Who Is The Laughing Stock Of The Afc West?

I just read the the Denver Broncos have suspended Brandon Marshall indefinitely for detrimental behavior.  Now, I have to ask myself, who is truly the most dysfunctional team in the Afc West? 

I know that this is going to start a ridiculous amount of feedback but, that’s why I am writing this article. I love to shoot it out with fans of other teams as well as my fellow Silver and Black faithful.

To back up my arguments, lets look at what has happened with the Raiders this off-season in comparison to the Broncos.  There are three noteworthy articles of contention that have occurred in Raider Nation.  

The first and second were of course the first and second round draft picks.  DHB and Mike Mitchell were both viewed as absolutely botched picks.  I am not going to dispute that but, we won’t know the full ramifications of these picks until the season begins and progresses.

The third, and the one that I personally think means very little in the big scheme of things, is that Coach Cable broke one of his assistant’s jaw—Big deal. 

I’m sorry, the only reason that this makes headlines is that it happened in Oakland.  Men lose their tempers.  It happens, deal with it. If charges get laid, then it could cause some problems, no doubt, but let’s see how it plays out.

Now, what has happened in Denver blows anything that the Raiders have done completely out of the water!  The three big points that have happened in Mile High make any mistakes the Raiders made look like a little rain drop in the ocean, you don’t notice it. 

First, they fire Shanahan and then hire Josh McDaniels to take over.  I liked this move because it seemed that Shanahan was starting to not have a good grip on how to run his team. He had failed in the last few drafts to get quality players. His defences almost made Oakland’s look like an All-Pro team. He needed to go, I can’t argue that. 

Hiring McDaniels seemed like a good move but right from the get go he alienated players, especially his star quarterback. 

Which leads me to my next point, the trade of Jay Cutler.

Wow, did that situation get screwed up.  Why in the world would you want to trade for a one-hit wonder, which I am convinced Matt Cassel is, when you have a proved quarterback already on the roster?  I understand that you might want your “guy” on the team, but really? Cassel over Cutler?! I don’t think so. 

Whats worse is that you traded him for Kyle Orton. Orton?! Orton?! I mean, wow. I am speechless.

Finally, Brandon Marshall. Your number one receiver who wants a new contract or to be traded.  I can understand why this guy would want out after he loses the man who helped make him an All-Star.  This is the final straw that broke the camel’s back. 

Now, this situation is definitely not completely the organization’s fault as Marshall has a history of issues.  I just feel that it has dragged on for way to long and now he is suspended, which makes the team even worse.  Orton to Eddie Royal just doesn’t scare me as much as Cutler to Marshall did last season. Sorry, it just doesn’t work.

In closing, the Raiders have issues, we all know this.  They just don’t have the same issues that seem to be arising in Denver. 

Looking forward to the multitude of comments that I know will appear.  Always love the feedback guys, it makes this so much fun.

Denver’s Brandon Marshall Must Be Really Ticked Off Now

This just in. Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall, openly unhappy with the Denver Broncos, was suspended by the team Friday for unspecified “detrimental” conduct. The club did not say in its short statement how long the suspension would last.

During Wednesday’s warmups, Marshall walked while the rest of the team ran. He punted a ball away instead of handing it to a ball boy and swatted a pass thrown to him. His actions were caught on video and broadcast by a local news station.

Marshall told ESPN on Thursday night he wasn’t trying to force a trade through insubordination but that frustration got the best of him.

The receiver apparently was held out of practice Thursday as punishment for the selfish display, but head coach Josh McDaniels wouldn’t discuss it after practice.

“I’m not going into it,” the coach said. “If they’re not ready or able, they’re not out here.”

Marshall’s agent, Kennard McGuire, didn’t immediately return a phone call Friday. McGuire was out of the country until Monday.

McDaniels said Marshall didn’t play against the Seahawks because he wasn’t prepared to take the field.

