PDA

View Full Version : Good read--- As Broncos move forward



sanluis
06-05-2009, 12:17 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/broncos/2009-06-03-organization-report_N.htm



ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After the Denver Broncos failed to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season and then saw longtime coach Mike Shanahan fired, they knew they were in for some changes.
New coach, new system, new players — especially on defense, where the Broncos were embarrassingly bad last season


I can't wait to see how all these changes work out. I think the offense will continue to be very good. The big question remains D and the nose Tackle position. I think the secondary if healthy will be very good and the change to the 3-4 could really help the linebackers. Pass rush and nose tackle are the wild cards. Denver and josh MC D might just surprise the hell out of everyone.

underrated29
06-05-2009, 01:19 PM
I agree.

I think with as little bias as i can, that our defense will alone win us 2-3 more games right off the bat. Simply from a NORMAL scheme and Decent Coordinator.

But the good news is that our team is very very young. So we can afford a year or two for the defense to catch up to the offense.

But our teams do have some tough tough teams to play this year. Hopefully next year we will see a lighter load.

Lonestar
06-05-2009, 02:17 PM
I see a bad year only because of all the change and frankly even if mike was still here this is a brutal schedule coming up.. IIRC 4 east coast games.. and 4 more against the other biggie teams at home where we have not been very good lately either.. no rest for the wicked this year..

Lots of change defense was totaled and being rebuilt as a corvette opposed to a corvair it was.. the offense being remodeled after a proven blueprint.. and not so special teams being made int special teams.. with the exception of RB coach Turner and OLINE supposed guru Dennison the coaching staff was blown up and fresh meat was brought in to teach everyone something new..

everything is new and a brutal schedule even SAN should be better and KC has a lot of talent they will have the same issues we do.. OAK will sneak up on some folks as they also have alot of talent the only question their is coaching and meddling by ownership.. and even he could not stop them from going to the Superbowl under Gruden.. maybe cable can rally the troops a few games to become spoilers..

this is going to be a tough year w-L wise IMHO..

Shazam!
06-05-2009, 06:46 PM
Very good article and thanks for posting a good find. Here is it's entirety.


As Broncos move forward, Cutler's legacy sure to linger

By Vicki Michaelis, USA TODAY
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After the Denver Broncos failed to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season and then saw longtime coach Mike Shanahan fired, they knew they were in for some changes. New coach, new system, new players — especially on defense, where the Broncos were embarrassingly bad last season.

http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2009/06/03/broncosx.jpg
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels will choose between Kyle Orton (foreground) and Chris Simms as the team's starting quarterback for 2009.

Yet they couldn't have anticipated the change sure to get the most scrutiny: new quarterback.

Shanahan's firing — after 14 seasons that included two Super Bowl victories — was merely the prelude to the marquee melodrama of the NFL offseason: a weeks-long standoff between new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels and Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, ignited when Cutler discovered McDaniels had discussed a trade for then-New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel.

The ensuing soap opera, fueled by miscommunication and, at times, a total lack of communication, ended in April, when the Broncos sent Cutler and a fifth-round draft pick to the Chicago Bears for quarterback Kyle Orton, two first-round choices and a third-rounder.

"Making the ultimate decision to move on, that was a decision we felt was in the best interest of our football team at the time," says McDaniels, 33, who became the NFL's youngest head coach when the Broncos hired him from New England. "We're very comfortable with where we're at now."

The Broncos are in a state of flux at key positions on both sides of the ball, with Orton competing for the starting job with free agent signee Chris Simms and a passel of mostly unproven players jostling for playing time on a revamped defense.

"It's just like every year in this league; you've got to compete with somebody," says Orton, who battled with Rex Grossman in Chicago. "You don't shy away from competition. It makes everybody better, and the best players are going to play."

Orton, 26, doesn't have Hall of Fame stats, but he is 21-12 as a starter. Simms, 28, has 15 starts on his résumé, with little game experience since having emergency surgery to remove his spleen in 2006.

