No one called this Colorado Rockies team a World Series contender. No one said they would win 100 games.

However, even the biggest critic couldn’t have thought that this team would be this bad, this soon.

On Sunday, the Rockies were swept at home for the second straight three game series, losing 6-4. This time it came at the hands of the lowly Seattle Mariners. It may have been one thing if the Mariners had ace Felix Hernandez on the mound during the series, but the Rockies faced two mediocre pitchers and one good one.

Remember when Jim Tracy hadn’t lost a homestand? That seems like a really long time ago. In fact, it is hard to remember the last time the Rockies won a homestand. This one finished 1-4 when it really needed to be closer to 4-1.

Some might say that it is too early to write this team off. After all, it’s only May. There is plenty of baseball left to be played. They point to 2007 and 2009 when the Rockies went on historic runs to propel themselves into a playoff spot.

The positive attitude is enviable. However, it simply isn’t realistic. This team doesn’t have the pitching that it will require to keep them in games enough nights in a row to go on one of those runs.

It is becoming tiresome to debate who is at fault. Is it Tracy? Is it general manager Dan O’Dowd? Is it pitching coach Bob Apodaca? Is it the player’s faults? At this point, it really doesn’t matter whose fault it is. The reality is, it is probably a combination of all of their fault’s, plus a bunch more.

Meanwhile, the front office continues to sit on their hands. Despite calls from loyal fans for a shakeup, or at least a small move that would suggest that being 10 games under .500 before Memorial Day isn’t alright.

What else is left to be said? What else do fans have to do? Root Sports analyst and Hall of Fame baseball writer took to Twitter on Sunday night to make fun of fans who were complaining about their team. As much respect as a guy of Ringolsby’s ilk deserves, it was uncalled for. There has to be room for anger. There must be some sort of outlet for fans. Obviously Ringolsby isn’t a fan. He is an un-bias analyst. However, he should be embarrassed that he is so disconnected from the fans that he feels that they shouldn’t be even slightly frustrated and speaking out of emotion rather than logic at this point in a terrible season.

If the Rockies had told their fans that they expected another year or two before they would be able to compete, it would be one thing. However, the club signed Michael Cuddyer and traded for Marco Scutaro and Jeremy Guthrie, two guys who only had a year left on their contracts. That would suggest to fans that they are trying to win. That encourages fans to spend money on their team. Of course, certain criticism is out of line, but being upset that a team isn’t playing the way they should be is something that is allowed. Ringolsby’s mockery of fans is worse than the fan’s criticism.

The Rockies head back on the road, a place where they have been even worse than at home. They go to Miami to check out the new park that the Marlins built. The weight of the season should be on their shoulders. The weight of Tracy’s job and Apodaca’s job should be on their shoulders. If the six-game road trip doesn’t result in at least a 3-3 record, one of those two guys should be making his final trip as a member of the Rockies.

At this point, however, that isn’t a guarantee. Being 10 games under .500 and in a horrible place this early in the season would be unacceptable for all but a few teams in the league. Apparently the Rockies are one of those teams.

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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New York Giants safety Deon Grant looks to throw a pass during NFL football practice Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

The Denver Broncos may pursue free agent safety Deon Grant (6-2, 215 lbs.), according to one NFL insider.  Grant, 33, started in nine games with the New York Giants last season and received a Super Bowl XLVI ring following New York’s 21-17 win over the New England Patriots.

“I’ve heard the Broncos may have interest (in Grant),” ESPN NFL Insider Cecil Lammey Tweeted on Sunday afternoon.   The Giants and Detroit Lions are also reportedly interested in Grant’s services.

Grant was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round (57th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft and spent two years with the Panthers during John Fox‘s tenure in Carolina (2003-’04).  Fox is now the head coach in Denver and Grant is a free agent.  

Over the past two seasons in New York, Grant played in all 32 games (with 17 starts) and recorded 136 tackles, two sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and defended 16 passes.  Grant joined the Giants in 2010 after stints with the Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks.

The Broncos secondary isn’t getting any younger, but Grant could provide solid veteran experience in Denver.  Earlier in the offseason, Brian Dawkins (38) retired and Denver signed fellow veteran Mike Adams (31).  Adams will presumably start across from Quinton Carter (23) in the back-end of Denver’s secondary this season.

