The Sports Xchange
NFL Team Report – Denver Broncos – INSIDE SLANT
While the Denver Broncos were willing to stick out Peyton Manning’s neck in terms of guaranteeing him $20 million in 2014, the team is covered by insurance if he is unable to play due to any other injury.
That is the simplified essence of the so-called “renegotiation” announced in the NFL’s official transaction log — the inclusion of an insurance policy that takes the Broncos off the hook for 2014 for an injury not related to his neck.
But if that happens, the team will get some salary-cap relief. Denver submitted the contract with revised language to the NFL on Thursday. Manning’s salary and salary-cap numbers do not change, if he is healthy.
“It has no effect on the financial aspects of Peyton’s contract, and it was expected once the guarantee came into play,” said Manning’s agent Tom Condon. “They’d certainly want to protect themselves in case of injury.”
However, the change will help the team’s salary-cap position should the insurance clause be invoked. An insurance payment would be considered a “refund from the player,” and would not count against the cap. However, the cost of the insurance policy might count against the cap.
This insurance situation is covered in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, under Article 13, Section 6, Rule IV:
“In the event that a Club receives a refund from the player of any previously-paid Salary … such amount as has previously been included in Team Salary shall be credited to the Club’s Team Salary for the next League Year … Insurance proceeds received by a Team as beneficiary to cover the player’s inability to perform services required by his Player Contract shall be deemed a “refund from the player” if (a) the Club or the player purchased the policy (b) the amounts covered by the policy are so specified in the Player Contract; and (c) the policy is made available for inspection upon request by the NFL or the NFLPA.”
When Manning signed with Denver in 2012, his $20 million salaries in 2013 and 2014 were guaranteed, but 2014 could be voided if Manning injured his neck in 2013. Manning, who turned 37 in March, is signed through 2016. However, each of the final two years of his contract could be voided if the team cuts him before the league year begins.
–Unlike the rookies at his disposal, Adam Gase wasn’t new to his surroundings when the Broncos began their first practice of rookie camp last Friday; he’s been with the organization since 2009. But this was his first time running the offense after being promoted to offensive coordinator in January following the departure of Mike McCoy for the head-coaching position in San Diego.
The weekend was more about the first paces for an offensive rookie class led by second-round pick Montee Ball than any milestone for Gase.
“It’s an interesting deal, because you see guys come in, and it’s just so big-eyed, because it’s so different than what they’re used to,” Gase said. “There’s a hunger for these guys as far as getting after it for really three real practices. It’s good to see that kind of passion out there. I think when you’re a veteran sometimes, you know what to expect. Here, the anxiety level’s a little high. We get a walk-through, and you’re trying to slow everybody down a bit. It’s a great opportunity for all these guys.”
The same can be said of Gase himself. He walks into the larger office after spending two years as quarterbacks coach and the previous two as receivers coach, and does so with arguably the AFC’s best offense at his disposal – a unit that looks even more potent since the arrival of wide receiver Wes Welker to work in the slot.
Denver’s only concern after the arrival of Welker is having enough passes to keep Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker all involved as their performance dictates they should. Each broke 1,000 yards last year, and the Thomas-Decker combination was enough to help Peyton Manning have his best statistical season in eight years. Gase doesn’t believe this will be a problem.
“I think with the group we have, unselfishness, everything’s about winning with these guys,” he said. “‘How many balls do I catch this week,’ that’s not their main focus. Their main focus is winning. Whoever gets the most that week, that’s how it works.”
Gase wants the offense to run at a faster pace, and the addition of Welker would seem to dictate that they work with a three-wide receiver set as their base formation, de-emphasizing the role of their tight ends. Last year, the two-tight end package — usually incorporating Joel Dreessen and Jacob Tamme — was the base package. But when the Broncos went with three receivers, Dreessen usually stayed in the game because of his blocking ability.
But to Gase, the two-tight end set isn’t dead in the offense.
“We’ll mix it up. It’s all going to be game plan-predicated. Whatever is best for that week is probably what we’ll focus on,” Gase said. “So if that week means it’s more 12 (one running back, two tight ends) personnel than 11 (one running back, one tight end), then that’s what we’ll do. If it’s more of an 11 game-plan week, that’s what we’ll stick with.”
