Shanahan has Broncos' backs

[DukeWoody]

Shanahan has Broncos' backs
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 11/16/2007 06:41:59 PM MST

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_7484558

Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan, right. (Post file / Omar Vega)If it's fourth and 10, time is running out and the Broncos are losing, Mike Shanahan might call a running play.

But better believe his linemen will explode off the snap with every ounce of inner force, the receivers will doggedly throws blocks downfield, and the tailback will run and spin with they expectation they will be 10 yards further up field.

It doesn't matter what the fans think of Shanahan's play calling this season or that the NFL is mad at Broncos' coach this week for trying to coerce a slanted jury closer to neutral.

What matters are the players in the locker room. They heard how Shanahan dared to defend Travis Henry this week. The Broncos' star running back is down. He is facing fourth and long. Time is running out.

And yet before the American public, Shanahan gave Henry his unwavering support. He didn't give Henry the ball, exactly. But he did deliver stirring testimony on his behalf.

"It does mean something when you have a coach that believes in your players," said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. "Everybody's beating (Henry) up. One thing about the league, they don't give everybody details. They'll let people think this guy is a drug addict. And it's not like that."

Cynics may question Shanahan's motive. After all, if Henry is dinged for a one-year suspension, Shanahan and the Broncos look bad, too. They're the ones who gave Henry a $12 million guarantee knowing he was one strike away from becoming money poorly spent.

Would Shanahan have so staunchly supported Henry if he hadn't made such a large investment in him?

"He did the same thing with David Kircus," said Broncos' tight end Tony Scheffler. "He firmly believes that until the justice system proves otherwise, we're going to stick together as a family."

Kircus was essentially a minimum-wage player, getting ready to compete for the 53rd spot on the Broncos' 53-man roster when he beat up a guy at a party. Kircus was charged with assault but Shanahan stuck by Kircus after administering a lie-detector test.

Shanahan gave Henry a lie-detector test, too. The charge against Henry is 21 nanograms of THC, the component that — sniff! — puts the buzz in marijuana. Shanahan says 21 nanograms is too low a reading to be considered a valid test in most states, including Colorado. Shanahan added Henry had clean urine samples a few days before the alleged positive test, and a few days after.

If THC stays in one's system for 30 days, how can there be a positive test? The NFL didn't like Shanahan revealing what it wanted to keep confidential. They had an NFL official call him this week and tell him so. Nor did they care for Shanahan letting the public in on Henry passing the lie detector test and also having a hair follicle sample come up clean.

At worst, Shanahan inflamed NFL egos into stubborn judgment. At best, he gave slim hope to an almost unwinnable case — the presiding judge in Henry's appeal hearing Friday was Jeffrey Pash, an NFL executive vice president and legal counsel — and sent a message to his players that in times of trouble, they have a friend upstairs.

"I don't think there's a problem he hasn't seen before," Bailey said. "I don't think he condones a lot of things players get in trouble with. But his stance is: It happened, OK, let's help this guy get through it. People make mistakes."

It's been a tough year for Shanahan. There have been injuries, the occasional butt-whipping, and more losses than wins. It's been a tough year for Travis Henry. Injuries, polygamous relationships, and 21 nanograms.

The difference is, Henry will likely lose while Shanahan, corny as it sounds, will have won over the locker room. "Especially this time of year when you're playing through the pain and soreness, it makes you want to fight for a guy you know has your back," Scheffler said.

[broncofan2438]

Ok, so is he suspened or not?

[DukeWoody]

I think the verdict comes in next week on Tuesday...

[That One Guy]

No ruling yet.

That said, I don't buy this stuff the players are spouting. Do you really think they're just saying "Hey, he made a mistake, it's ok" in the locker room when they realize the best RB on the team will be suspended? If they really wanted to win, they'd be in the locker room talking about how Henry let the team down and how they now have to put the season on the back of an UFA if he does in fact get suspended. You don't just accidentally get weed in your system, I don't care how little it is... especially if you're someone that knows the drug. It's not like he could walk into a room and not realize they're smoking.

[frerottenextelway]

Shanahan added Henry had clean urine samples a few days before the alleged positive test, and a few days after.

This is getting retarded. Is there anyone on the planet that thinks Henry smoked pot recently? Screw the letter of the law, the bible teaches us to uphold the spirit of the law, and in that regard Henry is as innocent as innocent gets.

[s0phr0syne]

The Bible? Lol.

[Popps]

The difference is, Henry will likely lose while Shanahan, corny as it sounds, will have won over the locker room.

This is assuming the locker room was on Henry's side to begin with, which we don't really know.

