Bailey eager to prove his worth at 35

Champ Bailey is cranky. He’s also as confident as ever.

And no, he’s not going to admit his body is creaking as he approaches his 35th birthday and prepares to face rookie receivers who were just learning their ABCs when he entered the NFL in 1999.

He’s still irked by that loss to Baltimore in the playoffs and the way he got burned by Ravens receiver Torrey Smith. He’s heard the whispers that he should move to safety and how quarterbacks now won’t shy away from him anymore.

With nearly three dozen candles about to adorn his birthday cake, Bailey insists he’s not willing to concede anything to age, has no plans to switch positions and welcomes any quarterback or offensive co-ordinator who wants to target him in 2013.

And if the Broncos want to select his heir apparent in the upcoming draft, he’s fine with that, too.

“I’m blessed, trust me,” Bailey said this week at the start of voluntary off-season workouts. “Everybody back there would love to stand up here and say, ‘I’m 35 years old.’ It is what it is. When my time runs out, I’ll run away from it. But for the time being, I’m still here.”

Bailey was among several Broncos stars who had poor performances in their early exit from the playoffs three months ago after they’d earned the AFC’s top seed with an 11-game winning streak and seemed Super Bowl-bound.

Smith got behind the 12-time Pro Bowl cornerback for a 59-yard touchdown and then beat him for a 32-yard score, all part of an uncharacteristic day for the Broncos, who lost that game in double overtime, once again denying Bailey a chance at a championship that has always eluded him.

Bailey concedes the 59-yard TD was his fault but argues he was in position on the 32-yarder. In his eyes, that afternoon doesn’t foreshadow an abrupt drop in his game.