Category: Uncategorized

Easy come, easy go on the suspension front.

Denver DE Derek Wolfe suspended 4 games for violating NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Drug policy. Suspension Friday continues (no Brady news).

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 24, 2015

The NFLPA released this statement on behalf of Wolfe:

Please allow me to offer my most sincere apology to everyone in the Broncos organization, and especially to my teammates and our fans. During the off-season I took a medication which is on the banned substance list.  The medication is not a substance which would enhance my on-field performance in any way, and I genuinely was unaware that it was prohibited, but players are responsible for what is in their bodies. I will certainly exercise far greater caution in the future and will seek advice relating to the permissibility of any and all medications. I’m very disappointed that I can’t help my team for the first four weeks of the season, but I look forward to a great season with the Broncos and can’t wait to get back on the field in week five.

NFL is suspending Chiefs CB Sean Smith 3 games after he pled guilty last month for DUI and received two years’ probation, per NFL source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 24, 2015

The Broncos drew some bad scheduling luck by having to travel to Arrowhead in Week 2 with only four days of rest.  This should help ease some of that pain.  And hey, maybe Marcus Cooper won’t get picked on so much this time because Peyton Manning can now even out who he picks on.  Also, who do the Chiefs get in Week 3?  A trip to Lambeau to face Aaron Rodgers.

ICYMI: @champbailey thinks Wes Welker should NOT play in the NFL anymore http://t.co/Ry8KWJCVn7

— America's Pregame (@AmericasPregame) July 23, 2015

We’ve already been down the road before on whether calls for Welker to retire are legit concerns for health or unnecessary paternalism.  But the opinion of a colleague and former teammate who played the game at its highest level may carry more weight to Welker than to someone he’s never met before.

You may have come across the excellent Logical Fallacy Ref gallery in your other perusals of the internet already, but if you haven’t, these could be handy if you run into a terrible football argument elsewhere.  Using Ed Hochuli as the meme prop is excellent not only for his popularity, but appropriate for his other profession as an attorney.

I actually do have have a more serious comment about officiating below the fold, but there’s also one of those images in the galleries that took me down (a rough) memory lane. Continue reading I Think Ed Hochuli, Esq. Would Approve

Drew Magary has started his annual series at Deadspin about “Why Your Team Sucks.” Today’s focus is on the Oakland Raiders.

In other words, it’s Drew playing Captain Obvious, ladies and gentlemen.

Drew will do such a writeup on every team, as he has done most past seasons. He’s already covered the Buccaneers, Jaguars and Titans.

Trust me on this: The Bucs writeup is worth it for the Jameis Winston animated gif alone.

In here, you can find some suggestions that should help you in creating content for Thin Air and ensure that it is conveyed in a way that is clear and understandable for all readers. As these are just tips and guidelines, rest assured that no one will get in trouble for not always referencing them–the only thing that might happen is that I make a slight format change in a post if it bugs me enough.  And as always, feedback is welcome for any other suggestions for this list.

Continue reading Thin Air Tips & Guidelines For Comments & Posts

Here we are, a little more than a week away from the start of Denver Broncos training camp. I figured a good topic for this week’s Midweek Musings would be to examine the Broncos’ roster entering training camp and a few things everyone can keep in mind as camp gets underway.

All roster information was taken from the Broncos’ website. I’ll get special teams out of the way first, because we’ve discussed most of them several times before, and then get into the offense and defense.
Continue reading Midweek Musings: The Roster Spot Battles As Training Camp Nears

Grantland’s Bill Barnwell did a good job breaking down why players tend to fall into the same traps that other people do when ranking the best in the NFL, as evidenced by the recent NFL Top 100 Players special.

In the same article linked above, Barnwell has started his own ranking of the best 100 players in the NFL, and has four current Broncos, and one former Bronco in 2014, ranked in the start of his list, including three who were not in the player rankings: Louis Vasquez (81), Chris Harris (62) and Aqib Talib (61).

What he has to say about the Broncos’ cornerbacks is pretty telling about why players can’t always be counted on to effectively evaluate their peers.

I’m not sure how neither of Denver’s Pro Bowl–caliber cornerbacks made it onto the players’ collective ballot, given that this is the best 1-2 combination in the league. The only other corner combo to knock away 15 passes each last year was Cleveland’s duo of Haden and Buster Skrine. The Broncos also ranked among the top five in DVOA against both no. 1 and no. 2 receivers, a group in which they were joined only by the Bengals. While Talib got a mammoth deal from the Broncos in free agency last year, Harris took a deal that had other teams grumbling from the day it was signed.

His ranking of DeMarcus Ware (87) was the same as the players’ vote, and he ranked former Broncos TE Julius Thomas much lower (Barnwell’s ranking is 92, players ranked him 45).

One is free to debate where any player should be ranked on a list, but Barnwell’s criteria seems a bit more on the right track, than player perceptions that tend to be similar to the common fan or media pundit.

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