Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Woodson has come and gone. We know the Broncos made him an offer but seeings how he is not on the roster, we can assume the offer was too low for Woodson’s tastes. The Raiders now appear more and more likely to sign Woodson but the Giants, Panthers and even the Lions have recently emerged as interested suitors. I doubt there isn’t a team that would benefit from his experience and skills but so far no organization seems interested in offering a substantial down payment for them. Woodson has gone from demanding a top salary to demanding he play for a contender to confessing that he is just a ball player looking to play ball. Where ever he ends up it is hard to see him as a Bronco at this point.

John Elway and company aren’t afraid to spend money, of course. Reference Peyton Manning’s  contract as evidence of that or just look at the sizable compromise they were reportedly ready to offer Elvis Dumervil. Sure, it was a pay cut, but it was still a sizable offer. The Broncos were one of the most aggressive teams in free agency this year as well. The minute the free agency clock started ticking this off season, the Broncos went on a shopping spree that only Kim Kardashian could top! Still, that doesn’t mean the Broncos have to have the best free agent safety on their team in order to remain an elite squad.

Woodson would be a nice addition and the Broncos have $7 million in cap room remaining. However, the Broncos don’t need him. For all the talk of Rahim Moore’s postseason blunder, the Bronco secondary was terrific last season. As many have said over and over again, Moore has to learn from that and move on. The consensus from the coaching staff is that he can and will.

Furthermore, it’s not as if the Broncos haven’t already made moves to sure up their defensive back field. They added Shaun Phillips to replace Dumervil’s production. While Phillips is not a defensive back necessarily, pressure is a defensive backs best friend. Adding Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will allow Chris Harris  to either line up as a corner or line up as one of the best cover safeties in the AFC. As good as Harris was at corner last year it is easy to forget his natural position is actually safety.

Additionally, the Broncos added Kayvon Webster in the third round of this year’s draft. The knock on Webster isn’t his skill set or his potential. It was that many felt the Broncos’ reached too far to acquire him. Still, Webster is a versatile play maker who can line up in coverage and also tackles with authority. Just watch the film on this guy. I’m not going to go crazy and say Steve Atwater but then again, I just did.

Sure, picking up Woodson would be a statement. It would be an upgrade as well, no one is denying that. Who knows, he may end up a Bronco. Stranger things than that have happened. The one thing we’ve seen from this organization during the off season, however, is that they move decisively. Only Dumervil slipped away and that wasn’t because the Broncos didn’t make their offer and intentions clear right away. When they have wanted a player, they have been able to obtain him quickly and without unnecessary negotiations.

Like previous visitors Dwight Freeney and John Abraham, Woodson left without a contract. It speaks volumes to the confidence the Broncos have in the pieces they already have in place. This team can win a championship without Woodson. Of course, he claims he’d like to play for a contender. Well, Charles, there is one in Denver.

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Peyton Manning (18) throws a pass at AFC practice for the 2013 Pro Bowl at Hickam air force base. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Ever dream of tossing the football around with Peyton Manning? One lucky fan and his or her five friends will have the chance to do so during Broncos’ training camp 2013.

The prize (donated by Manning) includes a trip to training camp to watch the team during the first week of an early morning practice. They will be seated in the VIP area during practice. Then the lucky group will have lunch with the Broncos in the team cafeteria, and get a private behind-the-scenes tour of the training facility. Before the day is over, they will get the chance to throw the football around with the league’s only four-time MVP, Peyton Manning. John Fox will even be on hand to critique the winner’s spiral in a private post-practice meeting.

Bidding on this ultimate Broncos’ experience is open through May 14. This is your chance! The best part of this is the proceeds from the auction support the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, which is a human rights advocacy organization that works to achieve a peaceful and just world by advancing human rights.

As of now, the current bid sits at $9,500.

December 30, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning reacts on the sidelines during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 38-3. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday night, the Colorado Rockies hosted some very special dignitaries during their 2-0 win over the New York Yankees at Coors Field: the Denver Broncos. Well many of them anyway. Peyton Manning, Orlando Franklin, Eric Decker, Champ Bailey, Von Miller, and Wes Welker were among the lot of Broncos who occupied a suite for the game. While they were probably there to watch the game and engage in a team-building adventure, Manning and Decker had ulterior motives. It seems that quarterback sent his favorite possession receiver on a post pattern to perpetrate a prank on the mountainous Franklin.

The plan, as described by Root Sports’ Jenny Cavnar on the Evans and Klatt Show on FM 104.3 The Fan Wednesday morning was to interview Franklin, creating a distraction (and trust me, the lovely Ms. Cavnar is quite the distraction). So during this interview, Decker was to come up from behind the big man and give him the whipped cream pie in the face. The prank was pulled off without a hitch. What is even more intriguing about, this per Cavnar is that Decker approached her ahead of time and simply asked where she would be doing the interview so he could plan out his route to Franklin. However that was too simplistic for Manning. True to form, the future hall of fame QB and world class prankster practically took over the production of the interview segment. According to Cavnar, he started to talk about the placement of her and the “mark”, which direction they should face, and all sorts of seemingly miniscule details.

There are two parts this story which are encouraging as a Broncos fan. First of all the camaraderie of the team, including the newly acquired Welker. The fun, close-knit environment that I picked up on while watching this prank play out appeared to be similar to the vibe that we felt around that team in the late 1990′s when the Broncos hoisted the Lombardi Trophy twice. Secondly, the precision in which Manning directed the prank clearly showed that this is in fact his team. In addition, there is the vigilance which he approaches aspects outside of football. We  knew this already about Manning, but he seems as determined to create the harmony within the team off the field as the game plan on it. I am guarded about crowning the Broncos anything before the first weekend in February but I am getting THAT feeling again. I just hope it is an omen instead of indigestion.

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