The Denver Broncos on Monday signed safety Roderick Rogers to their practice squad, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

With Rogers' signing, all eight spots on the Broncos' practice squad are now filled.

Rogers (6-foot-2, 187 pounds) is a second-year player who rejoins the Broncos after he was waived on Sunday. He spent his rookie season with Denver, which signed him as a college free agent from the University of Wisconsin on May 2, 2007.

The safety was on Denver's practice squad for the first 15 weeks of the 2007 season before appearing in the club's final two games of the year. During the 2008 preseason, he tied for fifth on the Broncos with nine tackles (8 solo) while appearing in all four games (1 start).

At Wisconsin, Rogers was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection.

Rogers attended Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., and was born on Sept. 7, 1984.

2008 DENVER BRONCOS PRACTICE SQUAD

S Roderick Rogers
S Josh Barrett
DE Ryan McBean
RB P.J. Pope
WR Travis Wilson
QB Darrell Hackney
OG Mitch Erickson
DT Steven Harris

The Denver Broncos on Sunday signed safety Josh Barrett, guard Mitch Erickson, quarterback Darrell Hackney and defensive tackle Steven Harris to their practice squad, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Barrett (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) is a rookie from Arizona State University who was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round (220th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played in all four Denver preseason games in 2008, ranking fourth on the club in defensive tackles (11) and tying for third in special-teams stops (2). A two-year starter at Arizona State, Barrett attended Reno High School in Reno, Nev., and was born on Nov. 22, 1984.

Erickson (6-foot-6, 290 pounds) is a rookie from South Dakota State University who entered the NFL with the Broncos as a college free agent on April 28. He appeared in all four preseason games for Denver in 2008 following a collegiate career in which he received first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior at SDSU. Erickson attended Hutchinson High School in Hutchinson, Minn., and was born on May 14, 1985.

Hackney (6-foot-0, 248 pounds) is a second-year player from the University of Alabama-Birmingham who spent the final eight games in 2007 on Denver's 53-man roster after beginning that season on its practice squad. In four games (1 start) with the Broncos in the 2008 preseason, Hackney completed 24-of-38 (63.2%) passes for 285 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions (94.7 rtg.). A first-team All-Conference USA selection at UAB as a senior, Hackney attended Douglass High School in Atlanta and was born on Aug. 7, 1983.

Harris (6-foot-5, 305 pounds) is a second-year player from the University of Florida who entered the NFL with the Broncos as a college free agent on May 2, 2007. Harris, who saw time in all four preseason contests for Denver in 2008, played four games for the Broncos in 2007 and totaled six tackles (all solo). A member of the Gators' National Championship team in 2006, Harris attended Coral Gables High School in Coral Gables, Fla., and was born on Aug. 14, 1984.

The Denver Broncos on Saturday made several transactions to reduce their roster to the 53-man limit, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

The club waived 17 players while placing running back Anthony Alridge (left foot) and fullback Cecil Sapp (left quadriceps) on its reserve/injured list. Denver also moved tight end Brett Pierce (left ankle) to its waived/injured list.

Beginning Sunday, the Broncos can establish a practice squad of up to eight players.

The following 17 players were waived by the Broncos on Saturday:

Player                                     NFL Exp.               College                           

G P.J. Alexander                            6                      Syracuse

S Josh Barrett                               R                     Arizona State

LB Jordan Beck                             4                      Cal Poly/San Luis Obispo

DE Larry Birdine                            2                      Oklahoma

DE Paul Carrington                       3                      Central Florida

CB Wale Dada                              1                      Washington State

G Mitch Erickson                           R                     South Dakota State

G Dylan Gandy                              4                      Texas Tech

QB Darrell Hackney                      2                      Alabama-Birmingham

DT Steven Harris                           2                      Florida

WR Glenn Martinez                       3                      Saginaw Valley State

WR Marquay McDaniel                 1                      Hampton

TE Chad Mustard                          5                      North Dakota

P Sam Paulescu                           2                      Oregon State

CB Tyrone Poole                          13                     Fort Valley State

WR Clifford Russell                      6                      Utah

S Vickiel Vaughn                            2                      Arkansas

For the Official List, CLICK HERE!

