And then there were four....

According to the Denver Post(link), the Broncos can add two more coaching candidates to the list. John Elway, the Broncos new team vice president announced today that the Broncos are asking permission to interview two more coaches, Perry Fewell, the Giants defensive coordinator, and Gregg Williams, the Saints defensive coordinator.

Perry Fewell is currently the Giants defensive coordinator, while having a large history of jobs else where in the NFL. He served as the defensive backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, and St. Louis Rams before getting the job in Buffalo as the defensive coordinator. Fewell was the interim head coach for 7 games in Buffalo, having a 3-4 record in that time, for what it's worth.

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The Denver Broncos on Sunday announced several transactions, including the club being assigned running back Andre Brown (N.Y. Giants) and offensive lineman Chris Clark (Minnesota) off waivers.

Denver also on Sunday waived linebacker Baraka Atkins and running back Bruce Hall while adding five players to its practice squad (see below).

Brown (6-foot-0, 224 pounds) is a second-year running back who was selected by the Giants in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft from North Carolina State University. He spent his rookie year on the Giants’ reserve/injured list before leading the club in rushing yards (21-95, 4.5 avg., 1 TD) and kickoff return yards (7-120, 17.1 avg.) in his first action as a pro during the 2010 preseason.

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The NFL's 14th annual four-day Rookie Symposium starts today and runs through the 30th. This year, it will be held at the LaCosta Hotel and Conference Center in Carlsbad, Ca. The new draftees are about to get a crash course on all of the dos and don'ts in their transition from college to the pros. The symposium focuses on helping rookies adjust to life in the NFL by bringing in guest speakers and experts in a number of different areas to discuss various issues. It is something the league takes very seriously. The Symposium was created in 1997 as a vehicle to guide players through the murky waters of becoming even more celebrated athletes. It is essentially an orientation program to indoctrinate these newcomers to life in the NFL and all that entails. It helps set the tone for what the rookies can expect in their first year, using a blend of motivational seminar, boot camp, and "Scared Straight," cautionary tales. The NFL spends $750,000 on this event, and it is probably one of the better programs sponsored by the league.

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Over the next few weeks I am hoping to post my research into 2009 Denver Broncos situational football.  This means looking at typical "situations" and discussing what the Broncos goals were, how they addressed them, how they executed, and finally how they addressed their performance or lack thereof in any given situation.

To begin with, I wanted to look at the most basic situation in football.  First and Ten.

First and ten can be thought of as an "identity" down.  Every team goes through so many of them throughout the course of the season, that you can get a sense of what makes an individual team tick.  The purpose and goals of a first down situation are pretty simple, and there are as many ways to attack them as there are plays in a game.  But when you look at any individual team, the way they specifically choose to approach first downs really tends to say a lot about them, their strengths, and even what they fear.

Some teams establish a type of offensive strength on first down, such as the Colts passing attack.  Some teams establish trends, only to break them at opportune times, such as a Shanahan offense.  There are limitless ways of describing yourself through first down.

So what did the Broncos think of themselves in 2009?  And what do their offseason moves say about themselves in 2010?

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DENVER BRONCOS MINICAMP (JUNE 13, 2010)

*** Courtesy of the Denver Broncos PR Department ***

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On situational drills

"Well, I mean, obviously, since we’re on both sides of the situation, both sides aren’t going to be exactly happy with the result but I think the thing we were trying to get across today was the awareness of the situation and how to play it the right way. I think I’m very pleased with our communication and the fact that we have 11 players on each side – usually when the situation is being played out – (that) understand what we’re trying to get done and how we’re trying to win that play. So in that regard, I thought it was very productive and night-and-day from last year at this time. This year, I think our guys really understand where we’re going with this stuff and they played it well."

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***Transcript Provided By The Fine Folks With The Denver Broncos P.R. Staff***

BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS
 
Opening comment
"It’s really the same as the OTAs, you know. We haven’t really changed anything. Our schedule is really the same that it’s been in the last two weeks. Not going to go two-a-days or anything like that. I feel like at this point, we’ve got a lot accomplished, a lot of things done and just want to try to finish up with three good days."
 
On the quarterback competition
"I think it’s an open competition everywhere on our team. We tell them all that they’re going to earn their own role by what they do on the field and certainly, that applies to each spot. The quarterbacks are competing hard and I’ve mentioned it that a number of times – Kyle’s certainly got a great grasp on what we’re doing and he’s performing very well right now in the spring and the two younger guys are trying to push, but we’ll see. We’ve got a lot of practices left."

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On his new contract

"I'm ecstatic. It just speaks volumes about those guys in the front office with Mr. (President and CEO Pat) Bowlen, (Head) Coach (Josh) McDaniels and (General Manager) Brian Xanders. They felt that they could build a team and I could be a part of it for a while."

On when he started talking to the Broncos about a long-term contract

"I kind of just let my agent deal with it. I'm sure it started before then. There were a lot of question marks this offseason with the uncapped year and what was going to happen with the restricted guys, and were guys going to get signed to long-term deals. I left a lot of it in his hands, and he did a great job."

On if he thought long-term deals were possible in the uncapped year

"I wasn't sure, and I'm very, very happy that it did happen. I think there's guys out there that were getting deals done. Not a ton, but to be one of those guys, it's an unbelievable feeling."

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The Denver Broncos on Friday signed offensive lineman Chris Kuper to a new six-year contract, it was announced. As per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We are extremely excited about the extension of Chris Kuper's contract and the fact that he will be a Bronco for a long time," Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. "He exemplifies the qualities that we look for in our players both on and off the field. We look forward to his continued leadership and toughness in our efforts to build a championship caliber team."

"The fact that the Broncos are putting this much trust in me is an incredible feeling," Kuper said. "It is a dream come true. I'd like to thank Mr. Bowlen, Coach McDaniels and Brian Xanders for getting this deal done. This is where I wanted to be because I feel like this team is headed in the right direction, and my family is excited that we can stay here and be a part of it. I really hope that at some point I can say that I finished my career as a Bronco and won a couple of Super Bowls here, too."

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