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nevcraw
09-06-2008, 09:17 PM
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afcwest/0-3-54/Denver-talking-extension-with-linebacker.html

Denver talking extension with linebacker

September 6, 2008 7:38 PM


Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

As the regular season approaches, the Denver Broncos are working on securing the future.

The Broncos and the agent of weakside linebacker D.J. Williams are engaged in serious contract extension talks, sources close to the situation said.

There is still work to be done before a deal can be characterized as imminent, but excellent progress has been made.

The contract for Williams, Denver's first-round draft choice out of Miami in 2004, expires after this season. Williams, who is a vital member of the defense, has publicly expressed his desire to stay in Denver.

He is back at weakside linebacker, which was his original NFL position. Williams played strongside linebacker in 2005 and 2006 and he played middle linebacker last season when he was second in the NFL in tackles. The team and Williams believe weakside is his natural position.

If Denver does sign Williams, next on its wish list could be extensions for receiver Brandon Marshall and defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Both of those players are free agents after the 2009 season.

dogfish
09-06-2008, 09:19 PM
BRONCOS EXTEND WILLIAMS
Posted by Mike Florio on September 6, 2008, 10:15 p.m. EDT
The flurry of contracts on the eve of the regular season continues.

According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, the Broncos have reached an agreement with linebacker D.J. Williams.

Per Schefter, it’s a five-year, $32 million extension, with $13 million in guaranteed money.

Williams, a first-round pick in 2004 who started every game last season, had been signed through 2008.

SarahKay
09-06-2008, 09:20 PM
HELL YEAH.

GO DJ.. thats my DJ. [for those of you who have heard that rap song..] haha

Great news! :salute:

BroncoWave
09-06-2008, 09:21 PM
Now we just need to get Marshall extended and we're set!

dogfish
09-06-2008, 09:21 PM
hell yea! unless wesley woodyard or spencer larsen develops into something, DJ is the only linebacker on the roster that's worth a damn. . . i love seeing us be pro-active for a change, instead of botching it like we did with al wilson and then wasting a draft pick. . .

edit: also, DJ has been a very selfless player for us, playing wherever they put him and never complaining like other guys would-- especially when he was moved to SAM to accomodate that chump ian gold, which could have had long-term ramifications for his earning power. . . good for DJ, he earned this and he deserves it!

dogfish
09-06-2008, 09:33 PM
haha. . . reading back over the first two posts, did anyone else notice that they gave burger bill the news that they were WORKING on an extension, but gave schefter the news that it was done? maybe it's just coincidence, but it sure seems that somebody in the front office likes to spoonfeed schefter the best broncos scoops. . . :D


i also like the sound of this:


If Denver does sign Williams, next on its wish list could be extensions for receiver Brandon Marshall and defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Both of those players are free agents after the 2009 season.


:woot: :woot:

honz
09-06-2008, 09:38 PM
Sweet! DJ has proven that he is a team player and a pretty selfless player by willingly switching positions every year...not to mention he is probably our 2nd best defensive player after Champ.

We definitely need to lock up Marshall and Doom as well like Burger Bill said. We have a lot of really good pieces to build around on this team and I just hope we don't screw it up by letting some of them get away.

Italianmobstr7
09-06-2008, 10:41 PM
HELL YEAH.

GO DJ.. thats my DJ. [for those of you who have heard that rap song..] haha

Great news! :salute:

OMG, what a coincidence. I say that about DJ ALL THE TIME... Great song.

So glad we re-signed DJ. Glad to see that he'll be a cog in our D for years to come. Now we need to re-sign Brandon!

Requiem / The Dagda
09-06-2008, 10:47 PM
I think D.J. is an above-average player, but it's something we need to do.

