The price tag on Demaryius Thomas' deal will be no mystery By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com March 31, 2015 The Denver Broncos know the numbers, they know what the best wide receivers in the league have done in recent seasons. They know what those receivers have been paid. They know Demaryius Thomas is one of those receivers who will have one of those deals. And Demaryius Thomas knows it, too. Asked Monday if he believes he is among the league’s elite at his position, Thomas said: "I think so. A lot of guys have their own opinion, but I’m up there. I feel like I’m with the best if you ask me, and I will keep working to make sure I stay up there with the best." Thomas said Monday he wants to remain with the Broncos, but there are business matters for his representatives and the Broncos to attend to first. He said he will not attend workouts at Duke with quarterback Peyton Manning and the other front-line pass-catchers for the Broncos, and will not attend the Broncos' offseason program, which starts April 13, as the sides negotiate. This is expected and comes without any real business animosity on either side. The Broncos want Thomas under contract for the long term and know what the market says Thomas is worth. They also know Thomas is exactly the kind of player other players watch to see how the team approaches contract talks with him. He's a proven player, a team captain. In short, he is exactly the kind of player the Broncos must keep when they say they want to keep their own. When the team placed the franchise player tag on Thomas this month, it did so with the intent to keep working toward a long-term contract. Broncos executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway put it like this: "This is another step in our efforts to extend Demaryius' contract and ensure he remains a Denver Bronco." He also called Thomas "a very important part of our team" and "a guy who has shown what kind of player he is." The past two players the Broncos used the franchise player tag on -- tackle Ryan Clady and kicker Matt Prater -- signed long-term contracts before the next training camp opened. The deadline the Broncos face at the moment is July 15, the final day teams can sign a player who carries the franchise player tag to a long-term deal before the upcoming season. After July 15 Thomas would play under the one-year, $12.823 million tender offer. Calvin Johnson has the largest contract for any wide receiver in the league, a seven-year, $113 million deal he signed in 2012 that includes $48.8 million in guaranteed money. Andre Johnson, released by the Houston Texans this month, signed a seven-year, $67.8 million deal in 2010. Percy Harvin signed a six-

year, $64.2 million deal ($14.5 million guaranteed) in 2013, and Mike Wallace signed a five-year, $60 million deal ($30 million guaranteed) in 2013. That is the template the Broncos and Thomas' representatives are working from. Since the start of the 2011 season, Thomas, 27, is second in the NFL with 28 100-yard receiving games in the regular season and postseason combined, including 10 100-yard games last season. Seven of those came in consecutive weeks. His 226 yards in the Broncos' Oct. 5 win against the Arizona Cardinals is a franchise record for a single game, and his 1,619 yards receiving last season set a single-season franchise record. With three consecutive seasons with at least 92 receptions, 1,430 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns, he is only the third player in league history to have three consecutive seasons of at least 1,400 yards receiving and at least 10 touchdowns; Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison are the others. "I feel like I’ve worked hard enough as a player for people to know, to have an idea of what I’m about as a person and a player," Thomas said this week. "I always want to be better. I understand the business side of it, but my job is to be the best player I can be, always be better, help the Broncos win games. The business won't get in the way of that. Like I've said, any player would want a long-term deal, that security, but none of this will affect how I prepare or play. I won't hurt my team, I want to help my team win." Thomas attended part of the Call of Duty video game world championships in Los Angeles this week as part of a pro-am portion where the winning team’s prize money -- Thomas' team won $100,000 after beating a team that included Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate -- will be donated to initiatives to help military veterans find jobs. He said an appearance is a far different affair these days than it would have been two years ago. Call it the fruits of catching passes from Manning in an offense that has scored more than 1,000 points in the past two seasons combined. "It’s a lot different, very, very different," Thomas said. "If I did something like this a couple years ago, people didn’t really know me, I just kind of went in and introduced myself and then people would say 'oh yeah.' Now they see you, they know you. I enjoy it because I feel like they’ve got love for me, or respect me and what I do and what our team has done."

Broncos have interest in Antonio Smith By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com March 31, 2015 The Denver Broncos have interest in recently-available defensive end Antonio Smith and don't have to look far for a detailed scouting report on the 33-year-old. Broncos defensive line coach Bill Kollar was Smith's defensive line coach for all five of Smith's seasons with the Houston Texans. Smith is known to be a player Kollar holds in high regard for Smith's on-field work as well as locker-room presence. The Broncos will likely have competition in signing Smith from the Texans, who only have six defensive linemen currently under contract. Smith has started all but two games in the last six seasons, including 16 games for the Oakland Raiders last season. Smith was released Tuesday by the Raiders. He had 20 tackles and three sacks in 2014 and has 44 1/2 sacks in his previous 10 years in the league. The Broncos have signed defensive lineman Vance Walker in free agency already this offseason, but Smith is a player the Broncos will try to add to the mix if the price is right. The Broncos have 72 players under contract at the moment and have about $4 million functional salary-cap space when the allotment of space that will be needed for 10 draft picks is taken into account.

Broncos step-up players: Cody Latimer By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com April 1, 2015 As the Denver Broncos continue to move through their offseason work, at least some of their major decisions are based on players they already have becoming a bigger factor. If they’re right about most of them, they’ll keep their spot in the Super Bowl conversation. That makes those players key pieces of the puzzle. Today: Cody Latimer. In the aftermath of the Broncos’ change in coaching staffs, the guy who had the biggest hand in the decision to go from John Fox to Gary Kubiak -- John Elway – has repeatedly stated the belief the team’s new coaching staff would be able to get more from a smattering of young players who didn’t get much action in their rookie seasons. Latimer is one of those players. The Broncos need Latimer to be ready for far more than the 37 snaps he played on offense in 2014. As the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator last season, Kubiak has referenced a pre-draft visit to Baltimore for Latimer a year ago when discussing what kind of role he thinks Latimer can have this time around. “I spent a whole day with him in Baltimore, we really, really liked him, I think a lot of his ability," Kubiak has said about the visit. The coming weeks and months will present plenty of opportunities for Latimer to get plenty of work with the starting offense. Demaryius Thomas said this week he will not attend Peyton Manning’s workouts at Duke with some of the other Broncos pass catchers or the Broncos' offseason program opening on April 13 as his representatives engage in talks on a long-term deal with the Broncos. With Wes Welker an unsigned unrestricted free agent, that would leave Emmanuel Sanders (101 catches), Andre Caldwell (five catches) and Latimer (two catches) as the only wide receivers will participate in the Broncos' offseason program that caught a pass last season. The Broncos don’t figure to use as many three-wide receiver sets as they have over the past two seasons, but they'll still be part of Manning's playbook. Either way, the Broncos hope Latimer shows that he’s ready to be among the top three pass-catchers. Both Kubiak and Elway also feel the team’s new playbook should help Latimer, and other younger players on offense, get ready to play with Manning quicker. As Elway put it: “Obviously with the offense we had it’s tough to adjust out of college and come into the offense that we ran last year, and there’s a lot to that. And Cody worked his tail off ... Obviously he didn’t have the production that I’m sure he would have liked to have, as well as us, but he took advantage of all the opportunities he got last year and he’ll get a lot more opportunities this year."

There were times last season when the number of choices the team’s receivers had to make before and after the snap limited the speed of Latimer’s progress, though he was a red-zone threat during practice. The slow development was highlighted by a play in the season finale against the Oakland Raiders. On the first-quarter play Latimer had man coverage to the left sideline and was Manning's first read. Manning threw quickly to Latimer’s back shoulder, but Latimer continued up the sideline and did not look for the ball. Former offensive coordinator Adam Gase consistently lauded Latimer’s work ethic and believed that Latimer would grow into a regular contributor on offense who would consistently win size-speed matchups. This season Latimer will have far more opportunities to prove the positive opinions right.