Marshall also missed the team’s exhibition opener against San Francisco two weeks ago because he was on trial in Atlanta, where he was acquitted of a misdemeanor battery charge.

Prosecutors had accused him of beating his then-girlfriend.

Brandon Marshall: Yet Another Wide Receiva Diva

Michael Irvin. Keyshawn Johnson. Terrell Owens. Chad Ochocinco. Plaxico Burress. Michael Crabtree.

Now, you can add Brandon Marshall to the laundry list of wide receivers in the past and present who have been known as divas.

My five-day vacation from work began this morning. To begin, I drove around with my iced coffee and thought of a good article to write. The folks at WEEI Sports Radio were discussing the massive amounts of drama surrounding the scenario out in Minnesota involving He Who Must Not Be Named (for fear of giving him the media attention he hungers for).

Having heard enough of this dead-horse topic, I tuned into another local sports station, where they were discussing the NFL.com report on Brandon Marshall’s status with the Broncos. Marshall had been caught on tape by local news, putting his diva on display.

Hand the ball to the ball boy? Nope, he punted it the other direction.

Why try to catch a pass when he could just as easily swat it away and avoid doing any real work?

Ever heard the expression, “run, don’t walk?” Apparently, Marshall hasn’t. He strolled along while the rest of the team ran during practice.

Could anyone really wonder why he was suspended from the Broncos for conduct detrimental to the team?

If Josh McDaniels hadn’t done anything about this situation, how would it have made him look? In a summer where one player (who will still not be named) dictated the tempo of Vikings’ organized team activities and training camp, McDaniels refused to be walked all over by an egomaniac.

Although many people have questioned if McDaniels learned anything from Bill Belichick, he has proven that he learned at least one thing: never be held hostage by any player, no matter the skill level.

Belichick did it by sitting Bledsoe when he had confidence in Brady. He did it by benching Terry Glenn during his diva moments. Now, McDaniels has followed the model set by the evil genius himself.

The question now becomes, what end does the new head coach hope to reach by implementing this suspension? Of course, Marshall will still get paid, so he isn’t concerned with it nearly as much as one may think.

This is probably just a “statement move” by McDaniels to prove the earlier point that he won’t be held hostage. More than likely, it will be a temporary suspension until either a) the Broncos and Marshall work out a new contract to satisfy him, or b) the Broncos can work out a trade with another team.

Option a seems a little less likely, if only because they would probably have already worked out the new contract if that was their plan. Perhaps wide receivers such as Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin will still be on the market?

McDaniels may no longer have the star power in Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, but at least he’s proving that he won’t tolerate childish behavior on his squad.

 

Source

NFL.com

Enough Is Enough, Denver Broncos Suspend Wide Reciever Brandon Marshall

The Denver Broncos have finally had enough of the drama.

They have now officially suspended diva wide receiver Brandon Marshall for conduct detrimental to the team, according to multiple reports.

According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, the suspension is only for the rest of the preseason, and then Marshall can return for the season opener if he behaves during that time period.

If he does not, however, he could be facing an even longer suspension.

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the NFLPA, the maximum suspension for conduct detrimental to the team is four games.  Including Denver’s last two remaining preseason games, Marshall could return during week three if he doesn’t turn around his behavior.

Even if he does return for week one though, it is not a sure thing that he will start.

Because of his behavior and his lack of knowledge off the team’s playbook, Marshall has worked with the second team during team practices and will have to show the coaching staff that he is ready to go if he wants to start again.

It does  come to no ones surprise that the suspension was handed town from the front office.  The entire offseason Marshall has been pouting about still being on the Broncos and after he saw franchise quarterback Jay Cutler shipped to the Chicago Bears, he wanted out, too.

Team around the league are not willing to give up what the Broncos want in return for the the pro bowl wide receiver and Marshall himself has shown no reason for a team to trade away at least a number one pick to get a player who has had his problems on and off the field.

The talent has also been there however he is too much of a high risk player to give away multiple top picks for.

