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Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - 2/10/12

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NFL Evolution " DenverBroncos.com
During Super Bowl XLVI, many of you may have seen the NFL’s commercial on the evolution of player safety throughout the history of the game.

Mays Hopes to Follow up Career Year
Following a season that saw him post career highs in tackles, games played and starts, linebacker and unrestricted free agent Joe Mays said he would love to continue his career in Denver.

2011 Season Review: Third Quarter
In the third installment of DenverBroncos.com's four-part series looking back at the 2011 season, the Broncos went a perfect 4-0 during Weeks 10-13.

Goodell's Letter to Fans
On Tuesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent the following letter to NFL fans.

NFL.com news: Bill named for Broncos' Tebow set to move to Va. Senate
It's unclear how many potential future NFL players have slipped through the cracks in Virginia, never to see their potential realized due to the state's strict laws outlining who can and who cannot play high school football.

Videos

Mel Kiper Jr. Draft Talk - ESPN Video - ESPN
Mel Kiper Jr. discusses how confident he is that Andrew Luck will be picked first in the draft, who could trade up to draft Robert Griffin III and what the Patriots will do with their picks.

Expectations For Luck - ESPN Video - ESPN
Steve Young, Trent Dilfer and Ron Jaworski evaluate Andrew Luck as the projected number 1 overall pick to the Indianapolis Colts.

NFL Hot Read: When to retire? - ESPN Video - ESPN
Former NFL athletes Darren Woodson and Marcellus Wiley tell Trey Wingo their own personal stories about when they knew their NFL careers were over, and what that feeling is like.

Denver Broncos Blogs

Broncos must be concerned with depth at quarterback - The Denver Post
As has been outlined by Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway, the Broncos are "in the market" for quarterbacks to bolster the depth chart.

Woody Paige: Broncos face a brutal schedule in 2012 - The Denver Post
Ringo Starr had it rationally, if not grammatically, right. It don't come easy.

Which Free Agent QBs Should Broncos Look At? - Predominantly Orange - A Denver Broncos Fan Site
As much as you may like Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos need help at quarterback. Brady Quinn is likely on his way out the door (how could he take another year on the Denver pine after his stint with the team?), and Adam Weber, although fun to watch last preseason, isn’t quite ready to fill in as Tebow’s primary backup.

NFL draft hopefuls flock to Denver to build their skills - The Denver Post
Drake Dunsmore took his degree in communications from prestigious Northwestern and started his life in the real world by moving to Denver so he could spend six weeks working with performance coach Loren Landow.

Loren Landow Holds Mock Combine For Denver Athletes - Predominantly Orange - A Denver Broncos Fan Site
If diamonds are only made under pressure then the NFL combine could put Cartier out of business.

Division News

AFC West retirement watch - AFC West Blog - ESPN
In the first week of the NFL offseason, there are some players in the AFC West who are going through this process now.

Vincent Jackson expected to hit open market | ProFootballTalk
The Chargers would have to pay Vincent Jackson a lot of money to use the franchise tag on him — more than $13 million.

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Lombardi: Chargers will try to sign Jackson "
Vincent Jackson represents the biggest name on an impressive list of wide receivers who could become free agents in March. That’s if he reaches free agency.

Raiders add a couple of coaches | ProFootballTalk
The Raiders continue to fill up Dennis Allen’s first coaching staff, with the addition of two new assistant coaches.

NFL.com news: Raiders release Routt one season into five-year contract
Less than one year ago, Al Davis made Stanford Routt one of the cornerstones of the Oakland Raiders defense with a lavish contract that prevented him from reaching free agency. Now, Routt is the first player casualty under the new regime with the Raiders.

Routt adds to deep cornerback market | ProFootballTalk
Halfway decent cornerbacks are usually difficult to find on the free agent market. 2011 could be an exception.

Raiders avoided $5 million guaranteed by cutting Routt now | ProFootballTalk
So why did the Raiders dump cornerback Stanford Routt today? Per a source with knowledge of his contract, Routt's $5 million base salary for 2012 would have become fully guaranteed if he had been on the roster five days after the start of the 2012 waiver period.

Routt's release will put vets on alert in Oakland | National Football Post
No one is 'protected' with new leadership in town.

