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Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - 4/13/11

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Early on Jan. 1, 2007, Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams - 04.11.11 - SI Vault
Early on Jan. 1, 2007, Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot to death after a New Year's Eve party at a Denver nightclub. The police launched a massive investigation that included multiple interviews with two other Broncos who were at the same club that night. But years would pass before the full story came to light

Q&A: Which player will the Broncos draft No. 2 overall? Depends on which mock draft you read - The Denver Post
The biggest issue this year is that it's largely a defensive draft board. The pool of available players is deeper on the defensive side of the ball. The players with most of the highest grades play defense. But most of the teams with high draft picks have needs at quarterback that border on desperate.

Broncos get Dallas, Buffalo and Seattle in NFL preseason schedule - The Denver Post
With the announcement of its preseason schedules, the NFL has unofficially announced a deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Broncos to play at Cowboy Stadium in preseason opener - The Denver Post
The Broncos also play the Bills at Buffalo during the regular season. With a preseason matchup in August, expect the schedule makers to push the Broncos-Bills regular-season game back to after Thanksgiving. The regular-season schedule is expected to be announced in two weeks. The Broncos know their home and road opponents. Home: Chicago (welcome back, Jay Cutler), New York Jets, New England, Cincinnati, Detroit (welcome back, Tony Scheffler, Alphonso Smith), San Diego, Kansas City and Oakland. Away: Miami (say hello, Brandon Marshall), Green Bay (defending Super Bowl champs), Minnesota, Tennessee, Buffalo, San Diego, Kansas City and Oakland.

Colorado Classics: Alfred Williams former CU football great - The Denver Post
Just when Alfred Williams might have wondered whether his accomplishments on the football field had been forgotten, he was notified about his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He's still wearing the pride on his sleeve as a member of the class of 2011, and it's not likely to disappear anytime soon. "Going to Colorado was the best decision I've made in my life," Williams said.

Buzz about NFL draft trades is building - The Denver Post
Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the No. 1 pick has been traded just seven times. In 1997, with Bill Parcells calling the shots, the Jets traded out of the No. 1 slot for first-, third-, fourth- and seventh-round picks. Parcells then traded down in the first round a second time. The Jets eventually made 11 picks in that draft. James Farrior, who is still in the NFL, was their first-round pick at No. 8 overall.Denver Broncos | Draft Party

Seven years later, race in honor of Pat Tillman continues to grow | ProFootballTalk
Tillman’s brother-in-law Alex Garwood and ASU’s former athletic trainer Perry Edinger were two of the three men who started the event and they were told they’d be lucky to get 800-1,000 people the first year. "They told him the distance was too obscure or the city wouldn’t let us do it, or ASU wouldn’t let us do it, and Perry’s response was always, ‘You don’t know Pat,’" Edinger told Bob Young of the Arizona Republic this week.

2011 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 2, Pick 36 - Mocking The Draft
With the second pick in this mock, Denver took Texas A&M pass rusher Von Miller. Although that is probably unlikely, they would desperately need to get one of the better defensive tackles in the second round. That's exactly what Austin represents. Going into the 2010 season, Austin was considered by many as a first-round player. But after sitting out the whole season due to suspension, Austin had to show in the East-West Shrine Game and in workouts that he's still that player. He is, for the most part. Austin can move around as well as any interior lineman in this year's class, and is quick for his size. The issue he still faces is about his work ethic. Working out is easy. Translating it consistently to game day is another story. At North Carolina, Austin too frequently took plays off or seemed to go half speed. Is that a good fit for Denver's rebuilding defense?

Broncos, Titans, Redskins, Bears trading out? - CBSSports.com
According to multiple sources in the league, the Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears are all exploring their options. The Broncos, owners of the No. 2 overall pick, are thought the unlikeliest to actually be able to trade out of their selection. The significant cost of signing a player drafted that high and this year's lack of an elite prospect hurts their chances.