Beyond crafting the game plans, the other aspect of Gase’s work life that will change is the time — or lack thereof — he can spend with the quarterbacks. New position coach Greg Knapp will assume that work, and Gase thinks Knapp will do better, particularly at developing second-year quarterback Brock Osweiler, who has been anointed as the Broncos’ quarterback of the future.
“I didn’t spend as much time (with Osweiler) as I needed to last year, and I put that on me,” Gase said. “That was the great thing about hiring coach Knapp.”
Knapp also fits with the other offensive assistants: offensive line coach Dave Magazu, running backs coach Eric Studesville, tight ends coach Clancy Barone and wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. All have much more experience in the NFL than Gase, and will free him to focus on the most crucial demand of his new role: crafting a game plan that meets Manning’s approval.
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NFL Team Report – Denver Broncos – NOTES, QUOTES
–Free-agent safety Charles Woodson is scheduled to meet with the Broncos on Wednesday, the first positive sign the 15-year veteran has seen since being released three months ago.
Woodson was released by the Packers in February and, other than a visit to the San Francisco 49ers, hasn’t attracted much interest. The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner could be reunited with that year’s runner-up, Peyton Manning.
“I’m 36, so of course I’m considered ancient in the game right now, and teams are looking for younger players and trying to make their rosters younger,” Woodson said last week. “If you’re an older guy, they kind of push you to the side, and they’ll maybe look at you much later on down the road, when I guess they figure they can get you much cheaper.”
Woodson, the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year with 55 career interceptions, is letting it be known that he’s available and willing to play at least another season.
It’s a tough job market for veterans — just like in the real world outside the NFL,” he said. “I went through this before in 2006 when nobody was interested in me coming out of Oakland. I’m in the same situation now. Just have to have a little patience. I’ll land somewhere and help somebody win.”
–No Broncos rookie was more giddy at his new surroundings this weekend than running back Montee Ball.
The second-round draft pick from Wisconsin grew up as a fervent Broncos fan in Wentzville, Mo., having picked up the team in second grade when Terrell Davis was the team’s bellwether running back. Ball’s favorite player to this day is Davis, the 1998 MVP and Super Bowl XXXII MVP, and even as he arrived for rookie camp, he still viewed the Broncos with a fan’s sense of awe.
“I was like a little kid, as soon as I put the jersey on, the shorts, the cleats, I wanted to take all sorts of pictures and send them to my friends,” he said. “But it’s all about business.”
Ball’s business as a Bronco will have to wait one week; when the rookie camp concluded, he left Denver, as he is ineligible to practice until Wisconsin’s spring semester ends. He will return when the Broncos begin organized team activities on May 20, at which point he’ll meet his veteran teammates, led by quarterback Peyton Manning.
Manning and Ball have exchanged text messages since the draft, but the in-person meeting will be different – especially for Ball, who as a Broncos fan, pulled hard for Manning last fall as he led Denver to its first winning season in six years.
“I’m very excited, very thrilled to meet him,” Ball said. “But I always tell myself, ‘Don’t act like a fan’ when I meet him because it’s time to get to work.”
–The only draft pick who didn’t practice at rookie camp was fifth-round defensive end Quanterus Smith, who continues to rehabilitate from the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that he suffered last November. The injury put a premature end to his senior season at Western Kentucky; at the time he was hurt, he led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 12.5 sacks.
Smith, who said he began running the week after the Scouting Combine, is not expected to practice with the Broncos until the start of training camp.
“I’ve just got to work hard to get back, but it is a little frustrating,” Smith said.
But he should be heartened by how the Broncos’ brain trust sees his potential role. During a mid-week conference call with 5,000 Broncos season-ticket holders, executive vice president John Elway pointed to Smith as part of the plan to replace Elvis Dumervil, along with returning defensive end Robert Ayers and free-agent pickup Shaun Phillips, who will also back up at strong-side linebacker.
