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The beginning of the Broncos camp was a disaster. Two of their top three rookies went down with injuries the first day. A fourth, defensive tackle Nick Eason, left camp without telling anyone why. Their big defensive free-agent acquisition, defensive tackle Daryl Gardener, tore ligaments in his wrist during a fistfight outside a restaurant. And to top it all off, a four-game suspension of safety Lee Flowers was announced for a banned substance rules violation. The only way this much bad karma is balanced is if the team wins the Super Bowl.

The Broncos are still carrying large salary-cap numbers for running back Terrell Davis, quarterback Brian Griese and defensive tackle Chester McGlockton, all of who are no longer with the team. To save cap space, the Broncos did not re-sign several veterans and have gone to camp particularly thin in the defensive backfield and offensive line.

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