Denver Broncos will still go 13-3.

2007 was a dark place for Denver. I hope that I never write about it again in this context, at this point it's been brought up again and again, fans now bat it around lacking the tact it deserves. The night after the Denver Broncos lost the opportunity to go to the playoffs against San Francisco, Darrent Williams was murdered, gangland style and died in Javon Walker's arms.

Barely a moment to recuperate from the fact that they wouldn't be making the playoffs and the 23-26 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers- and now this... A man amongst the 60 plus of them that had survived the OTA's, the month long hell-hole known as Training Camp; The five to six practices a week, a man who had rose above his age, above his perceived talent level and who had played so well as a rookie in Champ Bailey's shadow that Denver had almost made it to the Super Bowl- was gone. Forever.

Echoes of his smile, Texas accent and young raw talent were everywhere. The death of a friend is haunting enough, the death of a team mate, a fellow soldier is down right devastating- shaken to the core. Every single one of them reminded of their own mortality. Then, after not even a moment to catch their breath- Damien Nash, collapses during a basketball game. Two of their sixty, gone.

How must Denver go on? A month from the time they must reconvene and face the questions when they yet to even come to grips to find the answers. Jay Cutler, who will start, who almost got them to the playoffs- a rookie by any standards, untested and unproven. The new Defensive Coordinator, the new system, the new back with a history of trouble making...

Finally July, training camp, then they all started dropping like flies, no Rod Smith, no Ebenezer Ekuban, no Ben Hamilton, Al Wilson's gone and DJ Williams is going to play middle and we've got Dre Bly, but even the best corner in the league can't fill the gap that the loss of Williams left.

More season, more injuries, seriously how the hell were they supposed to do well? Walker's gone, Travis Henry's not clean, we've got Cutler running for his life and now Tom Nalen's gone... Oh and Bailey, our corner's leading the team in tackles...

Really? 2007??? Really? That's how you want to judge us? That's what you want to give Mike Shanahan credit for? So called experts would like to point out that we can't stop the run, nor the pass rush, guess we can't take Brett Favre into overtime or knock Minnesota out of the playoffs, beat Pittsburgh and Jay Cutler can't go head to head with Vince Young and show him who deserved to stay in Tennessee. Let Philip Rivers talk, because seriously, look at his numbers, compared to the second year Cutler, that's all he is good at, talking. The San Diego Chargers may very well be favorites to go to the Super Bowl this season, but that's never stopped Denver from knocking them on their ass...

13-3 folks, follow me.

Denver Broncos will go 13-3, Part II

This took just a bit to come out, but I just wanted to add a quick update. The last time Denver went 13-3 (2005) this was their roster:

Offense

• Quarterback: Jake Plummer and Bradlee Van Pelt
• Runningbacks: Mike Anderson, Ron Dayne, Tatum Bell and Cecil Sapp
• Fullbacks: Kyle Johnson
• Wide Receivers: Ashley Lelie, Rod Smith, Darius Watts, Charlie Adams, Todd Devoe and David Terrell
• Tight Ends: Jeb Putzier, Stephen Alexander, Nate Jackson and Wesley Dukes
• Right Tackle: George Foster and Cornell Green
• Right Guard: Ben Hamilton
• Center: Tom Nalen
• Left Guard: Cooper Carlisle, Chris Myers
• Left Tackle: Matt Lepsis

Defense

• Defensive Ends: Trevor Pryce, Courtney Brown, Ebenezer Ekuban and John Engleberger
• Defensive Tackles: Gerrard Warren, Demetrin Veal and Michael Myers
• Linebackers: Al Wilson, DJ Williams, Ian Gold, Keith Burns, Patrick Chukwurah and Louis Green
• Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey, Darrent Williams, Domonique Foxworth, Karl Paymah and Roc Alexander
• Free Safeties: John Lynch
• Strong Safeties: Sam Brandon and Nick Ferguson

That was the roster the last time it happened, packed full of all pros and all stars. People who no less than three years later continue to dominate in the NFL (wait, that was me being sarcastic). A majority of those players no longer play in the NFL, are currently free agents, even knocked off the two-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots (Jan. 2006) and only about six (who happen to still be great players) are currently employed by the Broncos.

My point? Mike Shanahan did it with these guys, why would you doubt that he can do it with the current roster? Are we weaker in any of the above positions? Is Darrell Jackson not a more capable receiver than Ashlie Lelie? Selvin Young no more capable than Mike Anderson? Jay Cutler worse than Jake Plummer? Dre Bly less talented than Darrent Williams was? Doubters will continue to doubt of course, but I've given the believers a better argument.