“Pass rushers are always tough to find, and I think we more than replaced Elvis as far as being able to put pressure on the quarterback,” Elway said. “I think one great thing about us is that if you look where we were in sacks last year, we were No. 1 in the league in sacks, so we have a lot of different people that can put pressure on the quarterback, not only as individuals, but also what Jack Del Rio does scheme-wise. So we’re going to have the ability to pressure people, whether Elvis is here or not.”
But how much pressure comes from Smith will depend on his knee.
“All the drills I’ve been doing, I felt good in them, so I feel good about it,” Smith said. “It just takes time. I’m just waiting on time.”
–The Broncos hired former Eagles and Browns general manager Tom Heckert as their director of pro personnel on May 6, filling a hole created when Keith Kidd, the previous executive in the position, did not have his contract renewed.
In hiring him, Elway lauded Heckert’s experience, which dates back 22 years to when he first broke into the league with the Miami Dolphins as a scout. Heckert’s six seasons as a general manager met with mixed results; the Eagles went to the playoffs three times in his four seasons as general manager and didn’t have a losing season, but the Browns went 14-34 under his watch, and he was dismissed when new owner Jimmy Haslem cleaned house.
“So for him to come in and be our director of pro personnel, he’s going to add a great deal of knowledge on the pro side, as well as player evaluation. So we’re thrilled to have Tom,” Elway said. “We think he’s a great addition, and we’re glad he’s with us.”
Heckert will work under Matt Russell, the Broncos’ director of player personnel, who reports to Elway.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “You work hard to establish a culture. I think that’s the biggest thing; you want to establish a way that you’re going to do things and operate and we’ve done that, and so now the guys coming back we ought to be able to build on that and perform.” — Jack Del Rio, who is the first Denver defensive coordinator to work consecutive seasons since 2005-06.
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NFL Team Report – Denver Broncos – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
A closer look at the Broncos’ picks:
Round 1/28 — Sylvester Wiliams, DT, 6-3, 313, North Carolina
The Broncos were surprised that Williams fell to them, but when he did, they declined trade offers and pounced. He continues John Elway’s trend of leading off with a pass rusher; he opened the 2011 draft with Von Miller, who lines up at defensive end half the time, and picked defensive tackle/end Derek Wolfe with his first pick last year. Williams, who had six sacks and 25 pressures last year, will likely back up Terrance Knighton and Kevin Vickerson right away, but could be worked into the Broncos’ sub packages to boost the interior pass rush and take pressure off Miller.
Round 2/58 — Montee Ball, RB, 5-10, 217, Wisconsin
Four days after declaring Willis McGahee the “big back” and Ronnie Hillman the “change of pace back,” Elway and Fox drafted Ball, and immediately dubbed him the “three-down back.” The all-time leader in touchdowns among Division I backs, Ball proved remarkably durable in spite of a massive workload. His arrival puts last year’s team-leading rushers, McGahee and Knowshon Moreno, on notice. Although the Broncos don’t have to cut one of them immediately, one won’t be on the roster when the 2013 season begins, and whoever remains might be as insurance in case Ball falters.
Round 3/90 — Kayvon Webster, CB, 5-10, 197, South Florida
With Champ Bailey turning 35 and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on a one-year deal, the Broncos needed to cultivate a younger option. They hope they found it in Webster, a fast cornerback who ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. Webster is raw and unlikely to be anything more than a fourth or fifth cornerback this year, but could have a more prominent role in 2014.
Round 5/146 — Quanterus Smith, DE, 6-5, 250, Western Kentucky
After trading out of the fourth round for fifth- and sixth-round picks, the Broncos still managed to get Smith, who they targeted as a potential pass-rush replacement for Elvis Dumervil, whose 250-pound weight is the same as Smith’s. Smith led Division I with 12.5 sacks before tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in November; that injury will keep him out until the start of training camp and might hold back his development. Three of Smith’s sacks last year came against Alabama, when he was lined up against No. 11 overall pick D.J. Fluker.
Round 5/161 — Tavarres King, WR, 6-0, 189, Georgia
The Broncos have little depth at wide receiver behind the starting troika of Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker, so they had to emerge from the draft with at least one receiver. In King, the Broncos add a vertical threat who got enough separation to average 22.6 yards per reception, but who also needs work to refine his route-running and pass-catching skills in traffic. King will have the chance to be the primary backup at the outside spots to Decker and Thomas.
