Mason's Morsels

The Denver Post reported Friday night that John Lynch will return to the Broncos for the 2008 season, which would be his fifth in Denver and 16th in the NFL.

Lynch has made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons in Denver and has been a team captain throughout his time in orange and blue.

Throughout the offseason, Lynch had discussed the need to take his time and be prudent in deciding whether to return, noting that this was the first juncture in his career in which he pondered the issue.

Discuss below …

A larger-than-usual crowd was at John Lynch’s monthly ceremony to honor local student-athletes, but he knew that the increased turnout wasn’t for his “Salute the Stars” program.

“I’m sure you guys want some other information,” he said.

As it turned out, there was little new information to offer. Six days after being named an injury replacement to the AFC Pro Bowl roster, Lynch still has not finalized his plans for the 2008 season.

“I haven’t made that decision yet,” he said. “I’m not being evasive or anything; I’m just being true with you guys. I haven’t come to that time where I’ve made a decision yet.

“When I know, you guys will know.”

Watch the video below to see what Lynch had to say:

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Among the Broncos, only Champ Bailey found his name on the Pro Bowl roster, which was announced Tuesday afternoon at just after 2 p.m. MST.

For Bailey, it’s his eight consecutive Pro Bowl roster appearance and fourth as a Bronco, which gives him the third-longest streak of successive Pro Bowl nods in franchise annals, behind Steve Atwater and Shannon Sharpe.

Safety John Lynch saw his streak of three straight Pro Bowls snapped.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall and defensive end Elvis Dumervil were also thought to be possible Pro Bowl selections, but did not see their names on the list. Marshall ranks fifth in the AFC and seventh in the NFL in receptions and receiving yardage, with 86 catches for 1,136 yards so far this season, including 21 receptions and a pair of 100-yard games in the last two weeks.

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After a three-day respite that represented a second bye weekend for all intents and purposes, the Broncos returned to the practice field Monday for a session that lasted just under an hour and was conducted without linebacker Ian Gold and tight end Daniel Graham, although both were in uniform alongside their teammates.

Head Coach Mike Shanahan offered similar prognoses for Gold and Graham, saying that “maybe” each would be able to return to the practice field this week. Gold suffered a knee injury in Thursday night’s loss at Houston, while Graham incurred a high ankle sprain, the same kind of injury that running back Andre Hall played through at Chicago on Nov. 25 before sitting out the loss at Oakland seven days later.

“Exactly when (Graham) will be able to practice, I’m not really sure,” Shanahan said.

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As expected, Travis Henry was not at practice Friday, attending a hearing with the league in Phoenix regarding an appeal of a potential suspension. Head Coach Mike Shanahan noted after Friday’s practice that he did not know when the issue would be resolved.

“I don’t know if it will be the following week, two days later or nine days later,” he said.

As for Henry’s status for Monday night, that remains in the air. He is listed as questionable with the partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He saw limited work in Thursday’s practice, but missed all of the work on Wednesday in addition to his Friday afternoon absence, leaving the decision on his status to be made closer to game time.

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Thursday’s practice was to be the test of whether John Lynch had recovered from the neck stinger he incurred Oct. 29 against the Green Bay Packers, and from all indications, the 15-year veteran passed.

“It went well,” Lynch said as he walked off the practice field following the two-and-a-quarter-hour session Thursday afternoon. “We had some spirited contact out there and it felt good. I think all things are looking real good.

“I’m real encouraged.”

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Javon Walker wasn’t in uniform, and he wasn’t going through the paces of practice with his teammates. But his presence in pre-practice warmups — limited as he was to lightly running routes and catching passes — nevertheless provided the first tangible, public evidence of his recovery from the knee surgery he underwent on Oct. 19 in Houston.

“It felt good just to run around and catch some balls,” Walker said. “Every day will be just another step to being game-ready.”

That, however, might be a little while in coming. Head Coach Mike Shanahan acknowledged Monday that it was “probably a long shot” for Walker to return by Monday night.

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Neither Travis Henry nor John Lynch will be in uniform today, as both were deactivated by the Broncos this morning.

Lynch had been limited in practice throughout the week, while Henry sat out the practices on Wednesday and Thursday before being in uniform on Friday. Both were considered game-time decisions heading into the morning.

Hamza Abdullah, who played a majority of the snaps last week at Detroit, is expected to start for Lynch, while Selvin Young is scheduled to open at tailback in Henry’s stead.

Joining Lynch and Henry on the inactive list are running back/fullback Mike Bell, offensive lineman Isaac Snell, defensive ends Larry Birdine and Paul Carrington and wide receiver Javon Walker. Quarterback Darrell Hackney is the Broncos’ other inactive player, but he is in uniform per the NFL’s rules regarding third quarterbacks.