NFL NEWS

Marvin Miller rips NFL union for ever agreeing to a salary cap | ProFootballTalk
Miller was a brilliant leader of the baseball players’ union and one of the most influential figures in 20th Century American sports, but he’s wrong to suggest that the NFL players didn’t get anything in exchange for the salary cap. Yes, the NFL players agreed to a salary cap, which is a major concession to the owners. But the owners also agreed to a salary floor, which is a major concession to the players — a concession that the allegedly much more powerful baseball players’ union hasn’t managed to get from the baseball owners.

"The Brady 6″ highlights the inaccuracies of the draft | ProFootballTalk
I’ve seen plenty of excellent productions from NFL Films over the years. Tonight, I’ve seen one of the best yet. And that’s saying a lot. The Brady 6, a look at the events that resulted in Tom Brady being the seventh quarterback picked in 2000 and the aftermath of that indignity, demonstrates in a striking way the flaws inherent to the NFL draft. Nothing the scouts do can measure a man’s heart, his drive, or his determination.

Vikings' new stadium bid could need a Hail Mary | National Football Post
The Vikings would like to have a local government partner and site picked before the legislative sessions concludes May 23. Not having their part of the plan completely fleshed out doesn’t make you feel too sympathetic for the Vikings, who have been clamoring for a new stadium for years. The team’s lease at the Metrodome expires after this coming season. "I think time is clearly running out," Rep. Frank Hornstein, an opponent of the bill, said. "My concern is that there will be an effort very late to try to push it through."

Are NFL scouting departments underfunded? | National Football Post
Most large fortune 1000 companies involved in producing consumer goods and services spend anywhere from 15% to 20% of their gross income on research and development (R&D) in creating new products or improving on current ones. Translating the corporate R&D investment formula to the NFL would mean that each NFL team would spend about 15% of gross revenues on their scouting departments and all related player diligence expenses.

NFL.com news: League: No one is telling players to skip NFLPA event
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello denied a report alleging that league employees are attempting to sabotage the NFL Players Association's planned draft event in New York. Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com reported Tuesday that -- according to agents for some of the top draft prospects -- team scouts, personnel men and assistant coaches are telling them their clients should stay away from the NFLPA event. According to Freeman, the agents are particularly upset with the involvement of "one of the lead draft analysts for NFL.com."

NFL.com news: Parcells could see 'Fins taking Ryan in '08, regrets White pick
No longer with the Miami Dolphins, Bill Parcells has time to think about the decisions he helped make during his three years with the team. A possible regret? Skipping quarterback Matt Ryan in favor of offensive tackle Jake Long with the first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. "Maybe, we should have (drafted Ryan instead)," Parcells, the Dolphins' former executive vice president of football operations, told The Miami Herald on Tuesday.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt arrested on three charges - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN
A Bayonne police spokesman told FOXSports.com that Britt was charged with eluding a police officer, lying to an officer/hindering apprehension and obstructing governmental function. Eluding an officer is a third-degree felony; the other two charges are misdemeanors.

Sources: The Chicago Bears will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London - ESPN Chicago
The Chicago Bears will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London during the 2011 season, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Cold, Hard Football Facts.com: Naughty Nurse: It's good to be the Pack
The Green Bay Packers represent that most unique and intriguing of football teams – a team built to win in the future that wins now. On paper, the Packers’ fourth Super Bowl championship shouldn’t have happened. Key injuries, a still-too-young nucleus and a No. 6 seed in the playoffs shouldn’t have added up to a Lombardi Trophy … but it did.

NFL DRAFT

Game planning Gabbert | National Football Post
However, let’s do something different today. I want to look at Gabbert from a coaching perspective on the defensive side of the ball. After watching college game tape, plus talking with both players and coaches that competed against the former Mizzou QB, I do see multiple ways to attack him. Here are four options to add to your game plan vs. Gabbert.