Round 6/173 — Vinston Painter, OT, 6-6, 309, Virginia Tech
Painter only started one season for the Hokies, but the Broncos were enamored with his strong Combine workout, in which he finished among the top five offensive linemen in the bench press, vertical jump and 40-yard dash. Painter is a converted defensive lineman who will likely back up at right tackle. He could also get a look as a reserve guard.
Round 7/234 — Zac Dysert, QB, 6-3, 228, Miami (Ohio)
One year after drafting their anointed quarterback of the future in Brock Osweiler, the Broncos might have found his potential backup in Dysert. Questions about accuracy — particularly a high interception ratio — and hand size helped knock Dysert down to the last round, even though he broke most of Ben Roethlisberger’s records at Miami. A torn hamstring injury kept Dysert from working out fully in recent months, but he said he’s “100 percent” and will be ready for rookie camp, which begins May 10.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: T Ryan Clady (tendered at $9.828 million).
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (6)
–DT Justin Bannan is not expected to return after the Broncos signed Terrance Knighton from Jacksonville to play alongside Kevin Vickerson. Bannan started throughout the season in his return to Denver after spending 2011 with the Rams.
–LB Keith Brooking appears unlikely to return. The 37-year-old middle linebacker stepped into the starting lineup in place of Joe Mays in Week 6 and stayed there the rest of the season, but the Broncos want to take a look at younger options.
–C Dan Koppen is not expected to return if he finds a suitor willing to give him a starting job. Koppen filled in for the injured J.D. Walton at center for the last 12 regular-season games of 2012 and proved he could handle first-team duties, but Broncos coach John Fox declared Walton would “definitely” be the first-teamer when training camp began.
–WR Brandon Stokley is unlikely to return after the Broncos signed ex-Patriots slot receiver Wes Welker. Stokley, a resident of nearby Castle Rock, Colo. admitted to The Denver Post that adding Welker was a “great move,” even if it meant the end of his Broncos tenure — and his career with it.
–DT Ty Warren is expected to retire after missing the last 15 games of 2012 with a torn triceps muscle. A hip and two triceps injuries have limited him to just one regular-season games since 2010.
–WR Matt Willis could return, but the Broncos could look elsewhere for receiving depth as his career has failed to take flight as hoped. Willis, who turns 29 in April, has just 29 catches since joining the Broncos as a practice-squad member in 2008, but has survived three coaching changes in that span.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
–RB Lance Ball: RFA tendered at $1.323M with no compensation); $1.323M/1 yr.
–S David Bruton: Potential UFA; $4.5M/3 yrs, $1.2M guaranteed.
–CB Tony Carter: ERFA; terms unknown.
–OT Chris Clark: RFA tendered at $1.323M with no compensation; $1.323M/1 yr.
–P Britton Colquitt: RFA tendered at $1.323M with no compensation; $1.323M/1 yr.
–DT Mitch Unrein: ERFA; $555,000/1 yr.
–DT Kevin Vickerson: UFA; $5M/2 yrs, $1M guaranteed.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
–LB Stewart Bradley: FA Cardinals; $1.2M/1 yr, $300,000 guaranteed.
–DT Terrance Knighton: UFA Jaguars; $4.5M/2 yrs, $500,000 guaranteed.
–LB Shaun Phillips: UFA Chargers; $1M/1 yr.
–CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: UFA Eagles; $5M/1 yr, $5M guaranteed.
–G Louis Vasquez: UFA Chargers; $23.5M/4 yrs, $5M SB/$13M guaranteed.
–WR Wes Welker: UFA Patriots; $12M/2 yrs, $12M guaranteed/$6M fully guaranteed.
PLAYERS LOST
–DE Elvis Dumervil (released).
–FB Chris Gronkowski: Not tendered as RFA/Chargers; terms unknown
–QB Caleb Hanie (released).
–DE Jason Hunter: UFA Raiders; terms unknown.
–S Jim Leonhard: UFA Saints; 1 yr, terms unknown.
–CB Tracy Porter: UFA Raiders; $2.5M/1 yr.
–LB D.J. Williams (released).
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