Is it Sunday yet?

Are you ****ing kidding!

Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting that Brandon Marshall was at club Tryst (the same club Javon Walker was at) on Friday.

Here's the blurb:

"LATEST WALKER TWISTS

Metro's investigation into the bizarre Javon Walker case has focused on two critical points after he left Body English nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel: Who was with him at a party in the Hard Rock penthouse and whom did he leave with?

And just when the story couldn't get any weirder -- on second thought, the hunch here is that it's going to get much wilder -- Walker's former Denver Broncos teammate Brandon Marshall showed up Friday at Tryst.

It was Marshall and his cousin who started spraying champagne at a Denver nightclub on New Year's Eve a year and a half ago, igniting bad blood with some gang members, according to published reports.

Shortly after Walker and some teammates left in a limo, Broncos defensive back Darren[t] Williams was shot in a drive-by and died in Walker's arms."

No wonder Marshall had no comment earlier when The Denver Post wanted to know how he was doing with his hand. However, this blurb could mean anything, was Brandon Marshall there this Friday or the Friday two days before Walker was there? Either way, what the hell is he doing in Vegas at the same club Walker was just in before he got "robbed"? Come on man, someone hire this guy an Eric Murphy and kick his loser brother (cousin) Drama to the curb.

Well, I was going to write about RBs, but

... this thing with Javon Walker came up and it has me thinking about a bunch of other stuff right now.

Some Bronco fans don't like Javon right now because he wanted out of Denver and he's a Raider now. I really hope that hearing about his assault and injury doesn't have too many gloating or telling anyone "I told you so!".

If we truly love this game, we want to see it played, and for that we need opponents. If we respect players and want to see them treated as people and not slaves, we appreciate what their union has accomplished in the area of free agency.

I read some things recently where a Bronco fan was expressing some kind of perverse pleasure about Philip Rivers' painful recovery from his knee injury. Phil isn't the most popular guy in Denver these days (see game #2 at Mile High '08). However, as a fellow human (kind of) who has had some injuries and surgeries, let me encourage all my brothers and sisters out there to feel sympathy for our fellows in pain.

Javon has a serious and painful injury. Let's hope he plays in the season opener against our beloved Broncos. If he doesn't, that won't be fun.

Javon likes to party as many of us do. If I had his money and body, I don't know if I'd even own a shirt ... well ... anyway. One thing that has crossed my mind is exactly why he was so determined to leave Denver? You don't suppose ...? It IS an unsolved murder case. And now this. I sincerely hope there is no connection.

Ever see that show on ESPN about funny sports stuff? You know like the fly ball that hit a bird which drops on the outfielder's head ... stuff like that? Remember the one at a hockey game where the visitor's penalty box is plexiglass and is surrounded by home fans? One of the fans is talking major trash to the guy in the penalty box and he leans on the side of the box a little too hard and ... be careful what you wish for ... let's wish each other well more often than not.

Schefter- Plummer Cleans Up/in Memory... (Darrent Williams)

Adam Schefter included two blurbs about former Broncos in his June 5th Column at NFL.com The first one is about Darrent William's and his mother Rosalind, the second is about Jake Plummer :

By Adam Schefter | NFL Network

In memory ...

Rosalind Williams, the mother of the former Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, recently was unpacking some of her son’s belongings when she found one of his notebooks.

Inside, were handwritten notes in which Darrent spelled out his goals –- helping his community, adding sporting and arts facilities for inner city youths, running football camps and back-to-school drives.

“It was as if Darrent was saying, 'Mama, here’s your purpose,'" wrote Rosalind Williams. "We all know I can’t get out there on the football field and live out Darrent’s career dream, but I can fulfill his dreams for his communities."

Now she is trying. With the help of others, Rosalind Williams is hosting The Inaugural Darrent Williams Foundation Fundraising Gala on Friday, June 13 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. There will be dinner, dancing and a silent auction.

The city of Fort Worth Texas has declared the next day, June 14th, Darrent Williams Day, when there will be a parade in the city.

For more information about the fundraising event, please go to Darrentwilliamsfoundation.org.

Plummer cleans up

Tampa Bay has resigned itself to the fact that quarterback Jake Plummer will not report to the Buccaneers. But Plummer still is getting his athletic thrills.

Last weekend, Plummer and his brother Eric won the Sandpoint West Athletic Club’s 18th annual Spring Classic handball tournament in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Plummer would rather play handball than football –- and it doesn’t look like he’ll be calling any audibles on his life, now or ever.