Good Evening, Broncos fans! There's a good amount of Raiders-related news today that's worth discussing, if briefly.
The team is reportedly adding former Seahawk and Brown Seneca Wallace to its mix at quarterback. He joins Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor on the roster, and would presumably be the third-stringer behind whoever emerges as the starter, if he makes the team at all.
Oakland was scheduled to visit with Bengals RB Bernard Scott today, and they reportedly worked out Jaguars running back Rashad Jennings.
Continue reading "Pats sign Sanders to offer sheet; Raiders add Wallace Lard"
Good Morning, Broncos fans! Texas A&M running back Christine Michael says he'll be visiting with the Broncos today and tomorrow following his prior visit with the LOLJets, and he'll be heading from Dove Valley to Oakland.
Jeff Legwold reported last week that the Broncos were interested in Michael, a 220-pound back with an injury history and reported maturity issues.
Mike Tanier writes that Michael has also been plagued by fumbles and some iffy blocking skills, and he says of Michael:
At 5-foot-9, 220 pounds, with legs that churn constantly, he runs a little like a wind-up toy. Michael is incredibly quick for a bigger back and makes sudden cuts. He breaks a lot of tackles and can be a little elusive in the open field.
Tanier likens the 22-year-old to Baltimore's Bernard Pierce, which can't be a bad thing, but he thinks Michael's injury and fumble problems should keep him on the board until at least the fifth round.
Continue reading "Broncos hosting Christine Michael today, says player Lard"
Good Morning, Broncos fans! Until recent days, news had been nonexistent regarding Denver's visits and workouts with 2013 draft prospects.
As we noted yesterday afternoon, the DP has reported that Denver auditioned Michigan State RB Le'Veon Bell recently and hosted Miami (Ohio) QB Zac Dysert at Dove Valley on Monday.
Next up is a report from Tony Pauline that the Broncos were among several teams to have met with BSU corner Jamar Taylor. Pauline calls Taylor the "hottest" corner prospect and says he's either visited with or worked out for Denver, Houston, New England, Atlanta, San Francisco, Baltimore, and Miami.
The 5-11, 192 lb. corner ran a blazing 4.39-second forty, put up 22 reps on the bench press, and ran a 4.06-second 20-yard shuttle at combine, all of which were among the best marks of any corner prospect who participated. Here are his NFP and NFLDS reports, plus some highlights from his BSU career.
Continue reading "Broncos tied to BSU corner Jamar Taylor Lard"
Good Morning, Broncos fans! Oakland's recent QB switch from Carson Palmer to Matt Flynn may not have seemed the clearest of upgrades, but it did provide one major advantage to the Raiders.
Cash.
As Peter King notes in his MMQB column, the Raiders will carry around $48M in dead money on their 2013 cap, leaving them only $75M to spend on players currently on the team. It's a whole lot of pain for this season, but GM Reggie McKenzie will have boatloads of room to utilize next offseason, as long as owner Mark Davis doesn't become as impulsive as his late father.
Of course, that's not out of the question, considering the rumblings in recent months that Davis was unhappy with the direction being taken by McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen, and rumored flirtations with Jon Gruden about a return to the Black Hole.
Continue reading "Raiders, McKenzie taking their medicine Lard"
Good Morning, Broncos fans! The class-action lawsuit by 4,200+ former players against the NFL over its handling of head injuries is taking center stage this week.
On Tuesday, the league's lawyers will attempt to have the suit dismissed (via PFT) in the Philadelphia courtroom of U.S. District Judge Anita Brody. If the NFL is successful in convincing Judge Brody that this is a labor dispute, then the case would never be presented to a jury, instead moving to arbitration.
From the ex-players' perspective, this is an issue of fraud and misinformation, rather than a contractual issue.
In advance of Tuesday's hearing, the league is expectedly using the media to try to discredit the plaintiffs, by going back to its familiar tactic of attacking CTE experts.