Lonestar
09-06-2008, 10:48 PM
haha. . . reading back over the first two posts, did anyone else notice that they gave burger bill the news that they were WORKING on an extension, but gave schefter the news that it was done? maybe it's just coincidence, but it sure seems that somebody in the front office likes to spoon feed schefter the best broncos scoops. . . :D


i also like the sound of this:




:woot: :woot:

Have you not noticed he is an employee of the NFL.. certainly they should get eh scoops first..

Italianmobstr7
09-06-2008, 10:48 PM
I think D.J. is an above-average player, but it's something we need to do.

Above average? Really? I think he's going to be a superstar this year. Hopefully we'll keep him at WLB and he'll dominate for years to come. A lot of people complained about him last year, but he finished 2nd in the league in tackles...

ikillz0mbies
09-06-2008, 10:51 PM
With all this talk about extending Williams and Marshall, you all are over looking the most important player the Broncos MUST have back: Patrick Ramsey. I believe his contract is over after this season and if the Broncos don't resign him, they're screwed! ;)

G_Money
09-06-2008, 11:22 PM
Negatives:

- DJ has been okay the last few years, but not great. Lance Briggs, All-Pro, signed for 6 years/$36 million.

- DJ hasn't really been a leader in his years with us yet. It wasn't his job in college - that was Vilma - nor when he got here. Then it was Al. Do you pay a really talented contributor who hasn't been a true star yet true-star-money? Especially when he hasn't proven he can be a leader?

- He has talent but no instincts. He can only play one LB position with any sort of excellence.

- Finding a weakside backer isn't the hardest position to fill, and he'll be our 2nd most expensive defensive player after Champ.

Positives:

- Anybody who doesn't think he is the most talented guy on D after Champ is outta their minds. The guy is a great mix of size, speed and aggressiveness.

- He's back at his only position of true impact: the weakside. If we're gonna pay him, it had better be at the only place he's gonna be an All-Pro at.

- Weakside backer is a very important position in a blitzing defense. If we're back to blitzing then we need to have a guy there who can make an impact.

- We don't have enough talent on the D to let one of our very few Pro-Bowl capable players walk. The man can play, he can REALLY play from the weak side, and he can and should go to Hawaii more than once on the next 3-4 years.

I like DJ at Will. It removes the opportunity for my man Woodyard to play the weak side, but the best Woodyard could hope to be at the Will is what DJ is already there. Now that we're done jerking DJ around maybe he can get back to being a stud instead of an adequate player, and by signing him now we remove his ability to get an even better contract now that he's back WHERE HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE.

Not a lot wrong with it. Welcome to our long-term plans, DJ. I wasn't sure you were gonna be with us, but now I can look forward to you putting your talents back to their best use - something we haven't seen in years.

And I'm perfectly willing to let you lead with your play on the field while we get someone else in to do it in the locker room.

~G

dogfish
09-06-2008, 11:36 PM
good, balanced post, G. . . IMO, this was the most important part of it:


We don't have enough talent on the D to let one of our very few Pro-Bowl capable players walk.


i really think that's the bottom line. . . yes, DJ does have weaknesses in his game, but he's still pretty damn solid, and as you implied, playing the weakside lets him maximize his strengths and minimize those weaknesses-- as long as he can be free to play in space and just use that speed in pursuit, he's an asset. . . one thing i think you forgot on your list of positives-- durability (*knocks on wood as he types this*). . . he's appeared in all 64 possible games of his pro career, which is important, especially on a team that's had rotten luck in that department recently. . .

Italianmobstr7
09-07-2008, 01:31 AM
With all this talk about extending Williams and Marshall, you all are over looking the most important player the Broncos MUST have back: Patrick Ramsey. I believe his contract is over after this season and if the Broncos don't resign him, they're screwed! ;)

They've been negotiating with him for a while per the Denver Post. I'm sure he'll be re-signed, unfortunately.

G_Money
09-07-2008, 02:30 AM
Durability is another underappreciated key - good point. :D Hopefully Boss doesn't keep showing us why durability is so important in your big-money players - at least in the bad ways he's been in the habit of.

~G