Adams and Carter are joined by David Bruton, Rafael Bush, Duke Ihenacho and Rahim Moore as the six safeties currently on the Broncos’ roster.  Bruton has been with the Broncos since 2009, Bush joined the Broncos last season as a rotational defensive back, Inhenacho signed as an undrafted college free agent in April and Moore was drafted by the team in the second round of last year’s draft.

There will be a lot of competition in the secondary during training camp this summer and the acquisition of another safety would add more intensity to the camp battle.  Grant would likely provide special teams depth and become the third safety on Denver’s depth chart if signed.

Elway during the '86 AFC Championship Game. Photo by Vernon Biever/WireImage.com

We are entering the “dead zone” of the football season.  Not much going on and utter boredom for those of us who are the one sport kind.  What better way to pass the time than to relive some of the greatest plays in Denver Broncos history?

This initial post will cover the “best of the rest” plays that made the final cut down, but did not crack the top 5.  My wholly bias and completely unscientific voting system mixed in WOW factors, impact to the game, the importance of the game itself, as well as, my own fan bias of games that left an indelible impression on my fandom.

We’ll start with the Best, best of the rest with the 1986 AFC Championship game.  That’s right, The Drive.

Situation: AFC Championship Game. 3rd and 18 with 1:47 left on the clock.

The Play: The snap hits Steve Watson in the hip, John Elway barely grasps the ball and fires a bullet to Mark Jackson for the first down.

This game will always be remembered as one of the greatest playoff games in NFL history.  The drive itself is more spectacular when the entire game is watched, but it is the drive that is always remembered.  That 3rd and 18 play is easily the defining moment of The Drive and catapulted the Broncos to the Super Bowl.  It would also be the beginning of Elway’s legend.

The video below provides a deeper look at The Drive, but the play in question can be seen at the 4:55 mark.

Situation: Super Bowl 32. Less than 3 minutes to go with the score tied.

The Play: A swing pass to Howard Griffith that Eddie McCaffrey broke wide open with a textbook block on Green Bay Packers linebacker Brian Williams.

Looking back, the Broncos probably would have scored somehow, someway even if Eddie Mac hadn’t made this block, which is the only reason why its here with the best of the rest plays.  The Packers defense wasn’t going to stop anyone at that point in the game, but this play was still good enough to make my top 10.

I could have just slapped in a video of the block, but we’re here to reminisce as much as we are here to examine a single play – so here is a career highlight video of Eddie Mac.  The play in question is at the 58 second mark.

Those two just missed the top 5.  To round out my best of the rest plays, here are some links to the plays in question.

• Rod Smith 80 yard TD pass from John Elway in Super Bowl 33
• A Floyd Little pass against the Oakland Raiders in 1972 helped catapult the Broncos to their first victory of their hated rival in over a decade
• Tim Tebow 20 yard TD run to stun the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football
• Rod Smith first catch is a Hail Mary to beat the Washington Redskins
• John Elway nearly gets sacked by a Seattle Seahawks defender, only to duck and then fire a 50 yard TD strike to Shannon Sharpe
• Ironically, I could have just made my list exclusively from this video

I hope you all enjoyed this post.  We’ll be posting #5 through #1 starting tomorrow and ending on Friday.

Go Broncos!

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Denver Broncos vice president John Elway, right, poses with Brock Osweiler the teams second draft pick in the 2012 NFL football draft at the Denver Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Osweiler was a quarterback at Arizona State. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

During the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft on April 27th, Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Brock Osweiler received a call from a 303 area code.  John Elway was on the other line.

Elway—the Denver Broncos‘ Vice President of Football Operations and father of Jack Elway, one of Osweiler’s closest college friends—was calling to inform Osweiler that Denver was selecting him 57th overall in the draft.  Elway asked Osweiler if he would like to backup quarterback Peyton Manning as Denver’s “quarterback of the future”.

To a twenty-one year old junior coming out of college, the suggestion of learning under one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of pro football was easy to accept.

