with myself, being a veteran, being smart of course. I bring a lot. I can catch the ball well out of the backfield, and I can run the football. Just being around the league and seeing defenses, I try and figure out what they try and bring to the table. I bring a lot to this offense.”
On advice he has given to rookie RB Ryan Torain
“I have just been trying to keep these young guys motivated. And really the odds are so wide open, so big, the coaches are coming down on them. I have just been telling them the things I learned as a rookie. I had it a whole lot worse. I came out in ‘98, and everybody was on me. I was carrying everybody’s pads off the field. I have been trying to keep them motivated because sometimes the confidence falls. Being a veteran and being around for so long, I just try and pick them up. Ryan and the other guys are going to be the future of this team. I myself only have about two or three years left in me. Those young guys are going to be around for a long time. ”
On playing fullback this season
“I am just going to playing there until Peyton (Hillis) gets back. I am just filling in and doing the best I can. I am running in there full speed and lowering the shoulder. All the blocks are not great, but I’m not a natural fullback. There are sometimes where they have me block as a halfback. I’m not complaining about it. I’m happy to be here, and I’ll do whatever they ask of me.”
On if he has ever played fullback before
“No I have never played fullback in my life. I was always halfback, receiver, strong safety. In my career since high school, I have always played halfback. But fullback, I am fine with it. If coach asks me to do it, I’ll do it and do the best I can.”

It is time to review the third day of Training Camp for all of you. So have fun reading what todays Training Camp looked like. Since Bronco Madness was absent we pulled together what other people are saying about camp. 

We have put in brackets the site of origin where we found this info. So enjoy our notes for day 2 of Training Camp!

We will give you the full transcript of interviews after Training Camp later. So check back soon!

The Broncos made yet another signing yesterday. This was right after cutting their final two players to make room on the roster for the new herd of draft picks.

The signing was for Kory Lichtensteiger of Bowling Green State. He is a powerhouse center who tied most games played in a career at Bowling Green. He is actually the first Bronco ever to be drafted from the college.

We have now signed 6 of our 9 draft picks with only Jack Williams, Eddie Royal, and Ryan Clady left to sign.

I like Lichtesteiger and think that he will do a good job this year as a Denver Bronco. He seems like good preparation for when Nalen retires.

Training camp is even closer. 

It’s Monday and you guys know what that means! It is time for our brand new Poll of the Week! But as always we will start with last weeks final results. Thank you to anyone who voted and we have now figured out who will be the consensus Center this year.

That was the question: Who will be our starting Center? Here were your results:

13 of you or 65% thought that Tom Nalen would start for us. Hmmm…very basic.

1 of you or 5% thought it would be the rookie Kory Lichtensteiger. I like your independence.

6 of you or 30% thought Casey Wiegmann would earn the job. Interesting pick.

But now you guys can cash in your votes on another poll. Who will be our second WR under B-Marsh? Your choices are:

Darrell Jackson

Eddie Royal

Samie Parker

Keary Colbert

Glenn Martinez

As you know Brandon Stokley will not be on the list because he will play slot receiver. I thought you should know that before I get all sorts of complaints. By the way, if you haven’t read Eddie Royal has become the dark horse for the job.

As we near training camp, word out of Denver is that Keary Colbert has a slight edge over Darrell Jackson to become the team’s No. 2 wide receiver, but rookie Eddie Royal is a dark-horse candidate for the job, according to sources. We hear Broncos coaches like what Royal showed in the squad’s minicamps and are willing to give him a shot at passing the two veterans on the depth chart. When he was drafted in the second round it largely was believed that Royal would contribute almost purely as a kick returner this season, but those views are beginning to change. Observers of the Broncos’ OTAs say Royal has been inconsistent at times, but his speed and ability to get in and out of breaks quickly have endeared him to the offensive coaching staff. Regardless, Denver is feeling upbeat about its receiving corps at this point, with a potential top five of Brandon Marshall, Colbert, Jackson, Brandon Stokley and Royal.

-Pro Football Weekly

BroncoTalk sure is buzzing over the idea. Here you can see what they think of the idea:

Click Here

I am still a Darrell Jackson fan and think that he deserves it. He has the most experience and think it would be terribly wrong for him not to earn it. I like Eddie Royal as an exclusive return man. Let’s not distract him.

The organization wants Keary Colbert to win it saying that he reminds them of Ed McCaffrey. I just do not think that he is good enough for the job. McCaffrey is one of a kind in my opinion. I mean seriously, I have practically a shrine dedicated to him.