Player                                     NFL Exp.               College                           

G P.J. Alexander                            6                      Syracuse

S Josh Barrett                               R                     Arizona State

LB Jordan Beck                             4                      Cal Poly/San Luis Obispo

DE Larry Birdine                            2                      Oklahoma

DE Paul Carrington                       3                      Central Florida

CB Wale Dada                              1                      Washington State

G Mitch Erickson                           R                     South Dakota State

G Dylan Gandy                              4                      Texas Tech

QB Darrell Hackney                      2                      Alabama-Birmingham

DT Steven Harris                           2                      Florida

WR Glenn Martinez                       3                      Saginaw Valley State

WR Marquay McDaniel                 1                      Hampton

TE Chad Mustard                          5                      North Dakota

P Sam Paulescu                           2                      Oregon State

CB Tyrone Poole                          13                     Fort Valley State

WR Clifford Russell                      6                      Utah

S Vickiel Vaughn                            2                      Arkansas

Michael Pittman scores for Denver

Finally!  The pre-season is over and it couldn't have ended fast enough.  Only the unenviable task of trying to cut the Broncos roster from 74 to 53 remains between now and the Broncos doing it for real with the Raiders on September 8.  That cuts have to be announced before 4PM est tomorrow afternoon, and we'll have you covered all day long with breaking news, thought and comment.  Until then, let's take a look back at what turned out to be a fairly entertaining football game despite the void of talent.

1.  I Really Like Darrell Hackney....A lot -- Can someone give me a good reason why #4 shouldn't be the #2 quarterback on this football team?  Hackney was given the opportunity to play all 4 quarters against the Cardinals, who at times played their 1st string offense, and his numbers were fairly impressive - 17/26, 208 yards, 1TD.  He also ran the ball 8 times for 35 yards. 

His lack of height has been discussed at nauseum, but he's a winner.  He always seems to make a play when it needs to be made.  Take the long TD pass to Colbert as an example.  Hackney should have been sacked.  The Cardinals did a great job snuffing out the bootleg.  What does Hackney do?  Stop on a dime, change course, and have enough presence of mind, with a LB bearing down on him, to deliver a strike to Keary Colbert in stride.  87 yards later, the Broncos had taken the lead.  Those of the types of plays winners make.

Let's face reality.  If Jay Cutler would, well, I won't say it.  But if it were to happen, the Broncos would be screwed.  Most teams would be.  Cutty is the franchise.  If that is the reality, then why not have a guy backing him up that can make some plays, a guy that can improvise, a guy that doesn't make the stupid decision.  I have seen enough of both guys to say with confidence that I would rather see Darrell Hackney as the backup QB of the Denver Broncos.

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  Dallas Cowboys 13      @          Denver Broncos 23

August 16th, 2008 - 7:00pm MST
Invesco Field @ Mile High
Denver, CO

The Broncos don't have much time to enjoy Saturday Night's win over the Cowboys, turning quickly around to prepare for a Friday Night match up with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.  That means we can't dwell on it for too long, either.  After watching  and studying the game, I did want to take a few moments to break down a few of the things I saw.  At the end, of course, will be a break down of community participation in the Open Threads.  

I have gone on record saying that wins or losses in the pre-season are not as important as playing well for 60 minutes.  I definitely feel that way, but it sure does feel good to win a game.  I am looking for progress as we head through August, and the Broncos improved from Game 1 to Game 2.  Let's break it down --

PASSING GAME(QB and O-Line)

 It was obvious the two teams had different things in mind coming into the game, but it was still the Cowboys 1st team defense that Jay Cutler dissected on Saturday Night.  I can remember back in 1998, after the Broncos had won the Super Bowl and were preparing to defend.  They didn't want to lose any game, ever.  Cowboys fans will say, and they have to me, that the Cowboys took it easy on the Broncos, especially after all the hub-bub last year. Maybe.  But as an athlete, you never want to be embarrassed, and Cutler did a little bit of that.

Jay Cutler has improved just about everything in his game.  Footwork, mechanics, delivery, the way he looks off of receivers.  Yes, we all know about the diabetes stuff, but this is more about Cutler feeling comfortable and confident in the offense than it is about insulin levels.  Cutler is going to the line of scrimmage, reading the defense, and knows at the snap where he is going with the football.  Cutler is also getting the Broncos into the end zone, scoring 3 TD's in 6 offensive possessions.  There could have been more points by the first strong in the 2-minute drill, but Matt Prater's long field goal at the end of the first half went wide.  More on the later.

I thought Patrick Ramsey came in, and after a disastrous beginning that was saved by undisciplined play by the Cowboys, Ramsey settled down and started to make some throws.  He is still slow at reading through his progressions and frequently delivers the ball late.  It pains me to think of how dummied-down the playbook would have to be with Ramsey at the helm.

The Offensive Line once again had its' ups and downs in the passing game.  There were once again way too many penalties, with Ryan Clady and Chris Kuper getting hit with holding penalties.  More importantly, Jay Cutler once again stayed clean as the O-Line did not allow a sack in the first half(the sackless streak ended in the 4th quarter when Darrell Hackney was sacked).  I liked what I saw from Ryan Clady, who did a solid job on DeMarcus Ware.  There were time Ware even stunted inside to try and avoid going up against Clady, a good sign since that means it will usually be Ben Hamilton or Tom Nalen/Casey Wiegmann that the De is going to get a face full of.  I am happy about where the O-line is right now in pass protection, but the penalties need to be cleaned up.

