Paige: Broncos still waitin' for Peyton Manning -- and more By Woody Paige The Denver Post March 14, 2012

EFX didn't get a manna or a Manning on Tuesday.

But, then, the triumvirate wasn't anticipating a gold strike on the first day of free agency.

Just because the Broncos didn't sign SOMEBODY (Peyton Manning) or some bodies was not cause for a panic or a picnic at Dove Valley.

Hold your horses.

Manning, according to two NFL sources, has narrowed his finalists to the Dolphins, the Titans, the Cardinals and the Broncos.

Meanwhile, the Johns, Elway and Fox, and Brian Xanders are evaluating four plans:

(A) Life with Manning.

(B) Life without Manning.

(C) Defense.

(D) The Tim Tebow Thing.

Start, out of sequence, with (C). No matter who the quarterback is, the Broncos must sign several veteran defensive free agents — from other teams and their own. They need, in order, a safety, a cornerback, two defensive tackles and three linebackers.

They want to re-sign, in order, defensive tackles Brodrick Bunkley and Marcus Thomas, linebackers Wesley Woodyard, Mario Haggan and Joe Mays and defensive end Jason Hunter. (Brian Dawkins and the Broncos have to decide if the safety is returning for one more year.)

The Broncos are talking to Bears safety Brandon Meriweather and Dolphins nose tackle Paul Soliai (6-foot-4, 355 pounds), who would be a defensive tackle in the 4-3.

They also should prioritize Chiefs cornerback Brandon Carr, who would be an exceptional starter; inside linebacker Dan Connor, who played for Fox with the Panthers; cornerback William Middleton and safety Dwight Lowery, who played for Jack Del Rio with the Jaguars; inside linebacker Stephen Tulloch, late of the Lions; and defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, who was with the Bears.

If they could end up with Bunkley, Thomas, Woodyard, Soliai, Meriweather or Lowery, Carr, Connor or Tulloch, and a healthy Dawkins, the defense would be improved — once the Broncos draft a cornerback and a tackle.

Now, (A). With Manning, the Broncos would attempt to add a few of his old friends. Wide receiver Reggie Wayne looks like he will stay with the Colts, but tight end Dallas Clark is available and certainly would help Manning and the Broncos. Jeff Saturday, the veteran who called all the offensive line signals for the Colts, would push J.D. Walton at center. The Broncos could use another veteran running back. Mike Tolbert, a bowling ball at 5-9, 247 pounds, would be a perfect complement for Willis McGahee, is only 26 and would be a steal from the Chargers.

In the "Life Without Manning" scenario, Wayne, Clark and Tolbert still would be positive options, but the first two probably follow the quarterback wherever he is, and the Chiefs are making a push for Tolbert.

Didn't take the Dolphins long to figure out Brandon Marshall. They took less than they gave up to the Broncos. Marshall and Jay Cutler deserve each other.

The Broncos might consider wide receivers Robert Meacham of the Saints and Laurent Robinson of the Cowboys. Both are young and talented.

The team will need to get out from Knowshon Moreno's contract, draft a running back, a wide receiver and another offensive lineman and keep (not cut) Ryan Harris, this time.

There will be the issue of a backup quarterback to Tebow. Chad Henne and Josh Johnson are the best of the lot. The Broncos can bypass quarterbacks in the draft and wait to see what happens this year.

Finally, the Tebow Thing. If Manning arrives, the Broncos will trade Tebow. It won't work with both, and Tebow will never trust Elway again. Elway may have to deal him, anyway, to the Jaguars after all that has transpired, and draft Brandon Weeden. Can Tebow and the Broncos co-exist this season? Temporarily, if Tebow is the starter. But Tebow will escape from the Broncos as soon as his contract is up after the 2013 season.

But, first, there is the Manning Matter.

"He's stuck" and hasn't made a decision, a source close to the situation told me Tuesday afternoon. Manning can return to Tennessee as the most welcomed hero

since Alvin York, the decorated World War I soldier. He reluctantly can join the Dolphins and play the Patriots twice every year — and sweat every day. He can move to Arizona, continue to play indoors and throw to Larry Fitzgerald.

Or Manning can join the Broncos despite Dave Loggins' song from years ago. "Denver ain't your kind of town. There ain't no gold, and there ain't nobody like me. 'Cause I'm the number one fan of the man from Tennessee."

EFX waits for a plan to come together.

Peyton Manning has Broncos among top two choices on list By Mike Klis The Denver Post March 13, 2012

Peyton Manning will throw one more pass in practice. He will watch one more minute of film. He will add one more play to the game-planning discussion.

This is how Manning prepares for a game. Imagine how thorough he is now as he makes not only a major football career move for himself, but a life-changing decision for his family. He is the only four-time MVP in NFL history, an 11-time Pro Bowler, a two-time Super Bowl participant and a one-time holder of the Lombardi Trophy.

And he is in uncharted territory. He is a free agent because of a confluence of reasons — bum neck, $28 million bonus payment at a time when his longtime team, the Indianapolis Colts, fell into the No. 1 draft pick as young quarterback Andrew Luck became eligible.