Marshall was already suspended last season for three games (eventually turned into one game after the appeal process) after seven police-related incidents with his former girlfriend, Rasheedah Wately.  Marshall was also arrested for the fourth time since 2006 this offseason on disorderly conduct charges (which were later dropped).

On the field hasn’t been much better for Marshall either this offseason as he has been sitting out of practices because of injuries and when he finally gets onto the practice field, he goofs off and doesn’t show that he even cares about the team.  He also has admitted that he does not have any grasp of new head coach Josh McDainels playbook.

Marshall has now put up back to back 1,000 yards receiving seasons and has eclipsed the century mark for receptions the past two years.  Marshall also hauled in seven touchdown receptions last season.

This article also appeared at SportsFullCircle.com.

Breaking News: Brandon Marshall Suspended by Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos continue to face turmoil this offseason. With the falling out between Jay Cutler and new head coach Josh McDaniels, there has been a bit of a split within the organization, which wants to move on under new staff.

Receiver Brandon Marshall, who has requested a trade for months now, has been a distraction for the Broncos. Marshall has missed the first two preseason games and was demoted to the scout team just a short time ago.

However, the feud took a turn for the worse in the past couple of days, and Denver has had enough.

According to a recent report, the Denver Broncos have suspended Brandon Marshall for the rest of the preseason and possibly part of the regular season.

ESPN has learned that a video was shown of Broncos camp where Marshall was “walking when the rest of the team was running during warm-ups, insolently punting the ball away instead of handing it to a ball boy, and swatting away a pass that was thrown to him.”

While Marshall claims it wasn’t intentional, his desire for a trade has been known for quite some time, yet the Broncos have not found anything on the market worthy for him.

This suspension will make the trade market for Marshall drop very quickly, as it seems to be more unlikely that Marshall will find a new home this season.

 

Matt Miselis is an NFL writer for BleacherReport.com.

Denver Broncos 2009 NFL Regular Season Schedule | Fantasy Football Rankings

Denver Broncos- 2009 NFL Regular Season Schedule- Printable- Downloadable

2009 Denver Broncos Regular Season Schedule

This offseason has been one of great change for the Denver Broncos, as Jay Cutler and head coach Mike Shanahan are both gone from the organization.

New quarterback Kyle Orton is still learning the new playbook and has yet to see his No.1 receiver, Brandon Marshall, in the lineup, who is conditioning back from an injury.

With so much change, it will be vitally important that Denver stays healthy and plays mistake-free football in 2009. For that to happen, the Broncos will need Orton to play like he did against the Seahawks rather than the way he performed against the 49ers.

Below are three sections of interest that are worth paying attention to for fantasy owners coming into the season for this team.

First, we have listed our fantasy players whom we believe are worth paying attention to this season.

Next is strength of schedule against the run, pass, and points against. Lastly, we have a few games selected that will be key in telling how this team will perform for the 2009 season.

 

Fantasy Players

QB: Kyle Orton

RB: Knowshon Moreno

RB: Correll Buckhaulter

WR: Brandon Marshall

WR: Eddie Royal

WR: Brandon Stokley

TE: Tony Scheffler

K: Matt Prater

 

Strength of Schedule

vs. Run: 14th-easiest schedule

vs. Pass: Hardest schedule in football

vs. Points Given up: Sixth-hardest schedule

 

On paper, this season is going to be a hard one for Orton and the Broncos’ passing game.

Not only do they have the hardest schedule in football to throw against, but they also have the sixth-hardest schedule to score points against.

I believe Orton and the Broncos will be able to move the ball up and down the field, but I’m concerned about them once they get inside the red zone.

In the first two preseason games, we’ve seen Orton get picked off inside the 20 and with a schedule like this one, he will be playing defenses that can capitalize on his mistakes in close quarters.

Hopefully when Marshall gets back on the field, he can help provide a big target that Orton can find for touchdowns.

 

Games of Interest

Weeks One-Three

It will be vitally important for the Broncos to have a strong start to the season as they play the Bengals, Browns, and Raiders in the first three weeks.