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  Denver Broncos 16      @       Houston Texans 19

August 9th, 2008 - 6:00pm MST
Reliant Stadium - Houston, TX

Game 1 of the pre-season is behind us and while the end result was a loss there were some encouraging signs.  There were also some things that concern me a bit.  Yes, it was only the first pre-season game.  Yes, in reality, they don't mean anything.  That doesn't mean, however, that we can't look at the game and find some positives and negatives to carry forward.  There are also some distrubing trends that continue to manifest themselves on this team that need to get worked out over the next 3 weeks. 

Using the games stats as a baseline, lets breakdown the game -

QUARTERBACK PLAY

First off, Jay Cutler is back and better than ever.  After the expected early jitters by the offense as a whole on their first drive, the Broncos first string offense dissected the Texans defense on a beautifully executed TD drive.  Cutler was 7-9 on the drive, and finished it off by running 15 yards for the touchdown.  Cutler 1 - Diabetes 0.  Sure, it was only one game, but the Broncos are also practicing right now alot more than they will during the season.  That leads me to think that Cutler is in for a HUGE season. 

The same can't be said for Patrick Ramsey who was simply awful, and trend that has continued the entire Camp so far.  Both interceptions were ugly, and Ramsey's 2.9 yards per pass are an embarrassment.   Ramsey's feet are all over the place in the pocket and his poor mechanics lead to a horribly inaccurate delivery.  Let's face it, the Broncos would be in trouble no matter what if Cutler went down for a significant amount of time, most teams would be, but if I have to into battle with a backup QB I at least want it to be a guy who will give me the best chance.  Anyone out there NOT THINK the best chance to win is Darrell Hackney??

Hackney played well in his time, was able to move around in the pocket and moved the team very well.  Could he do it against 1st Team defenses?  Good question, but he looks a lot more comfortable in the pocket than Ramsey and seems to have a better handle on the offense, even if it is pared down quite a bit.

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Shanny readies for practice

My first practice and my goal was to take in as much as possible.  It was great to see the Orange and Blue close up and get a real feel for just how fast, how big, and how powerful alot of these men are.  I have read through the comments and will try and touch on as much as possible.  I focused on the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, wanting to see how the team looked when simulating game action.  As the week/weekend moves on I will focus on different parts.

There is hope, with the off-day following on Sunday, that the team may go full-pads on Saturday morning.  I certainly hope that is the case.

Here are some of my musings, in no real order....

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Cutler Has Everything Needed To Succeed

When you think about the Denver Broncos, you think about the Quarterback.  Such is life when the words "Legend" or "Greatest of All Time" precede someone who played the position on your team for over 15 years.  The shadow of John Elway has been a long one, towering over Broncos' signal callers for nearly a decade. 

Mike Shanahan tried the young QB approach with Brian Griese, then went the experienced veteran route with Jake Plummer.  Both were successful in getting the Broncos to the playoffs, with Plummer having the Broncos on the doorstep of the Super Bowl in 2005.  Then something happened.  As the losing coach in the 2005 AFC Championship Game, Shanny's runner-up prize was the honor of coaching the AFC team in the Pro Bowl.  His starting QB was Peyton Manning of the Colts.  Being up close and personal with Manning, a QB that showed alot of the same qualities as Shanny's own Hall of Fame quarterback Elway, showed the coach what he was missing in Plummer.  Something that in today's NFL is as crucial to winning as physical talent.

Shanny saw that he needed a quarterback that loved football.  Peyton Manning has made his life, 24/7, about football.  If he isn't on the practice field, he's in the film room.  Jake Plummer, who I have contended was as physically gifted as any quarterback in football, lost the love of the game somewhere between playing for a NFL black-hole and the death of close friend Pat Tillman.  Coming to work appeared to be a chore for Plummer.  Shanny knew it and when the opportunity arose to go grab one of the three franchise-type quarterbacks in the 2006 draft the Broncos did it, trading up to nab Jay Cutler with the 11th overall pick.  A new day had dawned in Denver.

That move, more than any, signaled what I have called a 5-year "re-tooling" plan.  The Broncos, or any intelligent team for that matter, would never say rebuilding.  Draft a young QB, however, and there are going to be growing pains.  It has been no different for the Broncos, who enter 2008 with a losing record in games started by Cutler(9-12).  That is a testament to the rest of the roster, more than of Cutler, and while he has made the mistakes young players make I think we have seen enough flashes of brilliance to know that if the Shadow of #7 was ever going to shorten a bit, #6 is the man to do it.  Diabetes be damned.

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