But there are four NFL teams that don't care how he got in this spot. The Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals are the finalists for his services, with a decision expected to be made soon, possibly today.

The Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers, who never engaged in serious pursuit but were in contact with Manning's representatives during the process, no longer are candidates, according to an NFL source.

Manning did not make his decision, as hoped, by the open of the league's free-agent market at 2 p.m. MDT on Tuesday. One source said the Broncos are in his final two, along with Tennessee. Another NFL source said the Broncos are there, with Miami the team to worry about. Manning did not meet with Tennessee officials on Wednesday, as expected. Reports out of Tennessee are that they might meet today.

Either way, the Broncos are strongly in the mix. Manning likes that coach John Fox will give him carte blanche over the offense, and he believes Denver is the kind of market that would provide a quality of life for his wife, Ashley, and twins Marshall and Mosley, who will turn 1 on March 31.

One concern Manning may have about the Broncos is the possibility of playing in cold-weather games. For a quarterback coming off four neck surgeries who will soon celebrate his 36th birthday — Broncos front office boss John Elway,

remember, was pretty much forced to retire because of aching knees at 38 — it's an understandable concern.

Just not a justifiable concern. According to the Broncos' expansive media guide, in the 519 home games the team has played in its 52-season history, the average temperature at kickoff is 60.1 degrees. Even for December and January home games, the average temperature for each month is a mild 44 degrees. Manning just worked up a sweat throwing passes to his buddy Brandon Stokley on a bright, warm Saturday morning in early March.

Then there is the roster talent to consider, and among his four choices, Manning can see holes everywhere. The Titans were 9-7 last year. The Broncos and Cardinals were 8-8. The Dolphins were 6-10.

Manning, of course, can singlehandedly improve all of those records, if he can stay healthy after a year of four neck surgeries. In his final 10 playing seasons, 2001-10, Manning led the Colts to a combined 119-41 record, or an average of 12-4.

The Dolphins may not have helped themselves by trading receiver Brandon Marshall on Tuesday. Manning, according to an NFL source, had enough people vouch for the troubled-but-talented receiver that he had considered Marshall a Dolphins asset.

Manning met with the Broncos on Friday, the Cardinals on Sunday and the Dolphins on Monday. A visit with the Titans had been placed on hold Tuesday. There were multiple reports Tuesday night that he will meet with the Titans today.

One asset for the Titans: As members of the AFC South, they would provide him with a chance to smoke the Colts twice a season.

Broncos D.J. Williams, Ryan McBean sue NFL over positive drug tests Attorney: League didn't safeguard items

By Terry Frei The Denver Post March 14, 2012

Peter R. Ginsberg, the New York-based attorney representing Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams, Tuesday said the NFL's actions leading to the six-game suspensions of Williams and former teammate Ryan McBean "are much more egregious" than the circumstances involved in Major League Baseball's since-overturned suspension of Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Ryan Braun.

The NFL ruled that the two players violated the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, based on what the league said was the substitution of "nonhuman" urine samples during August tests.

Williams and McBean, a veteran defensive tackle who became a free agent Tuesday, filed suit against the NFL on Monday in Denver District Court, seeking to force the league to vacate the suspensions levied against the players after their appeals were denied. Four attorneys are listed on the filings — Ginsberg and Marci Gilligan of Denver for Williams; and Harvey Steinberg and Peter Schaffer of Denver for McBean.

"In D.J. and Ryan's case, the NFL violated every guideline for safeguarding and processing a specimen, so that this situation stands apart," Ginsberg said. "The NFL's handling of the specimens was so bad that the specimen collector was fired based of the way he handled our clients' specimens; the finding that the specimen was nonhuman has no validity ... If anybody at the NFL had properly viewed the records, we should have seen that the NFL could not stand behind the test results. I don't think it should have even gotten this far, and taken as long as it has, if the NFL truly was interested in maintaining the integrity of the program."

The filings note that the specimen collector, an employee of Stadium Medical, was fired Oct. 11. The National Center for Drug Free Sport Inc., the administrator of the league's drug-testing program, hired Stadium Medical to collect and analyze the urine samples from Broncos players.

The players' petition to vacate the suspensions cites the recent Braun case, noting his successful appeal of his 50-game suspension primarily because the collector, Dino Laurenzi Jr., stored the sample in his home refrigerator and waited 44 hours to ship it to a Montreal laboratory. The sample was found to have testosterone levels far exceeding allowable levels.

Laurenzi said the delay in shipping the sample was because of the complications tied to international shipping on weekends after the sample was collected Saturday, Oct. 1.

By a 2-1 vote, an arbitration panel granted Braun's appeal, and his suspension was overturned Feb. 25. After reporting to spring training, the reigning National League most valuable player labeled the collection and tracking process of his sample "fatally flawed," and seemed to hint of the possibility of tampering — a reference that drew a pointed response from Laurenzi, who denied any wrongdoing or misconduct.

The Broncos have been involved in another appeal to an NFL drug testing result, after running back Travis Henry was found to have tested positive for marijuana in late August 2007. Henry said that the positive test might have been because of second-hand smoke.

