IT'S OFFICIAL!!! Marshall is headed out of town... according to Sharpe anyways.

So it's official, former Bronco legend and future NFL HOF'er Shannon Sharpe has given his two cents worth on the upcoming drama that will be Brandon Marshall. Sharpe told Mike Klis of the Denver Post that he believes it's too late to apologize by either side in the Marshall saga that began last off-season when Marshall was suspended by the team for conduct detrimental and ended with McDaniels sitting Marshall for the last game against Kansas City.

"Help me understand this: How can a guy catch 21 passes one week and then two weeks later he doesn't even play?" Sharpe told the Denver Post. "Once you go there, once you break that communication, once you break that trust, I don't know how you get that back. So Brandon Marshall and Coach (Josh) McDaniels, I don't know how they mend this."

In my opinion, if, and I say it's a BIG "IF" the Broncos don't re-sign Brandon, (because I think they will) then he will draw huge interest from numerous other teams who need a big play receiver like Marshall, and I'm not the only one who feels this way.

"I know personally there are three teams out there who are going to make a move for Brandon Marshall," Sharpe said.

One of those teams who are in desperate need of a receiver of Marshall's caliber are the Baltimore Ravens, who ironically, Sharpe played for after leaving the Broncos in 2000 only to return and end his career with Denver from 2002 to 2003.

It makes me think that maybe Shannon is acting as Brandon's surrogate agent?

If I were Coach McD and Pat Bowlen, I wouldn't let a receiver of Marshall's talents get away. I'd pay him Fitzgerald type money with every clause possible in his contract that allows me to essentially get him "blackballed" from the league if he gets a ticket for jaywalking!

Denver can't allow our biggest superstar to walk, it never works out for the team, ALWAYS for the player!

Let me know your thoughts!

James

“I would walk a thousand miles....."

Jon here, Broncos Zone is proud to announce James Owen as a contributor. He'll be like our Adam Schefter of Broncos Zone, with breaking news, and a post here and there. We look forward to many years of covering the Broncos along with James. Here is his first post:

I was raised in, what was then a "One Horse Town" called Parker. We had one stop light, one small market in town. Our church was an old Quonset hut that must have been built during WWII as our church.

Veto's Pizza just opened and was my first job the year before I left. Heck, Ponderosa High School wasn't built until 84-85 I think?

I was there from 1979 to 1986. I grew up watching Bronco games on TV. I remember how the only way people would make it from Monday thru Friday was because they knew that Sunday was coming. God forbid you had to live through the summers with no football....... I remember my dad working several jobs for our neighbors around their houses as a handyman, driving delivery trucks on the weekends and being too proud to tell his oldest son that he was working nights as a janitor at Northeast Elementary, just to be able to afford to keep our season tickets in the South Stands at the Old Mile High (may you rest in peace), because he loved taking his sons to games.

I remember going to those home games back then, and having it be such a family environment, yet those families would rather kill you and risk going away to the "big house" then let you talk bad about their Broncos let alone root for the opposing team. Heck the Broncos were part of your family.

Back then, it was the Broncos, yeah we had the Nuggets, but back then, heck, DU's basketball team would have probably beat the Nuggets. Now we have the Av’s, and the Rockies, and the Nuggets. We have INVESCO, and the Pepsi Center and Coors Field.

Well, I'm older now, live in Southern California, and have a wife, a kid and a house of my own, yet I still manage to go to a few games at the new stadium, and it just doesn't have the same small town charm that it used to. Seems like Denver has got a little trendy.

Sure I'll bring my son, Nick, to a game now and then, maybe in 2010 before the lockout (he's 8 now) but, it just won't be the same as when I was a kid. The passion of the fans, (and maybe the players, coaches and owner too?) it just isn't there anymore. Back then we had something to prove.......... now it seems we don't. It wasn’t about the money, or the lifestyle, or the “BLING”, social networking and the amount of followers you had on Twitter. It was then about winning and nothing else mattered.

Like the song goes from the Proclaimers....."I would walk a thousand miles....." to be able to have that small town atmosphere again.

Celebrating 50 Years Of Bronco Football, Fact #50

Former quarterback John Elway started in more Super Bowls (5) than Joe Montanna. Led Denver to record 47 fourth quarter comebacks. Was the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1987. Was elected to nine Pro Bowls, and finished his career with; 51,475 yards, and 300 touchdowns. In our book John Elway is the greatest QB ever.

This is our 50th and final Bronco fun fact. We hope you enjoyed our "50 Facts throughout the Broncos 50th season" thanks for reading, Go Broncos!!!

Peppers to Denver? It wouldn't work

Yesterday I was arguing talking with @theorangepage on twitter about Julius Peppers. Ian (theorangepage) thinks it would work out if Peppers came to Denver, while I don't think he would fit with Elvis Dumervil. This morning I messaged Frank Schwab of the Colorado Springs Gazette to get his opinion. Here's a look at our conversation:

Me: I heard Julius Peppers wants to play OLB in a 3-4, first off is that legit? And do you think he'd be willing to play DE in a 3-4, & would he be any good as a 3-man defensive end? Thanks!

Frank Schwab: I think he'd play any position as long as the team is willing to pay him. And any team paying him what he'll command would be nuts wasting him as a 3-4 end. I don't think he'd be bad there, but it would be like paying an elite left tackle and putting him at guard.

Me: Ok, so then that tosses out the window any thought of the Broncos going after him right? Because both him and Dumervil are pure pass rushers, and you can't have a 3-4 with only 2 LB's in coverage (or can you?) and according to Mike Kils the Broncos will meet any price a team offers Dumervil. Do you think Doom and Peppers could end up both in Denver? I don't, but people are telling me it would work, your thoughts?

Frank Schwab: On paper it would work fine - but come on, they're not sticking $20m a year into one position when they just drafted an OLB first round last year. I'd be blown away if they signed Peppers.

So there you have it, Peppers and Denver are not a match. One more thing I'd like to throw out there; When Simon Rice signed with Denver in 2007 he was 33, Peppers is 30. Elvis Dumervil is 26, and Robert Ayers hasn't even reached puberty. Chew on that.