Whichever quarterback emerges as the starter, he will have to weather comparisons to Cutler — whose arm the Broncos rode to victory more than once last season — as well as deal with the inevitable echoes of John Elway, who led Denver to its Super Bowl wins under Shanahan.

"I try to win football games, put the team first and do whatever it takes to win," Orton says. "I think anybody can respect that. I'm not going to go out there and try to make somebody like me. I'm going to play my game."

Making it easier will be the supporting cast on offense, including top-flight receivers and a line returning five starters from the NFL's No. 2 offense (395.8 yards a game), a unit further bolstered in the draft.

The choice of tailback Knowshon Moreno in the first round (and the Broncos' draft overall) ran counter to expectations, which were rooted in the belief that McDaniels would look primarily to bolster the defensive front. Instead, the Broncos took one defensive lineman.

"We're looking for players that are going to come in here and help make our football team better and not make everybody else just feel comfortable that we drafted a defensive player," McDaniels says.

No one was comfortable with Denver's defensive performance last season. The Broncos ranked 29th in total yards allowed (374.6 a game). They managed 13 takeaways and gave up 52 points at the San Diego Chargers in their season finale, a game they needed to make the playoffs.

One of McDaniels' first moves was to hire former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan as his defensive coordinator. Nolan is overseeing a shift from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4.

It's unclear who will anchor the new scheme at nose tackle or which players will man the front seven.

"It's the area where you're going to know the least until you get to training camp," McDaniels says. "We have a number of players that are going to be playing in this system either for first time or haven't played in it very long."

Cornerback Champ Bailey, the defensive star the past five seasons, has hope the new defense will turn Denver's fortunes. "On paper it looks great," he says. "It's probably one of the best schematic defenses I've been involved with. If we play smart, we're going to do some great things, because this defense has been successful in a lot of places."

The Broncos spent the most free agent dollars this offseason, acquiring players to team with Bailey in the secondary. They added safety Renaldo Hill, cornerback André Goodman, and, most notably, seven-time Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins.

Bailey compares Dawkins' intensity and leadership abilities to former Broncos safety John Lynch.

"Without overstepping my bounds, I want to help as many guys as I can and help this organization get to the playoffs and beyond," says Dawkins, who was lured by the prospect of playing under Nolan in "a very aggressive, smart, turnover-oriented defense."

If the Broncos can play that type of defense, it will take pressure off the quarterback. But in a city where Elway laser-focused attention on the position, where in this offseason developments in "McJaygate" overshadowed all else, the man under center for Denver this season will undoubtedly be under fire.

The best way to insulate his quarterback from that, McDaniels knows, is to resolve the uncertainties hanging over the team and to win.

"We're not going to live in the past," he says. "We're going to move forward. And we're going to do everything we can to win every week.

"Believe me, I've been on teams that people didn't have great confidence in, and I know this: There's a way to win with whatever team you have. It's our job to find that way."

AROUND THE FIELD IN DENVER

• Quarterback: New head coach Josh McDaniels could put the Jay Cutler debacle behind him more quickly if he gets Matt Cassel-like success — as he did with the New England Patriots last season as offensive coordinator — from his quarterback. Kyle Orton looks to be the favorite to earn the starting job, but Chris Simms could make it a battle. More likely, Simms and sixth-round draft pick Tom Brandstater will compete for the backup position.

• Running back: After losing a succession of tailbacks to injury last season, the Broncos have amassed insurance and options with first-round draft pick Knowshon Moreno and free agent signees Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan joining holdovers Peyton Hillis and Ryan Torain. Moreno figures to be the star of the group.

• Wide receiver: If Brandon Marshall recovers fully from hip surgery and doesn't get suspended for repeated off-field troubles, he and Eddie Royal will give the Broncos an enviable one-two punch in the passing game. Brandon Stokley, Jabar Gaffney and rookie Kenny McKinley round out the corps.

