Denver's Crowded Depth Chart

ESPN's John Clayton recently derided NFL owners for failing to increase the roster limit from 80 to 86 players. In it, he notes than Denver currently has 88 players on their roster, including our 9 draft picks later this month. The implication is simple: some pinks slips are going to get handed out before camp.

Mile High Report contributor MattR recently provided a great breakdown of our current roster. In it, he categorizes players as 'locks', 'probable', or 'on the bubble.' There are some interesting names on the list. In particular, if Denver adds some fresh faces at safety, cornerback, wide receiver, running back, or defensive end, there could be some surprise cuts when the rosters are trimmed in August.

Gumbel Ousted as TNF Announcer

ESPN is reporting that Bryant Gumbel has "given up" his role as play-by-play announcer for the NFL network. In case you didn't notice last season, Gumbel sucked worse than Mark Mangino at a soccer tournament. Good riddance.

Cris Collinsworth somehow managed to keep his job. Go figure.

Summary of Approved Rule Changes

Mile High Report has an excellent summary of rule changes passed at the recent owners meeting. Among the changes was the elimination of the 'force-out' rule for receptions and elimination of the 5-yard variety facemask penalty. I can't be more concise than the linked author, so check it out.

UPDATE: The Denver Post is reporting that NFL owners rejected a proposal to expand NFL rosters from 80 to 86 players. This was largely viewed as a housekeeping move in response to the dissolution of the NFL Europe league. That the voters rejected this is significant in that it reflects how incredibly tense relations have become between the owners and the NFLPA. Don't pay for your 2010 fantasy football league just yet!

Defensive Radio Communication Approved

ESPN reports that an initiative to allow radio communication devices for defensive players was approved by the owners (25-7). Under the new rule, two players will be allowed to be wired with the device, but you may only have one wired player on the field at a time. The restriction is intended to prevent defenses from inappropriately using the devices.

This move is intended to restore fan confidence in the league after the Spygate embarrassment. I wonder how Belichick voted?

Proposed NFL Rule Changes

According to the Rocky Mountain News, the NFL will vote on the following proposed changes for the upcoming season:

• Allowing defensive players to wear headsets like quarterbacks currently do.
  
  My Take: DO IT NOW! Is there any doubt that this will pass? After the enduring the idiocy of Spygate, this is a change that must be made to restore the fan's (and Senator's) confidence.
  
  
• If you have long hair, its got to be tucked into your jersey.
  
  My Take: DUMB MOVE. This post just about sums it up. This initiative is almost as stupid as this.
  
  
• Base playoff seedings on record (for the 3rd through 6th seeds) rather than automatically awarding the three-seed the top spot.
  
  My Take: DUMB MOVE. So let me get this straight, I win my division, fail to receive a bye because a team in another division--who could of just had a softer division and softer schedule--had a better record. Now I'm looking at a wild-card seeding because the second-place finisher in a crappy division finished a game better than me.
  
  The last time this rule change would have actually mattered was in 2005 where Jacksonville (12-4) would have received a higher seed than the Bengals (11-5) and Patriots (10-6), despite having a significantly easier schedule.
  
  
• A vote to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement in 2010. Bowlen is one of the bleeding deacons pushing for this move.
  
  My Take: IT HAS TO HAPPEN. Its difficult to say whether Bowlen--who's acted like he's teetering on bankruptcy in recent months--is putting on a show for the owners and the NFLPA, or if he's got legitimate financial problems. I seriously doubt its the latter of the two. However, I have serious concerns about the competitive landscape in the NFL. In my opinion, the salary cap acceleration is destroying parity in the NFL. The salary cap is supposed to be a price ceiling. If the ceiling is above the market-clearing cap figure, it over-burdens small market teams. Some kind of adjustment is needed (either in terms of revenue sharing or salary cap) to keep things competitive. Sadly, there will probably be a lockout in 2010 (here is a portentous article from SI on this subject).
  
  
• Formally put in place a 5 to 7 day period prior to free agency for players to talk to suitors.
  
  My Take: *YAWN* This is obviously a rule intended to send a signal that teams will no longer get away with free-agent tampering. I'm actually excited about this rule change given that Herm Edwards will finally quit sniveling."

That's a wrap.