Occasionally I receive reassuring memos from the home office that say things like, "It's freakin' 1:45 p.m. ET, and you haven't mentioned the Broncos-49ers game tonight on our network!!!"
The truth of the matter is that I was waiting for folks in the Central time zone to return from lunch before publishing such a notable entry. In many ways, tonight is the most important preseason game in the history of the league.
According to my colleague Ron Jaworski, tonight will provide an opportunity to see how much progress quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Alex Smith have made during the offseason. Try to ignore the fact that you won't recognize any of the receivers they're throwing to because of injuries, and just focus on their throws.
It will be your first chance to see what Broncos cornerbacks Dre' Bly and Champ Bailey look like together. And fantasy players might want to see how new Broncos tailback Travis Henry looks on the first couple of series.
I'm also told that Mike Bell has reclaimed the backup tailback spot in recent days from Cecil Sapp. On defense, keep your eye on second-round draft choice and former University of Texas star Tim Crowder, who should see at least two quarters of action.
Broncos insiders tell me that he has had an excellent camp, and could challenge starting defensive end John Engelberger for a job early in the season.
I talked about the upstart 49ers earlier. You'll have to live with the fact that star running back Frank Gore will probably finish the preseason without a single carry because of his broken hand. Don't read too much into that, though. LaDainian Tomlinson is completely healthy, and I'd be surprised if he plays a down in the preseason.
But again, preseason football is very, very important, and you shouldn't miss a moment of tonight's game. In fact, I plan to do a little live-blogging at some point during tonight's game to shake off some of the rust. Log on early and often.
Courage
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