2009 Record: 8-8, Second in Division
2009 Playoff Record: Did not Qualify
Key Losses: Brandon Marshall, Tony Sheffler, Casey Weigmann
Key Additions: Demaryius Thomas, Tim Tebow, Jamal Williams
I've been down on the Broncos since Josh McDaniels got there, and I'm still down on them. Installing your own system for a team is all fine and well, but for a first-time coach who inherited a relatively talented team in the first place to make the overhaul he has, I think it's counter-productive. Furthermore, the offensive-minded McDaniels has been focusing on installing HIS offensive system with HIS offensive players despite already possessing a very talented core and having more pressing needs at defensive positions. Seeing as how he's only in the second year of a four year deal he may very well be afforded the time to properly implement his system and turn this team around, but he won't get there until year three or four and if I were Broncos management I'd be very displeased with the way he's gone about disassembling a very talented team.
We'll start out with the offense. Kyle Orton is the wrong quarterback for this offense, period. The knock on Orton has always been his arm strength, and the style of McDaniels is to push the ball down the field. Orton is a short yardage passer, he's best in a style of offense that relies on quick, short routes. The more McDaniels asks him to press, the more pressure he's going to put on Orton. That is only compounded by the continued disassembly of this offense. Every player listed above as a loss is an offensive player and one who provides crucial support for Orton. They got rid of their star center, part of a line that was at the midway point in the league in terms of sacks and in the bottom half in terms of hits. That may not be an endorsement of Casey Weigmann, but the center is a crucial anchor for a line and to get rid of him affects the development of the line. Furthermore, they haven't signed anyone to take his place who really stands out at the position.
This behavior continues to the receiving corps, where Pro-Bowler Brandon Marshall and Tight End Tony Sheffler were traded for draft picks, a common occurrence under McDaniels. Marshall was an every down, any catch type of receiver, a go-to guy. Last season he was the favorite target of Kyle Orton, with 101 receptions and over 1,000 yards. Sheffler had 31 catches for 416 yards. Getting rid of these players does Orton no favors, these players are go-to targets who can help a struggling quarterback by creating opportunities that other players can or will not create.
Who even knows how long Orton will hold onto the position, though as of right now he looks entrenched. Brady Quinn brings to the table exactly what Orton is lacking, a big arm, though his accuracy leaves much to be desired. Tebow has the big arm and reports are he looks good, but he will be a project. At any rate, whoever is plugged in at QB will need support, which means talented receivers, a good line, and a good running game. The only one of those areas that hasn't suffered damage under McDaniels is the running game, and even there questions remain unanswered. Will the running game be unaffected by the changes in the line? Will McDaniels stick to Knowshon Moreno even if Correll Buckhalter outperforms him as he did last season? And if their quarterback begins to struggle, will defenses be able to focus in on the running game? McDaniels' tampering is not constructive. Perhaps he feels he has a reputation to uphold as the protégé of the evil genius, but he should really stick to supplementing the players he already has instead of trying to build a team from the ground up.
His defense has seen marginal improvement over last season, though. Specifically, they addressed an area of weakness in beefing up their run defense. Jamal Williams is a solid nose tackle at worst and a Pro-Bowler at best, and though health questions exist in their other defensive line acquisition, Jarvis Green, he should provide good run support if he can stay healthy. They re-signed Elvis Dumervil, which was important, and kept together a secondary that was third in the league in pass defense. They haven't made any big splashes at linebacker, which could again hamper their run defense, but their upgrades on the line will at least ensure some upward momentum in that category.
Overall, the success of this team will depend on how well and how fast the McDaniels offensive experiment will work. The defense has finally been stabilized to some degree after at least three sub-standard seasons, though it must remain healthy if it is going to improve in its areas of need. The offense has been almost completely reconstructed under McDaniels, however, and inconsistency at key positions could hamper quarterback development. They could benefit, like other West teams, by playing divisions with a lot of pass-happy defenses, but they also could be facing problems facing competitive defenses, especially in the AFC South. Furthermore, KC should figure to have an explosive run game which could present problems if they can't fix their run defense; and though they can probably handle the Raiders' defense, the Raiders' defense can probably also handle them. They don't have easy swing games either, playing last year's Wild Card teams in the Ravens and the Jets. Though the team has potential, it will be an uphill climb and I don't see them anywhere but perhaps second or third in the division.
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