• Tight end: Denver traded up in the draft to get Richard Quinn, putting the future of Tony Scheffler, rumored to be on the trading block, in even more doubt. Quinn and veteran Daniel Graham are blocking tight ends that fit into the New England-style offense McDaniels brought with him.

• Offensive line: The Broncos had one of the league's best offensive fronts last year in protection and production, and all five starters return. Left tackle Ryan Clady is a budding star and headlines a group that allowed a league-low 12 sacks in 2008.

• Defensive line: With new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan installing a 3-4 scheme, the defensive front is undergoing a major renovation. Rookie Robert Ayers could swing between end and outside linebacker. Free agent signee Ronald Fields will get a look at nose tackle, but no starter is certain.

• Linebacker: D.J. Williams, coming off shoulder and knee injuries, and free agent acquisition Andra Davis are projected to start inside. On the outside, competition is open, with some of the Broncos' former defensive linemen, such as Elvis Dumervil and Jarvis Moss, looking to make the conversion. Ayers remains a wild card.

• Secondary: The Broncos made major upgrades to this unit through free agency and the draft. Veteran Champ Bailey is joined by new corners Andre Goodman and rookie Alphonso Smith. Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill form the new safety tandem. McDaniels hopes the experienced secondary can be an effective backstop for the evolving defensive front.

• Special teams: Kicker Matt Prater needs to rediscover the consistency he had in the first half last season. McDaniels will be counting on rookies to help improve kick returns and coverage. Royal is the primary returner.

• Coaching staff: McDaniels, under pressure as a first-year head coach succeeding Mike Shanahan — who earned the nickname "The Mastermind" during his 14 years as Broncos boss — will be on an even hotter seat for sending a Pro Bowl quarterback packing. Nolan, the fourth defensive coordinator for the Broncos in four years, also has a big challenge in overhauling a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in almost every category.

• Outlook: The Broncos need to reverse the spiral that saw them lose a three-game division lead with three games left in 2008. Whether they have the manpower and talent to do so remains to be seen. The relative weakness of their division, where the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs figure to struggle, could help.

Dean
06-05-2009, 07:56 PM
I hope that the changes result in a winning team. I can see how some look at what has transpired and see a growing vine. I can also see reason that others view it as poison ivy.

Here is another assessment of what has transpired so far.



Posted: June 4, 2009
The top coaches are the grizzled vets who have proven their worth over time. But there are some young coaches who are pushing their way to the top and finding new ways to do things. The coaching tide is beginning to turn in the NFL.

RealScouts, Sporting News' team of former NFL scouts, rank all the head coaches:


1. Bill Belichick, Patriots. The smartest coach in the NFL. No one does a better job of adapting schemes and personnel to the opponent on a week-to-week basis. He always finds a way to win the matchup game.

2. Tom Coughlin, Giants. Preparation is the key for the detail-oriented Coughlin. His team is ready to play every Sunday.

3. Andy Reid, Eagles. No matter what is going on in and around his team, Reid has the Eagles contending at the end of the season.

4. Jeff Fisher, Titans. In the NFL, no one gets to stay in one place as long as he has unless you are really, really good. A yard away from a Super Bowl title, he guided this team through a restructuring phase and back into contention.

5. Mike Tomlin, Steelers. Tomlin is smart and tough, but the best thing he does is delegate authority. He lets his coaches coach, and his players play.

6. Sean Payton, Saints. Payton is an offensive genius leading the juggernaut that is the Saints offense. With more talent on defense, he could have a contender on his hands once again.

7. Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals. The desert has been a burial ground for good coaches, but Whisenhunt has conquered all the negatives and put the Pittsburgh stamp on the former laughingstock of the league.

8. Mike Smith, Falcons. He's a defensive-minded guy who took a rookie quarterback and a no-name defense and turned them into a contender in his first year as a head coach.

