It may not be the Broncos, but it is football and it matters!  The Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers kick off the 2009 season sometime tonight, after the concert ends.  Anyway, come talk about the game here and ENJOY!

Oh yeah, because of the game, no MHR Radio tonight.  We will have a special edition on Saturday Night, time to be decided!

For the Titans angle, Check out Music City Miracles!

For the Steelers angle, Check out Behind the Steel Curtain!

by David Zalubowski - AP

3 months ago: Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, left, makes a point to linebacker Mario Haggan during drills at the team's NFL football training camp at Broncos' headquarters on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Question - Is Mario Haggan an ILB, an OLB or a coach? Answer - he sure is. And that explains a lot. It explains why the Broncos were glad to give him a contract extension on Wednesday and why he was also announced as a team captain on the same day.

He is a product of relative poverty, a man who knew that sports were a way upward in his life. Mario Marcell Haggan was born on March 3, 1980, in Clarksdale, Miss. He comes out of the Deep South, a man who went to college at Mississippi State following an All-American status while at Clarksdale High School. While there, he was named first-team all-state by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger and played in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game... Mario also led his team to the state Class 4A championship in 1997. As a senior, he recorded 158 tackles with three fumble recoveries. He also earned All-American status with USA Today. Even so, the offers to play in college didn't exactly roll in, but he found interest from a few. As is his way, Mario wanted to stay near home.

Haggan started at LB in 1999, a season that saw MSU start 8-0 and earn one of the highest national rankings in school history.

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After an unforgettable offseason, it is natural to turn our focus inwards.  And with the myriad concerns that Denver needs to address, and with the multiple questions that Denver faces, this would not be an unproductive endeavor.

But the enemy without deserves just as much, if not more, attention and discussion.  They, too, have unanswered questions, and unresolved dilemmas.  They too await the sound of the opening bell with trepidation and anxiety. When the opening bell rings it will be less the signal of a beginning as it is an alarm that sounds the countdown to the end.  For whom does that tocsin sound?

Denver, and thirteen other teams, will see their fates begin to wind off the skein, interminably woven together into a vast storyline, whose threads and chapters add up only to a picture of who deserves to be in the next story, the real story.  The first four chapters, Cincinnati,  Cleveland, Oakland and Dallas, all share a common theme in 2009.  Like Denver, they are all looking for a fast start to their season.  And like Denver, they are counting on the Broncos to be a key part of that fast start.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

The Bengals are a team poised to at least double their 2008 win mark of 4 games.  And they can be expected to do it with perhaps the most balanced approach they have seen in Marvin Lewis' mostly apoplectic 7 year tenure (46-49-1).  Carson Palmer, despite an injured ankle and only 19 snaps with the first team, has taken command of the offense and appears to have his classic velocity and accuracy.  Lewis has committed to a running game, and Cedric Benson is a decent enough horse to hitch the wagon to, but he has been inconsistent behind the Bengals new offensive line, and getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage may become an all too familiar sight.  The depth, including Brian Leonard from the Rams should be adequate if Benson can stay healthy and keep earning those tough, between the tackles type of yards that propelled him to a stout showing of 747 yds (career high) in 2008.  Those yards wear out defenses and open the door for those late-game bursts, and he has 4 100-yard performances to show for it.

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Denver took another step towards Sunday's opener in Cincinnati by naming seven player captain's today the team announced.

There is plenty of experience on this year's group which includes -

DEFENSE
CB Champ Bailey
S Brian Dawkins
ILB Mario Haggan

OFFENSE
QB Kyle Orton
C Casey Wiegmann
TE Daniel Graham

SPECIAL TEAMS
ILB Wesley Woodyard

A worthy group to be sure!

Immediate Reaction and Notes

• There is one too-many because Brandon Marshall is still on the Reserved-Suspended list.  One more move will have to be made when he is activated, but this allows the Broncos to get the lay of the Free agent landscape.
• On offense, I had predicted that Darius Walker would make it over LaMont Jordan.  I was wrong.  There are reasons why, more than Jordan's New England past, why this could have happened.  Pass protection is one of them.  In the end, however, Jordan is the 4th RB behind KnowMo, Buckhalter and Hillis.  I can live with it even though I don't agree with it. 
• I had though the Broncos would go with 6 WR's, IF Jabar Gaffney's thumb was progressing well.  The fact the Broncos went with 7 doesn't necessarily mean it is not, but that the coaches value depth at WR more than RB or some other areas.
• The addition of Vonnie Holliday mean alot momre than just what the guy can do on the football field.  It is another veteran voice in the locker room, a coach on the field.  He has alot of experience in all defenses and will help the young guys learn the nuances of the 3-4
• Don't get too comfortable with this roster.  I fully expect it to change between now and mid-week after the team has the chance to scoru the waiver-wire.

By 2PM mdt today the Denver Broncos, and the other 31 teams in the National Football League, must be at 53 players on the active roster.  Use this thread to talk about it as names come across the wires -

The following players are confirmed to be released or placed on I/R -

*Practice Squad Eligable
**Placed on Injured Reserve

After the jump, the players on the Broncos roster that are Practice Squad eligable. 

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The Journey of Tom Brandstater

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

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More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos quarterback Tom Brandstater (3) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Victor Hobson during the second half of an NFL preseason football game in Denver on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski )

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Heading into tomorrow, there is going to be some exciting speculation regarding the makeup of our 53-man roster, including some surprising, even flabbergasting cuts.  What better way to really start the breakdown than to take into account a guaranteed group of eight (well, nearly guaranteed, anyway) who will be on the team by making the practice squad?

There is a terrific breakdown of the rules regarding the structure, purpose and formation of the practice squad HERE.  Beyond what Kirk has presented in that article, it is worth noting how telling it is when a team builds its practice squad.  We can't overlook the importance of a developmental squad on a rebuilding team, especially given the breadth of the turnover the roster has undergone, and if we look closely at how it is built, we may gain some very telling clues as to what the long range teambuilding philosophy of this organization continues to be, and whether it is consistent with the goals they have laid out for themselves.

For example, where does Tom Brandstater fit in the PS scheme?  If we see him there, we can divine that he truly does have a lot more to learn, and despite the growth and poise he has shown throughout the preseason, he is truly not ready to be a starting QB.  Alternatively, if he doesn't show up there, it is a sure sign that the Broncos staff wishes to keep their options open in regards to being able to rotate him in with the starting unit when possible, or necessary.

There are other considerations as well...

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