Henry's attorney — Steinberg — argued at a league hearing in November 2007 that procedural mistakes had been made. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell eventually ruled in Henry's favor.

The Broncos released Henry in June 2008, a month before it was revealed another test had come up positive for marijuana, and he was suspended for a year on Aug. 31, 2008, effectively ending his NFL career.

Tebow and Manning would leave Broncos a tough decision By Jeff Legwold The Denver Post March 14, 2012

Today's questions about the Broncos come from Elijah Kempton.

Q: What are Tim Tebow's salary cap numbers for the remainder of his contract? And could the Broncos make it work financially for him and Peyton Manning to be teammates?

A: Tebow already has been paid the bulk of the money in his contract. He received a guaranteed $6.278 million payment last July as training camp opened. His remaining salaries and salary cap charges are relatively modest, and his salary cap numbers go down each year for the rest of his contract.

His salary cap figure for 2012 is $3.142 million (including $1.1 million in base salary). His cap figure for 2013 is $2.624 million (including $1.055 million in base salary). His cap figure for 2013 is $2.239 million (including $670,000 in base salary).

So the Broncos can afford to keep Tebow and still give Manning the blockbuster contract that will be required to sign the only four-time MVP in NFL history.

But what remains to be seen is whether the Broncos would want to keep Tebow if Manning were their starting quarterback. Manning's offense with the Broncos would be dramatically different from Tebow's offense with the Broncos.

If they signed Manning, the Broncos likely would explore trading Tebow. The Jacksonville Jaguars are Tebow's hometown team and they have a new owner who has said that he would have drafted Tebow in 2010 had he been the owner then. So the Broncos' first call about trading Tebow probably would be to the Jaguars.

Michigan State star Jerel Worthy worthy of Broncos' attention By Jeff Legwold The Denver Post March 14, 2012

The NFL draft this year is deep at defensive tackle, and the Broncos couldn't be happier. That's a position where they need a lot of help.

Michigan State's Jerel Worthy of Huber Heights, Ohio, is one of the defensive tackles with a first-round grade. Worthy was 6-foot-2 and 308 pounds at the scouting combine in Indianapolis last month. He would be a perfect fit in the Denver defense.

Worthy was a three-year starter for the Spartans and made 25.7 percent of his tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including 12 sacks. He was Michigan State's first Associated Press first team All-America defensive lineman since Bubba Smith in 1966 and has impressive 5.08-second speed in the 40-yard dash.

Unless they traded up in the first round of the April 26-28 draft to get him, the Broncos probably would need Worthy to fall to them at No. 25 overall. This much is sure: The team that drafts him will be getting a dominant defensive tackle.

Some personnel people in the NFL say Worthy, who turns 22 on April 28, hasn't always played as hard as he's capable of playing. But his production at Michigan State, against exceptional Big Ten offensive linemen, would suggest otherwise.

"I showed up in a lot of marquee games," Worthy said at the scouting combine.

Eddie Royal leaves Broncos, signs with Washington Wide receiver reunites with coach Mike Shanahan

Lindsay Jones The Denver Post March 14, 2012

The first day of the league year was a day of reunions for former Broncos.

Wide receiver Eddie Royal, a fan favorite in Denver, agreed to a two-year contract with Washington, according to The Washington Post. Washington oach Mike Shanahan selected Royal in the second round of the 2008 draft when he was coaching the Broncos. Washington's wide receivers include Jabar Gaffney, a former Bronco.

Former Broncos stars Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall also were reunited Tuesday when the Dolphins traded Marshall, a wide receiver, to Cutler's Bears for two third-round draft picks. The Broncos received two second-round picks from Miami for Marshall in 2010.

Union offers support. The NFL Players Association offered public support Tuesday to Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams and restricted free-agent defensive tackle Ryan McBean, who were suspended six games each by the NFL last week for violations of the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Williams and McBean filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court on Monday to challenge the NFL's ruling.

In its statement, the NFLPA said: "The NFLPA is disappointed by the decisions in the cases of Ryan McBean and D.J. Williams. Despite substantial evidence of breaches in the collection protocol and other procedural irregularities, the NFL decided to punish these players without judicious review of the facts. The League-appointed hearing officer then affirmed the discipline, even though the specimen collector was fired by his agency for not following procedures. The NFL also failed to produce the sample collector as a witness during the players' appeals hearing."

Cox signed. Former Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox, who was acquitted on two counts of sexual assault recently, signed a two-year deal with the 49ers.

The 49ers announced the deal just before free agency officially opened Tuesday. Cox was not with an NFL team after being released by the Broncos at the end of training camp last summer, so he could sign with any team.

In a statement, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said: "We are pleased to add Perrish to our team. As an organization, from ownership on down, we have done our due diligence and are confident that Perrish will be a positive contributor to the 49ers, as well as our community."

Free agent safety Brandon Meriweather to visit Broncos By Mike Klis The Denver Post March 13, 2012

As free agency opened, the Broncos had identified two primary needs: A proven starting safety who can help bring along the kids Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter, and, well, a quarterback.

