Is change good for Denver?
By SBGGlobal.com
It would be tough to find an NFL team that underwent more changes in the off-season than the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have a new head coach and a new quarterback as they head into the 2009 season. If they weren’t playing in the worst division in the NFL, the Broncos would be totally dismissed in terms of Super Bowl odds. Even though they play in the AFC West, the Broncos are still 40-1 longshots in NFL odds this season to win Super Bowl XLIV.
A new era begins at Denver this season as Josh McDaniels has taken over for the fired Mike Shanahan. Also gone is quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago. Without ever having coached a game the pressure is already on McDaniels to produce. The fans are blaming him for the loss of Cutler and the Bronco’s lack of success the previous three seasons has really taken a back seat to the drama. Denver has not made the playoffs in three straight seasons so McDaniels would have stepped into a low pressure situation but not anymore.
The Broncos are turning the offense over to Kyle Orton who they got in the Cutler trade. Orton does not have Cutler’s arm but he should have Brandon Marshall to throw to. That is good news because Marshall is one of the best receivers in the game. Combined with Eddie Royal and Brandon Stokley, the Broncos have a good receiving corps. The backfield is a question mark though so it will be up to rookie Knowshon Moreno to win the job and take the pressure off of Orton. McDaniels wants to run the ball so the key to Denver’s season could be the play of Moreno.
It is not all bad news for Denver. They hired former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan to run the defense and Nolan will definitely make some changes. The Broncos have a weak defensive line and they did nothing in the draft to improve. The linebackers may not be any better especially if Boss Bailey doesn’t come back from an injury. The secondary is led by Champ Bailey but he is getting older and the team doesn’t have much behind him. That was one reason they added veteran Brian Dawkins from the Eagles and signed Renaldo Hill from Miami. The special teams in Denver are just average as kicker Matt Prater struggled at times in 2008 as did punter Brett Kern.
Overall the Broncos look weaker than they were a year ago when they slipped to a .500 record. Matching that 8-8 record of a year ago seems unlikely although Denver does play in a weak division with Oakland and Kansas City.