The Denver Broncos dominate the New Orleans Saints

By NFL-EN | dave@nflen.com

The Denver Broncos scored first in the first quarter on a 1 yard Willis McGahee TD run, but the Saints would answer the bell in the second quarter with a 29 yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Darren Sproles.

The Broncos would once again take the lead on a 13 yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Eric Decker. After this score, the Broncos added a 33 yard field goal from Matt Prater and wouldn't look back, winning this game handily.

#1 draft pick finally signed

by Ryan Ebert

The #1 draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft has signed a four-year deal worth $22 million today with the Indianapolis Colts.  There is included in the deal a $14.5 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option.

Luck can now start making Colts fans forget about Peyton Manning and move on, but that will take some time to do.  He does have some familiarity around him with the team drafting Coby Fleener in the second round of the draft.  With Reggie Wayne still in town it gives Luck a go-to-guy and a good number of targets to throw to with Wayne, Fleener, Dwayne Allen, Austin Collie, Donnie Avery, and T.Y. Hilton.  With one standout veteran and a flurry of young players Luck will need to gain the confidence of these men which he should be able to do.

Free agency review

by Ryan Ebert

Sometimes it can be hard to follow where a player signs with in the offseason, and once they do sign we can forget they signed with another team.  Here is a list of the free agent signings of every team made so far this offseason.  This list is not entirely accurate as players may have been traded or cut or something else, but it is about 99% dependable.

Collie excited for new chapter

by Ryan Ebert

Austin Collie, a forgotten member of the Colts, survived the overhaul in Indianapolis, and is excited to be around for team's next chapter.

"I'm doing great and feel good," Collie told his hometown paper, The Sacramento Bee. "We lost a lot of friends here with changes, and Peyton (Manning) was one of them. It's tough losing a guy you got to know so well, learned so much from. But I'm really excited about the future."

While Collie will switch from one No. 1 overall pick to another, the latter (Luck) is prohibited from team activities until he finishes his educational requirements at Stanford. Though Collie is still looking forward to making a connection with Luck.

"I've gotten to chat with him briefly, and he's a bright kid," he said of Luck, who's nearing a deal with the Colts. "You can tell he's a special player. I'm just happy he's on our side."

Collie had a number of concussions in 2010 and the quarterbacks he had in 2011 (Kerry Collins/Curtis Painter/Dan Orlovsky) can make one forget about the wideout.  Though when on the field Collie can put up some good numbers.  In 2010 he caught eight touchdowns in nine games, and played all sixteen games in 2011 proving he can stay healthy.

With good play, Collie can return to form for Indianapolis.

Urlacher to test free agency next season

by Ryan Ebert

It's hard enough to see Peyton Manning in a Broncos uniform, yet another franchise player may be willing to try on a different uniform. Chicago Bears' LB Brian Urlacher said that he will be open to testing the free agent market at the end of his contract this year. He does wish to stay on the team that drafted him thirteen years ago.

"I think (Bears president) Ted Phillips said they are going to wait until the season is over to see what happens -- how I play," Urlacher told WMVP-AM on Friday. "It's kind of exciting. I've never been a free agent. So, if I can get to free agency, we'll see what happens.

"I no doubt want to finish my career here. There's no doubt about that. But if you bring in free agency you never know what can happen. You know, the Bears know I want to be here. I've said it publically and that's not going to change. Whatever happens during the season or after the season, we'll address it then."

His contract situation after this season doesn't look all that promising. After this next season he'll turn 35, and the market for 35 year-old LBs is not very rewarding. This could likely keep Urlacher as a Bear. Urlacher is to earn $7.5 million this year. 

Top Twelve quarterbacks to watch in 2012

Tim Tebow
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sure, I could just put up a list of the twelve best quarterbacks from 2011 and tell you they are the ones to watch, but sometimes they are not the ones drawing the attention. Take, for example, Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos last season.

Tebow doesn't make this list, not directly, but the Tebow influence will be felt.

These are the young guns, the QBs getting a lot of attention for one reason or another, and guys that might have someone breathing down their neck for that starting job. Call it must watch QB TV if you want, I like to think of it that way.

Alex Smith back with 49ers

Featured Article:  

Smith re-signs with 49ers

Now that the Peyton Manning drama is over with the San Francisco 49ers, it looks like Alex Smith is back in the fold, and both sides have made up and plan on moving forward together.

Peyton Manning a Denver Bronco

By Kent Lee Platte

Image Source

News broke this morning by ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Peyton Manning has chosen the Denver Broncos to be his team in 2012.  With a competent possession receiver in Eric Decker that plays to Manning's strengths and a speedy wideout in Demarius Thomas ready to break out, Manning has the tools he should need to make Denver a potent offense. 

Throughout the day, you're bound to hear the fallout, including what happens now with San Fransisco, who appears ready to let Alex Smith walk.  Fans of football, hang onto your hats, it's going to be an interesting day!

Garrard now in the mix

In Miami's search for a new quarterback they have reached out to Peyton Manning, Alex Smith, Matt Flynn, and now former Jaguar's quarterback David Garrard.  David Garrard missed the entire season last year due to him having season-ending surgery.  The Dolphins before the surgery was looking to sign him when quarterback Chad Henne went down for the year, but the two sides could not reach an agreement.

Peyton Manning to Denver?

Peyton Manning after making visits to Denver and Arizona has come away impressed from both teams, but there have been reports that Manning called Denver Sunday evening making seem more likely that he will sign with the Broncos.  Manning may still travel to Miami and meet with them before he makes his decision which is to come at least by Wednesday.  The four-time MVP and Super Bowl Champion said he will not sign with any team before having a meeting with them which means that teams such as Seattle, Kansas City, and other teams will have to set up a meeting before Manning's decision is made.  Manning will be followed by Reggie Wayne, and possibly Dallas Clark, and Jeff Saturday, and both Arizona and Denver have cap room to sign them.  One thing for sure is that Manning will make whichever team he signs on, a contender.