Denver Dailies: Broncos Roundup (Thursday Edition)

Peyton Manning, Broncos join coaches on the field for first time - For the first time since Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos in March, Denver’s coaches are allowed to oversee practices on the field at Dove Valley.  The Broncos (along with the other 31 NFL teams) have moved into the second phase of the offseason program in which coaches can oversee limited workouts.  Read more from the Denver Post >>>>

Broncos talk about Saints suspensions and “message” from NFL - In locker rooms across the NFL today, players were gathered for offseason workouts when the bombshell news started filling up their cell phones and taking over the sports television news.  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced this morning that four New Orleans Saints players will be suspended for their roles in the pay-to-injure bounty program. One player, linebacker Jonathan Vilma, will be suspended for all of the 2012 season, starting immediately.  Read more from the Denver Post >>>>

Elway, Fox and Manning Remember Seau - On Wednesday, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway shared his thoughts on the passing of former Chargers, Dolphins and Patriots linebacker Junior Seau.  ”I had the pleasure of playing against Junior for many years,” Elway said via Twitter. “He played the game the way it was meant to be played. We shared a lot of laughs from our AFC West battles when I saw Junior before he was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in November.  Read more from Denver Broncos >>>>

Denver Broncos: How Each Draft Pick Fits into the Broncos Plan in 2012 - The Denver Broncos took the Walmart drafting approach over the weekend by placing a heavy emphasis on value.  When emphasizing value in the NFL draft, rest assured that the arduous task of responsible due diligence that is required in order to improve a team becomes so much more daunting.  When searching and scouring the college ranks for value, a team search must be both thorough and exhaustive.  Read more from Bleacher Report >>>>

NFL Draft 2012: 4 Picks the Denver Broncos Got Right - The Denver Broncos had a successful draft weekend; they picked players that provided good value and filled a need on the roster.  The Broncos had the 25th selection in the first round but traded it to the New England Patriots for a better selection in the fourth round.  As the draft progressed, it became clear that the Broncos’ front office was intent on trading down and stockpiling picks when possible.  Read more from Bleacher Report >>>>

NFL Power Rankings: Peyton Manning, Broncos Are Biggest Unknown - The big free agents have been signed. The 2012 NFL Draft is now done.Undrafted free agent signings are coming in. It’s time to judge how everyone has done this offseason.  SB Nation’s first set of post-draft NFL power rankings takes a look at the landscape of the NFL. We left off last time after the Super Bowl and the Giants were the champs, ranked No. 1.  Read more from SB Nation >>>>

NFL Power Rankings: Broncos Move Up 8 Spots After Peyton Manning Signing, Draft - The 2012 NFL Draft is over and major free agency happenings ended weeks ago, allowing evaluators and analysts a chance to determine how well or poorly teams have done this offseason. SB Nation’s Joel Thorman has released his post-draft NFL power rankings, which sees the Denver Broncos in a favorable light at No. 12.  Read more from SB Nation >>>>

Ranking the AFC West’s UFAs – While so much attention is paid to NFL draft picks, college free agents are often overlooked simply because they weren’t drafted. Every year, one or two undrafted free agents seem to make each 53-man roster. I asked college prospect guru Steve Muench of Scouts Inc. to rank the best undrafted free agents who signed with AFC West teams. The Oakland Raiders have not announced their class, but several of the players who have agreed to terms with them have been reported, but still they remain unofficial at this point.  Read more from ESPN >>>> 

Elway beats hype with savvy drafting - John Elway reminded Broncos fans and NFL observers alike of his business acumen in last week’s NFL Draft. Denver clearly now values its rapidly-establishing system over draft hype.  Elway is setting a new standard for his Broncos by establishing a method for replenishment through the draft, and everything John has done so far in 2012 speaks of amazing maturity for such a new executive.  Read more from Pro Sports Colorado >>>>

Broncos’ big-time draft recovery - When word came that the Denver Broncos would give up their No. 25 pick in the NFL Draft, dropping six spots and getting a late fourth-rounder in return, you had to wonder if team executive John Elway had outsmarted himself.  Read more from Colorado Springs Independent >>>>

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Denver Dailies: Broncos Roundup (Thursday Edition)

Wild West once again: Star QBs stock Denver Broncos’ division - Put away those popgun arms. They had as much right in the AFC West as a hayseed at an English tea.  Maybe the AFC West is not quite all the way back to the days of the Mad Bomber, Air Coryell and the Duke. But a quick look around the division and quarterback has once again become a position of pride.  Read more from the Denver Post >>>>

Woody Paige: Some QB history in Denver a sore subject - A gastronome knows food; a sommelier appreciates wine. Peyton Manning is a quarterback cognoscente.  He can recite every quarterback who played against his father, Archie, in college and the NFL. Many years ago, when I told Peyton I lived in Colorado, he immediately responded that Charles Johnson had taken over at quarterback for an injured Darian Hagan in the second half of the Orange Bowl as the Buffs beat Notre Dame for the national championship.  Read more from the Denver Post >>>>