Biggest loser: Broncos or Demaryius Thomas By The Sports Show with Woody Paige and Les Shapiro Denver Post March 31, 2015 Demaryius Thomas has opted to miss offseason activities while the Broncos negotiate a long-term deal with him. Denver’s star wide receiver has elected to rehab his Achilles tendon after he suffered an ankle injury during practice on Dec. 3. Thomas fought through the injury during the final month of the NFL season, but claims the injury still ails him after the Broncos’ season ended in January. While the injury certainly plays a factor, this could potentially be a strategic move by Thomas to leverage the Broncos into making a long-term deal. Denver used its franchise tag on Thomas March 1, meaning that the six-year player out of Georgia Tech will remain in Denver for another season and be paid a $12.83-million guaranteed salary for the next year. When all is said and done, Thomas can wait to sign his tender until July 15 and may miss any offseason activities between now an then. As Denver gears up for a new offense under new head coach Gary Kubiak, the question remains who is the bigger loser in this situation: the Broncos or Thomas? The Sports Show’s Woody Paige believes the fans will take general manager John Elway and the Broncos’ side while the NFL Player’s Association will stand in Thomas’s corner. Furthermore, Paige thinks Thomas could keep himself on the outside looking in. With the Broncos gearing up for a more run-based offense under Kubiak and with good competition in fellow wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and potentially Cody Latimer, Thomas may not be the go-to guy this season. That’s not to mention tight end Owen Daniels who knows Kubiak very well. “He’s [Sanders] going to be the primary receiver because people are going to gang up on Demaryius Thomas,” Paige said. “They’ll go man to man on him or zone Cory [sic]. I think that Emmanuel is going to be the guy that’s going to get single coverage.”

Robert Kraft testifies for prosecution By Michelle Steele and Associated Press ESPN.com March 31, 2015 Patriots owner Robert Kraft testified that Aaron Hernandez told him he was innocent when asked whether he was involved in the murder of Odin Lloyd. Kraft spent a little more than a half hour on the stand Tuesday at the Fall River Justice Center after he was called by the prosecution in Hernandez's murder trial. Hernandez is charged with the June 17, 2013, slaying of Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée. The trial, which began Jan. 29 and initially was estimated to last six to 10 weeks, is expected to wrap up next week, according to lawyers from both sides. The defense intends to call only one witness and is expected to rest on Monday. At this point, the defense is expected to call a DNA expert from Cellmark Forensics in Dallas to testify. The parent/predecessor company of Cellmark was used successfully by O.J. Simpson's legal team to help exonerate him in his 1995 double-murder trial. Kraft was asked about the events of June 19, which was two days after the killing. By then, Kraft said, there was a strong media presence at Gillette Stadium, including helicopters, covering the investigation. Kraft said he found Hernandez in a weight room working out and pulled him into an adjacent office for a private talk. "I understood there was an incident that had transpired, and I wanted to know whether he was involved, and if he was -- any player that comes into our system, I consider part of our extended family, and I wanted to get him help," Kraft said. "What did he say?" prosecutor William McCauley asked. "He said he was not involved," Kraft replied. "That he was innocent and that he hoped that the time of the murder incident came out because he said he was in a club." Prosecutors have said Hernandez was at a bar earlier in the evening, then drove to Boston with two friends, picked up Lloyd and killed him in an industrial park. Kraft said his conversation with Hernandez lasted five to 10 minutes. Later, he saw him one last time at the stadium. "He hugged and kissed me and thanked me for my concern," Kraft said. Kraft at times seemed uncomfortable on the stand, even when he was asked where he worked. He first said 1 Patriot Place, the address of Gillette Stadium. When asked what he did at work, he replied, "Whatever they ask me to do."

Then, asked if he ran a business, he replied: "We're a packaging and paper business and private equity, and we have two sports teams." He first listed the New England Revolution soccer team, then the Patriots. Hernandez signed a $40 million contract with the Patriots in 2012, but as defense lawyer Michael Fee questioned him, Kraft said he couldn't remember whether it ran through the 2018 season. "I don't get into the details. I just knew we signed him," he said, adding that Hernandez was signed because he was "a very good player." Hernandez watched closely during Kraft's testimony. As he left the courthouse, Kraft was heard saying, "It's very sad." He was later asked whether he sympathized for Lloyd's family. "Yes," Kraft told reporters. "A man died." McCauley named for the judge just a handful of additional witnesses to call and said he expected to rest Thursday. He did not name any other members of the Patriots organization or anyone affiliated with the NFL. That likely means that Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Miami Dolphins player Mike Pouncey and others listed as potential witnesses will not be called. Next to take the stand was the Patriots' director of security, Mark Briggs. He said he also had a conversation with Hernandez on June 19. "I asked him why he'd lawyered up," he said. The judge struck the comment from the record and instructed the jury that citizens do not have any obligation to speak with police. Briggs said Hernandez told him that he had been with Lloyd at a club and they went their separate ways, so Hernandez gave him keys to a vehicle. He told him those keys were found in Lloyd's pocket, Briggs said. Investigators did find keys to an SUV Hernandez rented in Lloyd's pocket. Briggs said he asked Hernandez whether he was involved in Lloyd's killing, and Hernandez replied no. Briggs said he then looked in Hernandez's eyes and asked whether he was telling the truth. "He swore on his baby's life that he was telling the truth," Briggs said. Briggs said the next day, Hernandez showed up at Gillette Stadium, and Briggs asked him to leave, which Hernandez did. "You asked him to leave the stadium because his presence there was bad for business?" Fee asked. "That is correct," Briggs replied.

Hernandez was arrested June 26 in Lloyd's slaying. Less than two hours later, he was cut from the team.

Jameis Winston wins again on pro day's big stage By Jarrett Bell USA Today March 31, 2015 There was no stadium full of zany fans. No band. No scoreboard. And certainly there were no thrill-seeking pass rushers bent on getting a shot at Jameis Winston. It was a pro day workout, with the passes thrown against nothing but air. Yet there was still a bit of pressure, given the stakes that have been in play for months for the former Florida State quarterback. No wonder Winston said that much of this experience felt like a game. "This was a big game," Winston insisted afterward. "A big stage." Well, if that was truly the case, then Winston won again. If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to select Winston with the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft on April 30 in Chicago – which might be enough to convince him to change his plan of staying at home in Alabama on draft night – nothing that happened inside the Florida State practice facility on Tuesday should have changed their minds. He threw some very pretty deep passes. He moved well, threw accurately on the run. He had touch. He made all the throws, and looked impressive enough in doing it. Winston even demonstrated some leadership as he opened the session by greeting the dozens of scouts, coaches and general managers with a short speech. Later, he fetched water for his receivers. The defining stat? Winston completed 91 of 102 passes – and really, he was better than that. Receivers dropped five passes, including a 50-yard dime on a deep post. "If I'm a GM, I'm thinking, 'We've got some guys who would make that catch,'" former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL receiver Desmond Howard, among the impressed onlookers, told USA TODAY Sports. Winston threw for about an hour, which is marathon territory when it comes to quarterback pro days. The length and businesslike tone of the workout were surely by design. George Whitfield, the quarterback coach who has worked with Winston for months and conducted the workout, said the number of throws doubled in the weeks leading up to the workout. "A month ago, he wanted to have 50 throws," Whitfield told USA TODAY Sports. Yet as Whitfield and Winston began developing the workout, the load kept increasing. Whitfield said Winston wanted to demonstrate particular concepts, and with such an influential assembly that meant trying to showcase all that his big arm is capable of.