If they can get off to a hot start, it will go a long way toward this team having a good year in 2009.

After those three games they will face an extremely tough stretch run of Cowboys, Patriots, Chargers, Ravens, Steelers, Redskins, Chargers, and finally the Giants all in a row.

If they can win their first three games and come out of their next seven with at least a 3-4 record, then this team will have a good chance to get to the playoffs.

 

2009 Football Projection

This season will be an interesting one for the Broncos and I would suggest you drop all Denver players a round or two from your current fantasy football rankings.

This team has a lot to prove and if they can put together a reasonable season, then next year these players can be drafted with more reliability.

Fantasy Football Information Writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

Denver Broncos Should Suspend WR Brandon Marshall

How many Denver Broncos fans have gone to bat for Brandon Marshall over the last three years?

He has been arrested a dozen times since arriving in Denver in 2006. 

He has never played a full season due to injuries and/or suspensions.

And in the wake of his recent trade demands, he has done the unthinkable.  Marshall has proven once and for all that he is an even bigger crybaby than former Broncos’ quarterback Jay Cutler.

In my humble opinion, this video clip will be used, among others, by the Broncos’ organization against Marshall in an eventual attempt to suspend him for the first four games of the 2009 season.

If your computer is not picking up the video stream, the clip basically consists of the following:

1. The video begins with Marshall sitting on a couple of practice pads.  Helmet off, looking bored as ever.
2. The team then begins doing the “karaoke” drill during calisthenics, and Marshall puts his hands in his pants and walks to the other side of the field.
3. With the ball in his hands, Marshall punts the ball across the field instead of handing it to the ball boy.
4. During route running drills, when the ball is thrown his way, Marshall bats it down instead of catching it.

I first learned of this story from Pro Football Talk, and lead blogger Mike Florio and I have come to the same conclusion:  Brandon Marshall  s officially an idiot.

That was the title of the post, and it did not disappoint.

Marshall is acting like an idiot.  If you had not lost all respect for him prior to seeing this video, I would be shocked if you had any after viewing it.

This makes the fact that Marshall was not at practice today a lot more clear, as we all are aware he is no longer injured.

As it stands, Marshall is going to make roughly $2.2 million in 2009.  If and when the Broncos choose to suspend him for four games, he will lose a fourth of that salary or $517,000.

Also, if Marshall wants to be traded, he is going about it the wrong way.  Not only is he going to turn away the respectable organizations with his work ethic and attitude, but he is lowering his value, meaning the Broncos will absolutely not trade him.

In fact, it is probably more likely at this point that they will cut him, which we all know is not going to happen either.

Or would they?

Chicago Bears Versus Denver Broncos: The Biggest Game of the 2009 NFL Preseason

If you can only watch one preseason game, you should watch the game between the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos.

Preseason games don’t mean anything at all–if you don’t believe me, the Lions went 4-0 in the preseason last year before going 0-16 in the regular season–but this game will be a very interesting one.

 

Game Details

Date: Sunday, Aug. 30

Time: 8 p.m. eastern time (6:00 local time)

TV Channel: NBC

Location: Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo.

Point Spread: Denver -2.5 (via DocSports’ NFL odds)

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As you probably already know, Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton were traded for each other. Broncos fans are angry at Cutler for refusing to do anything unless he was traded. I can see why fans would hate Cutler, and I believe they did get the worse side of the trade.

Some might argue that Denver got the better side of the trade because of the draft picks. You have to remember, though, that just because a team has high draft picks and uses them for good college players doesn’t mean they will amount to anything in the NFL.

The No. 1 reason to watch this game is to see the quarterback battle. I am positive each quarterback will want to play better, command the game better, and perform better than the other.

These quarterbacks will play like it’s the Super Bowl, and it should be a great battle to watch.

