you wish wore orange and blue?" Denver Broncos NewsThe “wish they were Broncos” offenseNew Brandon McManus Jersey ,15commentsWho’s the one player in the NFL you wish wore orange and blue?MDTI don’t know about you, but I’m an avid Madden player. One of my favorite parts about the franchise is building a team the way I want to, so of course you have to start with a Fantasy Draft. One thing this and consistently following the draft as I do has led to is a rooting interest in a lot of players spread out across the entire league. So what follows is a team of some of my favorite NFL players who would look so dang good with a horse head on their helmet. If only.Quarterback - Baker Mayfield - Cleveland BrownsI’d be lying if I told you I saw greatness in Patrick Mahomes back when he came out of Texas Tech since I barely studied the 2017 class after Elway drafted Paxton Lynch in 2016. It’s that same reason Deshaun Watson is number 2 here. Every game Texans’ game I’ve caught this summer he’s blown me away, and he’d be an insanely good fit in the Rich Scangarello offense, but Baker’s my boy.Last year was the first year since 2012 that I’d have put a quarterback prospect in my S-tier. I think he’s going to be a superstar, and while Denver never had a real shot at him with Cleveland picking 1st overall, I suspect Elway knew it too. Running back - Christian McCaffrey - Carolina PanthersI mentioned in my Most Valuable Broncos post how I’m not quite a “running backs don’t matter” guy, but they need to provide value outside of just rushing. McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara are the prototypical “weapon” backs you can flex out and rip apart linebackers and safeties in coverage. Throw in McCaffrey’s lineage and he’s my obvious pick here. Z- Receiver - Julio Jones - Atlanta FalconsJulio’s the kind of guy the most optimistic among us dream Courtland Sutton can blossom into. He’s the closest thing to Megatron since Calvin Johnson retired after the 2015 season: just a complete mismatch. He’s 6’3 220 lbs and runs a 4.3 40 with the kind of acceleration, body control, and route running savvy to embarrass DBs. The Broncos were never going to draft Julio, as they’d just grabbed Demaryius Thomas in 2010 and Von Miller was “the guy” at 2. But, way back in Madden 25 I managed to snag both Megatron and Jones for my offense. That was fun.X-Receiver - JuJu Smith-Schuster - Pittsburgh SteelersOne of the things we go over in The Scouting Academy class I’m taking is how big a deal matchups are when you’re studying players. Well, there’s a reason most DB tapes have Pittsburgh on the schedule. With Antonio Brown and Smith-Schuster, they were a complete coverage nightmare last year. Very intrigued by how he’ll adapt as the lone star of that receiving corps.Slot Receiver - Brandin Cooks - Los Angeles Rams One thing you’ll notice from all three of receiver picks is how much speed they bring to the table. While it’s definitely possible to thrive without rockets tied to your cleats in the league, it helps. Cooks is probably the most dangerous Corner and Post runner in football. Boom. A couple hours after I wrote this I ranked the top 6 receivers in the league and realized how highly I think of Adam Thielen. I think I’d still prefer Cooks because of what he can do as a deep threat and how that’d compliment the rest of the Broncos roster, but you wouldn’t see me complain if the Viking rode a longboat out to Denver. Tight End - Jack Doyle - Indianapolis ColtsThis may surprise you if you expected someone like Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, or even Doyle’s teammate Eric Ebron. But since each of these players is simply being added to the current 2019 Broncos roster, Doyle best compliments the skillset of Noah Fant. I’ll admit I had a long moment considering T.J. Hockenson here, but ultimately chose against reuniting the Iowa duo. Let’s move on before I change my mind. Again. Offensive LineLeft Tackle - David Bakhtiari - Green Bay PackersLeft Guard - Ali Marpet - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Center - Matt Paradis - Carolina PanthersRight Guard - Zack Martin - Dallas CowboysRight Tackle - Mitch Schwartz - Kansas City ChiefsThe right tackle position is a tie between Schwartz and Ryan Ramczyk of the Saints. What makes the choice even more painful is how Elway had an opportunity for both. The left side of the line consists of two of the more criminally underrated players in the league. Zack Martin is on the very short list for best linemen in football. My center is a guy I wish the Broncos had managed to keep.Who makes your team Broncos Country? Let me know in the comments. Your Broncos LinksWhat are the spots up grabs heading into Denver Broncos training camp? - Mile High ReportI joined 1st & 10 @ 10 on Friday to talk about the Broncos roster and who will fight for spots.NFL.com ranks Phillip Lindsay one of the worst starting RBs in NFL - Mile High Report2019 Denver Broncos roster review: Edge rusher Justin Hollins - Mile High Report2019 Denver Broncos roster review: Linebacker Joseph Jones - Mile High Report2019 Denver Broncos roster review: Defensive Tackle Dre’Mont Jones - Mile High Report2019 Denver Broncos roster review: UDFA linebacker Joe Dineen - Mile High Report2019 Denver Broncos roster review: Edge rusher Ahmad Gooden - Mile High ReportJohn Elway is “All In,” but is this the right path? - Mile High ReportMason’s Mailbag: Defining Noah Fant’s expected productionExamining Possible Contract Extensions for Justin Simmons and Will Parks – Thin AirRedrafting