NEU » , when he signed a five-year, $100 mill

DENVER -- Hes watched draft picks flounder and free agents falter, seen some of his best players sidelined by injuries and witnessed Peyton Mannings successor struggle to stay safe behind a spongy offensive line.Yet, John Elways Denver Broncos are 7-3 at their bye.He can thank a great defense led by Super Bowl MVP Von Miller and some lucky breaks such as Carolinas missed last-second field goal in the season opener and Justin Simmons block of an extra point last week that led to the first defensive 2-point game-winner in NFL history.I think we would take it if you said at Week 10 wed be 7-3 with whats happened, Elway said. We havent played our best football yet, which I think is the encouraging thing.Another reason Elway is grinning and not grimacing is that his team is about to be astonishingly healthy when they host Kansas City (7-2) in a Sunday night showdown that begins a brutal six-week homestretch.DeMarcus Wares fractured forearm is history, and hes about to double his snap count after averaging just under 29 snaps in the three weeks hes been back in the lineup.Aqib Talibs bad lower back has quieted down and Derek Wolfes cracked right elbow is on the mend.The only sidelined star that wont be coming back anytime soon is running back C.J. Anderson , who had knee surgery but hopes to be available for the playoffs.Andersons absence looms large because the Broncos sport the youngest backfield in the NFL.Second-year quarterback Trevor Siemian threw his first NFL pass this season. Rookie tailback Devontae Booker has two TD runs, rookie fullback Andy Janovich has been hampered by a broken hand and third-year backup running back Kapri Bibbs scored his first career touchdown this month.Additionally, the tight end group has been largely invisible in the passing game with veteran Virgil Green averaging 1.8 catches per game without a single touchdown grab and second-year pro Jeff Heuerman managing just two catches.Similar to last season when he acquired Vernon Davis for the stretch run, Elway made a deadline-eve deal to toughen up his tight end group, this time getting A.J. Derby from the Patriots.Derby has two catches and tons of promise as the Broncos try to clear out defenders in the middle of the field. That would open up more chances for star wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders plus clear some running room for the Broncos sputtering ground game.Denvers dazzling defense is just as star-studded as last years version that brought home the Lombardi Trophy. But the Broncos run defense has proven leaky without free agent departures Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan and Vance Walker, who blew out a knee in training camp.Elway exudes confidence even with Denvers offense sputtering as it did last season.We feel like we can get better on the offensive side. We have room for improvement there, Elway said. Weve figured out ways to win. Thats what you have to do. Were excited about the last six.Two of those are against Kansas City, one with Oakland and another versus rival New England in addition to trips to Tennessee and Jacksonville.I know that the schedule is a tough schedule from here on out, Elway said, but thats what happens when you win the division.Thats something Denver has done five years in a row.The AFC West is much more competitive this season, sporting three of the conferences four seven-win teams.Thats why Kubiak says its time for Siemian, 7-2 as Denvers starter, to step things up a notch.I want Trevor to play big, Kubiak said.To do that, hes going to have to stay upright.The reason he does make a lot of plays is because he will sit in there and get hit right in the mouth and make a play, Kubiak said. That is a great characteristic of a quarterback because you have to do that sometimes.But it can also send a quarterback to the sideline as it did Siemian for six quarters in October after he bruised his left shoulder.Its been a target for pass rushers ever since, and its not only his scuffling O-line thats to blame. Kubiak said hes dropping back too far in the shotgun at times.Were not going to protect you if youre doing that, Kubiak said.That was Kubiak defending his beleaguered O-line, something hes willing to do because hes as much assured in Siemians mental toughness handling criticism as he is in his physical toughness.Siemian received another cortisone injection in his bruised left shoulder this week and watched rookie Paxton Lynch run the one full practice before they all bolted on a five-day furlough.Siemian wasnt planning anything special.A lot of rest. Wont be doing much bench press this week, said Siemian, well aware hell be doing the heavy lifting soon enough.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton David Freese Dodgers Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Julio Urias Jersey . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. http://www.dodgerssale.com/dodgers-david-freese-jersey/ .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. A. J. Pollock Dodgers Jersey . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Max Muncy Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. In this case Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky elbowed Saku Koivu in the head about a second after he dished off the puck to a teammate, knocking him unconscious. METAIRIE, La. -- Drew Brees wont have a new contract in place before the New Orleans Saints kick off training camp, unless something changes drastically in the next few days.Even though other quarterbacks like Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco have gotten long-term extensions done this offseason, Brees said Saturday that he and the Saints havent even resumed negotiations in the last three months.Not sure why things have not progressed, said Brees, who is heading into the final year of his contract. They made an offer in March, we made an offer shortly thereafter. And besides the Josh Norman deal [when the Saints approached Brees about restructuring his contract to try to fit the star cornerback under their salary cap], there has been no talk about a contract since.Brees, 37, has suggested in the past that deadlines usually spur action in contract talks like these -- and there has been no real deadline in place so far, with the Saints content to let him play out the year with a whopping salary-cap figure of $30 million.When asked if the start of training camp might serve as an unofficial deadline, Brees reiterated that he wanted a deal done by the start of the season on Sept. 11.I would say the deadline is the start of the regular season, not training camp, he said.Brees said in May that he would not discuss his contract during the season. So iff a deal isnt done by Week 1, it will have to wait until the end of the year, when he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.ddddddddddddBrees, however, has insisted that he wont hold out or skip any practice time, and he fully participated in OTAs and minicamp. The Saints veterans report to training camp in West Virginia on Wednesday.Brees became the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history in 2012, when he signed a five-year, $100 million contract with the Saints. Since then, his $20 million average has been passed up 11 times -- including twice by Flacco.Flacco signed for a record $22.13 million per year in new money in March. Then Luck shattered that mark with $24.6 million per year in new money last month.The biggest sticking point in Brees contract will likely be the guaranteed money because of his age. If Brees wants more than $60 million in guarantees like Luck, Flacco and a handful of other quarterbacks, that would be guaranteeing him money into his age-39 season.Brees is still going strong, though. Although he has battled a series of nagging injuries over the past two years, Brees led the NFL in passing for the fourth time in five seasons last year with 4,870 yards in just 15 games played. ' ' '