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DENVER (CBS4) – Former Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins says he’s finding life after football enjoyable and admits he’s thought about the Hall of Fame. Dawkins was CBS4′s guest on Xfinity Monday Live! For some players life after football is not easy, but Dawkins says he’s made a smooth transition. “I’ve been enjoying myself, getting a chance to get up and take my kids different places and to sleep in just a little bit longer sometimes,” Dawkins said. “I have other things that I’ve been preparing myself to do going forward.” One thing is for sure, he doesn’t miss training camp at all. “What I did the other day is I hung out with some of the guys and chatted with the coaches, and didn’t miss it a lick,” he said. Now that Dawkins is retired he has more time to think about the Hall of Fame. He has to wait five years to be put on the ballot. “Have I thought about it? Yeah, I’ve thought about it, and it’s something that if it happens there will be a lot of people I will be celebrating that with,” he said. “If it does not happen it doesn’t take anything away from what the Lord has blessed me to do for 16 years.” He talked about some of the goofy things he would do on the field before a game to get himself and the team psyched up and ready to play. “I just had a great time playing this game, and before the game I got a chance to do what millions of people would love to do. People watching that would love to be able to do that before an NFL football game.” Safety Mike Adams now wears Dawkins’ No. 20 on his jersey. Adams says he wears the number in Dawkins’ honor. Currently Adams is listed as a backup at both safety positions. Dawkins said it’s too early to start talking about the depth chart at the safety position. “Especially where the Broncos are with the safety position because you have so many guys battling for that position. I’m pretty sure the coaches are telling them the same thing, ‘Don’t pay attention to depth charts right now.’ “ Dawkins said because Adams is listed in both spots it means he’s versatile and can play both those positions well. Peyton Manning wasn’t much on Dawkins’ radar on his visit to training camp. He said he mostly paid attention to the defense, but that is going to change. “I guess that’s going to be a habit I have to get out of now … (I) have to look at the offense as well, see what they’re doing because I’m trying to do a little bit of analyst work as well at some point.” The Broncos kick off their first preseason game on the road against Jay Cutler’s Chicago Bears on Thursday. – By Matthew J. Buettner, CBSDenver.com Watch more of the video with Brian Dawkins in the Xfinity Monday Live section .

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Brian Dawkins Enjoying Retirement, Hall Of Fame On His Mind

Keith Brooking would like to end his NFL career the way he started it — in the Super Bowl. This time, though, he’s on John Elway’s side instead of a…

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Brookings happy to be on Elway’s side

DENVER (CBS4) – Former Colorado State University quarterback Caleb Hanie is back in Colorado and has been named Peyton Manning’s backup for the Denver Broncos this season. Hanie stopped by CBS4 studios to talk about his role on the team and how he’s performed during training camp. “It’s been a little up and down at times. Obviously I want to be perfect and master the offense,” Hanie said. “I don’t think I’m there yet but I feel like I’m throwing the ball better after the first couple of days, getting into rhythm with the guys, feeling out the offense a little bit. I think it’s coming along.” Hanie said he was surprised by Manning’s accuracy in camp. “I think that’s kind of what separates him. The mental stuff, obviously everybody knows about that, but the accuracy, I think, is very underrated.” Hanie said the adjustment of playing behind Manning has been a bit easier than he thought it was going to be. “Just as far as the terminology … there’s a lot more adjustments that you need make in this offense compared to the one I was in previously,” he said. “So that takes a little getting used to. There’s a lot more stuff done at the line of scrimmage … that part of it has been harder to catch on.” Even though Hanie has been named Manning’s backup, he said he feels he’s still battling for a roster spot. “You constantly are. You’re battling not just against the guys on your team, but against guys in the league that are out there. It’s a performance-based league and if you don’t perform you’re not going to be around.” Hanie said he does feel confident he will be around and be the second-string quarterback when the season starts. As a former Chicago Bear, Hanie also played behind former Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler. He said he’s previously been asked to compare the Manning to Cutler. “They are just different style players. I think Jay’s a little more loose … as were Peyton, every minute he’s up there he’s trying to get better. There’s room for both of those types of guys in the league and Jay has been very successful doing it his way.” Hanie said he looks forward to going back to Chicago to face his old team when the Broncos face the Bears in the Windy City for the first game of the preseason on Thursday. – By Matthew J. Buettner, CBSDenver.com

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Caleb Hanie Expects To Remain Manning’s Backup For Regular Season

We’re not sure exactly why, but former NFL quarterback and current CBS announcer/radio guy at large Boomer Esiason has a real problem with Tim Tebow. Whether with the Denver Broncos or New York Jets, Tebow has done precious little to impress Esiason, who threw for 37,920 yards and 247 touchdowns in a 14-year NFL career that went from 1984 through 1997. For the second time in Tebow’s pro career, Esiason is telling Tebow’s team that the only way to solve whatever problems brought about by his presence is to get rid of the third-year player. “I’m just telling you right now, I would [cut him], and I’ll tell you why I would,” Esiason said on Monday morning , while on WFAN with show partner Craig Carton. “It’s not in any way, shape or form — I think — benefiting this team … All you have to do is watch him throw the ball. Just watch him.” The Jets acquired Tebow from the Denver Broncos in March to fill a to-be-determined role. He could be anything from a punt protector, to a return man, to a Wildcat quarterback, to a red-zone fullback, to … well, maybe the team’s eventual starting quarterback, if Mark Sanchez has trouble leading the Jets to a successful season. Inevitably, Tebow’s presence at Jets camp has caused a media circus this franchise hasn’t seen since Joe Namath’s salad days, and Esiason, who played for the Jets from 1993 through 1995 after 10 years and a Super Bowl berth with the Cincinnati Bengals, is not at all impressed with what he considers to be a serious distraction that could impact Sanchez’s development. “I just think this whole thing — at least from my perspective right now in relation to who Mark Sanchez is, your starting quarterback — is a major mistake,” Esiason said. “You can say whatever you want about Tim Tebow … he played some of the worst football that any quarterback has ever played in the history of the game last year at times.” Esiason closed out his attack by saying that the only reason the Jets would retain Tebow was because of his character. Wow. And to that point, this isn’t the first time Esiason has insisted that Tebow’s team should give him the boot. In 2011, as the Broncos were adjusting to their atypical quarterback in the second half of the season, Esiason set America straight in his own mind by blasting Tebow in a similar way. “This is a bad move for two reasons,” Esiason said last Nov. 1 , after Tebow was held to 172 passing yards and sacked seven times in a 45-10 loss to the Detroit Lions. “One is, I don’t believe that Tim Tebow knows what he’s doing on the football field. … Number two, those hits that are coming his way are coming with authority. Meaning that players are out to get him.” Well, that’s where there might be a slight distance between reality and Esiason’s opinion. The Lions are out to get every quarterback, and the fact that they were “Tebowing” after many of those sacks indicated a reflection of the media frenzy around Tebow more than anything else.  The Broncos were adjusting to a new and far more mobile quarterback as Tebow replaced Kyle Orton as the team’s starter, and that was his second start of the NFL season. The week before, Tebow had led the Broncos to an 18-15 win over the Miami Dolphins by throwing two touchdown passes in the last 2:44 of regulation. He also executed the 2-point conversion that took the game into overtime.

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Boomer Esiason misses the point in latest Tebow diatribe (Shutdown Corner)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have signed veteran free agent linebacker Keith Brooking.

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Broncos sign veteran free agent LB Keith Brooking (The Associated Press)