the 2011 NFL Draft | The Draft NetworkHow the NFL Divisions Ought To Be Structured | The Draft NetworkNFL LinksDenver Broncos: 3 & Out with Bolts From The Blue’s Michael Peterson - Mile High ReportTyreek Hill meeting with NFL this week: sourcesPatriots’ Sony Michel running at full tilt after scope - NFL.comPFT 2019 storyline No. 30: Will Andrew Luck stay healthy again? – ProFootballTalkLincoln Riley has $4.6 million buyout if he leaves for NFL after 2019 – ProFootballTalkBrett Favre: Let Aaron Rodgers play his game – ProFootballTalkNate Solder: “No reason” to think I won’t be ready for training camp – ProFootballTalkTitans to Marcus Mariota: Let’s live to play another play – ProFootballTalkJameis Winston and Marcus Mariota Face a Make-or-Break Season | SI.comJust Google it: Raiders rookies take a few lessons from Silicon Valley - Oakland Raiders Blog- ESPNDallas Cowboys: Michael Irvin says another Michael (Gallup) is their secret weapon ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — John Elway has a good feeling that Pat Bowlen will join him in the Hall of Fame this weekend.“He’s right on the doorstep,” the Hall of Fame quarterback-turned-executive said. “He’s very deserving. We’re excited about the fact that he’s gotten this far. We feel great about where he is.”The Denver Broncos owner is a contributor finalist along with former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt. This year’s modern-era finalists include Champ Bailey, Steve Atwater and John Lynch, all of whom played for Bowlen’s Broncos.The 2019 class will be announced at the NFL Honors Saturday night in Atlanta with enshrinement in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 3.Several of Bowlen’s children are in Atlanta for what would be a bittersweet celebration. Bowlen didn’t make the trip. He’s made no major public appearances since Alzheimer’s forced him to step down from his daily duties running the team in 2013.“It would be a great moment and a nice moment for him. It’ll certainly be nice for his family,” said team president Joe Ellis, who has run the team since Bowlen stepped away.“I’ll tell you what, if someone else could sneak in there with him, that would make him really happy, especially if it was Steve Atwater or Champ Bailey Todd Davis Jersey , two of his favorite players. That would mean a lot to him.”Ellis delivered the Lombardi Trophy to Bowlen at his home in Denver in the days following the Broncos’ win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50 three years ago, after which, Elway shouted, “This one’s for Pat!”Elway’s shoutout was payback for the man who declared, “This one’s for John!” while jabbing the Lombardi Trophy in the air following Denver’s first Super Bowl win, over the Green Bay Packers 21 years ago in San Diego after Elway helicoptered into NFL immortality in his fourth shot at winning a title for Bowlen.“That was the highlight of my career,” Elway said of Bowlen’s four-word salute.And the highlight of his time leading the front office came when he was able to return the favor.Under Bowlen’s 35-year leadership, the Broncos have reached the playoffs 18 times and won 13 AFC West crowns, seven conference championships and three Super Bowl titles.Bowlen, who turns 75 this month, is the first owner in pro football history to win 300 games in three decades and he was the fastest (581 games) to 350 overall wins. Since buying the team in 1984, Bowlen has as many Super Bowl appearances as losing seasons, and the Broncos’ .598 winning percentage is third in the league.Bowlen wasn’t only devoted to his Broncos but to the NFL, Ellis said, “and the testimony to that is all the committees he served on and the sounding boards (he was) for the commissioners he worked under.”Bowlen served on 15 different NFL committees, including as co-chair of the league’s Management Council Executive Committee, and he was a key figure in securing the NFL’s labor and TV contracts.Bowlen comes up for enshrinement with his franchise at a crossroads, mired in mediocrity and a family feud over his succession plan.Elway’s Midas touch — two Super Bowls in his first five seasons — has vaporized during a three-year playoff drought fueled by failed hires, futile signings, fruitless drafts and plain, bad luck.He’s been unable to find a worthy successor to quarterback Peyton Manning and the Broncos have posted back-to-back seasons of double-digit losses for the first time since the 1960s. That led to Elway firing Vance Joseph after two years and hiring Vic Fangio , his fourth head coach in six seasons.A rift over Bowlen’s succession plan is percolating as the league contemplates arbitration to settle the matter. Ownership of the franchise is held in a trust Bowlen set up more than a decade ago designed to have one of his seven children one day run the team.Bowlen’s brother, Bill, last year asked a Colorado District Court to remove the three members of the trust running the franchise. The team wants the matter resolved through the league’s arbitration process instead.“It’s sad when disputes like this occur. It’s not something I think Pat Bowlen, who I knew very well, would have wanted,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “The Broncos meant a great deal to him and his family. I think this week, the best thing we can do is to focus on Pat and his contributions and his viability to become a new member of the Hall of Fame.”Bill Bowlen concurred, saying, “This weekend is about Pat’s contribution to the NFL. It’s a time for his family to hopefully celebrate his accomplishments.”