“As an athlete, especially as a quarterback, you always have to get better. What better way to get better than to be around Peyton Manning and John Elway and have such a great coach in Quarterbacks Coach Adam Gase and the other quarterbacks in the room in Caleb Hanie and Adam Weber,” Osweiler rhetorically asked during a press conference last month.  ”A lot of quarterbacks might be upset about having to sit behind somebody, whereas I look at it as a tremendous opportunity to learn from one of the best, if not the best, quarterback to ever play the game.”

Rewind three years prior to the elder Elway (John) calling Brock and we see Osweiler jumping the younger Elway (Jack) on the Sun Devils’ depth chart as the third quarterback.  Around the time of this happening, Jack quit football due in part to unfair expectations which evaporated his desire to play football.

“(Jack Elway) is just tired of football and wants to do something else with his life,” former ASU coach Dennis Erickson said in 2009. “He made a decision, and we all understand it. He would have played here eventually.”

With the younger Elway still attending ASU but no longer as a football player, Osweiler jumped two QBs (Elway and Chasen Stangel) as a true freshman.  Later in the 2009 season, Osweiler would become the first ASU quarterback to start as a true freshman since Jake Plummer did in 1993.  Playing in six games (starting in one), Osweiler went 24-of-55 for 249 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions.

The following season, Osweiler again played in six games (with one start) and improved his numbers by completing 62-of-109 passes for 797 yards and five touchdowns with zero interceptions.  Announced the starter going into his junior season at ASU, Osweiler went on to complete 326-of-516 throws for 4,036 yards and 26 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. Osweiler’s performance helped lead the Sun Devils to a Las Vegas  MAACO Bowl game appearance earlier this year.

(Images courtesy of AP and Getty Images)

Fast forward to May and Osweiler was working with his new teammates in Denver during the Broncos’ Rookie Mini Camp practice sessions at Dove Valley.

“[The first day of practice] was fun, to be honest. It was a lot of fun,” Osweiler said on May 11th. “When you first get that playbook, you’re seeing all these different formations and pass concepts and runs and protections. To finally get out there on the field and kind of put it all together—I thought we did a pretty good job on offense and I had a lot of fun out there today.”

Before coming to Denver for mini camp, Osweiler was back in Arizona working with teammate Gerell Robinson, who was Osweiler’s favorite target at ASU and one of the first college free agents Denver signed following the draft in April.  As Sun Devil teammates, Osweiler and Robinson connected 77 times in 2011 for 1,397 yards and seven touchdowns — torching opposing defenses.

Together again in Denver, the duo of Osweiler and Robinson hope to emulate Jay Cutler-to-Brandon Marshall or Tim Tebow-to-Demaryius Thomas-esque connections, aiming to be stars of the future.  In preseason, and especially during practice, Osweiler will benefit from having a familiar target running routes.

“It’s nice, because I know what to expect from [Robinson] and he knows what to expect from me as well. We are running a different offense, but at the same time, I can read his body language. He knows how the ball comes out with me,” noted Osweiler after a rookie practice session earlier in the month.

And while Osweiler and Robinson will have heavy competition for playing time this season, the Broncos have plans for them beyond this season.

“We have high hopes for (Osweiler) in the future, to where once Peyton decides to hang them up, that he’s the guy in waiting that can keep this (going) and we don’t miss a beat,” Elway said in a press conference call on May 15th.  ”And (with Osweiler ready to step in), we can continue to compete for world championships, year in and year out.”

On Saturday, Brock Osweiler was signing rookie trading cards and posing for Rookie Premiere photo shoots.  Tomorrow, he’ll participate in Denver’s first day of organized team practices.  One day, he’ll likely become Denver’s starting quarterback.  And if Elway is right, the Broncos will be in good hands.

“It’s a perfect situation, where there’s not the pressure for him to come in and start right away,” Elway said of Osweiler.  ”He’s not ready for that. But he’s also going to learn from Peyton and I think it’s a great learning experience for him to where we are set for the future.  He’s our guy of the future, we believe Brock Osweiler will be the next guy (under center).”

Denver Broncos News

A Look Around The Schedule | DenverBroncos.com
Which other high profile draft picks will the Broncos face this season? Watch this video to find out.