9. John Fox, Panthers. Fox is a player's coach and a great motivator. The players love playing for him in Carolina.

10. John Harbaugh, Ravens. Unlike most coaches, he has no ego, but is still very effective in front of the team. He gets the most out of every player and coach on the roster.

11. Brad Childress, Vikings. The team has gotten better every year under his watch in Minnesota, and last season he got the Vikings to the playoffs without a strong quarterback.

12. Tony Sparano, Dolphins. Like his boss, Bill Parcells, Sparano brings an attitude and toughness to the team that had been missing for several years. He's a block and tackle guy who boils everything down to fundamentals.

13. Norv Turner, Chargers. An outstanding offensive play caller, Turner has had enough presence and savvy to right the ship in troubled times and keep the Chargers in contention for a championship.

14. Mike Singletary, 49ers. He's a hard-nosed, tough-minded, old-school guy who will eventually have a team built in his image if given time.

15. Wade Phillips, Cowboys. Phillips takes too much blame for what goes on in Dallas. But in addition to being an innovative defensive mind, he has the ability to deal with some very big egos.

16. Mike McCarthy, Packers. He has the necessary belief in his team to make bold changes and make them pay off. Last year, he dumped Brett Favre for Aaron Rodgers. This season, he moves his defense to a 3-4. He's always looking for ways to make the team better.

17. Jack Del Rio, Jaguars. His team is built in his image; tough, physical, and competitive. Last year was a tough one in Jacksonville, but Del Rio proved himself as a true leader by making the tough offseason decisions.

18. Dick Jauron, Bills He's a true player's coach who has been around the league a long time. Though he came through the ranks as an excellent defensive coordinator, his most prominent trait is that his players love to play for him.

19. Jim Mora Jr., Seahawks. Mora has been groomed for this Seattle job over the past year, so he has learned the ropes of the organization. He's a smart man who will learn from his mistakes made in his last stint as the head guy, in Atlanta.

20. Lovie Smith, Bears. A true Tony Dungy disciple, he is the picture of stoicism on the sideline. He's one of the first generation Tampa Two guys on defense, and his group will be much better this season now that he's reunited with line coach Rod Marinelli. His new quarterback, Jay Cutler, will make him and his team better as well.

21. Marvin Lewis, Bengals. It wasn't long ago that Lewis was considered the pre-eminent defensive mind in the league. He's a very good coach, but it's hard to be successful in Bengal Land, despite his best efforts.

22. Gary Kubiak, Texans. The Texans have one of the top two receivers in the game, a solid quarterback, an exciting young running back, an improved offensive line and productive young talent on defense. It's time for Houston to make the jump to the postseason, and that spark has to come from Kubiak.

23. Jim Zorn, Redskins. Following Joe Gibbs is not an easy job in D.C., and the owner situation is a tough one. Things started well enough for Zorn in '08. He's a good coach, but we would have expected he'd handle his players better. He needs to show he can bounce back from a poor finish.

24. Rex Ryan, Jets. We will bet money Ryan will be higher on this list next year. He's got all the tools to be a great coach, and now he's finally getting his shot.

25. Eric Mangini, Browns. In the mold of his mentor, Mangini is tough. But he is stubborn and stuck in his ways, which often limits his game plans and hurts his relationships with his players.

26. Steve Spagnuolo, Rams. Spags is as creative as they come when it comes to using personnel groupings and alignments to create mismatches on the field. He's also got outstanding leadership characteristics. What he needs now is some more talent.

27. Jim Schwartz, Lions. He's an excellent football coach who has an excellent rapport with his players. But right now, Detroit is a tough place to prove how good you are.

28. Jim Caldwell, Colts. Peyton Manning is the coach, captain and leader of this team. As long as the quarterback is in Indy, Caldwell will not drive the success of this team.