[Jetmeck]

Henry may lose to the bull headed company attitude of the NFL but in the end after he takes them to court he will be the winner. Their one very fallable test will not hold up
in court especially since there is a precedent for this test being false. Before and after urine tests, hair samples and a lie detector test for good measure. Yes the man has a very good case no matter how much some of you dislike him.

Bible does not apply to the law. Church and state separation...ever heard of it ? If what you are trying to say is logic and common sense should be applied then I agree.

[SoCalBronco]

We're going to end up paying for all of Shanahan's comments.

[DenverBroncosJM]

Lets for a second pretend you are a juror. And futhermore lets say that this is just some case.

With the evidence against the NFL test and the evidence that Henry has can you honestly tell me you would isde with the NFL?

I just dont see it. The guy might be a baby making machine, but I just cant believe that he is guilty. The NFl has one test Henry has freaking 5 that say he is clean!

[That One Guy]

Apparently they're conceding he had drugs in his system, just saying that 21 nanograms or whatever is too little to be a real drug user. Where did those nanograms come from? That's my biggest issue here, whether he personally put it to his lips or not isn't my concern... he put himself in position to fail and got burned... why do I care how much he did?

[BroncoMan4ever]

oh well goodbye Travis Henry it was fun and i bit strange. Buy some tickets to the next home game for yourself your 9 kids and there 9 different mothers, yourself and your drug dealer and enjoy watchinjg Selvin Young and Andre Hall do what you couldn't or didn't want to anymore.

[cutthemdown]

Apparently they're conceding he had drugs in his system, just saying that 21 nanograms or whatever is too little to be a real drug user. Where did those nanograms come from? That's my biggest issue here, whether he personally put it to his lips or not isn't my concern... he put himself in position to fail and got burned... why do I care how much he did?

Some people have said since THC is stored in the fat it is possible to have some in your system long after you have quit. When that fat cell storing the THC is finally burned it releases into your system. I'm not saying that's what I think only that it is a slight medical possibility that they don't know for sure how THC is stored and for how long it could show up in a test. They just haven't spent enough money on it to know. The general rule is that you can get rid of it in 30 days, but maybe certain people could store it much much longer depending on genetic pre-disposition.

Having said that I think Henry smoked some weed.

[Houshyamama]

Shanahan gave Henry a lie-detector test, too. The charge against Henry is 21 nanograms of THC, the component that — sniff! — puts the buzz in marijuana. Shanahan says 21 nanograms is too low a reading to be considered a valid test in most states, including Colorado.

21 ng/mL is a pretty low concentration to be testing at. Testing negative immediately before and after should also be disconcerting for the testers. I have no idea what method they use, but few are perfect.

[broncofan2438]

Such a weird turn of events for this team

[Paladin]

Is it possible that some snot in the apartment next door was doing a weed, and some nanoamounts got into the hall and TH picked up a snoot to amount to 21 nanograms by walking through the hall? What a drugged up place we live in when a perfectly innocent person pick up second hand smoke - weed or tobacco - by walking through an enclosed bar or coffee shop, or whatever.

Crikey! Man can't keep out all the wafts of smoke walking about the places where smoke wafts, can he?



/sarcasm button off/

[defenseman]

guys, IF it is true that Henry had a negative test a few days prior to the pos. test, and had a negative test a FEW DAYS AFTER. THIS IS AN ANOMALY. I'd be jumping up and freaking down on this. In addition, if those "negative" test prior to and just after the positive have "B" samples, they need to test them NOW. He has an argument here, and a good one. I hope he pulls it off...dman

[ScottXray]

do any of you realise what nanograms are..?

BILLIONTHS of a gram. So he had 21 Billionths of a gram
per milliliter of urine? And the test is known to be unreliable at those levels.

He may be a POS but if the NFL suspends him on that he WILL sue , and he WILL win. The players union may step up too.

Personally I don't care if he ever steps back on the field...as a Bronco or otherwise...but I don't think the league is going to win this one.

It may screw us over, too.

Shanny gives him moral support, but then says...now give us our money back! Yep...winning ways.



ARGHHHHH!

[Houshyamama]

do any of you realise what nanograms are..?

BILLIONTHS of a gram. So he had 21 Billionths of a gram
per milliliter of urine? And the test is known to be unreliable at those levels.

He may be a POS but if the NFL suspends him on that he WILL sue , and he WILL win. The players union may step up too.

Personally I don't care if he ever steps back on the field...as a Bronco or otherwise...but I don't think the league is going to win this one.

It may screw us over, too.

Shanny gives him moral support, but then says...now give us our money back! Yep...winning ways.



ARGHHHHH!

A nanogram is a millionth of a gram. ng = 10^-9 g

A billionth of a gram would be a picogram.