Lovie Smith, the Bucs head coach, certainly saw it all. "It's kind of who he is," Smith told USA TODAY Sports. "He's a good football player. When he gets on the stage, this is normally what he does." In the grand scheme of NFL success and failure, pro days for quarterbacks are hardly a predictor of what will occur over the long haul. Remember JaMarcus Russell? He had a magnificent pro day and turned into an inglorious bust after being selected No. 1 overall by the Oakland Raiders. Ditto for Tim Couch, Ryan Leaf and others. Last year, Teddy Bridgewater was widely panned for the errant throws – sans the glove he threw with while starring at Louisville – but turned out to be the most productive quarterback in his rookie class. When Bridgewater went from being hailed as the most NFL-ready quarterback in the draft to getting picked by the Minnesota Vikings at the bottom of the first round, the tumble undoubtedly matched the perception of his poor workout, if not the fact. In any event, however Winston progresses or regresses in the NFL will hinge on so many other components – like making quick, proper decisions against fast, sophisticated NFL defenses – that could not be evaluated by throwing the football around in shorts and a T-shirt. Still, Winston – who has been shrouded in controversy due to off-the-field issues --- avoided the biggest risk of his pro day. The momentum that he has generated in recent weeks was not derailed. After a process that has included damage-control sessions behind closed doors with Bucs ownership and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, he has handled another football component of the equation. Smith maintains that the evaluation isn't complete, and in recent weeks the Bucs have said publicly that they are also considering Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Perhaps even more significant than that, however, is that in the weeks since the NFL combine – when Winston threw well and impressed teams with his football IQ -- the Bucs have said publicly that they are comfortable with Winston – who representing the face of the franchise. Even so, Smith said Tuesday, "The process continues." It should be added that Smith said that with the wide grin of a man who seemed pleased. Winston said exactly what you'd expect he would. That the Bucs should draft him No. 1 because, well, "I'm the best player in the draft." After weeks of intense scrutiny – which will undoubtedly increase on many levels leading up to and following the draft – Winston said he felt comfortable being back in what he calls "my sanctuary" on the football field. Even so, he admitted that the nerves were humming on Monday night.

"Anxious," he said. Just like the night before a game. Last year, Whitfield similarly scripted the pro day workout for another high-profile quarterback – Johnny Manziel. That workout at Texas A&M was a circus – the opposite of Winston's low-key day. "It goes to every man's idea of how I want to make my statement," Whitfield said. "This is what Jameis wanted to do. Jameis wanted a blue-collar effort." Now let's see how different the results will be on the next level.

Freeney sues Bank of America for $20M in fraud case By Dana Hunsinger Benbow USA Today March 31, 2015 Free agent linebacker Dwight Freeney is suing one of the nation's largest banks, alleging it swindled him out of more than $20 million and forced him to close an emerging Hollywood restaurant business. Freeney and his company, Roof Group LLC, sued Bank of America in a California superior court weeks ago. The former Colts and Chargers defender, a seven-time Pro Bowler, went public with the lawsuit Tuesday. The lawsuit claims Freeney was taken advantage of after trusting the bank's wealth management division with his assets. Bank of America disputes the claims. "Although we sympathize with Mr. Freeney as the victim of a crime, the bank had nothing to do with the criminal scheme," said Bill Halldin, a spokesman for Bank of America. Halldin says the two people responsible for the wrongdoing have already been convicted in criminal court and ordered to pay restitution. A former Bank of America Merrill Lynch adviser and a business associate were arrested in 2012 after fraudulently wiring $2.2 million out of Freeney's account. "The primary wrongdoer never worked for the bank or any of its affiliates," said Halldin. "And the other person committed her criminal conduct after she left (the bank) in 2010, after she left Merrill Lynch, he hired her to work personally for him." But in the lawsuit, Freeney alleges the nation's second-largest bank "participated in and aided and abetted" an elaborate, malicious scheme that began in 2010. Freeney was recruited that year by Bank of America to become a client of its division that serviced affluent clients and clients with high net worth, the lawsuit alleges. "Dwight's a smart guy," said his attorney Jeffrey Isaacs. "He was looking to make sure his money was safe and that he would have a financial future when his playing days were over." Fast forward two years and Isaacs claims Freeney had lost $20 million. Among his losses was Freeney's Los Angeles restaurant, Rolling Stone. He had secured an exclusive licensing agreement with Rolling Stone magazine and was on track to open a second eatery in California, Isaacs said. Due to the financial catastrophe, the lawsuit alleges, Freeney was forced to shut down the restaurant and put off any future ventures.

Freeney asks in the lawsuit for $20 million to compensate what he lost out of pocket. He is also seeking punitive damages. Bank of America is expected to respond to the complaint Wednesday. "We are fully prepared and Dwight is fully prepared that it will be a fight," Isaacs said.

Montreal Alouettes GM says team has 50/50 chance of signing Michael Sam By Avery Stone USA Today March 31, 2015 If Michael Sam doesn’t make an NFL roster, he may very well have another option: The Canadian Football League. In an interview with the Montreal Gazette, Jim Popp, general manger of the Montreal Alouettes, said of the former Missouri defensive end: “The CFL is cut out perfectly for [Sam’s] style. It would give him the opportunity to do what he does best.” “His agent knows. They’re ready. They know this [CFL] may be what it is. It’s Michael who has to make the decision — and he might never come.” “The indications were he was ready to come last fall, and he’s still not with us. So I really don’t know. Seriously, I’d say our chances are 50/50.” At the NFL veteran combine in March, Sam clocked slower times than his marks before last year’s draft, but maintained he is “very confident that I will be playing football this year … somewhere.” Will that place be the CFL? That remains to be seen.

Jean Sifrin Is 27 By Emily Kaplan MMQB.com April 1, 2015 Jean Sifrin is standing in an elementary school parking lot, looking uncomfortable. He has spent the last six hours zig-zagging through the blighted neighborhoods of South Florida, reflecting on the twisting path that has brought him to the doorstep of the National Football League. An inquisitive teenager riding by on a bicycle notices the 6-foot-5, 245-pound man clad in an all-black sweatsuit. “Hey, who are you?” the kid asks. “You’re some famous athlete right?” Sifrin averts his eyes. The teenager is confused. “Are you in the NFL or something?” he presses. “You look like you are.” Sifrin mumbles inaudibly, shoves his hands in his pockets, and begins to walk away. Later, he explains the awkward encounter. “I don’t want to be noticed. I don’t want people to think I’m going around town thinking I’m all famous and successful—because I’m not. I’m not there yet. It’s weird being back here.” Sifrin looks like he’s ready for the NFL. He’s a hulking specimen, a tight end with a classic power forward build and oven-mitt sized hands. In his first Division I game, last September, he made an Odell Beckham-esque end zone grab against Colorado, a play that made the SportsCenter highlight loop. “He’s just so raw, and there’s not much tape to grade,” said one NFC scout. “But he probably has the highest athletic ceiling that I’ve seen.” Six weeks ago, Sifrin arrived at the scouting combine, TE 16. He ran the 40 in 4.84 seconds, leapt 33 inches in the vertical jump and 114 in the broad jump. His arms measured 33 3/8 inches long, his spread hands 11 inches from thumb to pinkie. At his pro day, he unofficially shaved his 40 time to 4.75 and bench-pressed 225 pounds 15 times. He played one season of Division I football, his 42 catches, 642 yards and 6 touchdowns ranking among FBS’s top 10 tight ends in each category. But there is one number that affects his prospect status more than any other: Jean Sifrin is 27 years old. * * * Jean Sifrin is 3. His family is uprooting and moving to the U.S. Living in her native Bahamas, Jaclyn Sifrin was dating a married man when she became pregnant. The man didn’t want to be a part of the baby’s life. Jaclyn would give birth to the boy and raise him on her own. She named him Jean. Now she was bringing her three children (two from a previous relationship) to Miami to start anew. So began Jean’s nomadic childhood. Jean moved eight times—all within a two-zip code radius—and attended seven schools. Sometimes Jaclyn moved for work. A hotel maid, she worked her way up the Marriott chain, from the Fairfield Inn to Residence Inn to a Courtyard. Other times, circumstance intervened. “My older brother and sister