29. Todd Haley, Chiefs. Haley is a tough, hard-nosed coach who comes into his first head coaching gig with high expectations of himself and his team. He's also an excellent play caller, but the Chiefs are severely lacking in talent. However, if he can weather the storm early on, his front office should take care that problem over time.

30. Tom Cable, Raiders. Cable showed some fight at the end of last season, and proved he can get his players to play for him. But despite all the good feelings now, the owner makes this a tough situation for any coach.

31. Raheem Morris, Buccaneers. The players in Tampa like him a lot. But he's a young coach, with no head coaching experience, and he may very well be in over his head.

32. Josh McDaniels, Broncos. No head coach, especially a rookie, makes his mark by trading away the franchise quarterback. McDaniels is already off on the wrong foot.

RealScouts analyze NFL and college players, coaches and teams exclusively for Sporting News.


© 2009 SportingNews.com
Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group

We won't know who is more accurate until the middle of next season but to me the outcome looks to be somewhere inbetween.

horsepig
06-05-2009, 08:46 PM
I see a bad year only because of all the change and frankly even if mike was still here this is a brutal schedule coming up.. IIRC 4 east coast games.. and 4 more against the other biggie teams at home where we have not been very good lately either.. no rest for the wicked this year..

Lots of change defense was totaled and being rebuilt as a corvette opposed to a corvair it was.. the offense being remodeled after a proven blueprint.. and not so special teams being made int special teams.. with the exception of RB coach Turner and OLINE supposed guru Dennison the coaching staff was blown up and fresh meat was brought in to teach everyone something new..

everything is new and a brutal schedule even SAN should be better and KC has a lot of talent they will have the same issues we do.. OAK will sneak up on some folks as they also have alot of talent the only question their is coaching and meddling by ownership.. and even he could not stop them from going to the Superbowl under Gruden.. maybe cable can rally the troops a few games to become spoilers..

this is going to be a tough year w-L wise IMHO..

A Frickin Corvair! "Unsafe at any speed", Ralph Nader. LMFAO!

horsepig
06-05-2009, 09:03 PM
I still think you're overreacting about the schedule Jr. Hell, half the playoff teams from last year wont make it this year. Injuries, bad breaks (which seem to come in bunches), etc...

Lonestar
06-05-2009, 09:17 PM
I still think you're overreacting about the schedule Jr. Hell, half the playoff teams from last year wont make it this year. Injuries, bad breaks (which seem to come in bunches), etc...


yes that is true BUT right now it looks like 4-12 lets get a little closer to the season and see how we improved and if others did not..


But almost every team we play this year save OAK and KC were play off teams last year..

Plus NYG, Eagles, NE, BAL, WAS have consistently been good teams over the years.. CIN can beat anyone on a good day, CLE the same.. and well PIT has only been bad when injuries have nuked them.. Dal head coach has a hardon for DEN like mikey did for OAK..

that is some heavy duty teams there and only if every thing falls into place with all the new schemes and players, remember there is only 3 total players still left from the 2005 team..

we have some 43 rookies and FA on this team out of the 80 some odd players.. and the coaching staff is almost completely new..

the sun, moon, planets are all going to have to be aligned just right to get us to 7-9 this year.. a real BIG task not sure all those rookies are up for it..

Shazam!
06-05-2009, 09:26 PM
4-12? C'mon man.

Simple Jaded
06-05-2009, 09:44 PM
12-4ish with a couple playoff wins or Doogie fails, plain and simple, if you're gonna act like Bill Belichick, you had better BE Bill Belichick.

The sky is the limit for Josh McDaniels, and he set the bar himself.......

NameUsedBefore
06-05-2009, 10:02 PM
It's unclear who will anchor the new scheme at nose tackle or which players will man the front seven.

Ugh. Gets me everytime I read it.

Shazam!
06-06-2009, 12:50 AM
Ugh. Gets me everytime I read it.