Jack Del Rio wants Broncos to have a top 10 defense | NFL.com
Jack Del Rio has taken over a Denver Broncos defense that finished last season ranked 20th overall in the NFL. The team’s new defensive coordinator is challenging his players to reach higher in 2012.
Rod Smith deserves to have jersey retired, in addition to spot in Broncos Ring of Fame | Denver Post
Mr. Smith goes to … ? Receiver Rod Smith deserves to have his jersey retired by the Broncos. His place in the Hall of Fame is up for debate.

Denver Broncos’ contract talks with Ryan Clady underway | Denver Post
The Broncos have opened contract-extension talks with Ryan Clady, according to several NFL sources. The left tackle is in the final year of a deal that will pay him $3.5 million in 2012. The franchise tag for a left tackle this season was $9.4 million.

Missy Franklin dances at surprise send-off | USA Today
It was the last day at Regis Jesuit High School for the class of 2012. As is tradition, all the students packed the gym for the Senior Send-off. This year, the seniors shared their special event with a junior with an Olympic dream.

Denver Broncos Blogs

Kuper on Road to Recovery | DenverBroncos.com
Guard Chris Kuper, who suffered an injury in Week 17 last season, is working hard with Head Athletic Trainer Steve Antonopulos to get back on the field.

Broncos legendary receiver Rod Smith earns Ring of Fame honor | Examiner.com
On Thursday, Denver Broncos CEO/Owner Pat Bowlen announced legendary receiver Rod Smith will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame this upcoming season.

Put Simon Fletcher in the Ring of Fame before Broncos fans puke | IAOFM
The Broncos added one of the all-time greats to their Ring of Fame earlier in the week in the form of wide receiver (and Eddie Kennison’s tormentor) Rod Smith.

Denver Broncos Videos

A Look Around The Division | DenverBroncos.com
Here’s a breakdown of who the other AFC West teams drafted; this segment is from the Xfinity 2012 Draft Special.

Year of the Fan? What a joke.

Maybe the Colorado Rockies meant for that to be singular, because after the 2012 campaign there might only be one fan left.

One complaint many observant writers and radio hosts around town have about Rockies fans is that they continue to show up in droves to Coors Field, regardless of the product put on the field. They don’t demand success and they continue to land at 20th & Blake for the party atmosphere, completely disregarding the poor product on the field.

That is going to change. This town has tasted success. It may have been fleeting, but the runs of 2007 and 2009 were enough to make fans desire more than a fourth place team. For years that was acceptable, but Denver has grown beyond that.

Denver is a great sports town. Of course, the Broncos will always be the heart and soul of the town, but fans believe in their teams. They root passionately for them. One quality the sets Denver fans apart from those in other cities is that success isn’t the only goal. Fans in Denver love the players on the team. They cling to them. They root for them. Fans in Denver don’t want to see their team succeed, they want to see the players on their team succeed. For proof, look no further than fans who were angry that Tim Tebow was traded by the Broncos, despite signing one of the best quarterbacks of all time.

It might be frustrating to some, but it really does make Denver a great town. Fans dive into the personalities of the players on the team and cling on to that, rather than just rooting for whoever happens to be wearing the team’s colors that season.

The problem for the Monfort’s and the rest of the front office comes in at the next point. Fans in Denver demand effort. The team doesn’t have to hoist a trophy at the end of the year, but the players on the team have to play with a passion that suggests that they want to be the team hoisting the trophy.

Rockies fans are notoriously loyal. They are loyal to a fault. They want to believe in their team. The reason that they kept buying tickets and spending money at Coors Field in the dark days of the early 2000′s was because the team had promised that they were going to build from within. They promised that the new model–growing from within and not spending on big name free agents–would give the Rockies their best chance to succeed.

Fans hung in there. Times were tough, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Fans followed as names like Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Jeff Francis, Garrett Atkins and Clint Barmes were bantered about in Single-A. The light at the end of the tunnel was bright, and it was worth the struggle of watching Royce Clayton and Desi Relaford play in the infield.

Fans bought in to the process. Many in the media didn’t, but the true fans understood.

When the magic of 2007 happened, fans were vindicated. Their suffering was all worth while. They had a winner. The next season was a disappointment, but they would rebound. Quickly in 2009 the Rockies made the playoffs again and were becoming a respected team around the league.

Since that playoff run, however, the Rockies have been abysmal. Their farm system hasn’t produced. Players who were supposed to be All-Stars proved to be overrated. Players who could have been traded when they had value were hung on to until their value was little-to-nothing.