Denver Broncos still have holes to fill at defensive tackle - Peyton Manning may be unreal. He may be a Hall of Famer in waiting. He may be in the discussion for greatest NFL quarterback of all time.  But Peyton Manning can’t play defensive tackle.  ”We’ve got some holes, in particular at defensive tackle,” Broncos coach John Fox said Tuesday at the AFC coaches breakfast with the media.  Read more from the Denver Post >>>>

Wide Receiver U? - Over the past six years, two receivers from Georgia Tech have been the first players from their position chosen in the NFL draft – Calvin Johnson (No. 2 overall, 2007) and Demaryius Thomas (No. 22, 2010).  No other school has even had more than two receivers drafted in the first round during that span.  Read more from Denver Broncos >>>>

NFL Owners Approve Rule Changes - Yesterday we wrote about the proposed rule changes for the 2012 NFL season, and today the owners voted to approve several of the competition committee’s proposals. In order to pass, the proposals required votes from at least 24 of the league’s 32 owners.  Read more from Denver Broncos >>>>

Tim Tebow merchandise prompts Nike to sue Reebok - Nike Inc. sued Adidas AG’s Reebok International over its use of quarterback Tim Tebow’s name on New York Jets-related clothing, days before Nike is to become the official supplier of licensed National Football League apparel.  Read more from Washington Post >>>>

John Elway Guiding Denver Broncos to Greatest Comeback Ever: A Fan’s Take - When John Elway was hired by Pat Bowlen to be the Vice President of Football Operations in early January of 2011, the Denver Broncos were at a low spot. Barely 14 months later, the team is coming off an improbable playoff berth and the signing of perhaps the biggest free agent in NFL history, Peyton Manning. Critics can disagree, but I think this is John Elway’s greatest comeback ever.  Read more from Yahoo! Sports >>>>

Denver Broncos: Bold 2012 Season Predictions for Peyton Manning and Company - When John Elway and the Denver Broncos organization decided to sign Peyton Manning and part ways with Tim Tebow, they took a huge risk with hopes of the payoff being a Super Bowl title.  In the event that Peyton Manning does play an entire season, and to the full ability that Peyton Manning is capable of playing, the Broncos chances are quite good.  Read more from Bleacher Report >>>>

10 Denver Broncos Peyton Manning Could Turn into Pro Bowlers - The Denver Broncos ushered in a brand new era with the signing of Peyton Manning last week.  Out with the old, in with the new.  Under the guidance of Executive Vice President John Elway, and with a return to a more traditional, Hall of Fame type player, the quarterback situation in Denver seems to have come full circle.  Read more from Bleacher Report >>>>

Denver Broncos’ Most Glaring Need After Peyton Manning Free Agency Flurry - We’ve all seen the headlines regarding the insanely active free agency period that have summed up the Denver Broncos thus far.  The signing of Peyton Manningculminated the quest of the two Johns–Elway and Fox–to find a QB that is a conventional pocket passer and a proven winner.  Much can be debated about the health of Manning and the treatment of his predecessor, Tim Tebow; but what is not debatable is the most glaring need left behind after all that money was doled out in the first few weeks of the new season.  Read more from Bleacher Report >>>>

Coach John Fox previews Broncos offense with Peyton Manning - When the Denver Broncos won the Peyton Manning Sweepstakes, it signaled an end to the Tim Tebow era. He’s since been shipped to the Jets where he’s, well, excited. The biggest question now facing the Broncos: how healthy would Manning be when the 2012 season begins in almost six months.   Read more from CBS Sports >>>>

Peyton Manning, John Fox and the Offense of Benign Neglect - If Denver’s John Fox were a woman, some folks would be wondering what, um, favors he provided in order to get another head coaching job. As it is, one assumes that he gives the greatest interview on the planet.  Read more from Huffington Post >>>>

Jake Plummer: “There will be no Jake Plummer comeback” - After being traded from the Denver Broncos to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason of 2007, Jake Plummer decided to retire from the NFL. However, on Monday Plummer returned to the Denver area and threw some passes to a handful of draft prospects. Even though the Broncos went out this offseason and brought in Peyton Manning to be the team’s starting quarterback, people began to think about a possible Plummer-Broncos reunion given the fact that Mike Shanahan is no longer in the Mile High City and that he was tossing passes like he was back playing quarterback in the NFL. However, that’s not the case. While Plummer is still in relatively good shape given his conditioning from playing handball, the Snake just doesn’t have it in him to return to football and there will be no reunion with the Broncos.  Read more from Sports Radio Interviews >>>>

More Conversation with Karl Mecklenburg - As fans, one thing we love to do is talk sports. I can sit and talk football with anyone for hours. In fact, that’s the main reason we started this site. We’re not credentialed sportswriters churning out a story for a paycheck. Not to say all sports writers are sellouts, there are some really great writers putting out excellent material everyday. But we’re just fans, who need an outlet for all this sports talk that’s building up inside of us. So it’s not everyday I get to sit and talk football with a guy who played the game at the highest level for 12 seasons, and in the Big 10 before that. While talking about Mecklenburg’s career was fascinating, talking about the current state of the Broncos, the same stuff we all like to sit around and shoot the breeze about over a round of Colorado microbrews, was just plain fun.  Read more from Pro Sports Colorado >>>>

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