As the Broncos wait anxiously for quarterback Peyton Manning to make his decision, they have gone to work on the other position by arranging to bring in safety Brandon Meriweather for a visit.

Even if he is coming off a rough 2011 season, Meriweather makes sense because the Broncos foremost need a safety who can hit. Tackling was an issue for Moore early in the season and Carter late.

Meriweather, 28, was a first-round draft choice of the New England Patriots in 2007, a Pro Bowler in 2009-10, but then cut in 2011 and later benched by the Chicago Bears.

Meriweather is one reason why the league decided midway through the 2010 season to crack down against helmet-to-helmet hits on defenseless receivers. He was fined $50,000 for his vicious hit on Baltimore tight end Todd Heap in week 6 of 2010.

The Broncos have reached out to Brian Dawkins about his intentions for the 2012 season, but the 16-year NFL safety and nine-time Pro Bowler has said while he's close to a decision on whether or not he will retire, he's not 100 percent sure. Dawkins, 38, is now a free agent.

Steelers coach Tomlin told Nantz he feared a Tim Tebow big play in OT By David Krause The Denver Post March 13, 2012

What Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin feared the night before the Steelers played the Broncos in the AFC wild-card game became his nightmare at Sports Authority Field at Mile High back in January.

CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, who is the subject of Thursday’s Denver Post “Fan Mail” that gets posted in full later this week, said Monday his favorite Tim Tebow play this season was the 80-yard overtime pass to Demaryius Thomas.

A lot of it is because Tomlin told Nantz the night before the game that he didn’t want to give the Broncos the ball first should the game go to overtime. Because of the new NFL overtime rule, both teams were guaranteed a possession in overtime, unless the team that got the ball first (in this case the Broncos) scored a touchdown.

“In our production meetings, I had asked John Fox on Friday about if this game goes overtime and you win the coin flip in overtime do you want the football or are you going to kick with the new postseason overtime rules. I had been very outspoken on the overtime rules for years and years. Of course they went into effect (for the 2010 playoffs), but there were no postseason overtime games. So, we’re waiting for that first postseason game with the new rules where the first possession had to be a touchdown to close out a game. Otherwise the other team is guaranteed a possession.

“So I asked John, are you going to kick or receive. He said, ‘oh no, we’ll take the football.’

On Saturday night we were meeting with the Steelers, who were staying near Boulder. I asked Coach Tomlin the same thing: What are you going to do? He said, ‘We’re taking the football. We’re not going to give them the football first.’

“I said, ‘Mike, wouldn’t you think twice about that? I mean after all, the Broncos’ last game they lost 7-3 to Kansas City. So if you kick the football to them, you know you are going to get a touchhback in the thin air, you’re gonna set up the Broncos at their own 20 and the odds are you’re going to get a punt and now all you have to do is going down and win the game with a field goal.’

“He said, ‘No way I am doing that. I’m not putting my whole season at risk giving the other team the football because if one guy busts an assignment or something else and one play they go 80 yards and a touchdown and my season is over. I’m not going to let that happen. I’m taking the football.’

“I said, ‘Come on. You gotta be kidding. The longest pass play of the season for the Broncos and Tebow was 56 yards against Kansas City.’ He said, ‘I’m not going to put my season on the line for a one-play, 80-yard touchdown pass.’

“The next day, overtime, one play, 80-yard touchdown pass. And that pass, by the way, was absolutely to the inch where it had to be. He threw it, it was a rocket coming in there, hit Thomas in stride and that stiff arm at the 50 and away we go.

“But it was exactly what Mike Tomlin had feared the night before when asked. To the letter. To the letter.

“I’ve never told that story publicly. … The night before he expressed concern about why he would not kick the football if he won the coin toss, because you just never know, you never. A one-play, 80-yard strike and your season’s over and that’s precisely what happened.”

NFLPA “disappointed” by NFL’s suspensions of two Broncos By Lindsay Jones The Denver Post March 13, 2012

The NFL Players Association on Tuesday issued a statement showing support for Broncos players DJ Williams and Ryan McBean, who both have been suspended for six games next season for a violation of the league’s policy banning performance enhancing drugs.

The two players have filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court trying to vacate the NFL’s ruling. There is a thorough story in today’s Denver Post by Mike Klis explaining the lawsuit and the players’ claims against the league.

Here is the full statement from the NFLPA:

“The NFLPA is disappointed by the decisions in the cases of Ryan McBean and D.J. Williams. Despite substantial evidence of breaches in the collection protocol and other procedural irregularities, the NFL decided to punish these players without judicious review of the facts. The League-appointed hearing officer then affirmed the discipline, even though the specimen collector was fired by his agency for not following procedures. The NFL also failed to produce the sample collector as a witness during the players’ appeals hearing.

The NFLPA and NFL have been negotiating a new and comprehensive Substances of Abuse and Steroids policies. The facts in these two cases and in recent cases in other sports, dramatically underscore the players’ insistence to have independent, neutral arbitrators as part of any future policy. We will continue to fight for a fair, clean and safe game.”