So now it is you turn to give us your opinions. We will of course be back on Monday to recap the poll and introduce our newest one. Until then have fun voting!

Centers never get any credit, they simply get the blame when they mess up. Centers are very rarely glorified and when they do something amazing or good nobody pays any attention to it. But when they do something wrong suddenly they are the #1 most hated man on the team.

But the position of Center is a key component of an offense. Who is the guy that snaps the ball? Who is the biggest most upfront player on the line? Who is the key to a successful special teams play in so many different ways? All of these answers are Center and yet no respect.

But I am here to finally talk about the Centers because believe it or not they are in the Broncos news right now more than any other position. If you don’t know already, here is what is going on:

Starting Center Tom Nalen will be out for 2 to 3 weeks due to knee surgery on some torn cartilage in his left knee.

4th round pick Kory Lichtensteiger is recovering from surgery to repair a torn abrum in his right shoulder. He has only been in mental reps so far but is making progress.

Casey Wiegmann is currently holding down the position as the other two recover.

It may not sound like it but this is one of the biggest position battles on the Broncos in years. Lets lay out how it looks right now. You have your experienced, highly tenured, Center of the past, Tom Nalen.

Backing him up you have the also experienced Casey Wiegmann who still has a few years left in him. This will be his first year with the Broncos and he is right now the starter while the other two are gone.

To follow them up you have the 4th round pick, rookie, and yet highly talented possible star of the future, Kory Lichtensteiger. He has not entered camp yet after still recovering from an injury.

I love Tom Nalen’s swagger and always have. He is truly one of the greatest Centers ever and I think could possibly make a comeback. If he recovers and plays his heart out, he will probably be out starter at Center.

On the other hand Casey Wiegmann at this point looks really good in camp and could be a great choice for the position. Watch out for him to really make an impact.

Kory is a great player but I don’t see him boding well in this battle. You don’t want to come in to your first season with and injury and he did just that. He is a good player but we have to other choices who are just as good if not better.

This forgotten battle will be close but I think that Wiegmann will win over the job. I just don’t think that Nalen will be able to play with all these injuries.

First of all I would like to say that the reason that I have been gone so long is that I am right now attending a friends wedding in Kansas. But let me explain to you the biggest news that I have missed.

Tom Nalen will be out for 2-3 weeks the result of arthroscopic knee surgery. He will be repairing some torn cartalidge in his left knee.

He will miss the last mini camp from July 7th to the 8th. “He should be full speed by the time we go to camp,” Coach Mike Shanahan said about Nalens status.

With him gone Casey Wiegmann took over the position of Center this week. He is scheduled to play unitl nlens return.

Tom Nalen is right now the Broncos oldest player with the team after Jason Elams leave and Rod Smiths move to the reserve-retirement list.

With all things considered I have come up with my grade for the Broncos 2008 NFL Draft. 

Since there weren’t any big trades that took place with the exception of Dewayne Robertson we can not say much for that. But since we did trade for him with a draft pick we will just have him count for the heck of it. 

Our rookie free agent signings were extremely good and we covered positions we didn’t draft such as kicker Garrett Hartley and punter Bret Kern. We also got a very good player in Tyler Polumbus a former high school star and a decent college player.

Our draft itself was pretty good though. We got college stars in both Ryan Clady and Eddie Royal who will help both our O-line, Special Teams, and Wide Receiver squad. 

Kory Lichtensteiger will prepare for the retirement of Tom Nalen which will take place in the distant future. Though there were below average picks in Ryan Torian and Jack Williams. Both were sort of depressing picks. 

Along with Ryan Torain we had more Arizona State alumni with Josh Barrett and some more just plain Arizona in Spencer Larsen. These were decent picks and will help us.

Though the most exciting late round pick was Peyton Hillis who was surprisingly taken in the 7th round. That is a great pick and now we will not have to mess around with Cecil Sapp anymore. I love Peyton Hillis and this was one of my favorite picks.

I give this entire draft with rookie free agent signings and trades a B+

Jason Elam. No. Rod Smith. Not really. Matt Lepsis. Sorry. There is now only one remaining Denver Bronco from our championship team of ‘97 and of course ‘98. His name is Tom Nalen and he is the last player we have seen since.

Actually Nalen just got back from vacation in Orlando like Brandon Marshall. He avoided all McDonalds bags and television sets.

Nalen a popular center missed half of his 2007 season with a serious arm injury. Though he claims he is back and ready to start. He will have to compete with Casey Wiegmann this year who was recently signed by the Broncos.

