By JEFF LEGWOLD, Scripps Howard News Service

An NFL spring is always about fresh starts and changes in the scenery.For Denver Broncos receiver Keary Colbert, it's about a new jersey, a new city, a new team and new possibilities. About replacing disappointment with what he believes will come in the days and months ahead.

They are a small army of ones.As in one here, one there, scattered well beyond the interstates on the football map. The ones chasing their NFL dreams, hoping someone, anyone, will just take a chance.

Some of the more highly rated players in the April 26-27 draft who played outside the bright lights of the Bowl Championship Series:- Steve Allen, LB, West Texas A&M: Also played at two junior colleges. Former safety now is a 236-pound linebacker.- Jamar Brittingham, RB, Bloomsburg: Finished career 14th all time in NCAA Division II with 5,689 career rushing yards.

In the end Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan got exactly what he wanted from Internet giant Yahoo.

In the wake of recent "Spygate" charges against the New England Patriots and the controversy surrounding the NFL'S destruction of evidence in the case, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has vigorously denied an Internet report he hired someone to videotape San Diego Chargers practices.

With NFL checkbooks set to burst open with the start of free agency, we interrupt that program with a little public service announcement.Think one.As in one free agent for a one-year contract for $1 million.

It is the distance between football Saturdays and the Sundays that follow for some, the question of production versus potential.The question about whether quality college players will be quality pros.About whether the quality of a college football program can -- or should -- be measured by how many playing professionals it exports.

It has become an annual rite of summer.To let my fingers do the walking, make the calls, to simply quiz those who will eventually hire the new head coaches.To see who will be in when some are inevitably out.And when the informal poll was done this past summer, before any games had been played, the most popular picks were:Gregg Williams.Dom Capers.

Right from the start, right from the time the New York Jets said the New England Patriots had a guy videotaping their defensive signals in September, the Patriots have been the story of this season

As an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey has lined up and locked down plenty of guys around the league.