Will Stanford Routt stay in the AFC West? - AFC West Blog - ESPN
In our first post on the Raiders’ surprising decision to cut cornerback Stanford Routt, we wrote that the free agent could interest the three other teams in the AFC West.

NFL News

NFL.com news: Panthers fan returns Super Bowl playbook to team
Matt Rowell, a yard-sale enthusiast who recently stumbled upon a gem: Carolina's playbook from Super Bowl XXXVIII, won by the Patriots 32-29.

Progress is still slow for African-American sports agents - ESPN
Reparation: The act or process of making amends, according to Webster's. A word rarely heard or used in sports. But recently, the concept came up in a column written in the Miami New Times by Luther Campbell and directed to NFL superagent Drew Rosenhaus.

Time to hit the weight room | National Football Post
Offseason training is crucial for NFL players.

Training Day: Learning the 40 with an Olympian | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
The toughest part of the combine and NFL draft readiness isn't necessarily the daily weightlifting routine or getting ready for the Wonderlic Test. Instead, it might be trimming hundredths of a second off one's 40-yard time.

THE FIFTH DOWN - Notebook - Drug Test Talks Continue - NYTimes.com
DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the N.F.L. Player's Association, held his organization's annual news conference Thursday afternoon.

Bill Plaschke on pro athletes' caring about winning - latimes.com
Within hours of creating one its most glorious moments, the pro sports world exposed one of its dirty little secrets.

M.I.A. may owe big money for Super Bowl halftime contract violation | ProFootballTalk
After Sunday night’s finger malfunction during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime, we observed that the contracts for the musical acts "should contain stiff financial penalties for anyone who makes obscene statements or gestures."

Manager: Bengals' Rey Maualuga involved in bar fight - FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & Sports
The manager of a downtown bar says Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga was involved in a bar fight over the weekend and injured the manager.

NFL.com news: Giants GM Reese cautions team will undergo changes
The New York Giants have already started preparing to defend their Super Bowl title, just days after winning their second NFL title in five seasons.

More Evidence Big Football Players Face Heart Risks - NYTimes.com
The biggest professional football players in America may be more likely than their fellow players to die of heart disease, even though they appear to generally enjoy a longer-than-average lifespan, according to a U.S. study.

Stanford wideout Owusu medically cleared after college concussions | ProFootballTalk
Stanford wideout/return specialist Chris Owusu entered his senior season with second-day draft grades from NFL scouts, but suffered two concussions in 2011 and did not play in Stanford’s final four games.

Colt McCoy feeling no "residual effects" from Harrison hit | ProFootballTalk
The Browns are expected to bring in competition for Colt McCoy at quarterback this offseason. That competition could be a top pick like Robert Griffin III

Willie Roaf suggests term limits for Hall of Fame voters | ProFootballTalk
Roaf thinks some fresh blood is needed on the 44-member selection committee, and the way to go about doing that is to limit the amount of time that voters can remain on the committee.

The HOF selection committee wagon circling begins | ProFootballTalk
Last year, when Jason Whitlock of FOXSports.com took aim at the Hall of Fame selection process, he was called an "idiot" by Hall of Fame voter Len Pasquarelli.

Free Agency and the Draft

NFL Free Agency 2012: Matt Flynn, Mario Williams Among Marquee Names Hitting The Market - SBNation.com
The season over, NFL teams can start planning for the 2012 season. Free agency begins on March 13. Which free agents will see the biggest demand for their services this spring?

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Top 50 Free Agents
Pete Prisco, who's one of those writers who actually watches games, put together a list of the top 50 free agents that I think is pretty sensible.

Lions facing big decision with Cliff Avril – Audibles
Martin Mayhew traversed his first three offseasons as the Lions’ general manager without using the franchise tag. If he’s going to push that streak to four, it might come at the expense of Cliff Avr

Franchise tag could be coming for Wes Welker | ProFootballTalk
Receiver Wes Welker will become a free agent on March 13, unless the Patriots sign him to a new deal.

Steelers get to work on restructuring contracts to save cap space | ProFootballTalk
With the Steelers entering the offseason some $25 million over the 2012 salary cap, they have a lot of moves to make before the league year begins on March 13.

Steelers clear $11.7 million with Timmons, Woodley restructurings | ProFootballTalk
On Thursday, MDS pointed out that the Steelers have begun chipping away at a $25 million cap bulge by restructuring the contracts of linebackers LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons.