Not to suggest that your nap went a little long, but when you went to sleep, Al Wilson was the heart and soul of the Broncos defense. When you woke up, he was persona non grata, dangling before the rest of the league like a worm on a hook.

One minute, he's the leader of the fastest linebacking corps in football. The next, the Giants are reportedly nixing a trade for him after giving him a physical exam.

You knew football was a business, but you didn't know it was the used car business.

Here's the deal, as best I can make it out: Wilson has become the top organizational scapegoat for the collapse of the Broncos' defense down the stretch last season.

Well, departed defensive coaches Larry Coyer and Andre Patterson were the first scapegoats, but put down Wilson's name right after them. The organizational view is that Wilson's performance deteriorated as the season went along, to the point that he was called into Mike Shanahan's office near the end of the season and told as much.

In fact, the season finale against San Francisco was the first time in Wilson's pro career that he was active but did not play. Earlier in that week, when he was held out of two practices, Wilson said he had a stiff back. But he was not inactive for the game, the usual recourse when a player is unavailable due to a short-term injury. He was simply benched. In a game that would determine whether the Broncos went to the playoffs, Nate Webster played middle linebacker.

Now the Broncos are shopping Wilson with the assistance of his new agent, Peter Schaffer, who seems to be developing a side specialty of getting guys out of Denver, having recently made the necessary arrangements for Trevor Pryce and Ashley Lelie.

From the team's perspective, part of the motivation might be to avoid a confrontation over reduced playing time next year. Broncos brass has been talking for some time about adding D.J. Williams to the nickel package to increase his impact.

That would require subtracting someone - namely, Wilson or Ian Gold. Gold is the team's best cover linebacker, which means the odd man out would likely be Wilson.

There is no reason to think he would be happy about that.

Wilson has never been the most fundamentally sound tackler in the game, but his speed and athleticism often allowed him to recover from mistakes. In the year he turns 30, the club may feel that's no longer a winning formula.

On the other hand, Wilson's leadership and heart haven't gone anywhere. These things matter, too. Neither Gold nor Williams has exhibited the personality to replace them. Champ Bailey and John Lynch are fine leaders, but the secondary is a different deal. The front seven needs its own tough-guy leadership.

So you can't evaluate the apparent decision to unload Wilson without answering this question: Who takes his place?

You don't jettison a five-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker without having a line of succession in mind. Maybe the Broncos do, but it's not readily apparent.

If they want to convert Williams into a middle linebacker, they've kept quiet about it. What you do hear is that Williams would be more effective on the weak side, in Gold's spot, where he wouldn't have to bounce off tight ends all the time. If they're trying to free him of blockers, the middle is not the place to put him.

Webster looks like a short-term solution at best. About to turn 30 himself, with a history of knee trouble, Webster has never cracked triple digits in total tackles, something Wilson has done six times in eight NFL seasons, including the last one, when he led the team with 113, despite sitting out the finale.

My understanding is that trading Wilson would save the Broncos only about $2 million of salary-cap space. Every little bit helps - it looks like they had to cut Courtney Brown to sign quarterback Patrick Ramsey and wide receiver Brandon Stokley - but that savings is not enough to justify the deal by itself. The Broncos appear to have decided for football reasons that it is time for Wilson to go.

Why he failed his Giants physical is anybody's guess. Could have been the neck, the back, the oft-repaired thumb. Could have been too much cumulative risk for a guy with four years and more than $20 million left on his contract. Still, another team might reach a different conclusion. If all the Broncos want is a middle-round draft pick - they don't have a fourth or a fifth in the April draft - some team seems likely to take a chance.

Which brings us back to the main questions: If the Broncos trade Wilson, who plays middle linebacker? Who assumes his role in the locker room?

Whether shopping him is a good move depends entirely on what comes next. Presumably, Shanahan has a plan. In view of what he's prepared to give up, it had better be a good one.

kriegerd@RockyMountainNews.com