were smart kids,” Sifrin says. “But they had an attitude. They got kicked out of school a couple times, so we had to move.” Sifrin got his first job at age 15, washing cars in Little Haiti; he’d take home $4 for every sedan he scrubbed. He wanted to play team sports, but couldn’t commit to school-sponsored teams because he kept relocating, and Jaclyn couldn’t afford the $300 registration for local leagues. Finally, in 11th grade, he settled at Miami Norland High School. He tried out for football, basketball, wrestling, baseball and badminton. He made every team but poor grades kept him ineligible. Sifrin wasn’t unintelligent, just unmotivated. He’d skip class but stay on school grounds to shoot hoops at the gym. He hung out with a stagnant crew. They smoked a little pot and played a lot of video games. School wasn’t working and he realized he could make more money at his jobs if he skipped altogether. He was 17 when he dropped out. He earned his GED a few months later. * * * Jean Sifrin is 18. He just met a girl. She had pretty brown eyes and laughed at his jokes. They were co-workers at a party rental company. (Among his half dozen jobs, this was his favorite. One time, he assembled a moonwalk at Shaquille O’Neal’s Star Island mansion.) Sifrin thought he was in love. The girl became pregnant. He wanted to be the father he never had, so for nine months he saved up money. He answered an online ad—$600 a week! easy money! start right away!—and went door-to-door selling stainless steel knives sets, picture frames and Disney children’s books. A smooth-talker with an infectious smile, Sifrin almost always made his quota. (The ad failed to mention that no matter how good a salesman you are, sometimes it’s just impossible to sell picture frames, so he kept a weekend job, too.) The hours were taxing and pickup basketball was Sifrin’s only release. When a scout from Edward Waters Junior College in Jacksonville noticed him at a local park, he offered him a tryout and eventually a roster spot. Jean’s pregnant girlfriend balked at the five-hour distance. If he wasn’t enrolled as a full-time student, he wouldn’t lose eligibility. He took two classes, but did not join the team. Jean was 19 when he became a father. Jabari was born, and Jean sought stability. Driving a truck for the party rental company, he cut off a car on the highway; another driver filed a complaint and Sifrin was fired. At the sales job, he’d sometimes walk home with as little as $30 a day. A recruiting agency landed him a job at a Publix warehouse. The work was strenuous—he sustained two herniated disks that required epidural steroid injections—but the pay was excellent. Efficiency was the key, with compensation depending on workload. If you filled your order, you could pick up another. “Say your order is 600 minutes of work,” Sifrin explains. “If you do it at 100 percent, you can work 10 hours at $15.15 an hour and pick up another order. But a lot of guys would do it at 80 percent, and take 12 or 13 hours to fill the order.” Sifrin found something of a mentor; coincidentally, also named Jean. He was short, stocky and in his mid-40s, a running back at Miami Norland back in the day. This Jean was the most efficient man in the warehouse, filling tickets so fast he pulled in $30 an hour.

Soon Sifrin was averaging $25 an hour. But after 12-hour shifts, sometimes six days a week, he wondered if he was doing enough. He wondered if his son was destined to follow his same exact path. Am I better than this? Who am I looking out for? His girlfriend began taking college classes. They drifted apart and eventually broke up. “I was heartbroken, and felt like I was at a crossroads,” he says. “I told myself, the next opportunity I get, I’m taking it. No matter what it is.” * * * Jean Sifrin is 21. A friend asks if he can fill in on a flag football team. It was a pay-to-play type deal; registration was $350 for the season. They put Sifrin at wide receiver. They practiced once a week, running nothing more complicated than slants. Pete Monzon showed up at a tournament. He was an assistant coach at ASA Junior College in Brooklyn, there to see a cornerback, but couldn’t keep his eyes off of Sifrin. “Have you ever played college ball?” Monzon asked. “No sir,” Sifrin said. “Would you like to?” “Hell yeah.” And so, Sifrin left Jabari with his mother and traveled outside state lines for the first time. He had a partial scholarship to play basketball and football. It was the first time Sifrin had a regimented schedule: 5 a.m. training sessions, 7 a.m. breakfasts, mandatory study halls. It was the first time he ever watched football on tape, and also the first time he ever lifted weights. “What can you bench?” a strength coach asked. “Uhh…” Sifrin responded. Turns out, 325. But it was also the first time in a while Sifrin hung out with guys his age, and once again he found himself in trouble. According to Sifrin, one day he returned from class to a dorm room that reeked of marijuana. An RA had already alerted campus police, and blame fell on Sifrin. He was called in to the dean’s office for an immediate hearing. Sifrin says he pleaded for them to administer a drug test and the school refused. ASA kicked him off the team. (ASA athletic department spokesperson Tim Slakas officially declined to comment, adding “the incident was so long ago, and many of the people involved are not here anymore… [the incident was] something minor, and not a huge deal.”) Sifrin sold his iPad and used the money to fly home and regroup in Miami. Dream deferred. Again. * * * Jean Sifrin is 23. He is moving into a 750 square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in Torrance, Calif. His roommates will be seven football players, three snakes and a bearded dragon lizard.

It would have been six roommates, but a seventh was invited. It was a no-brainer: He was rarely home and he had a car. Sifrin enrolled at El Camino College with no scholarship or financial aid, leading to this motley arrangement. After getting kicked out of ASA he had two options: One was to go to Monroe College in the Bronx, which had just started a football program. Sifrin knew his exposure would be limited playing for a green program. So he took the second option, the well-established California school. There were difficulties transferring credits. He sat out a year before he finally got on the field. It was worth the wait. Sifrin picked up the playbook quickly (it was problem solving, like how he calculated the most efficient ways to fill orders at the Publix warehouse). His size created mismatches. He had 18 catches for 328 yards and five touchdowns, almost all of that production coming in the season’s first five games (because of injuries El Camino was on its third-string quarterback by midseason, and most opponents were double-teaming Sifrin). He went on an unofficial visit to USC and verbally committed to Oklahoma. Then trouble found Sifrin again. Or, to be more exact, Sifrin found trouble. “This one was on me,” he says. In his English literature class, Sifrin had a friend edit an essay on Shakespeare. The friend turned out to be a generous editor, and when the paper was returned it was branded with red letters: plagiarized. Sifrin failed the class by 20 points on a 1,000-point scale and would not be immediately eligible to play for the Sooners in the fall. OU rescinded its offer, USC and Kansas cooled off recruiting. A recently hired coach from a nascent Division I program swooped in. Mark Whipple, a long-time NFL assistant, assembled his staff in January; they were far behind on recruiting. They knew Sifrin wouldn’t be eligible immediately, or possibly ever, but they were willing to take the risk. Sifrin happily accepted an offer from the University of Massachusetts, moving to his fourth state in four years. * * * Jean Sifrin is 25. He arrives in Amherst, Mass. to join the UMass Minutemen. His teammates called him “Uncle.” Well, they weren’t exactly teammates yet—Sifrin wasn’t officially on the team. Because of the El Camino English class, he needed three credits to become eligible. He paid $1,700 out of pocket to take a summer English course, earning a B+. Then there was another snafu: He owed $6,000 to El Camino and they were holding his transcripts. Sifrin called his father in the Bahamas for help. He had maintained a needle-on-a-thread relationship with the man, visiting him a few times over the years at his mother’s insistence. His father was married with his own family, and Jean never felt comfortable in their home. His father said he would not help. This is the last time Jean talked to him. Sifrin finally procured a promissory note from an employee in the ASA athletic department who helped him schedule classes. “During that process, I had a realization,” Sifrin says. “I was done making excuses, done getting into trouble. I have been given so many second chances, I don’t know if I will get another.” While he sorted out his issues, NCAA regulations prohibited Sifrin from being a part of the team. He had his own insurance so he could work out in the weight room, but not under team supervision. He could not sit in on meetings or even look at a playbook.

