Hear that?  That is the sound of a collective sigh of relief in Broncos Country.  Brandon Marshall, who was scheduled to miss the first two to three games of the season for violating the League's Conduct Policy won his appeal, having the suspension cut in half.  Marshall will now miss just one game - next week's opener against the Raiders - and will be permitted to come back September 9th in preperation for the Broncos' Home Opener against the Chargers.

Per NFL.com --

Marshall will be suspended for one game without pay plus an additional fine of one game check. He will begin the suspension on Aug. 30 and miss the Broncos' regular-season opener against the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 8. He is eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 9.

Marshall was in New York on Tuesday to appeal his three-game suspension.

Earlier this month NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Marshall over a series of off-the-field misdeeds, most notably his March 6 arrest on a domestic violence warrant filed by his former girlfriend in Atlanta. No charges have been filed in that case.

Marshall caught 102 passes for 1,325 yards and 7 touchdowns last season and has shown no falloff this summer despite suffering a gash on his right arm that required emergency surgery this spring and sidelined him for almost all of the team's offseason field work.

This is obviously great news for the Broncos. The Raiders game is a must-win with or without Marshall, and frankly, the Broncos should be able to beat the silver and black without their best receiver. Knowing he'll be back for Week 2 should motivate the team to get it done in his absence.

Hopefully this is the end of just a bad chapter in the book of Brandon Marshall's life and the rest of the story has nothing but happy endings and shiny, glistening trophies!

Hat tip to Bradley and Darin H for being all over this!

For those of you that love to have some fun, picking NFL Games, playing Eliminator, etc. I have created some groups that might interest you.  All are played on ESPN.com and all are FREE!!!

If you want to play NFL Pick 'Em, Go HERE --
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If you want to play NFL Eliminator, Go HERE --
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If you want to play College Pick 'Em, Go HERE --
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For those that still want to play FANTASY FOOTBALL, I have created one last MHR League that is open and available for everyone.  The details are below --

LINK -- http://www.fleaflicker.com/showLeague.do?leagueId=48900
PASSWORD -- mhrffl1

All the groups are open to the public so invite your friends!!!

NOTE -- For those of you that didn't win the drawing for placement into the Official MHR League, or if you just want to keep track of all the action, you can do so by following this blog -- http://thefanhouseleagues.com/category/afc-west/mile-high-report/

The Denver Broncos on Thursday traded guard Montrae Holland to Dallas in exchange for a fifth-round choice in the 2010 NFL Draft, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Holland, a sixth-year player, joined the Broncos as an unrestricted free agent on March 5, 2007, after spending his first four NFL seasons (2003-06) with New Orleans

The door to the Shanahan Dog House is a small one and like I said last night during MHR Radio, I wouldn't be surprised if Holland were to be cut.  Well, he wasn't cut, but the Broncos surely sent a message by trading him away.

A 5th Rounder?  Is that enough for you??

Oh, and, I do have to mention that I said during last night's MHR Radio that Holland would be the surprise cut of this Training Camp.  Shanahan is nothing f not consistent, and this is another example.  He'll pay you for your production, but you better keep up the hard work or you'll be gone.

via extras.mnginteractive.com

Moving forward, this move has to be considered an indictment on how impressive Ryan Harris has been this Training Camp.  After a rough start, Harris surely has been solid.  It also proves Chris Kuper is ready for prime time, despite playing all of pre-season with a cast on his hand.  Kudos to Kuper as well!

I look for the Broncos to take a serious look at guys like Kory Lichtensteiger and Mitch Erickson tomorrow night, and don't be surprised if they comb the cut lists this weekend.

Just a reminder for everyone playing in the Official MHR Fantays Football League that the draft takes place tonight at 10PM est / 8PM mst.  Be there or be preparred to get beaten!!

In other Fantasy News, I was asked to provide SBNation's Fantasy Sports Blog - Fake Teams - a run down of Broncos I thought would be fantasy studs and those I who were more likely to be Fantasy Duds.  You can check that out HERE!

It's been years since the Denver Broncos have been a "friend of fantasy".  Since the days of Terrell Davis, Mike Shanahan has annoyed fantasy owners with his revolving door of running backs.  Every year, friends of mine that play fantasy football ask me who the running back in Denver will be.  Everyone knows there is gonna be a Bronco that rushes for 1200 yards and is the reason a team wins a FFL title and they all want him. 

That changed a bit last year with the complete failure that was Travis Henry.  No Bronco running back eclipsed the 1000 yard mark and fantasy owners were left scratching their heads.  Was this the beginning of the end for the Broncos as a relevant fantasy option?  Not so fast!

2008 provides fantasy owners several big-time fantasy options to not only fill their rosters, but their starting lineups every week.  Here are a couple "locks", as well as a guy you should keep your eyes on in the later rounds.  You won't be disappointed.