Orton has the chance to make the Bears regret trading him away, but I don’t see him having a great day to change anyone’s mind. I liked Orton, but I didn’t see the Bears winning anything with him at quarterback.

Cutler will have to win Bears fans over during the course of the season, a process which he has already begun in earnest. This game is a great venue to continue doing so. If Cutler does well, the fans will continue to develop their love for him. If he doesn’t, well, it’s only the preseason, but you never want to do anything that might make the fans anxious or angry.

Be prepared to hear lots and lots of booing at Invesco Field, where Cutler used to play his home games. I expect to hear the fans boo every time Cutler is on the field until he steps off–that’s how much the fans there now despise Cutler.

Even Cutler expects to be hated endlessly.

This game should feel somewhat like a regular season game, at least until the starters leave. Up through that point, this game should be very enjoyable. The quarterbacks have things to prove, and the tension between the fans and players will give this game a regular season feel.

Overall, the first half will be a fun time for football fans. It will be a break from the boring and really long football preseason–I’m a fan of only two preseason games and adding more games to the regular season, for the record.

While this game logically doesn’t mean anything, it actually does. Coaches and players won’t tell you that it does, but I think it does.

Orton and Cutler are both thinking in their head: “I have to do better than the other guy,” and that alone should make the game exciting.

The idea that Bears switch week-to-week between loving and hating their starting quarterback is wrong, but you have to realize that Chicago has never had a franchise quarterback. No matter who they have tried, it’s just never happened. So when they get somebody who has the best chance to become a franchise quarterback, the highs and the lows have the potential to be more extreme.

On Sunday night, Jay Cutler has one more chance to get Bears fans believing before the regular season starts. The fact that he will do so in front of his angry former supporters makes it all the more intriguing.

Whether you’re a Bears fan, a Broncos fan, or just an NFL fan in general, this game should appeal to you. So everybody tune in to the game on Sunday.

You won’t be let down.

Not Only Is Jay Cutler a Crybaby and Diva, He’s Probably a Liar

On Josh McDaniels:

“Just the brief amount of time I was able to spend with him, he’s impressive. He knows a lot about offenses, he knows a lot about getting guys open and scoring points, as everyone’s seen when he was in New England, so I think they’re going to be fine.”

Those are the words of Chicago quarterback, Jay Cutler, the former Vandy who ran from the Broncos after hearing rumors that the Broncos had interest in Matt Cassel.

If you buy his explanation, I have a bridge I can sell to you.

What Cutler is essentially saying is: I believed in Josh McDaniels so much so, that I could not play with such a great coach.

“I mean, they’re good fans there and you know we left…it wasn’t the best situation,” Cutler said.

That’s about all Cutler would say about Denver’s fans after dissing them in a Chicago radio interview during training camp, when he said Broncos fans were a six and Bears fans a nine. He later clarified his remarks to say he was talking about the bigger crowds at Bears training camp practices, that’s all.

Pardon the accusation, but: Was Cutler drunk? What does “you know we left” mean?  Cutler sounded like he was slurring his words, incoherent, and can’t get his story straight. Perhaps, if Cutler truly did believe in Josh McDaniels, his reaction to the trade rumors was merely a drunken tirade.

Junk like this from a puppet like Cutler make me wonder who is pulling the strings.

Denver Broncos Bring Ingle Martin Aboard for Injured QB Chris Simms

According to The Denver Post, the Denver Broncos have signed veteran quarterback Ingle Martin.

Per the report, Martin was signed directly after a tryout this morning and fills the void left by backup Chris Simms, who went down with a high ankle sprain against Seattle last Saturday night and will be out for two to four weeks.

Martin was a fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers out of Furman University in 2006 and has since spent time with the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs.

Martin has never attempted an NFL pass, and he has little chance at making the Broncos’ final roster unless the injury to Simms is more severe than originally thought. 

Still, he will provide good competition for rookie Tom Brandstater as the backup quarterback and reportedly is going to be available for the final preseason game against Arizona, when the starters will likely play little, if at all.

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