He was cleared to play a day after the season-opener. Gameday, against Colorado at Gillette Stadium, would mark Sifrin’s second day in pads. Coaches knew they couldn’t give him the whole playbook, so they gave him a crash course with a package that included about 10 plays. “They were all pretty simple, and specific situations,” says Spencer Whipple, the tight ends coach. “One-on-one scenarios with defenders, things where we could put him in a position to do well.” One such route, late in the second quarter in the red zone, didn’t quite go as planned. Sifrin’s timing was off, and ran into the end zone a bit too soon, finding himself bracketed by two defenders. A pass-rusher closing in, quarterback Blake Frohnapfel’s forced the throw. The Colorado defender positioned behind Sifrin had the best shot at it. Sifrin’s instincts kicked in. He leapt and reached up with his right hand. Fully extended like an outfielder taking away a home run, he corralled the ball on his fingertips before clutching it with two hands as he crashed to the turf. It was the second touchdown of his Division I debut. A star was born. Throughout the season, coaches focused on fundamentals. For example, Sifrin is so big that when he ran routes overmatched defenders would clutch, grab and generally hang on for dear life. Sifrin didn’t know how to handle the excess physicality and would frustrate easily. Coaches taught him some hand-fighting techniques, improving his ability to break away from defenders as the ball came. As the season went on, he heard rumblings of the NFL’s interest. He would not be using his final season of collegiate eligibility. * * * Jean Sifrin is 27. At the combine, Sifrin had formal interviews with five teams: the Broncos, Seahawks, Cardinals, Bears and Steelers. He said his chats were different than the ones most players report back with: few off-putting questions or psychological exams. For the most part he spent each session telling his story—as much as he could explain in 15 minutes. It’s considered a particularly weak class for tight ends. He could sneak into the draft’s first 100 picks. Or he could go undrafted. “The biggest question with prospects is longevity of a career—how long do you think he can play effectively?” says Texans general manager Rick Smith. “So yes, age is a factor. How big? That depends.” Sifrin has spent the pre-draft process working out at the Pete Bommarito Training Facility in North Miami, where Rob Gronkowski regularly trains. Sifrin met with the Patriots during the pre-draft process. Perhaps he could maximize his potential by spending a year or two working behind Gronkowski, who over five NFL seasons has established himself as football’s premier tight end. Then again, there would be a certain amount of absurdity in that arrangement: Gronk would be two years younger than his apprentice. Most NFL players born in 1987 are onto their second contracts. Sifrin is reminded of this as he drives through North Miami looking for the headquarters of the party rental company as he re-traces his

journey for The MMQB. He pulls up to an empty warehouse. “I guess it’s not here anymore,” he says. “Man, everything in this neighborhood changes. I’m getting old.” “You’re not old, daddy,” says Jabari, sitting in the backseat. “Whatever you say,” Jean replies. Sifrin wants to bring Jabari with him to any NFL city he lands in. He’ll enroll him in a private school so he doesn’t grow up with the same distractions. He also wants Jabari to play a team sport. Jean looks into the rearview mirror. He catches his son’s eye and flashes a smile. If an NFL career is going to happen, it has to happen now. Because Jean Sifrin is 27, and Jabari Sifrin is 8.

The Best Guess Draft By Peter King MMQB.com April 1, 2015 Let me tell you something about a “mock draft” a month before the “real draft.” It’s not very accurate. It would be more accurately called a “best guess draft.” That is all it is. Don’t let any of the geniuses, including a faux genius like me, tell you otherwise. One of the real smart guys in the NFL was on his way home from the Florida State pro day Tuesday, around dinnertime, when I reached him on the phone. “Happy to help,” he said, “but I have no idea who anyone is taking. I’ve studied most of the players, but I don’t know which teams are taking them.” I’m doing this now for a couple of reasons. One: I heard some things last week at the league meetings that I could either file away and let die; use as blind items in Monday Morning Quarterback; or put them to use trying to solve the jigsaw puzzle known as the draft four weeks out. Two: Fans love the draft. I could have topped my mailbag column today with an opinion about the Indiana law and what it will mean to the future of the NFL and NFL events in Indiana—but before we know the final disposition of said law, what good is that? I could have topped the column with other notes from around the league, but would any of those be as interesting as whatever I know or have heard about the draft? No. So do not take this as anything but an informed opinion. That’s all it is. This will be my last draft projection until the dominoes start to fall a couple of days before the first round. I’ll do one more the week of the draft (around April 28). On with the show. 1. TAMPA BAY Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State. Looked good with his 102-pass workout in Tallahassee on Tuesday, with 96 balls on target, but it might have been one of the more meaningless workouts in recent Pro Day history. If the Bucs—whose private eyes have interviewed more than 75 people from Winston’s past—don’t find any big problems with him, he’ll be the first pick April 30. 2. TENNESSEE Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon. I’m going mostly by the look in coach Ken Whisenhunt’s eyes when he talked about the pick last week at the league meetings. Pretty scientific, huh? Well, that plus his nominal starter is Zach Mettenberger. Plus Whisenhunt job will be on the line with another fourth-place finish in a bad division. 3. JACKSONVILLE Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida. The popular pick here is USC defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who might be the best player in the draft. But the Jags have 2014 star defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks, and two other 300-pound linemen, Tyson Alualu and Jared Odrick. The need is a rusher. Fowler fits.

4. OAKLAND Leonard Williams, DT, USC. GM Reggie McKenzie waits for the phone to ring. He’ll trade during his pick, especially with Williams on the board. Interesting trade-up candidate: Cleveland, with the 12th and 19th and 43rd picks, and with a big need for a dominating three-technique pile-mover. *5. ST. LOUIS Kevin White, WR, West Virginia. *Trade: In exchange for giving St. Louis the fifth pick, Washington gets the 10th and 72nd pick. Washington GM Scot McCloughan badly wants to trade this pick, because his needs don’t match with the players on the board. The Rams don’t love anyone on the board here, but a premier player at wideout is a big need. Interesting if it happens: The two big receiver stars in recent Mountaineer history, White and Tavon Austin, would be reunited in Missouri. 6. NEW YORK JETS Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama. After quarterback to Tampa Bay, receiver to the Jets is the most logical pick in the draft. Now watch Mike Maccagnan take a corner. 7. CHICAGO Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson. Bears would love White or Cooper. New GM Ryan Pace might trade up for one. But John Fox loves rushers, and even after spending $39 million in free agency on Pernell McPhee, Beasley is the best value for the rush-starved Bears. 8. ATLANTA Alvin “Bud” Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky. Mark my words: Dupree’s getting picked higher than draftniks think. And if there’s one regret Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff has after last season, it’s that he didn’t go out and buy or draft a premier rusher last year. He won’t get fooled again. 9. NEW YORK GIANTS Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa. Pretty easy pick, though I have no idea if this is GM Jerry Reese’s man. G-Men need the line to be fortified, and Scherff is the best offensive lineman on everyone’s board. Don’t think too hard here, Jerry. *10. WASHINGTON Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri. *Trade: In exchange for the No. 5 pick, St. Louis sends Washington the 10th and 72nd.

