CB Paymah trying to get back to NFL

by Ryan Ebert

Former Broncos, Texans, and Vilings cornerback Karl Paymah will go the same route as wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and quarterback T.J. O'Sullivan to try and revive his NFL career, yet he doesn't want to end up like those two as they have retired.  He will be going into the CFL and will join the Saskatchewan RoughRiders.

“It puts everything into perspective because I took a lot of things for granted,’’ Paymah tells the Regina Leader-Post.  ”It’s keeping me humble and working on the little things that I did take for granted in the past.  [The Riders] are probably one of the best coaching staffs that I’ve been around.”

“In the NFL, they don’t have time to coach you because it’s all about schemes,” he added.  ”These guys have played the game before and they know when your body hurts.  They are going to take care of you.  I’m learning and I haven’t learned in a long time.’’

Paynah was drafted by Denver 76th overall in the third round in the 2005 NFL Draft from Washington State.  A native from Boston Massachusetts, he played in 60 games starting five.  In four seasons with the Broncos he put up 101 tackles, deflected 12 passes and had three interceptions.

Paymah, 29, played in 12 games with Minnesota with two starts in 2009 and had 27 tackles, 2 pass deflections, and a forced fumble.  He then went on to Houston playing in two games and only put up 2 tackles in 2010.

Paymah, who stands at 6'0" and 195 lbs. talked about his concussion he suffered in 2007.

“I remember that his knee hit my head,’’ Paymah recalled of the running back who knocked him out cold.

“The next thing I remember was waking up in the ambulance and I was all strapped down.  I wanted them to get it off me because I had to get back into the game.  They calmed me down, and after I started to move my limbs, I realized that I was fine. . . .  My hearing and my sight was affected for four weeks after it.’

But a week later he returned to the gridiron.

“I didn’t feel like I was ready, but I didn’t want to let my team down and I felt there was a lot of pressure,” Paymah said.  ”It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I had to do what I had to do.”

Bible verse that was applied to this article:

"The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness." Proverbs 11:6

Carter, Harris making place for themselves on defense

by Ryan Ebert

The Broncos have a good combination of veterans and young players in their locker room.  A pair of young defensive backs have stood out coming up big at times making a promising future for themselves.  Safety Quinton Carter and cornerback Chris Harris were former Big 12 rivals and should improve themselves and the Broncos defense this coming year.

They came into the league without an offseason, but did have help from veterans Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins.  With those two leading the secondary they helped the Broncos defense only allow opposing offenses to convert under 34% of their third-down conversions.

Chris Harris, undrafted from Kansas, had a nice rookie year totaling 72 tackles with an interception against the Raiders in a 38-24 victory.  He started the first game of his career in Week 13 against Minnesota helping the Broncos get a huge 35-32 win.

Quinton Carter,drafted out of Oklahoma in the fourth round, had a good year as a replacement for Rahim Moore who disappointed many his rookie year.  He started in 10 games putting up 56 tackles and a sack.  In the playoffs Carter made his presence felt as he picked off Ben Roethlisberger that put Denver in an easy situation to score which led to a field goal by Matt Prater that extended the score to 17-6 over Pittsburgh at the time.  In the divisional playoff round Carter intercepted Brady capping off a nice season for the rookie.

The veterans in Bailey, Florence, and Porter have been mentoring the young guys, and Carter and Harris have done all they can to keep all the information in their heads.  Both players have taken their challenges on well and be part of Del Rio's defense this year.

"I think the group is pretty good," Del Rio said. "We've got a good group of vets that are doing their best to share some of the knowledge that they've gathered over the years. I think he does take some time -- most of the guys do -- but Drayton in particular, Champ, those guys have been really good about giving some insight to some of the younger players, helping them grow."

Head coach John Fox believes the offseason workout will benefit the two players greatly which can make them into consistent contributors on the defense.

"The second time around, their sophomore season, they feel way more comfortable," Fox said. "Again, you have to develop a pro body. This game is twice as long as the college game when you figure in the preseason as well as the playoffs. It takes a while. They are much further along and much more comfortable the second time around."