Chicago’s the new Denver By Lindsay Jones The Denver Post March 13, 2012

Well, the new NFL year certainly started with a bang.

FoxSport’s Jay Glazer reported today that the Miami Dolphins traded Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears in exchange for two third round picks. The trade reunites Marshall with Jay Cutler. The wide receiver and quarterback were both members of Denver’s blockbuster 2006 draft class (a group that also included Elvis Dumervil, Chris Kuper and Tony Scheffler).

The last time Marshall and Cutler played together, here in Denver in 2008, both made their first Pro Bowls. When Mike Shanahan was fired after that season — after Denver’s historic collapse in the AFC West — he said the new coach would be nuts to disband the Broncos’ prolific offense. Cutler was gone (traded to Chicago) by April 2009, and Marshall was shipped to Miami in 2010. Now they are back together, along with Jeremy Bates, who was Shanahan’s offensive coordinator here in 2008.

It is interesting to note that Marshall’s market value has decreased in the last two years. The Broncos received two second-round picks (one each in 2010 and 2011) from Miami for Marshall in 2010. The Dolphins only got two third-rounders today, though they also get to dump his salary and his off-field baggage.

Peyton's Next Place By Rick Reilly ESPN.com March 13, 2012

You need advice, Peyton Manning. We need a column. It works out.

You seem to have whittled your Stick Your Neck Out Tour down to four teams: Denver, Arizona, Tennessee and Miami. These teams all want you the way Chelsea wants vodka, yet none of them is even sure you can play anymore. Who cares? You are The Bachelor, and they are four blondes in five-inch heels with daddy issues. Let's do this.

You need an unbiased, objective system to break this down. We will work with the time-honored plus/minus system, going from minus-5 to plus-5. Get your calculator out. May the best town win.

Divisions

Denver plays in a division that could be taken by a team of girl scouts armed with Pez dispensers. The Broncos won it last year with a guy who tossed more dirtballs than a Hooters bouncer. Tennessee has a chance to beat Houston if the Titans get you, I suppose. Arizona -- even with you and your brother -- is not going to beat the 49ers. Miami, going up against Tom Brady twice a year? You'd get to Saturn before you'd get to the playoffs there.

Points: Denver +5, Tennessee and Arizona 0, Miami -5.

Wide receivers

In Arizona, you could throw to Larry Fitzgerald Jr., which is like a chef cooking for Vince Wilfork. Hard to beat. But he is only one man, and the Cardinals don't have much beyond him. In Miami, you can throw to Brandon Marshall, who is a very elusive guy. Just ask the police. Denver has Demaryius Thomas, who is only 24 and already a ball-gobbling glutton. Plus, the Broncos have a possible star in Eric Decker. Tennessee has receivers even people in Nashville don't recognize. In uniform.

Points: Arizona +5, Denver and Miami 0, Tennessee -5.

Weather

Arizona is paradise in the fall. Miami is sweet, too. Tennessee isn't bad, but neither is Denver. Do you realize the average Denver high in December is 46? That's seven degrees higher than in Indianapolis. And 10 higher than Nashville. Denver also gets about 250 clear, sunny days a year. There's a reason there's no dome in Denver. The Broncos don't need one. Only problem is, if you get Tim Tebow benched, you're going to need a steel umbrella for all the frogs that will rain down.

Points: Arizona and Miami, +5, Tennessee and Denver 0.

Cap room

It's not as though you're Tom Brady. You can't throw and catch the passes yourself. You're going to need some help. Denver has by far the most cash to buy help with -- nearly $45 million. The Broncos could pay you and sign ungodly talented Chargers WR Vincent Jackson and your old pal WR Pierre Garcon from Indianapolis. Or maybe Reggie Wayne? Or maybe you'd like to bring in your old center, Jeff Saturday? (One career -- one rump.) The Titans have a lot, too: $28M, but you'd have to stop after Vincent. The Dolphins have only about $12M. That will barely pay for you and some towels. The Cardinals are $16M over. Maybe somebody forgot to explain to Cards owner Mike Bidwill that the NFL is not a trust fund?

Points: Denver and Tennessee +5, Miami 0, Arizona -5.

Super Bowls

You and your brother Eli have always had a dream to play against each other in a Super Bowl. Can't do that if you go to Arizona.

Points: Tennessee, Miami and Denver +5. Arizona 0.

Crime

Here's the 2010 murder rate per 100,000 people. Hey, you have to consider these things. Denver 3.6; Phoenix 7.6; Nashville 8.9, Miami 15.4. So, in Denver, your chances of being murdered are low. In Miami, you're basically a metal donkey at a shooting gallery. How good is your flak jacket?

Points: Denver +5, Arizona and Tennessee 0, Miami -5

Coaches/Front office

You're practically a coach already, but you can't make all the decisions. Miami's rookie head coach Joe Philbin has been in the NFL for just nine years. You have wristbands older than that. Tennessee has Mike Munchak coming off his first season as a head coach. Arizona has a good one in Ken Whisenhunt. Denver has a 10-year head-coaching vet in John Fox, who is a player's coach. Also, you might like to end up running a team after you're through playing. What better guy to watch every day than John Elway? And don't forget, Elway won his two Super Bowls at 37 and 38. You're 35. He'll know what you need. Miami, meanwhile, changes GMs the way Gold Club dancers change outfits.

