Author: Nick

Let’s Not Forget The Broncos’ Most Obvious And Needed Cap Casualty

In discussions regarding how the Broncos will fit players like Demaryius Thomas and Von Miller into their budget, most attention has focused upon the big name tickets like DeMarcus Ware, Ryan Clady, and even Peyton Manning as having big cap numbers that may be disposed of come 2016.  But after reading today’s front page article at PFF (link beyond the fold), I am reminded of where the Broncos should really start in cutting away the fat. Continue reading Let’s Not Forget The Broncos’ Most Obvious And Needed Cap Casualty

Revisiting A Possible Von Miller Extension

After some nerve-wracking hours, Broncos fans generally felt quite relieved at the very close of Franchise Tag Deadline Day with Demaryius Thomas agreeing to terms on a long-term extension. I’ve let us all celebrate over that news for a couple of days. But as we move into next week, we do need to now come back to earth a bit.

One of the Broncos’ division rivals just delivered a contract blockbuster that raised the market for one of its own impending stars entering a contract year. When the Chiefs awarded Justin Houston a six-year, $101 million extension, thoughts of who would be next in line for that kind of money should have immediately focused on Von Miller. Continue reading Revisiting A Possible Von Miller Extension

Lindsay Jones: NFLPA may still probe Broncos/Cowboys collusion

Via Jones:

Even though Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas signed lucrative long-term contracts just before Wednesday’s deadline for franchise-tagged players to reach multi-year deals this year, the NFL Players Association may still investigate if the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos colluded to set a market for the wide receivers’ contracts, a person with knowledge of the union’s thinking told USA TODAY Sports.

It’s a moot point with direct respect to Thomas and Bryant, who both ultimately agreed to contract terms with the teams in question despite the collusion allegations.  But the NFLPA as a whole may just be eager to get some sort of victory against some of the league’s owners.

PFF Continues Its Chris Harris Campaign

Chris Harris: Underrated and Elite

If you looked at cornerback play in the abstract, Chris Harris is playing the best of anybody in the NFL right now. He was the league’s best cover guy in 2014, and did it coming off an ACL injury suffered in the playoffs the year before. That’s staggering. He’s among the league’s more versatile corners, and has no real holes in his game.

[…]

We are looking at one of the league’s best cornerbacks – get used to it.

I don’t get worked up over the lack of accolades that Harris gets–I know that the Broncos got a special player regardless.  But it’s still nice to see articles like this, and I’d recommend reading the entire article if you want some more confirmation on Harris’s greatness.

A Sneak Preview Of Texture – Denver Broncos Edition

The Broncos under John Elway have been quite the fun ride so far—beginning with the drafting of Von Miller and adding its latest chapter with the extension of Demaryius Thomas. But how did all of these chapters get put together? What did Elway and the Denver front office have to keep in mind to build the Broncos into their present state?

This is the question I’m hoping to explore further in a new concept I’m bringing to Over The Cap—the idea of texture when it comes to roster decisions, contract signings, and salary cap management. Some of the aspects in this texture may include:

  • How many high-profile veteran signings can a team make before it runs against the cap? Who do you have to let test the free agency market?
  • How much should a team rely on young players and the draft, in contrast to shopping in the veteran bargain bin?
  • How much should you budget for injured players, dead money, and other unforeseen liabilities?

I’ll be looking at that for all 32 teams in due time at OTC, but since I’m more familiar with the Broncos’ roster, I’ll take this project off here for an inaugural flight. Continue reading A Sneak Preview Of Texture – Denver Broncos Edition

Barack Obama Commutes The Jail Sentence Of The Mother Of Demaryius Thomas

Per the White House:

Katrina Stuckey Smith – Montrose, GA
Offense:  Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (Middle District of Georgia)
Sentence:  292 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 20, 2000); amended to 240 months’ imprisonment (Apr. 2, 2008).
Commutation Grant:  Prison sentence commuted to expire on November 10, 2015.

In case you’re curious, the first Broncos game that Smith will be able to watch outside of prison will be the Week 10 game on Nov. 15 at home against the Chiefs.  In case you’re still curious, it’s also the very last game Thomas could miss while still getting credit for an accrued season, should his contract battle take the most acrimonious path possible.  Clearly, that’s not a scenario that anyone will want to see happen.

NFLPA Thinks Broncos and Cowboys May Be Colluding on Contracts

Per Adam Schefter:

NFLPA is reviewing information to determine whether there was collusion between the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys on the unsettled contractual situations of franchise WRS Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant, per an NFLPA official. The NFLPA believes the Broncos and Cowboys had contact about each players’ contract when the collective bargaining agreement prohibits such contact. The NFLPA now is trying to determine if collusion did occur and when to possibly file a claim. The deadline for the WRs to sign long-term deals is Wednesday of next week.

In a pure game theory sense, there’s certainly some natural fear that whoever signs the first contract will be the trendsetter for other comparable players.  This includes not only Thomas and Bryant, but also Julio Jones of the Falcons and AJ Green of the Bengals.  Furthermore, this concept works not only for teams but for players as well.  I wouldn’t be surprised if agents and the NFLPA itself have had their own wires crossed to try to gauge the high level wide receiver market.  But the question is now whether the Broncos and Cowboys practiced proper discretion, and with this news going public it certainly could throw another wrench in negotiations.

Rams Select Isaiah Battle In The 5th Round

What does this mean from the Broncos’ point of view?  For 2016, they did not have their own 5th (traded to Detroit) or 4th (swapped with Baltimore for their 5th), and Baltimore, like Denver, was a playoff team, so their 5th would have also had lower priority that the six-win Rams.  Thus, in order to beat the Rams, they would have needed to wager their 3rd round pick.  Apparently, that’s not a price the Broncos were willing to pay, and will decide to keep rolling with their offensive line in its current state.

Tom Jackson Awarded 2015’s Pete Rozelle Radio-TV Award

I’m sure that IAOFM alums will be pleased to know that the Patron Saint has been bestowed with this honor by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Suffice to say, this is an award well deserved, as few former players have had the longevity and success in television on Jackson’s level.  It will also make this year’s ceremonies a bit easier for Broncos fans to digest, given that Jerome Bettis will be enshrined before Terrell Davis, as well as a Chief, Charger, and Raider all getting enshrined as well.

Here’s to many more years of excellence from Jackson, which we all hope includes more of his regular placements of the Raiders on C’mon Man!