They test for metabolites of THC such as delta-9 and can actually be accurate down to the 2-3 ng/mL range. The troublesome aspect of this deal is the two negative results.

[Doggcow]

21 nanograms? So I guess someone was smoking pot 4 blocks off the freeway as Henry drove to the test and he just got an unlucky breeze.

[penguintheory]

Gosh guys, don'tcha know how bad drugs are? Get this cancer off our team already, he's such a distraction. Tsk tsk tsk.

Can't wait til we start drafting more fellas from BYU. Shee-eesh!

:rolleyes:

[NYBronco]

We're going to end up paying for all of Shanahan's comments.

You are exactly right.

Shanahan has upset / embarrassed the kings in the ivory tower. Doesn't matter how right he may be.

[SportinOne]

Those tests are very innaccurate, but if they are innaccurate they will only turn a positive into a false and not the other way around. No doubt in my mind that he smoked some reefer. I am not sure where the 30 day standard started, i have seen people pass tests after only a week.

As for the negatives before and after... there are products that TEMPORARILY "cleanse" your system in order to pass drug tests. There all sorts of things that you can do to pass. He clearly was not on his game on the day he failed that test..

I wish him luck in this but the fact of the matter is that there was THC in his body and unless he can come up with a reasonable explanation for why it was there other than him smoking pot then he should be suspended.

[fontaine]

We're going to end up paying for all of Shanahan's comments.

Admit it SoCal, you're afraid we'll get draft picks docked?
ROFL!

[Fedaykin]

I don't particularly care for Henry, but this is rediculous. No objective individual would look throw out 3+ negative results in favor of 1 positive result.

And what the hell is wrong with the legal procedings? The Judge is an employee of the plantiff! Haven't that ass clowns heard of "conflict of interest"?

[BroncsRule]

21 ng is less than half the standard used in most states for court mandated UA's and in mostt industries - including the military and the airline industry.

Most testing agencys have settled on 50 ng as a reasonable compromise - to avoid the ol' "contact high' argument. If you're over 50 ng/ml, you're hot. If you're test results fall below that threshold, you're generally considered to be "clean" for legal purposes.

The other way a few molecules can still be kickin' around the ol' bloodstream months after your last toke, is the "stored fat phenomenon", and here's the thing:

NFL players aren't like you and me. They work out far more intensely, and have a far faster metabolism than the average guy off the street.

It is quite conceivable that Travis had just had a more intense than average workout that day - his body was stressed, somewhat dehydrated. Some old fat cells get burned in the course of that workout and wham! he's "hot" again for a couple of days..

[DivineLegion]

No ruling yet.

That said, I don't buy this stuff the players are spouting. Do you really think they're just saying "Hey, he made a mistake, it's ok" in the locker room when they realize the best RB on the team will be suspended? If they really wanted to win, they'd be in the locker room talking about how Henry let the team down and how they now have to put the season on the back of an UFA if he does in fact get suspended. You don't just accidentally get weed in your system, I don't care how little it is... especially if you're someone that knows the drug. It's not like he could walk into a room and not realize they're smoking.

Poppie seeds contain just enough THC to make someone fail a drug test...not enough to indicate a large amount but enough to show up to case a positive test. Considering Travis is in Denver where Pot is better than over 40% of the states for him to smoke pot one day and have a reading of 24 and the next nothing is imposible. One hit days even weeks before would register anywhere from 150 to 90 depending on how much and what kind of weed he smoked.

[orange 4 life]

The difference is, Henry will likely lose while Shanahan, corny as it sounds, will have won over the locker room.

This is assuming the locker room was on Henry's side to begin with, which we don't really know.

exactly.

personally, i think guys like rod, lynch, and cutler are sick of hearing about this guy, and theyre sick of wondering each week if he's gonna play or not.

theyre also probably NOT too sick of selvin young busting his freaking behind on every single play.

yeah, i think some of the guys are pleased to see their fearless leader not turn his back on his player, but i ALSO think alot of those guys never wanted this clown on the team in the first place, so its a double edged sword. just my .02.

jake

[Atwater His Ass]

exactly.

personally, i think guys like rod, lynch, and cutler are sick of hearing about this guy, and theyre sick of wondering each week if he's gonna play or not.

theyre also probably NOT too sick of selvin young busting his freaking behind on every single play.

yeah, i think some of the guys are pleased to see their fearless leader not turn his back on his player, but i ALSO think alot of those guys never wanted this clown on the team in the first place, so its a double edged sword. just my .02.

jake

I think people take their own personal view of a player and apply it to the team when they dont' know anything that happens in the locker room or how any player really feels about another player, good or bad.