Bailey puts his Colorado home up for sale
Posted by Anthony Stalter (02/16/2011 @ 4:00 pm)
Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey glances down at the Seattle Seahawks as they warm up at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 19, 2010 in Denver. . UPI/Gary C. Caskey
Ready for a good news/bad news scenario, Bronco fans?
The good news is that Champ Bailey and your team are talking contract again.
The bad news is that according to Inside the NFL’s Josina Anderson, the 10-time Pro Bowler just put his Colorado home up for sale. If Bailey thought the Broncos were willing to offer him more than a one-year deal, then it seems unlikely that he’d stick a for sale sign in his front yard.
One option for Denver is to assign Bailey the franchise tag and lock him in for one year. But the Broncos don’t want to pay a 32-year-old corner $15 million for one season, even if he is Champ Bailey.
The other problem is that the Broncos shouldn’t be playing for 2011. I understand that in today’s NFL, turnarounds can happen quickly but this team needs an upgrade at every level defensively. Even if they were to re-sign Bailey, nothing says that the Broncos won’t take someone like LSU’s Patrick Peterson with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. They need to build for the future.
As hard as it would be, maybe the Broncos would be better off allowing Bailey to go to a contender that will shell out big money for 2-3 years. No team wants to let talent walk out the door and Bailey is the consummate professional. But teams aren’t created equal. Some need one or two pieces to make a Super Bowl run, while others are starting over. The Broncos are in rebuilding mode and unless they seriously believe they can build a winner in the next two years, why pay Bailey to hang around?
The Broncos’ upcoming contract dilemma with Bailey and Dumervil
Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/22/2010 @ 5:20 pm)
Mile Klis of the Denver Post brought up an interesting point recently in regards to Elvis Dumervill and Champ Bailey’s contract situations.
Both players will become free agents at the end of the season and both could command salaries that push north of $10 million per season. If the Broncos give one player a long-term deal, will they be able to do the same with the other?
Dumervil is 26 and coming off a season in which he led the league in sacks with 17. Bailey is 32, but is still playing at a Pro Bowl level, is a fan favorite and recently told the media that he doesn’t plan on hanging ‘em up for at least another five more years.
Generally, teams pay younger players first and legit pass-rushers like Dumervil are hard to come by. But Pro Bowl caliber cornerbacks don’t fall off trees either and Bailey hasn’t shown signs of decline.
What is owner Pat Bowlen to do? If he pays both of them market value, he’ll cripple his team’s budget and the Broncos probably wouldn’t be able to be major players in free agency next year. If he only pays one of them and allows the other to walk, he’ll have an angry fan base on his hands and worse, he’ll have a huge hole to fill defensively. If he gives one player a long-term deal and franchises the other, he could sabotage his short-term budget.
Even though Dumervil has toed the company line his entire career, this is one of the reasons why the Broncos have chosen to wait to give him a long-term contract. If he plays well this season, then they’ll have a huge decision to make at the end of the year. If he doesn’t play well, they might have an excuse to let him hit the free agent market and then they can invest long-term money in Bailey.
Either way, it doesn’t appear that Bowlen and the Broncos are ready to make a decision, which is why Dumervil still doesn’t have a multi-year deal.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
2009 NFL Picks & Predictions: Week 6
Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/16/2009 @ 2:29 pm)

Giants (5-0) at Saints (4-0), 1:00PM ET
Hopefully readers will give me credit for attempt to predict the toughest games this week. No? All right then…This is by far the hardest game to predict on the Week 6 schedule, so let’s look at some of the facts. The Saints should be well rested coming off a bye and are playing at home. They have the edge then right? They should, but don’t forget that the Giants essentially had a bye themselves since they played Oakland last week and New York always travels well. Drew Brees hasn’t seen a pass rush as good as the Giants’ all season and I think New York will disrupt his rhythm. And while Darren Sharper and the New Orleans defense is playing out of their minds right now, Eli Manning won’t make the same mistakes rookie Mark Sanchez did two weeks ago when the Saints earned a victory against the Jets. I like Brandon Jacobs to get back on track and for the G-Men to pull off a huge win at the Superdome.
Odds: Saints –3.
Prediction: Giants 27, Saints 24.
Ravens (3-2) at Vikings (5-0), 1:00PM ET
So, are the Ravens just in a slump or were they overrated to begin with? Give yourself a gold star if you answered, “A little of both.” Baltimore lost several defensive starters and their coordinator Rex Ryan in the offseason – they were due to have a setback at some point. While I think the Ravens are a solid football team, I don’t like this matchup for them. They’re reeling after two straight losses and play an unfamiliar foe in a hostile environment. I also don’t like the matchup between the Ravens’ receivers and the Vikings’ corners and wonder how Joe Flacco will do once Ray Rice and the running game is shut down by Minnesota’s Williams Wall. As long as Brett Favre doesn’t get turnover-happy for the first time this year, I like the Vikings to remain undefeated.
Odds: Vikings –3.
Prediction: Vikings 21, Ravens 17.
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Posted in: NFL
Tags: 2009 NFL Week 6, 2009 NFL Week 6 free picks, 2009 NFL Week 6 picks, 2009 NFL Week 6 predictions, Bears vs Falcons prediction, Brett Favre, Broncos vs Chargers prediction, Champ Bailey, Devin Hester, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Giants vs Saints prediction, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, NFL Picks, nfl picks predictions week 6, NFL predictions, NFL Week 6, nfl week 6 expert picks, nfl week 6 picks predictions 2009, Ravens vs Vikings prediction, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez
NFL News & Notes: Larry Johnson to sit again
Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/22/2008 @ 8:55 am)
- Chiefs’ RB Larry Johnson is likely to be suspended or inactive for Sunday’s game following an investigation that he recently spat in a woman’s face at a Kansas City nightclub. (ESPN.com)
- Broncos’ CB Champ Bailey will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a torn groin in Denver’s loss to the Patriots on Monday night. (ESPN.com)
- Tony Romo will not play in the Cowboys’ game this Sunday against Tampa Bay and could be out at least two more weeks with a broke pinkie finger. (Dallas Morning News)
- The Cleveland Browns have suspended Kellen Winslow one game for his rant Monday against GM Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel. Winslow questioned the team’s handling of his staph infection. (Rotoworld.com)
- Patriots’ safety Rodney Harrison’s season is over. He tore a quad muscle Monday in New England’s win over Denver and the injury likely will end his 15-year NFL career. (NFL.com)
Posted in: Fantasy Football, NFL
Tags: Champ Bailey, Champ Bailey injury, Champ Bailey out 4-6 weeks, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs., Kellen Winslow, Kellen Winslow suspended, Larry Johnson, Larry Johnson suspended, New England Patriots, NFL injuries, NFL Week 8, NFL Week 8 injuries, NFL Week 8 news and notes, Rodney Harrison, Rodney Harrison season over, Tony Romo, Tony Romo injury, Tony Romo out
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