Denver Broncos' Week in Review: Stage set for OTAs

Another week further into May, another week closer to training camp and the 2016 NFL games that actually count.

At the risk of getting too far ahead of ourselves, though, here’s a look back at the week that was in Broncos Country:

Headline: Mark Sanchez undergoes thumb surgery on his left hand

Bottom line: Yeah, the weight-room slip-up that injured the thumb on Sanchez’s non-throwing hand puts the Broncos’ current No. 1 QB in real danger of missing the start of organized team activities this week. But quell the panic. It’s May, it’s OTAs, it’s reportedly a minor procedure on a non-throwing hand and the regular-season opener is still more than three months away. Oh, and the Orange & Blue also happen to have two other young quarterbacks who could benefit greatly from extra reps in the meantime. Let’s save the anxiety and anxiousness for a real crisis.

Headline: Jason Elam, Simon Fletcher and John Lynch elected as newest members of Broncos’ Ring of Fame

Bottom line: The list of deserving Broncos’ ROF candidates just got reduced by three – and , yes, that includes Lynch. Sure, the point can be made that the likes of Mike Shanahan and Ed McCaffrey should’ve gone in before Lynch – who will always be better remembered nationally as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer – but who’s to argue about four Pro Bowls in four seasons, not to mention his lockerroom leadership and sizable and continuing community presence? Those in Broncos Country who fall back on the “too-short-of-tenure” argument with Lynch can’t then turn around and argue for Terrell Davis’ inclusion in the Pro Football Hall.

Headline: Broncos insist they’re returning 10 – not nine – defensive starters

Bottom line: Hey, no argument here. Third CB Bradley Roby, who played 56.8 percent of the total defensive snaps last seaspm, is a starter by most any measure in the modern-day NFL where nickel and dime packages are the general rule – and certainly far from the exception. Add in Roby’s 2015 stats and big plays – finishing tied for second on the team with 10 passes defensed, his scoop-and-score fumble return in K.C. and his game-saving forced fumble in the playoffs against the Steelers – and there’s no question he should count toward the Denver D’s returning starting assets.

Headline: Bovada sportsbook opens Broncos’ over/under win total at nine

Bottom line: Nine wins? For the defending Super Bowl champions who’ve notched no fewer than 12 wins in each of the past four seasons? That number immediately jumps off the board, and it’s even more of a shock considering that 11 teams – including the AFC-West-rival Chiefs (9.5 wins) and the four-win Cowboys (9.5) of last season – opened with higher win totals. Three points here: 1. The national perception of most NFL teams goes little farther than the starting QB; 2. There is real fuel for the Orange & Blue’s lack-of-respect fire and 3. But don’t go wagering the next three months of your mortgage as the major sportsbooks have an annoying little habit of being right more than they’re wrong – let alone way off base.