Points: Denver and Arizona +5, Tennessee and Miami -5.

Golf

I believe you're a very tough 5 handicap. And you're obsessed. So I'm sure you think the Phoenix area has the best golf of the four cities. Maybe. But the Denver area actually has more courses in Golf Digest's top 100 rankings than any of the other three towns -- Castle Pines (29th) and Cherry Hills (67). (Not going to be hard to get you on, either -- Fox and Elway belong.) Scottsdale has Estancia (62nd), but that's it. Miami has a bunch of courses owned by Donald Trump. Are you a stickler for the rules? Nashville has bubkes, but some of the courses there have twilight leagues.

Points: Denver and Arizona +5, Miami 0, Nashville -5.

Comfort

Phoenix is the sixth-largest city in America. It's a nice place if you like 1.5 million people and only three highways. Nashville and Denver are smaller, fly-over cities, even smaller than Indy. Miami feels like home if your home is in Caracas. Besides, you have a vacation condo in Miami. If you start working there, too, vacation becomes work. No good.

Points: Tennessee and Denver +5, Arizona 0, Miami -5.

Lifestyle

You have twin baby girls. You need to think about where you want to raise them. Do you want them to grow up to be singers (Tennessee), skiers (Denver), golfers (Arizona) or assisted-living nurses (Miami)?

Points: None. No judging. Just saying.

And finally …

Arizona ranks first in the nation in number of ant species. (Your two 1-year-old girls aren't going to like that.) Nashville ranks first in the nation in Internet shopping. (Uh-oh. No real shopping. Your wife isn't going to like that.) Miami ranks first in international freight. (Do you like barges?) And Denver ranks first in beer production per capita.

Points: Denver +5, everybody else 0.

So, let's see where you should go, according to our entirely objective and arbitrary system:

Denver +40 Arizona +15 Tennessee 0 Miami -10

Suspended Broncos players fighting back By Arnie Stapleton The Associated Press March 13, 2012

DENVER (AP)—Two Denver Broncos players are suing the NFL seeking to overturn their drug suspensions.

The lawsuit filed in Denver District Court contends the league violated protocol in collecting urine samples from linebacker D.J. Williams and defensive lineman Ryan McBean and refused to clear the players after the collector was fired for not following proper procedures.

Williams and McBean were suspended without pay for Denver’s first six games of the 2012 season.

Williams’ lawyer, Peter R. Ginsberg, said the league contends the urine samples they provided to an NFL specimen collector for testing in August weren’t from a human. Ginsberg said the specimen collector said he watched Williams void directly into the specimen bottle, so it would’ve been impossible for the specimen to be non-human.

The collector has since been fired by the league for dereliction of duty, but the hearing officer, Harold Henderson, who works in the commissioner’s office, ruled against the players, whose appeal was denied.

Williams and McBean filed suit this week against the NFL asking that their penalties, which were handed down Friday, be thrown out.

“The claims have no merit and we are confident that the discipline will be upheld and enforced as required by the policy,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday.

The lawsuit contends Henderson exceeded his powers and wasn’t an impartial arbitrator and that errors were made in the chain-of-custody procedure. It also claims that after the players’ appeals hearings, the NFL lawyer held what’s called “ex parte communications” with Henderson, meaning the players’ lawyers weren’t present.

“The bottom line is that the NFL totally compromised the steroid policy, trampled on our clients’ rights, damaged their reputations, are threatening their livelihoods and we’ve asked for judicial intervention to ensure against that happening,” Ginsberg said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the NFL so flagrantly violate its own procedures and have no conscience with regard to punishing players without any justification,” Ginsberg added. “I think that the hearing officer was answering to the commissioner and there may be vestiges of hard feelings for the (collective bargaining agreement) negotiations. Or simply, the commissioner doesn’t understand that he has responsibilities to players as well as to the owners.”

McBean becomes a free agent Tuesday afternoon, but with this suspension hanging over his head, his lawyer, Peter Schaffer, wonders just how marketable he will be to teams. Schaffer said the evidence in the case closed on Dec. 9, but he didn’t receive a decision until February.

“I want to make emphatically clear that neither one of these players tested positive for a banned or an illegal substance. I think that’s very important to point out,” Schaffer said. “The damages are enormous. Forget about not just the damage to D.J.’s and Ryan’s reputation, but monetarily, it’s enormous.”

Schaffer also compared the case to that of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, who recently won his appeal to overturn a 50-game suspension for a positive drug test.

Braun’s legal team argued in a grievance hearing that the collector, Dino Laurenzi Jr., did not follow the procedures specified in baseball’s drug agreement.

“The facts of this case are so much better than the facts of Braun,” Schaffer said. “In Braun’s case, the arbitrator ruled, based on WADA cases, that the collector made a mistake and therefore he can’t punish the player, even though Major League Baseball believed the collector did not make a mistake. The collector has come out and said I did everything right and Major League Baseball has come out and said the collector has done everything right.