Make no mistake, the Rockies have more youth on the way. There is plenty of talent in the lower levels of the minor leagues. There should be plenty to be excited about. However, the 2012 team was sold to fans as a team that was going to compete. They were sold to them as a team full of veterans who knew how to win. They might not be the most talented team, but they would be scrappy and fun to watch.

This team would bridge the gap until the Rockies new set of prospects made their way to the big leagues. Again, fans bought into the team. Again, fans were let down. Fans were let down, and right now they are demanding a response. They are dying to see that the front office is as heartbroken as they are about the path this team is headed down. Changing coaches or managers might not change the course of this broken season, but what it will do is send a message to the loyal fans that mediocrity isn’t going to be accepted. It will tell fans that there is accountability and that poor management and poor coaching is not going to be allowed.

Are Rockies fans going to buy into another promise that the next wave of prospects will be better than the group that the team has fielded in the last two seasons? At some point, the loyalty is going to go away. Fans were willing to buy in before, but the patience is wearing.

The team can be bad on the field. If they play hard and don’t make excuses fans will be fine with it. When the team is sold to the fans as a contender, then when they struggle mightily nothing is done to say that it isn’t acceptable, fans will feel blindsided.

The Rockies are desperately hoping that Year of the Fan doesn’t turn out to be the Last Year of the Fan.

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Jenny Apel sits in front of the William Carter Mansion that she sold for $950,000.

A couple recently paid $950,000 for the largest  residential home in northwest Denver.

Richard Tallman and Lisa Flores bought the 7,070-square-foot William Carter Mansion at 2955 Perry St., according to public records. The estate also includes a 620-square-foot carriage home on a 30,300-square-foot parcel, which is a huge lot for a city home.

Sold in 2 weeks

“It was on the market for 13 days,” before being placed under contract, said Jenny Apel, of Nostalgic Homes, who listed it for the sellers.

“We had competing offers,” for the home in West Highland, she said. “We had upwards of 15 showings from qualified buyers. There was tremendous interest in it.”

Apel represented the sellers, Mags Cheyenne Capital and MDN Capital, which acquired it in a foreclosure last Dec. 30. The previous owner, who had owned the property for the past 26 years, but had done little in the way of improvements, had borrowed $765,000 from the Mags and MDN, Apel said. The home initially was listed at $1.2 million, which Apel knew was a bit on the high side. She said she expected it would sell for about $1 million. Juanita Chacon of RE/MAX Alliance represented the buyers in the transaction.

“This is a rare find,” Apel said. “There are bigger buildings, such as the Lumber Baron Inn and Gardens (a bed and breakfast) in Highland, but this is the largest single-family, detached residential home in northwest Denver. It has a tremendous location.”

Developers not welcome 

A few of the prospective buyers were developers.

“Some came in and looked at it with the idea of knocking down the house and building other properties on the big lot and garbage like that,” Apel said.

Apel, an opponent of RedPeak Properties’ plan for three apartment buildings at the nearby Highland Square area at West 32nd Avenue and Lowell Boulevard, said neither she nor the neighborhood would have stood for the grand house being razed.

“Anybody trying to raze the home would have gone to war with the neighborhood,” she said. “They would have spent so much time and money fighting the neighborhood it would not have been worth the effort. I told the sellers, who are really nice guys, that if they agreed to sell it to someone who was going to raze the home, they would have a fight on their hands and I would be leading the charge. They said, “Calm down, Jenny, we’re not going to sell it to a developer.”

Colorful history

The home has a colorful history.

It was built by William J. Carter, who made a fortune in lumber before coming to Denver. He was one of Denver’s first automobile dealers, launching the Carter Motor Co. in 1909 to sell Overland and Apperson “Jack Rabbit” vehicles. He also invested in real estate, caring a four-block residential neighborhood in 1913 that extended from West 29th and 30th avenues and Perry to Stuart streets. Carter died on the estate at the age of 73 under mysterious circumstances in 1930. Speculation at the time included murder, suicide or a burglary gone wrong. He may have been sleeping with his maid.

Apel said a better buyer than Tallman could not be found.

