Have the Broncos announced their starting quarterback? Taking a quick gander down at the fanshot section, I notice a lot of links for "Orton is the starter" and "Orton isn't the starter". Let's just lay some rumors to bed, here. The truth of the matter is, neither of those statements is entirely true. The Broncos haven't announced a week 1 starting quarterback.

The Broncos organization has stated from the very beginning that there will be an open competition at the quarterback position. That competition will not end after 5 days of training camp practices. When John Fox makes a press conference statement tomorrow saying that Kyle Orton is the starter, then sure... we'll go ahead and crown Orton the starter. However, that hasn't happened. 

So, let's put the torches and pitchforks away for a little while. Adam Weber, Brady Quinn, Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow (sorted in alphabetical order by first name, so as to be objective) will compete for the starting job until a clear favorite has emerged and John Fox deems it necessary to press the emergency stop button on the rumor mill. Preseason games and practices will be taken into account and the best quarterback will get the job. The other quarterbacks won't. It's that simple.

Internally, the Broncos organization may have already decided who their quarterback is. There's no way we would know that, however, because nothing has been announced. We'll just have to wait and see.

There seems to be some confusion regarding the whole "Willis McGahee is a Bronco" story. Yesterday (before 4 pm MST), reports surfaced from Pro Football Talk and Adam Schefter that he would sign a 3 year, $7.5 million dollar deal with the Denver Broncos.

Ever since that time, however, reports from the likes of Gary Miller and Jason La Canfora have squelched the idea that Willis McGahee is joining Knowshon Moreno in the Bronco backfield.

So, what's the deal... or is there one?

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As we patiently await for the judicial system to decide whether we will have football this year, the subjects that are there to write about are dwindling. Sure the "Broncos By The Numbers" series is a pleasant diversion and a chance to learn about little known players, but we all need more meat in out diet. Protein to ponder, if you will. So I figured I would toss out some bones for us to chew on, let the Horse have the reins and see where the trail takes us.

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Rumor has it that the Denver Broncos are talking with the Redskins and Cardinals to move back in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. To give you some perspective of how far the Broncos would move back if this trade went through, the Washington Redskins own the 10th overall pick and the Arizona Cardinals own the 5th overall pick. 

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The Denver Broncos will workout Kash Kiefer, the former Maine Black Bear Punter. Kiefer hasn't been seen on an NFL roster and has been busy, but there are numerous youtube videos that show his punting ability, including an 82 yard punt that you have to see to believe. The Broncos appear to be, at least, somewhat interested in watching this guy punt in person, so they're giving him a shot. It remains to be seen whether or not a roster move will be made of this.

I'll be honest, I hadn't heard of this guy before. After doing a google search on him, I can say with relative certainty that Kash Kiefer is the most unique punter I've ever researched. There's really no good way to transition to this video, so I'll just submit the link...

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NFL.com's Jason La Canfora is reporting that the Broncos are actively shopping CB Alphonso Smith with the team reportedly looking for a 5ht Round pick in return.  That would be a huge fall for a player that the Broncos thought so highly of just a year ago.

Smith has received plenty of playing time this preseason, but the emergence of Perrish Cox and Syd'Quan Thompson, along with the siging of Nate Jones in the off-season has put Smith's future in Denver in serious doubt.  His time with the Broncos to date could easily be described in last night's game against the Vikings. 

A perfect microcosm of Smith's pro career, it saw flashes of brilliance - Smith had an interception and a fumble recovery - as well as poorly-timed lowpoints - Smith tripped and fell on Javon Walker's 63-yard touchdown reception, and Smith was called for an Illegal Contact penalty on a 3rd down play in the 4th Quarter that kept a Vikings drive alive.

This is surely a story to keep our eyes on.  The Vikings are one of the teams in need of some CB depth, and Smith was likely being prominently displayed to Minnesota in last night's contest.

Another NFC North team being floated around is the Green Bay Packers...

Stay Tuned!

The Broncos are looking for help in many different places, including down under.

23 year old Greg Inglis, a rugby star for the Melbourne Storm has reportedly received tryout offers from the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.  Reportedly, the 6'5" 238 pounder would receive tryouts at kick returner and linebacker, one of the more interesting combinations I have ever seen.

Inglis is the latest "Golden Boot" award recipient, which is given to the top rugby player in the world.  According to some close to Inglis, he is reportedly only interested in the NFL down the road, and would likely just come over for a three day mini camp to test everything out. 

"I know for a fact, if Greg was keen, there would be four clubs who would take him tomorrow," said Cameron McGillivray, who works for an Australian Academy that helps prepare players -- mostly kickers and punters -- to prepare for American football.

"They've got some scouts out here and a few of the scouts thought Greg would be a sensation in the game," Melbourne Storm manager Allan Gainey said.

On Sunday NFL Countdown, Chris Mortensen just reported that Mike Shanahan would have cut Brandon Marshall following the 2008 season, had he not himself been fired. I'm not sure I believe that myself, but it certainly is an interesting peek into the state of the Broncos' locker room last season. Mortensen said that Shanny believed Marshall cost the team more games than he helped them win in 2008. Well, no matter what Marshall does today in Cincinnati, this figures to be a story that will not go away...