Horse Tracks - 2/19/10 - Dumervil, Marshall could testify in Darrent Williams' murder trial

Good Morning Broncos Country.  It appears that our new contributors are doing a great job getting their feet wet.  It is always my goal to bring you the best, most wide array of writers and contributors here at MHR, fans that will give multiple angles on issues and allow YOU to decide for yourself what to think and believe.  We have once again done that.  Anyway, on to today's 'Tracks!

2009 Defensive Plays of the Year - DB.com
The Broncos best plays of the 2009 season, on defense

Reaping the Rookie Rewards - DB.com
For a talented athlete, the end of college offers a great deal of promise. A year ago, that was the case for Tom Brandstater. While his days at Fresno State came to a close, his future was headed toward a smooth landing with the Broncos.

Woody's Mailbag: Broncos need to move Marshall, antics out of town - The Denver Post
Woody thinks its time Brandon Marshall was sent packing.

Broncos Marshall, Dumervill on witness list for murder trial - The Denver Post
Broncos stars Brandon Marshall, Elvis Dumervil and D.J. Williams could be called to testify for the defense in the murder trial of Willie Clark, the man accused of killing former Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams on Jan. 1, 2007.

Top 10 offseason stories | National Football Post
Now that we’re entering one of the most important offseasons in the history of the NFL, it’s time to take a cue from David Letterman and list the top 10 stories to watch in what could be a turbulent 2010 offseason. Let’s start with the bottom five:

Are the Eagles slow playing a Vick deal? | National Football Post
Is anyone else buying the idea that the Eagles won’t actively look to move Michael Vick until August — when training camp is underway?

All-combine snub team | National Football Post
With the NFL Combine now one week away, big-name prospects throughout the country are getting ready to prove their worth and work out in front of team evaluators. But what about some of the top prospects who, for one reason or another, didn’t get an invite to the combine? Well, they’ll be forced to keep training right through combine week with their eyes set toward their individual pro days.

In negotiations, each side must define itself | National Football Post
In case you missed it, the NFL league office released the compensation of key executives late last week. Friday is usually the day when news you don’t want people to pay attention to is generally released, so the fact it came out on a Friday shouldn’t be surprising. Also not surprising is that league officials are well compensated, although they will argue that many, including Commissioner Roger Goodell, took voluntary pay cuts. But after making a required IRS filing that would have eventually made the information public, the NFL released a list of top-earning executives to the Sports Business Journal. The league’s top earners for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, are:

2010 Unrestricted Free Agents: Defense | National Football Post
The complete list of defenders set to hit the market

Wilson: Jamal Lewis failed physical | National Football Post
When the Cleveland Browns terminated running back Jamal Lewis' contract this week, they didn't indicate why. According to a league source, Lewis failed his physical.

Report: Two more Cowboys have surgery | National Football Post
Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware had surgery on his foot Thursday to shave down a bone spur and he wasn’t the only Dallas Cowboy to have a minor procedure.

Biggs: Saints to open New York Stock Exchange today | National Football Post
If the New Orleans Saints can carry some of their momentum from Super Bowl XLIV to Wall Street, maybe the economy can get a boost heading into the weekend. Can’t hurt, right?

Wilson: Patriots holding onto Adalius Thomas for a reason | National Football Post
The New England Patriots have no intentions of repeating the Miami Dolphins' embarrassing attempt to cut a high-priced outside linebacker only to have the release nullified due to salary-cap reasons.

Wilson: Domonique Foxworth Q&A | National Football Post
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth is the youngest member of the executive committee in NFL Players Association history

Report: Campbell excited about Shanahan era | National Football Post
The Washington Redskins have been mentioned plenty already as a possible destination for quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen in the draft. But until Jason Campbell learns differently, he will be the quarterback in the nation’s capital.

Cribbs, Browns optimistic about completing new three-year contract
Josh Cribbs has made significant progress on a new contract with the Cleveland Browns, and though there is no timetable to complete it, both sides are optimistic about the Pro Bowl return specialist's future with the team, league sources said Thursday.

Oklahoma’s Bradford will attend combine but skip drills - NFL.com
Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford will not work out at next week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis while he recovers from shoulder surgery that ended his 2009 season, a source close to the situation confirmed to NFL.com on Thursday.

NFL hires ex-union president Vincent as VP of player development
The NFL hired former All-Pro cornerback Troy Vincent as vice president of player development for active players Thursday.

Don't expect many players to get tagged this offseason
In a salary-capped environment, teams are permitted to use one of these tags for the whole roster. In an uncapped year -- which we can expect this year -- a club can use one of each of the tags, which in theory means that the 32 teams could capture 64 veteran players scheduled for free agency. After looking at all of the free agents preparing for the start of free agency, it appears there will be very few tagged players this year.

Pro Days schedule
Between the combine and the draft, NFL coaches and scouts -- not to mention the prospects themselves -- turn their attention to the various college "Pro Day" workouts. These are not as all-encompassing as the combine, but they are important enough for the key decision-makers in the league to travel around the country for more than a month to see the talent up close and personal.

Richard Seymour will get franchise tag from Oakland Raiders - ESPN
Oakland invested a 2011 first-round pick to get defensive end Richard Seymour from New England, and it seems determined not to lose him.

Starting RT Brad Butler stuns Bills, retires at 26 - ESPN
Buffalo Bills starting right tackle Brad Butler announced his retirement on Thursday.

Lawsuit over Kevin Williams' and Pat Williams' suspension set for trial - ESPN
The closely watched labor fight between the NFL and two members of the Minnesota Vikings who challenged their drug-related suspensions will go to trial next month.

Rosenhaus leads UFA agent scorecard - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
The result is the chart below. Drew Rosenhaus has more than 100 clients across the league, more than any agent. The NFL lists 15 of them on its projected UFA list, including Terrell Owens and three NFC West players (Randy McMicahel, Anthony Becht and Olindo Mare).

Brett Kern has leg up for job as Titans punter - The Tennessean
Now he's faced with the task of trying to replace the veteran punter. Hentrich retired on Wednesday, which just happened to be Kern's birthday. It could end up being the best gift of all for Kern — an opportunity to be the Titans' punter for 2010, and years to come.