“I don’t sit around with my feet up going, ‘Yeah, I outlasted everyone,” He joked about to the Rocky Mountain News.

But he should know that he has the right to.

The Broncos have a decent offensive line ready to defend QB Jay Cutler. There is no doubt about that, but we have our strengths and weaknesses. Especially the interior part is strong. The Rocky Mountain News has a great story on the line.

Rick Dennison eventually will get his fave five, just like Charles Barkley in those omnipresent cell phone commercials.

But first, the process has to sort itself out.

“I’m not putting anybody 1, 2, 3 or whatever and I don’t know where we’ll end up,” said Dennison, who oversees the Broncos’ offensive line in his role as coordinator. “It makes a difference who we get either through free agency or the draft and who’s left and who plays well.”

The Broncos have more interior depth up front than outside at tackle, particularly with guard Ben Hamilton and center Tom Nalen expected to return from injuries and Chris Kuper and Chris Myers fresh off a season’s worth of playing experience inside.

The big question appears to be at tackle, where Matt Lepsis retired.

Erik Pears is the incumbent at right tackle but has played the other side, where at this juncture Ryan Harris appears to be the front- runner for the all-important spot protecting quarterback Jay Cutler’s blind side.

But Harris has played only a combined three snaps in the regular season and preseason and could be pushed by a veteran acquisition or draftee.

“He did some really good things,” Dennison said of Harris’ progress last season after some initial work catching up. “He’s coachable. He learns and he wants to do it the right way.”

There also is the possibility Kuper can kick out to tackle after playing well at guard last season.

“Maybe,” Dennison said. “The best five will be on the field is all I know. And I don’t know where they’ll all end up.”

Dennison only hopes that whoever emerges will stay together after shuffling the deck in 2007.

“Consistency was the biggest problem we had, but getting everybody to flow together, that’s hard when you have a bunch of new guys playing,” he said. “But that will only help them in the future.”

From: The Rocky Mountain News

Hey Football Fiends,

This season that has seen quarterbacks go down to injury at an unprecedented rate. This past weekend spelled trouble in that area for the Denver Broncos when QB Jay Cutler took a helmet to his lower leg in the first half of the Broncos 44-7 loss to the Lions on Sunday.

It was feared the Cutler had a stress fracture, but his leg is bruised not broken per his MRI results. He is not likely to practice or start this week. Cutler took over the starting job from Jake Plummer last season.

Denver’s back up QB is Patrick Ramsey, who has spent time with the Washington Redskins (2002-05), New York Jets (2006) and Denver Broncos since being drafted out of Tulane in 2002.

As Denver only kept two QBs on its 53 man roster, it is likely they will have to go after another QB if Cutler is out of action for any significant amount of time.

Losing Cutler to injury is just the latest in a long line of injuries the Broncos have had this year. Rod Smith (WR), top draft pick Jarvis Moss (DE), Ebenezer Ekuban (End), Tom Nalen (C), Ben Hamilton (G), Warrick Holdman (CB) and tight ends Stephen Alexander and Nate Jackson are all out with injuries.

It’s a safe bet that Your Gridiron Goddess will NOT be picking Denver to win this coming weekend when they face Kansas City.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

I didn’t believe Jon Kitna when he said that the Detroit Lions were a 10-win team this pre-season.

But the way they’re playing, they should easily hit the mark. But after this weekend’s 44-7 drubbing of the Denver Broncos, an NFL axiom has been laid to rest. The Denver Broncos can no longer run roughshod over the competition.

There is a reason for this. Tom Nalen, their all-world center, has been on injured reserve for over a month now. It is not often that an offensive lineman is the keystone of your offense, but Nalen has been one of the premiere centers in the NFL for a generation. Plus, the Broncos are 1-3 since losing him.

That’s why I want the voters in Canton to fast track Nalen’s Hall of Fame application. With Nalen out of the lineup, the Broncos and their vaunted rush offense has averaged less than 75 yards a game. All of a sudden, the mystique of the zone running game is gone, and Mike Shanahan is left grasping at straws.

If it wasn’t obvious that one man out of eleven was so important, ask Shanahan. “Tom, I believe, is the best center to ever play the game,” notes Shanahan. And while Nalen should return for next year, why put off making his bust for Canton. This season has been a remarkable example of how important offensive line play can be in the NFL.

It also vividly demonstrates that no matter what people say about offensive and defensive schemes in the NFL, the players you’ve got in the system are more important. Schemes are important, but having the right personnel is vital.