“In this case, the NFL fired the collector for obvious dereliction of duties. At the hearing, the NFL administrators all admitted the collector made many mistakes and that’s why he was fired. And yet they still suspend these two players.”

The NFL Players Association also chimed in on the matter Tuesday, questioning the process followed by the NFL before the league suspended Williams and McBean for violating the policy on performance-enhancing substances. The players union said it’s “disappointed” with the six-game suspensions.

The union said in its release that there was evidence of breaches in the collection protocol and other procedural irregularities. Also, the NFLPA said the league handed down the bans “even though the specimen collector was fired by his agency for not following procedures.”

A four-game suspension for Broncos tight end Virgil Green was not addressed in an NFLPA news release. Green has said he now has been approved for the medication for which he was been suspended. Green is not party to the lawsuit filed by Williams and McBean.

Williams, who has been the backbone of Denver’s defense for several seasons as the Broncos’ top tackler, is livid over his suspension, Ginsberg said.

“It’s a huge deal professionally and personally,” Ginsberg said. “D.J. has been playing for eight years and he’s never violated any test for either steroids or illegal substances. Here, the NFL is broadcasting publicly that he failed a steroids test. He’s very upset.”

AFC West defensive backs news By Bill Williamson ESPN.com March 13, 2012 ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Denver will visit with Chicago free-agent safety Brandon Meriweather and Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr will visit the Dallas Cowboys. Meriweather was cut by New England last season. He played in 11 games and had four starts for the Bears. I don’t think he would be an overly expensive pickup for Denver is he signs. The Broncos are looking for a veteran safety with Brian Dawkins considering retirement. Dallas has been considered a top landing spot for Carr. There is little chance he will return to the Chiefs. The Chiefs signed former Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt last month.

Reggie Wayne not coming to AFC West By Bill Williamson ESPN.com March 13, 2012 Reggie Wayne will not be a target for Peyton Manning in Denver nor will he be a replacement for Vincent Jackson in San Diego. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Wayne will stick around in Indianapolis and help kick start the Andrew Luck era. Schefter reports Wayne is staying with the Colts on three-year deal. If Manning signs with Denver, Wayne would have been a potential target just as he would have been anywhere Manning signs. Prior to free agency, the Chargers discussed Wayne as a possible replacement for Jackson if he left in free agency. That became a reality Thursday when Jackson agreed to terms with Tampa Bay on a five-year, $55.5 million deal. So, the AFC West teams will have to come up with different plans.

NFLPA supports suspended Broncos By Bill Williamson ESPN.com March 13, 2012 The NFLPA released a statement expressin its displeasure with the NFL giving suspensions to Denver linebacker D.J. Williams and Denver free agent defensive linemen Ryan McBean. Both were suspended for six games. The players have indicated they will file a lawsuit to fight the case: Here is the NFLPA’s statement:

The NFLPA is disappointed by the decisions in the cases of Ryan McBean and D.J. Williams. Despite substantial evidence of breaches in the collection protocol and other procedural irregularities, the NFL decided to punish these players without judicious review of the facts. The League-appointed hearing officer then affirmed the discipline, even though the specimen collector was fired by his agency for not following procedures. The NFL also failed to produce the sample collector as a witness during the players’ appeals hearing. The NFLPA and NFL have been negotiating a new and comprehensive Substances of Abuse and Steroids policies. The facts in these two cases, and in recent cases in other sports, dramatically underscore the players’ insistence to have independent, neutral arbitrators as part of any future policy. We will continue to fight for a fair, clean and safe game.

Peyton Manning did throw the ball in Denver, thanks to Brandon Stokely’s wife By Doug Farrar Yahoo! Sports March 13, 2012

)Peyton Manning may not have to engage in an official Pro Day-style throwing session for the teams interested in his services, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been throwing the ball around of late. Receiver Brandon Stokley, who played with Manning in Indianapolis from 2003 through 2006, and has been one of the guys Manning's thrown to in his recent workout sessions at Duke University, told a very interesting story about the workout Manning wanted to get in Denver last Saturday morning, while he was visiting the Broncos' facility.

Stokley had a place all picked out for the informal game of catch -- a park by his Denver home.

"I packed my son and his friend [in the car], and my son is walking out the door with his Peyton Manning jersey on," Stokley told Denver radio station KKFN on Tuesday. "I said, 'Wait a second, -- I think you need to change the jersey.' He said, 'What jersey? Can I put on Brett Favre?' I said 'No, no Brett Favre.' So he put on his Victor Cruz jersey and we get into the car and we're going to the little field I had picked out and we're driving up there with three balls and we're ready to go."

After Stokley sorted out his son's replica jersey issues, his plan was further scuttled when he and Manning arrived at the field, only to find a bunch of kids playing lacrosse on it.