Good first move for McCloughan, if he can gather another pick while nabbing a pass-rusher in the process to replace Brian Orakpo. 11. MINNESOTA Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State. Coach Mike Zimmer is not telegraphing his wants too much; he was at UConn cornerback Byron Jones’ workout Tuesday in Storrs, Conn. Jones would be a fallback if Waynes gets taken in the first 10 picks of the draft. 12. CLEVELAND D.J. Humphries, OT/OG, Florida. It’s a meat-and-potatoes pick for GM Ray Farmer, taking the second-best tackle prospect on many boards. 13. NEW ORLEANS Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska. Saints will have this sign on their draft table in Chicago on April 30: MAKE US AN OFFER. WE WANT MORE PICKS. LOTS OF THEM. Failing a big offer with some good cornerbacks and rushers on the board, and satisfied that Gregory does not have a case of the munchies, GM Mickey Loomis makes defensive coordinator Rob Ryan a happy man. 14. MIAMI DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville. An obvious need. Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey prays Parker will be on the board at 14. 15. SAN FRANCISCO Marcus Peters, CB, Washington. Had his share of off-field problems in Seattle, but the Niners are used to dealing with those. Chris Culliver-for-Peters is a very good off-season deal for new coach Jim Tomsula. 16. HOUSTON Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest. Texans spent big on Kareem Jackson last month at corner, and they certainly could go receiver here. Tough call. Johnson is very pro-ready. 17. SAN DIEGO Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford. GM Tom Telesco could go lots of ways here. Easy to pick a receiver, a corner, a rusher, or the best back in the draft. But Telesco learned about fortifying lines from Bill Polian. Just a hunch he’ll do that to give Philip Rivers a fighting chance in 2015, grabbing a player ready to play early from a pro-style scheme.

18. KANSAS CITY Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida. Wouldn’t be shocked to see him go as high as 13 or 14, especially after running two sub-4.3 forties at his pro day recently. He’s getting tons of love in the scouting community. Chiefs will hope he’s not Stephen Hill. 19. CLEVELAND Danny Shelton, NT, Washington. He’s getting dinged by a few scouts for his inconsistency recently, and he’s likely just a two-down player. But at his peak, he could be a Vince Wilfork, and the Browns need some defensive beef. 20. PHILADELPHIA Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State. Jordan Matthews: 6-3, 212. Jaelen Strong: 6-2 ½, 219. Chip Kelly then fills in the receiver slots with some Riley Coopers and Miles Austins. 21. CINCINNATI Landon Collins, SS, Alabama. Have thought all along Cincinnati would take the best offensive lineman here, and it’s certainly possible. But at the combine, Bengal folk were very high on Collins. 22. PITTSBURGH Jalen Collins, CB, LSU. I guess the Steelers could take something other than a corner in the first round. But it wouldn’t be a good pick. 23. DETROIT Cameron Erving, C, Florida State. “Second-best offensive lineman in the draft, to Scherff,” was the word in Phoenix from one GM. He’ll be a steal for someone if he gets past 20. Lions had awful center play last year, then cut Dominic Raiola. Big need position for Detroit. 24. ARIZONA Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia. Problems with this pick: Gurley is only four months out from knee reconstruction; it’s likely he won’t be at full strength to start the 2015 season … The Cards like Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska, and know they can get him down the line … The Cards might be able to get—might—Adrian Peterson at a discount if the Vikings get desperate. So I wouldn’t write this pick with a pen. 25. CAROLINA

Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami. The Panthers have a few needs, but the one at tackle cries out for instant fix. 26. BALTIMORE Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin. I have never been one for common wisdom when it comes to predicting the Ravens. Nor has Ozzie Newsome, who must be focusing on corners and receivers. But Gordon dropping this far, even with found money Justin Forsett in the fold, cannot be ignored. 27. DALLAS Jordan Phillips, NT, Oklahoma. Cowboys have needs all over the front seven, and Phillips is the best big body available. 28. DENVER La’el Collins, OT, LSU. Good value for the spot, but I think GM John Elway would have preferred the value and need pick of Cameron Erving here. Could Elway be persuaded to trade ahead of Detroit for Erving? *29. ST. LOUIS T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh. *Trade: In exchange for the 29th pick, Indianapolis gets the 41st and 119th picks. The Rams have done their share of compiling picks during the Les Snead regime. Now it’s time to spend one to address a very leaky line, especially after Jake Long was released and St. Louis let Joe Barksdale test the market (he hasn’t left yet, but he could). Teams will be sniffing around the end of the first round for the remnants of the tackle and receiver markets. 30. GREEN BAY Denzel Perryman, MLB/ILB, Miami (Fla.) Could the Packers get their desperately needed plugger linebacker in the second round? To be sure. They might even be able to get the 5-11, 236-pound Perryman there. But the Pack loves Perryman, and Ted Thompson’s never been afraid to take a shot on a player others don’t value as highly. *31. CHICAGO Byron Jones, CB, UConn. *Trade: In exchange for the 31st pick, New Orleans gets the 39th, 106th and 192nd picks. Shot in the dark. The clues: Bears were 30th in the NFL against the pass last year; Bear corners are ancient; new GM Ryan Pace comes from Mickey Loomis’ classroom in New Orleans. And Pace knows the Patriots love UConn players, and had a contingent Tuesday at Husky Pro Day, where Jones ran 4.38 and 4.44.

32. NEW ENGLAND Eddie Goldman, NT, Florida State. So long, Vince. Hello, Eddie. Now onto your email… DO AWAY WITH 18-YARD FIELD GOALS. So under one proposed rule change, you’ll be able to get three points from up to 14 yards closer in than you can get one point? That seems odd, at best. Why not also add a rule that says, ‘On any fourth down inside the 25-yard line, the offensive team will have the option of the ball being moved back to the 25 to kick a field goal or go for a first down/touchdown.’ Eliminating chip-shot FGs that teams settle for—and sometimes seem to aspire to—will do far more to make the game exciting than tinkering with the PAT. —Nathan W. I don’t agree. Look, there are going to be parts of this rule that seem uneven. But at the base of this entire discussion is the simple concept of trying to make the PAT a more competitive play. Some people want to make the play more competitive; some people are comfortable with a play that is successful 99.6% of the time. Opinions are what makes the sports world go ‘round. GOAL-LINE ABSURDITY. Please raise the absurdity of not only not implementing goal-line cameras, but also inviting more goal-line plays. I like the idea of the proposed new extra-point rule, but to do that and also not implement the goal-line camera proposal the Patriots so badly want is a bad look for the NFL. —Ed S. Totally agreed. And I believe that by either 2015 or 2016, goal-line cameras will be put in place to make the close plays at the goal line easier to call. I’ve heard form quite a few people about this, and I’m glad to see so many of you agree that this is long overdue. PATs IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS. Regarding the PAT rule changes, is there any disagreement/tension among warm weather/dome teams and cold weather franchises with outdoor stadiums? A 34-yard PAT is only mildly dramatic inside, say, Lucas Oil Stadium. But at Heinz Field on a cold and windy December day? Or at Gillette Stadium for a playoff game? —Stan F. That’s a very good point. In fact, the co-chair of the competition committee, Rams coach Jeff Fisher, doesn’t want to change the rule for exactly that reason. Let’s use your example: The Colts are playing Houston for the division championship in Week 17 next year at Lucas Oil Stadium and the game is won on that 33-yard extra point that you referred to. In Heinz Field meanwhile, also in Week 17, the final extra point in the Steelers-Ravens game was missed, leading to a loss by that team. So I guess I would ask you, how can you tell which team in Indianapolis is going to line up to make the chip shot and which team in Pittsburgh is going to line up to miss the chip shot? Just because the weather is going to impact the game in one city and not impact the game in the other city, how do you know at the end of a game