It's still only June. As long as there is competition and they're all cracking the playbooks, they'll be ok. It's even better than 50/50 to say they'll be better than last year. They'd have to be awful not to be one of the worst defenses in the League again. With a new Secondary, Dawkins, a healthy Champ, NO WEBSTER and a better coaching staff on defense, even if they move to 16th or a little better at the end of the year that'll be an improvement... and how sad is THAT.

Lonestar
06-06-2009, 02:41 AM
It's still only June. As long as there is competition and they're all cracking the playbooks, they'll be ok. It's even better than 50/50 to say they'll be better than last year. They'd have to be awful not to be one of the worst defenses in the League again. With a new Secondary, Dawkins, a healthy Champ, NO WEBSTER and a better coaching staff on defense, even if they move to 16th or a little better at the end of the year that'll be an improvement... and how sad is THAT.


sure the D is going to be better and the O will not be as sharp..

But because they are playing some heavy hitters this coming year.. damned good defenses on almost all the teams.. I'd vote for 1-15 if it was the same team as last year.. with a win over either OAK or KC at mile high.. but probably not both..

Den21vsBal19
06-06-2009, 06:18 AM
12-4ish with a couple playoff wins or Doogie fails, plain and simple, if you're gonna act like Bill Belichick, you had better BE Bill Belichick.

The sky is the limit for Josh McDaniels, and he set the bar himself.......
Horse crap.................................this year a change in attitude & application is what needs to be shown to qualify as progress.....................no blowouts, & no more of the games with the D wandering round with their thumbs up their butts :tsk:

Worry about changing the attitude this year, the results may not follow 'til next year, but follow they shall

Simple Jaded
06-06-2009, 02:42 PM
Horse crap.................................this year a change in attitude & application is what needs to be shown to qualify as progress.....................no blowouts, & no more of the games with the D wandering round with their thumbs up their butts :tsk:

Worry about changing the attitude this year, the results may not follow 'til next year, but follow they shall


Do you honestly think Brian Dawkins signs here if Doogie is selling him on being a part of a rebuilding program? He's as old as they get!

If you would have expected a significant improvement from this team under Shanahan (And most fans would be), you are letting the new Head Coach off the hook, this guy is supposed to be better than Shanahan.

The Broncos are supposed to be improved over last season, and improvement on defense and experience on offense was all that this team needed, you act like the entire team needed to be deprogrammed of severe mental disorders.

Shanahan had an 8-5 team on a 10-6 pace, I expect nothing less from Josh McDaniels, forget the brutal schedule and his complete lack of HCing experience, he has to be as good as he and everybody else thinks he is to justify the moves he's made.......

Lonestar
06-06-2009, 02:54 PM
Do you honestly think Brian Dawkins signs here if Doogie is selling him on being a part of a rebuilding program? He's as old as they get!

If you would have expected a significant improvement from this team under Shanahan (And most fans would be), you are letting the new Head Coach off the hook, this guy is supposed to be better than Shanahan.

The Broncos are supposed to be improved over last season, and improvement on defense and experience on offense was all that this team needed, you act like the entire team needed to be deprogrammed of severe mental disorders.

Shanahan had an 8-5 team on a 10-6 pace, I expect nothing less from Josh McDaniels, forget the brutal schedule and his complete lack of HCing experience, he has to be as good as he and everybody else thinks he is to justify the moves he's made.......


do you honestly think Dawkins did not KNOW how bad this team was.. come on he is a smart guy and knew coming in the D was a total rebuild.. there was nothing worth keeping.. as for O he knew that it also would be changed it always is when the head guy is fired and a new guy comes in from the outside..

your being naive if you think he did not know what he was getting into.. other than jay leaving he knew changes were going to happen..


as for mike being fired he deserved it as he drove this franchise into the toilet with his poor drafting for almost his entire career here.. two decent drafts will not compensate for the previous 8 or 9 disaster he did not even to mention all the lame assed high priced FA he brought in to get us over the hump..