“The moon and the sun and the stars aligned when Rich bought this house,” said Apel, who toyed with the idea of purchasing it with her husband, but decided it was a bit much to chew off. “I’ve seen his plans for the renovation and they are great. They are going to completely gut and redo the home and the yards. They are going to have a great garden in the front.”

Tallman, who holds an undergraduate and a master’s degree in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, heads Renova Capital Partners and Renova Capital Group. Renova I and Renova II, as they are called, identify, evaluate and develop clean-energy investment opportunities. Its diverse portfolio includes investments in solar, biomass, water-to-energy and geothermal sectors.

Renovation planned

He will be carrying that green ethos to his new home, Appel said.

“This big home doesn’t have a garage, so one of the first thing he will do is build a four-car garage behind the house and there is where he is going to put on all of the solar panels,” she said.

The renovation will cost an estimated $350,000, although Apel said she wouldn’t be surprised if the total renovation is ends up costing closer to $500,000.

The buyers of the William Carter mansion in West Highland are selling this ultra-modern home in LoHi.

Tallman and Flores currently are selling a modern home at 1815 Boulder Street, in the LoHi neighborhood. The 2,098-square-foot home is listed for $750,000 by Dee Chirafisi of Kentwood City Properties.

Apel said that Tallman and Flores weren’t shopping for an older or bigger home.

“They saw an ad for the home on the back of the North Denver Tribune, drove by the house and decided it was for them,” Apel said. Apel described the mansion as the “King of Highlands!” in the ad.

To see what else is for sale in West Highland, please visit this COhomefinder.com link. To learn what is for sale in Highland, please visit this COhomefinder.com link.

Have a story idea or real estate news tip? Contact John Rebchook at JRCHOOK@gmail.com. InsideRealEstateNews is sponsored by Universal Lending, Land Title Guarantee Co. and 8z Real Estate.

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John Rebchook has more than 30 years of experience in writing and communications. As the Real Estate Editor for the Rocky Mountain News, he wrote about residential and commercial real estate for 26 years. He has won numerous awards for business stories and columns that he wrote, both as an individual and part of teams. In addition to real estate, he also covered economic development, banking and financing, the airlines, and cable TV for the Rocky. In addition, he was one of the original freelance writers for GlobeSt.com, covering commercial real estate for the Internet publication.!
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The Denver Broncos have started contract-extension talks with fifth-year starting left tackle Ryan Clady (6-6, 315 lbs.), according to a Denver Post report.  Since his rookie season in 2008, Clady hasn’t missed a single start.

The Broncos have opened contract-extension talks with Ryan Clady, according to several NFL sources.

The left tackle is in the final year of his deal that will pay him $3.5 million in 2012. The franchise tag for left tackles this season was $9.4 million.

While the Broncos and Clady’s agent are talking, it may be a while before the two sides are close to an agreement.

Denver drafted Clady 12th overall in the 2008 draft and signed him to a five-year, $17.5 million deal.  That contract will give Clady $3.5 this season before expiring.  Both sides would like to extend Clady’s contract before it expires, according to reports.

As a rookie, Clady allowed an unbelievably low .5 sacks.  Since then, he has allowed 8, 7.5 and 9 sacks respectively over the past three seasons, according to Hosted.Stats.com.  Some have pointed to Clady’s increased amount of sacks allowed as a reason to believe Clady’s ability has slipped.  In reality, Clady injured his patella tendon in 2010 which effected his past two seasons. Clady also suffered from two quarterbacks who had a knack for getting sacked (Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow combined to be sacked 82 times over the past two seasons).

As Mike Klis pointed out, Clady has improved as a run-blocker and will likely benefit from Peyton Manning‘s quick release as a pass-blocker this season.  During his past two seasons, Manning was sacked just 26 times in 32 games.

The Broncos are also trying to rework disgruntled defensive tackle Ty Warren‘s contract and have kicker Matt Prater sign his one-year tender.  Both Warren and Prater are skipping voluntary offseason workouts in protest of their respective contract situations.  Meanwhile, Denver still has to sign five of their seven drafted rookies.

The Broncos could replace Warren and even Prater (though that would not be preferable), but Clady is not expendable in my mind.  Hopefully the Broncos will soon get Clady locked up long-term.