which team is going to line up for a kick with the game on the line? I have no argument with those who believe that weather may have a big impact on some of these kicks late in the season. That’s football. I repeat my problem with the extra point in general as it exists right now: in the past two years, 14 extra points have been missed in 512 football games. I continue to stress this in what I write and I know many of you are getting tired of it, but I just don’t understand the desire by so many—I’m not saying you in particular, Stan, because I don’t know how you feel about this—to want to hang on to something they feel is a traditional, cool part of the game and they don’t want to see go away. It’s insane. TEXTING VS. TALKING. I’m confused. Why is it a punishable rules infraction for the GM of the Cleveland Browns to communicate with the sideline by sending text messages from his advantageous seating position, but when the GM of the Dallas Cowboys leaves his advantageous seating position to chat personally with his coach and quarterback on the sideline, it’s just Jerry being Jerry? —Ed P. It is not against the rules for the owner of a team to have a conversation with a coach or a player on the sidelines. The reason why texting coaches is prohibited is because team officials in the press box can see or hear things from opposing team officials or can talk on the phone with people outside the stadium who have inside information on the game being played. And that information is not something the NFL believes should be shared. In other words, once you begin to allow text communications to and from coaches in the coaching booth or on the sidelines, where would that stop? How would you be able to stop coaches from texting people outside their teams for advice on how to make a play or how to stop a team that they’re playing in this particular game? I understand your point about the fact that Jerry Jones could be garnering information from the outside world as well that could be impactful in strategy for this game. But as long as it is not done electronically, I don’t see any way you can police or prohibit an owner from talking to his team during a game—the same way that you can’t prohibit a general manager from talking to his team during a game. Texting, however, can lead to more unintended consequences. GREGORY WILL DROP. You mentioned Nebraska pass-rusher Randy Gregory in your quotes of the week section but didn’t elaborate much. Do you believe he will fall in the draft for testing positive for marijuana? I have heard both arguments on various sports-talk shows. What are your thoughts? —Christopher N. I think it is likely that Gregory will be drafted later than if he had not tested positive at the combine. But with four weeks to go before the draft, I believe much of that is in his hands. Reportedly, he tested positive for marijuana twice while in college, as well as the one time in February. I don’t know the off-field testing history of any of the other pass rushers in this draft, but if the other premiere rushers are clean and Gregory has this on his record, it’s logical to think he will drop. Logical, and pretty sensible from a football perspective because it’s just one more thing to worry about if you draft Gregory.

Report: Cowboys, LB Rolando McClain agree to contract By Kevin Patra NFL.com April 1, 2015 The Dallas Cowboys hung on to one of their best defenders from 2014. Rolando McClain and the Cowboys agreed to a one-year contract worth $3 million in base salary and another $1 million in playtime incentives, ESPN's Ed Werder reported Wednesday. The former first-round linebacker visited the New England Patriots on Monday and received an offer, before choosing to stay in Dallas, per Werder. McClain underwent a reclamation year with the Cowboys following two failed retirements, compiling 81 tackles and one sack in 13 games. The 25-year-old linebacker -- who has had his share of run-ins with the law -- will be fined his first four paychecks to open the 2015 season for violating the NFL's policy on substance abuse. McClain started the 2014 season on a tear and looked like a Comeback Player of the Year candidate. His play tailed off at the end, but placing him back in the middle of the Cowboys' defense will allow the oft-injured Sean Lee to swing to the weak side and solidify the unit.

Broncos announce offseason football calendar By Ben Swanson DenverBroncos.com March 31, 2015 The Broncos announced on Tuesday their schedule of key offseason football dates, including the start of their offseason program. Date Event April 13-16 Offseason Workout Program (Phase 1) April 20-23 Offseason Workout Program (Phase 1) April 28-30 Voluntary Veteran Mini Camp April 30-May 2 NFL Draft May 4-7 Offseason Workout Program (Phase 2) May 8-10 Rookie Mini Camp May 11-14 Offseason Workout Program (Phase 2) May 18-21 Offseason Workout Program (Phase 2) May 26 Offseason Workout Program (Phase 2) May 27-29 Organized Team Activities (Phase 3) June 1-2 Organized Team Activities (Phase 3) June 3 Offseason Workout Program (Phase 2) June 4 Organized Team Activities (Phase 3) June 9-11 Mandatory Veteran Mini Camp June 15-18 Organized Team Activities (Phase 3) Note: Some dates are subject to change. Offseason Workout Program (Phase 1): These organized workouts are the first two weeks of the offseason program, and the physical activities are limited to strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation. Only strength and conditioning coaches are permitted on the field and there are no helmets. Voluntary Veteran Mini Camp: Week three of the offseason program consistes of three days of practices, of which two of those days can have two-a-day practices. No live contact, pads or helmets are permitted. Offseason Workout Program (Phase 2): From the fourth week to the sixth week of the offseason program, all coaches are allowed on the field, and individual player instruction and drills are allowed. No offense vs. defense drills, live contact or helmets are permitted. Rookie Mini Camp: In this part of the Broncos' rookie football development program, all coaches are permitted on the field. The camp is open to all players with no NFL pension credits. There is no live contact, but offense vs. defense drills are allowed and helmets may be required. Offseason Workout Program (Phase 3): This phase of the offseason program is allotted 10 total days over weeks seven, eight and 10. All coaches are permitted on the field but no live contact is allowed. Offense vs. defense drills are allowed and helmets may be required.

Mandatory Veteran Mini Camp: In week nine of the offseason program, there are three days of practices, of which two of those days can have two-a-day practices. No live contact or pads are allowed, but helmets are permitted.

Legend and Legacy: Elway's first comeback By Jim Saccomano DenverBroncos.com March 31, 2015 John Elway and the Denver Broncos remind me of that symbol for eternity, the horizontal eight that just keeps moving round and round without end. Truly, John Elway has been the Denver Broncos, is and always will be. This week in our Legend and Legacy series, let's look back almost to the very beginning: John's first comeback ever. Most fans know that he retired with the most fourth-quarter comebacks in history, a category of stats which I created after he had several of them, and the media kept asking which one begat which one, and so I figured I had better categorize them. I checked every record of every other team to see where the heck he ranked on the all-time lists, and it became pretty clear where he was headed: Top of the class. As Bum Phillips, late father of current defensive coordinator Wade Philips once said, "I don't know if he is in a class by himself, but it sure don't take long to call the roll." But I digress, as always. Elway had of course been acquired from Baltimore by trade, and there was acrimony and animosity in Baltimore. We had played our second road game of the season at Baltimore—still the most intimidating crowd, verbally, I ever saw in my career. John started the game, played the first half, then Steve DeBerg played the second in a 17-10 Broncos win. Elway and DeBerg more or less shared the starting job throughout John's rookie season, and Elway had what longtime friend Kevin Byrne, then PR director of the Cleveland Browns (and still with the same franchise, in Baltimore) referred to as "Elway's coming out party" against the Browns in a 27-6 win at Mile High Stadium on December 4. The Browns thought they were going to the playoffs—they did not; we did instead—based largely on that head-to-head win engineered by the arm and leg of our rookie quarterback in that early December game. And that brought us to our regular season finale, a home date against the Colts on December 11, 1983. The Colts had a real bad year and though it was not known at the time, they were on the verge of a move to Indianapolis. It was not expected to be a tough game for Denver, but four Raul Allegre field goals had helped Baltimore build what looked to be an insurmountable 19-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter. And then, just like that, John Elway's first comeback.