"Who plays lacrosse at 8:00 in the morning? So, I have no Plan B. Every field in Denver is going to be taken now. Like, 'What am I doing? I'm supposed to have this taken care of. This is my one job to have taken care of and I'm screwing it up.' We drive back to the house and I'm like 'Well, I guess we can throw it in the driveway because we just want to play catch.' We start throwing in the driveway and it's good. I mean, I can't run routes or anything, but he's getting some good throwing in."

Fortunately, Stokley's better half stepped in with Plan B.

"Then my wife, being the brilliant person she is, realizes we have a little field in our neighborhood that would just be perfect. Out and about, nobody can see us. So we head over to that field, just me and him, and we're ducking and dodging the joggers and bicycle people. Every time somebody rides by in a bike one of us puts

the ball under our shirt and just turns the other way. We ended up getting some good work in, probably about 35 or 40 minutes, and nobody recognized us or anything, so it was great."

According to Stokley, Manning looks NFL-ready from a throwing standpoint.

"I think he looks as good as he has ever looked to me. I think he is back to normal. I thought he looked great a week and a half ago when I was with him, and we threw for three straight days. He had thrown two straight days previous, so that's five days in a row. He looked great doing that and he looked even better when he threw it to me on Saturday. He looked even better then, and he had three or four days off where he hadn't thrown at all. To me he looks like he did six years ago."

We'll see if that's the case, but just a quick note to all you early-morning joggers and bicyclists in Denver -- you may have seen a major NFL story, and not even known it.

Tebow believers continue to amaze me David Ramsey Colorado Springs Gazette March 13, 2012

It’s out there. On Twitter. On Facebook. On The Gazette’s editorial page.

There’s this thought that Tim Tebow is being treated unfairly because the Broncos are courting Peyton Manning, who is only one of the five or six greatest quarterbacks ever.

Poor Tim. He led the Broncos to a 9-9 record, and he might actually face serious competition to keep his job!

I worry about Manning’s health. That’s the risk that’s on my mind.

But the Broncos have strong reason to take a risk on Manning. Anyone paying attention to the Broncos this season saw a greatly gifted but greatly flawed young quarterback. Tebow supporters act as if he’s the second coming of Joe Montana.

Let me ask this:

Did you guys watch the Broncos final five games? And, yes, I’m including Tebow’s masterpiece against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Broncos lost four of their final five, and Tebow leads the reasons for the defeats. His performance in the regular-season finale against the Chiefs ranks as one of the most pitiful in Broncos history.

Going after Manning is a risk. Yes, that’s true.

But sticking with Tebow is a risk, too. Tebow supporters assume he’s going to add NFL-quality passing to his spectacular running.

That’s an awfully big assumption. The evidence behind the assumption is slight.

Tebow is a competitor. He understands the nature of the NFL. It’s daily Darwinism, survival of the fittest. He won’t be griping if the Broncos bring Manning to Colorado.

His supporters will be moaning to the heavens, though.

Don’t get too wound up with Tebow to Jaguars rumors Scott Kendrick Tampa Union Tribune March 13, 2012

The Denver Broncos are to quarterbacks what George Clooney is to beautiful women. Sure, they’ve got a pretty one now, but they have a reputation for a wandering eye.

The Broncos drafted Tim Tebow in the first round in 2010, then he fell out of favor. Then he came off the bench to lead them to a surprise playoff berth. But Peyton Manning sure would look nice in that orange uniform.

Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for the Tebow-to-Jags disciples to notice. (One caller to the Times-Union on Tuesday morning even heard a rumor that this had already happened and there was a parade downtown in Tebow’s honor.) It’s no surprise that several websites — partially knowing what the phrase “Tim Tebow” does to their traffic totals — have jumped on the story.

Let’s relax, folks: It’s like we’re running down the stairs and skipping four steps. For one thing, Manning would have to actually sign in Denver. Two: The Broncos would actually have to want to trade Tebow, whose salary doesn’t affect the Broncos’ salary cap too negatively. (A team can be more like Charlie Sheen in the NFL, with more than one paramour. Winning!) Three: The Jaguars might have to part with a first-round pick to get Tebow, and that would be practically giving up on Blaine Gabbert, their top pick last season who still has plenty of upside. Four: Other teams might want their shot at Tebow. He’d sell tickets in Miami or Seattle, too.

One of these days, the Denver Broncos are really going to commit to Tebow, in word and deed.

Even Clooney is going to settle down someday, too.

Broncos Tender Restricted Free Agents Stuart Zaas DenverBroncos.com March 13, 2012

With free agency opening at 2 p.m. MDT Tuesday, the Broncos placed tenders on five restricted free agents.

The club tendered their exclusive rights free agents: punter Britton Colquitt, running back Lance Ball and tackle Chris Clark. Exclusive rights free agents are players with more than two accrued NFL seasons but less than three.

Wide receiver Matthew Willis and defensive tackle Ryan McBean were also tendered, meaning the Broncos have the right to match another team’s offer or receive a draft pick corresponding to which round the player was selected as compensation.

McBean was a fourth-round pick by the Steelers in 2007. Willis was undrafted, meaning the Broncos would not receive compensation should they choose not to match another team’s salary offer to the wide receiver.