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COMPENSATORY PICKS
The Broncos have had just one compensatory pick in the last eight drafts -- in 2011 when they selected Jeremy Beal in the seventh round. Since the 2004 draft they have had just five compensatory picks overall -- 2004 (Brandon Miree), 2005 (Domonique Foxworth, Maurice Clarett), 2006 (Domenik Hixon) and Beal.
It always felt like the Broncos were on the outside looking in when these picks are announced. To see it in print really hits it home how few we've had lately. This year Denver could get as many as four. Here's hoping they are more Domenick Hixon (2-time Super Bowl winner with the Giants) and Dominique Foxworth (6-year NFL veteran for three different teams) than Brandon Miree and certainly not Maurice Clarett (do I really need to go into it?). ESPN does a great job breaking it down here.
BOO-HOO BRONCOS
With free agency well under way, some Broncos pundits aren't happy with what they've seen so far. James Merilatt from Mile High Sports is concerned that the Broncos are getting a bad reputation for how they treat their former players. While I think the Broncos should take a more aggressive stance with getting our greats into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, what Merilatt is talking about are the players that left in free agency and Peyton Manning. In a wishy-washy, fence straddling manner, Merilatt proceeds to say that the NFL is a harsh business and that the Broncos are playing that game... Then he concludes that Denver could well be on the path to becoming the Oakland Raiders. If you ask me, and nobody did, this reeks of a fan irritated that he can no longer wear his Julius Thomas jersey on gameday.
There's nothing wrong with being shrewd. They're nothing bad about being calculating. And there's nothing terrible about continually trying to upgrade the roster.
However, nobody likes to be treated like a piece of meat; nobody likes to be coldly discarded as though they never mattered. That's just human nature; and it's something the Broncos seem to fail to understand.
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Seriously, when you're making the same argument that Eddie Kinnison did, you're making a poor choice. Just ask any Chief's fan.
Horse Tracks
Raiders don't need marquee names to be competitive in 2015 - First Oakland needs to define competitive. Then they should probably pick a different year because this likely won't be it.
Will 2014 be Philip Rivers' last season with the Chargers? - My money is on, yes. This is all posturing so that he can get the greatest possible deal from San Diego (or wherever the Chargers are playing then). Let's be honest, he's the best thing they have going for them at the moment and Antonio Gates can't throw the ball to himself.
Chiefs hooker suspended - SAY WHAT?! Okay, I clicked it too thinking it was something scandalous or outrageous. Nope, the lack of Chiefs news right now pushed this bit of news from the Fiji Chiefs rugby club to the top of my news search. Apparently, a "hooker" is a position in Rugby and they're not allowed to "dangerously charge" an opponent. I'm not going to lie, I thought it was something else... and the dangerous charge? Thankfully, we don't have to ask Warren Sapp about that.