Birdine and Carrington had both been signed to the 53-man roster on Tuesday. Defensive lineman Josh Mallard and wide receiver Taylor Jacobs also joined the club that day amidst a flurry of roster moves, but they are active and in uniform for today’s game.

These headlines just keep getting lengthier and lengthier, eh …

In the past two days, John Lynch has felt well enough to practice, and Thursday afternoon he was at the point where he could linger on the field with some of his fellow defensive backs, getting extra conditioning work in on the FieldTurf surface adjacent to the west practice field the Broncos utilized for the two-and-a-half hour session.

Does all that mean he’ll be able to play on Sunday, less than two weeks after he suffered a neck stinger against the Green Bay Packers? Not even the 15-year veteran knows for sure.

“As for this week, I don’t know,” Lynch said. “I have to talk to (Head Coach) Mike (Shanahan) and see where we’re at. The plan was to go out and test it a couple of days and see where we’re at. It hasn’t gotten worse. It’s gotten better, in fact.

“Ultimately it comes down to a gut (feeling) of myself and Coach and Greek (Head Athletic Trainer Steve Antonopulos) and everyone there.”

While Lynch was in uniform on Thursday, he was limited in his practice-time work, just as he was Wednesda.

“We did not hit him, for obvious reasons,” Shanahan said. “But he is practicing, so that is a positive.”

All Lynch can really do now is work out on the field and wait for time to run its course and for the remaining tingling feeling in his arm to dissipate for good.

“I think there’s still something there, but I’m feeling good and it’s getting better,” Lynch said.

“I’ve played with just about everything there is, from dislocated shoulders to torn ligaments in my knee. You can fight through that. But these things, until they’re ready, it’s just foolish to go out there. I would argue with them (about playing) — before I’d gone through this last time. When the nerve’s hot, it’s just not ready.”

Quarterback Jay Cutler, however, is ready after going through the full practice regimen for a second consecutive day.

“He’ll be ready to go,” Shanahan said. “There should be no setback. He’s still a little bit sore. He had a good practice.”

The same could not be said for running back Travis Henry, who was held out for a second consecutive day while recovering from the slight knee injury he incurred (last) Sunday at Detroit.

“He’s still a little bit too sore,” Shanahan said. “We’ll see how he is (Friday).”

Other bits of injury news …

… John Engleberger saw limited work in practice Thursday; he sat out Wednesday with a shoulder injury … Elvis Dumervil (knee), Glenn Martinez (bruised ribs), Karl Paymah (knee), Cecil Sapp (calf) and D.J. Williams (finger) all took part in the full range of practice work Friday … Chiefs offensive tackle Damion McIntosh did not take part in practice for a second consecutive day; he’s been sick with a tonsil problem this week, but Kansas City head coach Herman Edwards expects him to be able to play Sunday. McIntosh did take part in Kansas City’s walk-through session Thursday … Chiefs tight end Jason Dunn was at Chiefs practice, but Edwards said he did not take part; he has a scratched eye. Earlier this week, Edwards ruled out running back Larry Johnson for the game; offensive tackle Will Svitek has also already been ruled out.

The Broncos will have to make do without safety John Lynch.

After being limited in practice on Thursday and Friday as he recovered from the pinched nerve he incurred against Green Bay last Monday, Lynch was one of the eight players scratched for today’s game against the Detroit Lions.

Joining Lynch on the sidelines will be fullback/running back Mike Bell, safety Curome Cox, defensive tackle Amon Gordon, guard Isaac Snell, tight end Chad Mustard, wide receiver Javon Walker and defensive end Jarvis Moss, whose season ended last Thursday when he fractured his fibula and tore ankle ligaments in practice. However, he has not yet been moved to injured reserve.

Hamza Abdullah, meanwhile, will make his return to the lineup after missing the last five games with a strained hip flexor. With Cox inactive, Abdullah is one of three pure safeties active for the game, joining Nick Ferguson and Steve Cargile. Cornerback Domonique Foxworth, however, is expected to see substantial action back at safety, as he did last week following Lynch’s injury and back in December 2006 when Ferguson was lost for the season.

Detroit’s inactives players included running back Tatum Bell, whom the Lions acquired from Denver in the Dre’ Bly trade eight months ago. Joining him are cornerbacks Dovonte Edwards and Tony Beckham, guards Blaine Saipia and Manny Ramirez, defensive ends Ikaika Alama-Francis and Kalimba Edwards and quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who is in uniform per the NFL’s rules regarding third quarterbacks.