Continue reading "Superbug threatening start of Gronk’s season Lard"
Good Morning, Broncos fans! There's been a lot of handwringing over the possibility of a current NFL player coming out as gay, mostly (of course) from those on the wrong side of history.
It's been suggested that a gay player will be a distraction - within locker rooms, on the field, and in the media, with an outed player drawing 24/7 coverage that would rival or even surpass that given Peyton Manning's predecessor in Denver.
Perhaps one openly gay player would be a distraction to an extent. But what if there were four such players, and they all uncloseted themselves simultaneously? Then, the glare of the spotlight would be a shared one. Says Brendon Ayanbadejo, recently released by the Ravens:
I think it will happen sooner than you think. We're in talks with a handful of players who are considering it. There are up to four players being talked to right now and they're trying to be organized so they can come out on the same day together. It would make a major splash and take the pressure off one guy. It would be a monumental day if a handful or a few guys come out.
Continue reading "Gay players to have coming out party? Lard"
Happy Friday, Broncos fans! Does the label lying season apply solely to free agency, or does it also include the runup to the NFL draft?
We think it's the latter, but really, a good rule of thumb is to never believe what an NFL executive says about any player. For a fine example, recall that not that long ago, John Elway hilariously claimed that he'd love for the Ultimate Self-Promoter™ to marry one his daughters. In turn, that was offered by many as proof that Elway believed Tebow was Denver's long-term answer at quarterback.
With that in mind, it's rather laughable to see Jeff Legwold write that "one of the Broncos' six draft picks will almost certainly be used on a running back."
More believable is Legwold's report that the team took a long look at Giants back Ahmad Bradshaw and still considers him a veteran option, should they end up not drafting a back.
Continue reading "Broncos kicked tires on Bradshaw, worked out Bell Lard"
Good Morning, Broncos fans! So, just how much is Dwight Freeney looking to make from his next contract?
It was widely reported last week that Freeney is looking for a deal that tops what Osi Umenyiora got from Atlanta, and that he's willing to wait for one, as unwise as that strategy might seem.
Umenyiora's contract is worth $8.5M over two seasons and contains $5M in guarantees, plus $3.5M in incentives. Unfortunately, we can't cite just one source for these details, as OTC, Spotrac, Rotoworld, USA Today, and others all have slight differences in their figures.
Either way, we know Osi will make a guaranteed $5M in 2013, will get $3.5M in 2014 if Atlanta keeps him for that season, and has the potential to boost his overall compensation by $3.5M through undisclosed incentives or escalators.
Continue reading "Trying to set the record straight on Freeney’s demands Lard"
Good Morning, Broncos fans! Typically, the biggest bargain NFL signings don't come until months after the start of free agency.
But with the veteran market having produced underwhelming contracts across the board for non-quarterbacks, the defending NFC champs have already landed perhaps the biggest steal of the offseason.
San Francisco has agreed to terms with former Eagles and Raiders corner Nnamdi Asomugha on a one-year deal worth a base value of $1.35M and maximum of $3M with no guarantees.
No guarantees - this, for a player who just two years ago was considered the prize of free agency and the best (or second best, to Darrelle Revis) cover corner in the league.
Granted, Asomugha's 2013 compensation already includes $4M to close out the guaranteed portion of the $25M paid him by the Eagles over two seasons, but still.
Good Morning, Broncos fans! With Matt Flynn now in Oakland, and with some extra guaranteed money, it's been expected that diva glory boy Carson Palmer will end up with the Cardinals at a reduced salary for 2013.
But according to Jason La Canfora, the negotiation on a Palmer-to-Arizona deal has hit a $nag, one that has apparently reduced the trade from inevitability to unsure thing.
FWIW, La Canfora refreshingly thinks the Raiders are wise to get rid of the "pouty" "malcontent," while CBS colleague Pete Prisco says Oakland is making a big mistake by swapping out Palmer for Flynn, and he thinks Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald could be a lethal combination.
Why isn't Palmer just forcing the Raiders to cut him, so that he can land somewhere completely of his own choosing? Mike Florio thinks it's about trying to avoid any further hits to Palmer's image.
