Thursday, May 17th, 2012
The 2008 Denver Broncos finished a very disappointing regular season with an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs. The team fired longtime head coach Mike Shanahan and replaced him with former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Three consecutive years missing the playoffs took their toll on Shanahan and the Broncos initiated a much-needed change. Starting quarterback Jay Cutler became unhappy with the firing of his head coach and was traded to the Chicago Bears for Kyle Orton. Oddsmakers have set the 2009 Denver Broncos season win projected total at 7 wins.
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Schedule:
The Denver Broncos play in the AFC West and that brings two games against the Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers. The AFC West must play the AFC North this season so that brings home games against the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers with road games at the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. The AFC West must play the NFC East this season so the Broncos have road trips at the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles while hosting the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. By finishing 2nd in the AFC West the Denver Broncos must play the two other 2nd place finishers from their conference and that schedules a home game to the New England Patriots and a road game at the Indianapolis Colts.
Offense:
The Denver Broncos were only 4-4 at home. That is an unacceptable record as the team has a tremendous home field advantage while playing in the Mile High altitude. With a coaching change comes a philosophical change as the Broncos now begin to build a solid running game behind their good offensive line. The Broncos averaged 4.8 yards per game on the ground last season and expect to see the running game emphasized. The team drafted running back Knowshon Moreno in the first round and acquired running backs Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan and J.J. Arrington during the offseason. Kyle Orton will have capable receivers in Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Marshall leading the corps. Eddie Royal had a good rookie season and Brandon Stokley adds depth.
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Defense:
It was yet another bad year for the Broncos in 2008 on defense so former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan takes over as defensive coordinator. Forget about what you may think about Mike Nolan as a head coach because he is a pretty darn good defensive coordinator. One only needs to check out his work with the Baltimore Ravens. Nolan will bring a 3-4 system to the Broncos and in order for the team to effectively stop the run their defensive line will need to command double teams. The play of the Broncos front three will be the key to Denver turning around their defense. If the Bronco linebackers have room to operate we could see a dramatic improvement in 2009. The defense will be a work in progress throughout the season, as Mike Nolan will have to change personnel on the fly.
And now to my Selection:
The Broncos are heading in the right direction. To emphasize the run in the Mile High will result in more wins at home and help the team succeed on the road. Make no mistake the Broncos are going to focus on running the football and stopping the run. They have the coaching to do this and the personnel on offense but the defense may be a year away personnel wise. Jay Cutler was simply not mature enough to see the need for a philosophical change in Denver and Kyle Orton will be a good fit because he is more professional between the ears. With a good offensive line and running game the Broncos will get over 7 wins.
Selection: Play the Denver Broncos over 7 wins for the 2009 Season.
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