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Willis McGahee will participate in the second Pro Bowl of his career. (David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE)

Willis McGahee looks like he’s enjoying himself in Hawaii this week. He was mic’d up during an AFC Pro Bowl practice.

You can catch the clip here. He even heckles Von Miller a little bit.

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Janoris Jenkins will benefit any team that drafts him so long as he stays out of trouble.(Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

Many of you prefer that the Denver Broncos draft a defensive player with their first pick in the draft. Whether on the defensive line or in the secondary, the Broncos still have a lot of work to do and they need to improve through the draft.

Let’s take a look at the secondary. Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman are getting up there in age. Bailey is still a shutdown corner but in the next couple of years, he could make the move to safety. Goodman, meanwhile, showed his age in 2011 with younger and faster wide receivers burning him for big plays. The Broncos must look at a cornerback in the draft.

That brings me to Janoris Jenkins out of North Alabama. Huh, where? Yes, Jenkins comes out of a division II program after being dismissed from Florida after his third arrest in his college career.
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The popularity of NFL football has only grown over the years. (MPS-US PRESSWIRE)

Baseball may claim to be America’s sport, but in reality, football can comfortably claim that title.

Harris Interactive came out with their yearly poll which was intended to find out which sports is the most popular. Last year, 31% said pro football was their favorite while pro baseball got 17% of the vote. This year, pro football received 36% of the vote while pro baseball got 13% of the vote. 2,237 adults were surveyed online in December.

For a further breakdown of the numbers, go here.

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John Fox looks on as the Broncos battle the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. (Mark L. Baer/US PRESSWIRE)

It seems like everyone is in a hurry to fill the vacancies on their coaching staff. Make no mistake, however, John Fox is taking his time with the new defensive coordinator hire.

“I don’t really have a direction set, not yet,” Fox said. “We’ll sit down as a staff as we get away from the Senior Bowl and put a plan together.” – John Fox via The Denver Post

How much does not having a defensive coordinator as the Broncos go through their evaluations at the Senior Bowl hurt them? It’s a question that must be asked. Thankfully, Fox is a defensive minded head coach that has seven years of experience as a defensive coordinator. He’s got many more years of experience on the defensive side of the ball.

As for who the Broncos will hire, Mile High Report put out a nice piece detailing three options. Ian Henson goes over the possibility of the Broncos hiring former Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio, Broncos linebacker coach Richard Smith, and Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac.

All seem like viable option for the present, but at this point, the Broncos have to look into the future. It doesn’t take one year to build a Super Bowl contender.

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Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee (23) runs with the football during the second quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

The NFL Pro Bowl certainly isn’t the most watched game of the season. The entertainment factor just isn’t there.

To liven things up, the NFL is going to allow Pro Bowl players to Tweet live during the game. The league does not allow players to Tweet 90 minutes prior to a regular game, but they are easing up during the annual all-star game.

Each sideline will be equipped with a computer station for players to go to. Will we see a Tweet TD celebration?

The Denver Broncos have six players playing in the game. Here are their Twitter handles in case you’re not following:

Von Miller – @Millerlite40 

Ryan Clady – @RyanClady 

Brian Dawkins – @BrianDawkins 

Willis McGahee – @WillisMcGahee 

Champ Bailey – @ChampBailey 

Elvis Dumervil – @Ekd92 

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Champ Bailey is one of two players on the Broncos' defense who will have his seventh coordinator in seven years. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

One of the top story lines heading into last week’s NFC Championship Game was the hindered development of San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Alex Smith.  Coming out of college at Utah, he was the first pick of the NFL draft and was shouldered with high exceptions that he would return their franchise to the glory days of Joe Montana and Steve Young.  Seven years and seven offensive coordinators later, Smith had finally led his squad to the brink of the Super Bowl.

Is it any wonder that it took him so long to fulfill the expectations of a first round draft pick?  Every year a new offensive coordinator would come in and change what had been established the year prior.  What could a bit of consistency do for his development?

 “Each man had a new idea of how an NFL offense should look and how Smith fit into their system.  Some liked Smith more than others.  Every spring meant a new playbook.” -Gregg Rosenthal, NBC Sports

 This spring will mean a new defensive playbook for the Denver Broncos.  Actually, like for Smith, it will be the seventh playbook in seven springs.  Two stalwart veterans of the Broncos’ defense, Champ Bailey and D.J. Williams will be in the same position the 49ers’ quarterback was in as the Broncos look to bring in their seventh defensive coordinator in seven years.

Before we look forward to what the Broncos should look for in a defensive coordinator, let’s take a look back at the last six men to lead the Broncos’ defense:

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Jack Del Rio could be the Broncos next defensive coordinator. (USA Today)

The timing and setting appear to be right.

With Dennis Allen taking over the Oakland Raiders head coaching position, the Denver Broncos have a huge gap to fill.

Jack Del Rio is one likely candidate that the Broncos will consider hiring. Del Rio was John Fox’s defensive coordinator in Carolina in 2002 when the team went 7-9 (They were 1-15 the year before). After that season, Del Rio moved to Jacksonville to take over as the head coach for the Jaguars.

Del Rio’s nine-year stint ended with his firing in November of 2011. During his tenure, he had a 69-73 record and he went 1-2 in the playoffs.

The question here is how quickly does Del Rio want to hit his head coaching stride again? The Broncos have been through seven defensive coordinators in seven years, and it’s clear that they need a consistent coach in the role.

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The Denver Broncos will see Dennis Allen twice next year. (Genevieve Ross/Associated Press)

The hearts in Broncos Country are a little heavy today.

The Denver Broncos lost a great defensive coordinator to longtime divisional rivals, the Oakland Raiders. Dennis Allen is now the new head coach of the Raiders, just one year after arriving in Denver.

His expertise helped draft Von Miller with the 2nd overall pick, and he took the defense from last place in 2010 to 20th place in 2011. Under Allen, the Broncos showed glimpses of Orange Crush. It was often times their defense that kept them in ball games, making stances and creating turnovers, until the offense could put up some points in the end.

Now it’s back to the drawing board for the seventh time in seven years. Put Allen in the same category so to speak as Larry Coyer, Jim Bates, Bob Slowik, Mike Nolan, and Don “Wink” Martindale. They were were defensive coordinators for just one year.They are close to forming their own 11.

The Raiders made good on their name and raided the positive from the defensive side of the Broncos ball. Players weren’t happy about it.

He knew how to get us ready,” Champ Bailey told the NFL Network. “I give him a lot of credit for the success we had this year. . . .  He’s one of the most intense coaches I’ve had.”

That one stings.
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Dennis Allen engineered the Broncos' defensive turnaround in 2011. (Photo by Genievieve Ross, AP).

We spoke too soon.

The division rival Oakland Raiders have officially hired away former Broncos’ defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for their head coaching vacancy on Tuesday. Allen was rumored to be a frontrunner to replace departed coach Hue Jackson after returning to Oakland for multiple interviews.

The move means that the Broncos will, for the seventh year in a row, hire a new defensive coordinator to start the 2012 season.

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It was reported earlier Tuesday that Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was the frontrunner for the head coaching job in Oakland.

Now reports are surfacing that claim the Raiders are still considering three men for the job, including a “mystery candidate.”

The Raiders have narrowed their coaching search to three candidates –  Winston Moss, Dennis Allen, and a third “mystery candidate,” according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. are no longer in the running, according to the same source. – Paul Gutierrez (CSNBayArea.com)

The Raiders would like to make their decision by Saturday, so stay tuned.

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