With 4:08 gone in the fourth period, Elway threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Clinton Sampson. It would have been reversed and called incomplete today, because Clinton only had one foot down in the back of the end zone, but no replay existed then, so it was a touchdown for Denver. Then our great cornerback Louis Wright intercepted a Baltimore pass and returned it 34 yards to the Colts' 43-yard-line, where Elway quickly engineered his second fourth quarter scoring drive of the game. Elway finished the game 23-of-44 for 345 yards, and he ended this drive with a 26-yard scoring pass-and-run to running back Jesse Myles, "the little butterball" who continually battled weight issues in his NFL career. Denver took over for what would be the last drive at the Broncos' own 25 with 3:00 minutes exactly on the clock, and John did what John would always do, driving the team down the field, this time into his first playoff berth. The winning touchdown pass—his third of the fourth quarter—was a 26-yarder to running back Gerald Willhite with just 44 seconds left in the game. Ironically, one of the key components of that play was that Gerald forgot to make his block in the backfield, instead heading downfield, where the good news is he was a wide open target over the middle. The bad news, of course, is that no one blocked the Colt pass rusher who was bearing down on Elway. But it was Elway, right? He saw what was happening and whipped the ball to Willhite a hair before the defender got to him, and the next thing that happened was Gerald was doing his trademark backflip in the end zone, the fans were euphoric, and the Broncos were in the playoffs as a wild card team. And John Elway had the first fourth-quarter comeback of his pro career. As an addendum, it was obvious moving forward that John would be the only guy for the Denver Broncos, and so in the offseason General Manager John Bake engineered a trade to send DeBerg to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Steve was delighted to move on and out of John's prodigious shadow. The future of the Broncos and Broncos Country was set to include a lot of bottles of champagne being opened, largely due to the play of the magnificent quarterback from Stanford. Another toast to John. He deserves them all.

The best of who's still on the market in free agency By An drew Mason DenverBroncos.com March 31, 2015 With the market settled and teams focused on draft preparation, plenty of names left on the market might be unsigned until at least after the draft, when teams begin plugging holes that the three days of picks failed to fill. Some of the names on this list are likely to linger until after June 1, when another flurry of signings is likely to follow. For unrestricted free agents, that date represents a crucial demarcation point; after that, teams can sign UFAs and not have the acquisition count toward the disbursement of compensatory selections next year. Street free agents -- those cut by their previous teams -- don't count toward the compensatory calculation. The market for those players changed Tuesday with reports that the Raiders will release defensive lineman Antonio Smith, who played inside in Oakland's 4-3 but has proven, recent success as a pass-rushing 5-technique defensive end in the 3-4. Who are the best of what's left on the market among non-Broncos? 1. C STEFEN WISNIEWSKI, OAKLAND (Rank two weeks ago: No. 2) According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Wisniewski underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum after the season, having played through the injury last year. If he recovers, he should be effective, but for the moment, teams appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach. 2. ILB ROLANDO McCLAIN, DALLAS (Rank two weeks ago: No. 3) He likely faces another prove-it year once he signs a contract, and if he responds as he did last year, he will be a bargain. 3. G JUSTIN BLALOCK, EX-ATLANTA (Rank two weeks ago: No. 4) Being cut by the Falcons did not help his cause, but the 31-year-old lineman has played all but one game in the last seven years. 4. DT C.J. MOSLEY, DETROIT (Rank two weeks ago: No. 6) Character questions are the issue for Mosley amid reports that he was sent home from the Lions' trip to London because he was found with marijuana. 5. WR MICHAEL CRABTREE, SAN FRANCISCO (Rank two weeks ago: No. 7) With the receiver pickings slim on the market, Crabtree can take his time, but he is unlikely to get the price he wants because the draft's WR class is so deep. 6. OT JAKE LONG, EX-ST. LOUIS (Rank two weeks ago: No. 8) Long's last four seasons ended on injured reserve, and he hasn't played a full 16-game schedule in five years. 7. DL ANTONIO SMITH, EX-OAKLAND (Unranked two weeks ago)

An awkward fit in the Raiders' 4-3 alignment, Smith functions best as a 5-technique DE in the 3-4, at which he flourished under the watch of Bill Kollar and Wade Phillips with the Houston Texans. He was able to play off the attention given to J.J. Watt on the other side to become an effective, disruptive pass rusher. 8. C/G CHRIS MYERS, EX-HOUSTON (Rank two weeks ago: No. 9) Age is a concern, but he's a good fit for a zone-blocking scheme and should have at least a year of starting-level effectiveness in him. 9. LB BRANDON SPIKES, BUFFALO (Rank two weeks ago: No. 10) A two-down linebacker who remains effective in that role and should still start in the league. 10. RB KNOWSHON MORENO, MIAMI (Rank two weeks ago: No. 11) A second torn ACL in three years ended his 2014 season. He recovered well from the first injury, suffered in 2011, and had his best NFL season two years later. But with an injury history that grows lengthier, he will likely be part of a platoon going forward. 11. S Dwight Lowery, Atlanta (Rank two weeks ago: No. 13) 12. LB Lance Briggs, Chicago (Rank two weeks ago: No. 15) 13. WR Greg Jennings, ex-Minnesota (Rank two weeks ago: No. 16) 14. RT Joe Barksdale, St. Louis (Rank two weeks ago: No. 17) 15. RT Byron Bell, Carolina (Rank two weeks ago: No. 18) 16. RB Stevan Ridley, New England (Rank two weeks ago: No. 22) 17. TE/FB James Casey, ex-Philadephia (Rank two weeks ago: No. 24) 18. S Dawan Landry, N.Y. Jets (Rank two weeks ago: No. 26) 19. TE JERMAINE GRESHAM, CINCINNATI (Rank two weeks ago: No. 27) As with Wisniewski, surgery puts his availability on hold, Gresham underwent a procedure to repair a herniated disc March 19. 20. Edge rusher Anthony Spencer, Dallas (Rank two weeks ago: No. 28) 21. DT Kevin Williams, Seattle (Rank two weeks ago: No. 29) 22. CB Charles Tillman, Chicago (Rank two weeks ago: No. 32) 23. S Stevie Brown, N.Y. Giants (Rank two weeks ago: No. 33) 24. WR Hakeem Nicks, Indianapolis (Rank two weeks ago: No. 35) 25. TE Rob Housler, Arizona (Rank two weeks ago: No. 36) 26. RB Pierre Thomas, ex-New Orleans (Rank two weeks ago: No. 37) 27. Edge rusher Dwight Freeney, San Diego (Rank two weeks ago: No. 38) 28. RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Indianapolis (Rank two weeks ago: No. 40) 29. RB Steven Jackson, ex-Atlanta (Rank two weeks ago: No. 41) 30. WR Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis (Rank two weeks ago: No. 42) 31. OT Ryan Harris, Kansas City (Rank two weeks ago: No. 43) 32. TE Zach Miller, ex-Seattle (Rank two weeks ago: No. 44) 33. WR Denarius Moore, Oakland (Rank two weeks ago: No. 45) 34. RB Chris Johnson, N.Y. Jets (Rank two weeks ago: No. 46) 35. ILB Joe Mays, ex-Kansas City (Rank two weeks ago: No. 48) 36. DT Red Bryant, ex-Jacksonville (Rank two weeks ago: No. 49) 37. NT BARRY COFIELD, EX-WASHINGTON (Rank two weeks ago: No. 50) He may be a summer signing as teams wait to evaluate his recovery from hip surgery. 38. OLB Geno Hayes, Jacksonville (Unranked)

39. QB Tarvaris Jackson, Seattle (Unranked) 40. CB Zack Bowman, N.Y. Giants (Unranked) 41. OL Philip Wheeler, ex-Miami (Unranked) 42. G Dan Connolly, New England (Unranked) 43. CB Tarell Brown, Oakland (Unranked) 44. DE Da'Quan Bowers, Tampa Bay (Unranked) 45. QB Michael Vick, N.Y. Jets (Unranked) 46. G Rob Sims, Detroit (Unranked) 47. DE/OLB Mathias Kiwanuka, ex-N.Y. Giants (Unranked) 48. RB/KR Leon Washington, Tennessee (Unranked) 49. FB John Kuhn, Green Bay (Unranked) 50. WR Nate Washington, Tennessee (Unranked)