I get it you do not like Josh because your precious jay is no longer in DEN but you once agreed that mike was a disaster on draft day.. do not let this one fupaw cloud your vision on what needed to be done here..

Simple Jaded
06-08-2009, 08:12 PM
I still think that Mike Shanahan was a disaster on draft day, say what you want about me, but I have always been consistent on that. And you can save the "your precious Jay" nonsense, the same could be, and has been, said about you and your precious Jake.

Again, at least I'm consistent.

Btw, Dawkins did not sign up for the season that you are predicting.......

Elevation inc
06-09-2009, 09:25 AM
i am still sticking with no worse than 7-9 and no better than 9-7, we are not the best team in the west, but we do have the potential and talent to push for a wildcard right now. However we also have the potnetial to bite the dirt, with that being said its up to the players and coaches to buy into what they are trying to do. if there is consistency across the board and the players respond to the coaches, the chemistry created alone is better than what we have seen in denver in sometime.

this team has talent and more of it than last year, we have scheme changes and new philosophy, and coaches but the players seem to be buying into it very quickly and enjoying themselves, i think its way to early to really tout this team as a success story as they havent even donned pads yet, but if they contiue to grow like we have been seeing then i think some will be plesantly suprised.

Seriously alot still has to be shown and the critics have every right to question this team, as there have been some serious head scratching moves. but its not as dire as some may think...

Lonestar
06-09-2009, 01:39 PM
i am still sticking with no worse than 7-9 and no better than 9-7, we are not the best team in the west, but we do have the potential and talent to push for a wildcard right now. However we also have the potnetial to bite the dirt, with that being said its up to the players and coaches to buy into what they are trying to do. if there is consistency across the board and the players respond to the coaches, the chemistry created alone is better than what we have seen in denver in sometime.

this team has talent and more of it than last year, we have scheme changes and new philosophy, and coaches but the players seem to be buying into it very quickly and enjoying themselves, i think its way to early to really tout this team as a success story as they havent even donned pads yet, but if they contiue to grow like we have been seeing then i think some will be plesantly suprised.

Seriously alot still has to be shown and the critics have every right to question this team, as there have been some serious head scratching moves. but its not as dire as some may think...

that is a very good look at what is going on..

let me add this team will most likely have up wards of 30-35 new broncos on it from a few vet FA's, to a bunch of rookies and UDFA.. not to mention an almost complete turn over in coaches and FO staff..

with those changes are new scheme on all three phases of the team O, D and ST.. with eh most radical being a gutting of our no name 4-3 defense and moving to an almost full time 3-4.. with perhaps 1 player still playing in the same spot they were at last year..

then throwing in a absolutely brutal schedule against 6 playoff teams from last year.. not to mention NE, WAS and DAL that are consistently good teams all of which missed the playoffs by ONE game..

CIN 4-11-1
CLE 4-12
OAK 5-11
DAL 9-7
NE 11-5
SAN 8-8 *
BAL 11-5 *
PIT 12-4 *
WAS 8-8
SAN 8-8 *
NYG 12-4 *
KC 2-14
IND 12-4 *
OAK 5-11
PHL 9-6-1 *
KC 2-14
122-132-2 overall

40 of those loses with 2 teams in the AFCW in OAK and KC and another 23 in CLE and CIN.

over 50% of those loses we play against on four teams we play this coming year..

* play off teams 2008
away games

the only weaks sisters on this schedule are CLE and CIN and if Palmer is healed they are a playoff contender and in CLE with one more year under a newer Head Coach they may surprise a few teams this year..

I do not include KC and OAK as weak sisters as they almost always give us good games..

after two almost gimmie games in CIN and CLE it is a really brutal schedule..

unless everything and I do mean everything lines up exactly right, no injuries to key players, everyone is singing the same song every play of the year, and we find a stop gap NT SEA could be drafting in the top five in APR 2010..

Now it may all fall out just right and then we could be a pretty good team.. but I do not see us more than 9-7 as we speak..