Cameron Heyward Q&A | National Football Post
National Football Post recently caught up with the son of the late former New Orleans Saints running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward for the following telephone interview:

The NFP round breakdown II | National Football Post
Using the NFP’s prospect grading scale, here is an outline of where I would feel comfortable selecting each prospect during the second half of the draft.

Breaking down Mark Ingram | National Football Post
Last week, I was watching the NFL Network and one of their draft analysts was talking about Mark Ingram. He said that while Ingram was a consistent back and might be a 1,000-plus yard producer in the NFL, he didn’t see explosive big play ability or see him as a first-round pick. I can’t help but disagree.

Play the Draft game launching | National Football Post
Now, there's a new fantasy game that's being launched by First Round Exchange involving the input of ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. who challenges fans to compete with him. It's called "Play the Draft" It incorporates elements of fantasy sports and is akin to investing and tracking the stock market. It involves ranking each draft spot with a certain value based on salary cap principles and then buying individual players and then tracking their draft stock. Players can be sold or held onto for an aggregate portfolio value once the draft is completed.

The draft’s top five overrated prospects | National Football Post
Wilkerson is another guy I like as an athlete. He’s long, displays an explosive get off at the line and possesses some natural suddenness to his game when asked to shed and close. However, he’s simply not there yet. He’s raw as a pass rusher, allows his pad level to get too high and will likely need to play inside as a three-technique at the next level in order to be most effective, so there will also be a major learning curve. Therefore, I like the talent, but there is simply too much of an unknown in my book to take Wilkerson in round one, which is where I think he ends up going on draft day.

Draft Trends: AFC South | National Football Post
The National Football Post’s Draft Trends series resumes Tuesday with an in-depth look at the AFC South.

NFL teams hung up on Adrian Clayborn's strength issues - Peter King - SI.com
That's what a lot of the pre-draft hype is. Coaches and general managers might not lie to you, but they certainly might evade the truth a lot. The first team I ever covered in the NFL, Cincinnati in 1984, was a learning experience for me. And one of the best things I learned was from coach Sam Wyche, who told me when he called around the league to find out draft information from his peers, that he'd always say to his league acquaintances, "If you can't tell me the truth, that's fine. But just don't lie to me." That is something I've said to people around the league around draft time for years, and I know not to be disappointed when I get misled.

NFL.com news: Bowers' knee not clear on recheck; agent denies any issues
The medical recheck of Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers last weekend showed signs of potential long-term arthritis and some weakness in his surgically repaired right knee, a source with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday. The information gleaned from Saturday's recheck in Indianapolis -- three months after surgery -- could prompt some NFL teams to back off the projected top-10 pick in this month's draft while others might salivate at the prospect that Bowers, who had 15.5 sacks last season, could fall to them, one team official said. Two officials from different teams said some could be scared off by Bowers' medical reports but that most will gauge whether the issues are severe enough to be problematic in the short term or long term -- if at all.

Quinton Carter NFL Draft scouting report - Mocking The Draft
Final word: Carter is one of the better all-around safeties in this year's class. He's experienced in several different styles of pass defense and is a good run defender. He also has the skill set to be a thumper of a safety who teams can use as a last line of defense enforcer.

Damage control - CBSSports.com
While we generally reserve discussions on client medical information to club decision-makers and physicians, in the interest of clarity, we would like to share the following facts regarding Da'Quan Bowers. Importantly, NONE of the following is news to NFL decision-makers or team doctors. All 32 NFL Clubs have had full access to Da'Quan's records since January and have had the opportunity to physically examine him at least twice. As such, they have known the specifics detailed below for quite some time.

NFL LOCKOUT

Judge meets with players' attorneys; owners up next | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper
With the lockout at one month and counting, attorneys for NFL players sat down Tuesday with the federal magistrate who will oversee court-ordered mediation with the league this week. Attorneys and Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller met with U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan for about four hours. Boylan "was very open" and "it was a very constructive session," said Michael Hausfeld, the lead attorney representing Eller and a group of mostly retired players in their antitrust lawsuit against the owners.