Broncos Fantasy Studs

1.  WR Brandon Marshall -- This is the season Brandon Marshall becomes a household name in the world of Fantasy Football.  Last season, Marshall was 5th in the NFL in Receptions(102), 6th in Yards(1325) and 7th in Yards per Game(82.8).  Oh, and he added 7 TDs.  That is the number that will make him a Fantasy Star in 2008.  Jay Cutler is healthy and Brandon Marshall is his favorite target.  So far this pre-season, Cutler-to-Marshall has been unstoppable.  Because lessor-skilled fantasy players will look purely at Marshall "low" TD count he could be a steal in teh 2nd or 3rd round.  If he's there, GRAB HIM!  It's true he could miss the first three games, look for the suspension to be reduced to 1.  A solid WR option each and every week.

via media.rockymountainnews.com

2.  QB Jay Cutler -- Cutler is entering his 3rd year in the NFL and his 2nd as the full-time starter in Denver.  2007 was an up and down season for Cutler, and in the spring we found out why when it was announced Cutler had Type 1 Diabetes.  Even with the disease, which led to the loss of 30 pounds during the season, Cutler still threw for 3500 yards and 20 TDs.  Now completely healthy, Cutler is set to explode.  Cutler has been nothing short of spectacular this pre-season, completing 70% of his passes and throwing 3 TDs.  Yes, it is the pre-season, but he's done it against some pretty good defenses in Dallas and Green Bay.  While fantasy owners differ on the value of a QB, Cutler remains a solid option, especially in a season where QBs that are traditional fantasy powers have injury concerns.

Broncos Fantasy Sleeper

RB Andre Hall -- There has to be a Broncos player on this list, right?  I am going to go with Hall because it appears he will get most of the opportunities to score TDs for the Broncos this season.  So far in Training Camp, Hall has been called upon in short yardage and goal-line situations.  Of course, he also has the ability to carry the rock as the starting HB, but the Broncos seem convinced that the 2-back approach is best to start the season.  Hall would be a solid late round choice, especially if you play in a league with 3 starting RBs.

Broncos Player To Avoid

RB Selvin Young -- Avoid the temptation.  You are going to hear that Young is the starting HB and that is true.  But for the same reasons I gave to include Hall as a sleeper I give you Young as a guy to let someone else take a chance on.  Young does possess home run speed and ability, but has proven unreliable in the red zone and short yardage.  Before rookie Ryan Torain was hurt, it appeared Young was going to be beaten out by the former Sun Devil.  Young also has concerns in the durability concerns and has yet to carry the ball over 250 times in a single season at any level.  That isn't Fantasy worthy.  Keep an eye on Young, however, as a guy you could grab off the waiver wire during the year.

Brandon Marshall was not on the practice field this afternoon.  In fact, he was about 1500 miles away, traveling to New York City to have his appeal heard at the NFL League Office.  Marshall was accompanied to NYC by his attorney, Harvey Steinberg, and will not be heard by the Commissioner Roger Goodell. 

Word around the camp fire is that Marshall and the Broncos are hoping to have the length of the suspension reduced to just one game, the opener in Oakland.  That would still be a bit painful but would mean the Broncos most dangerous weapon would be on the field and ready to go when the Chargers come to town Week 2. 

Since the suspension is scheduled to begin this Saturday, most assume that the League will render its decision before Friday's game in Arizona. 

The Broncos are hoping the League takes a similar approach to the one they took last week with Green Bay Packers Linebacker Nick Barnett.  Barnett had been notified in June that he was going to be suspended for his role in an incident at a Green Bay-area bar.  Barnett was surprised by the suspension because the charges in the case had been reduced to one civil ordinance violation for throwing another person's cell phone against a wall.

Through an appeal process granted every NFL player receiving discipline, Barnett was able to reduce a one-game suspension to forfeiture of one week's salary. Thus, Barnett will be available for the opener in Minnesota, but he'll be docked $155,882, which constitutes 1/17th of his $2.65 million earnings this season.

If the NFL does in fact reduce Marshall's suspension it is likely that he would still miss a game, though 1 missed games is certainly better than 2 or 3.

The Denver Broncos on Tuesday released wide receiver Taylor Jacobs and placed defensive tackle Carlton Powell on their reserve/physically unable to perform list, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Jacobs, a sixth-year player, saw time in six games for the Broncos last season after the club signed him as a free agent on Nov. 6.

Powell, a rookie, suffered an injury to his right Achilles tendon during the Broncos' offseason conditioning program in July. He was selected by Denver in the fifth round (148th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft from Virginia Tech University.

Webster gets the first shot at MLB

The Broncos made some decisions yesterday regarding some of the positional battles that have been going on all summer.  Based on what I saw when I was in Denver, combined with what we have seen on the field, I have to say I am a bit surprised at some of the decisions the Broncos' Brass made.

I will create a separate post for each one, starting with....

Nate Webster over Niko Koutouvides at MLB -- There is little doubting the energy Webster brings to the football field.  There is also little chance an entire game or practice can go by without Nate losing his helmet.  The energy and flying head-gear have become synonomous with Webster, who has gone from a player looking to resurrect an injury plagued career to the starting Middle Linebacker of the Denver Broncos in the span of a few seasons.

Continue reading this post »

Nate Webster has won the starting job in the Middle - Check it out HERE

Lee Rasizer of the RMN has the latest on the roster cuts, depth chart and the injured Broncos HERE

Elvis Dumervil and Boss Bailey aren't optimistic they'll be ready for the Raiders -- HERE

Josh Mallard just cannot catch a break -- HERE

Some believe lack of depth could do in the 2008 Broncos -- HERE

Shawne Merriman is traveling cross-country looking for someone that will tell him he can play -- HERE

The Giants have reached out to Michael Strahan about a possible return -- HERE

The Denver Broncos on Monday released wide receiver Samie Parker and waived defensive tackle Josh Mallard along with wide receiver Lorne Sam, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Parker, a fifth-year player, joined the Broncos as an unrestricted free agent on April 15 after spending his first four seasons with Kansas City.

Mallard, who is in his fifth NFL season, played eight games with the Broncos last year after joining the team as a free agent on Nov. 6.

Sam, a rookie, entered the NFL with Denver on April 28 as a college free agent from the University of Texas-El Paso.

The team still needs to make two more moves before tomorrow's deadline to be at 75.