2009 NFL Previews: Denver Broncos
2009 NFL Previews, Video September 3rd. 2009, 1:45pm
Andy Hutchins, in one of his last assignments as an intern, previews the Denver Broncos.
How bad are things in Denver?
No matter what the Raiders do this offseason (between the head-scratcher selection of Darrius Heyward-Bey in the the NFL Draft and the small-scale insurrection in the coaching ranks, they’ve done plenty), the Broncos will have the most tumultuous off-season in the AFC West—and perhaps, by extension, the NFL.
Jay Cutler was traded after a sudsy he-said, he-said saga that, months later, has even mild-mannered milquetoast Rick Reilly upset. In return, the Broncos got Kyle Orton, who heads a depth chart at quarterback lacking in spleen (Chris Simms) and experience (Tom Brandstater and Ingle Martin). The once-vaunted running game was racked by injuries last year, and correspondingly middling, 12th in the NFL. With rookie Knowshon Moreno, retreads Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan, and third man of the 2007 Arkansas backfield Peyton Hillis in their stable, the Broncos rushing attack seems unlikely to improve substantially. Even the faithful are concerned.
The receiving corps could be a bright spot, if talented malcontent Brandon Marshall is not traded. If he were, it would be much like the running back situation: A constellation of vaguely bright and/or young players (Brandon Stokley, Eddie Royal) instead of group with a legitimate star. The line is younger, less proven, and led by stud tackle Ryan Clady.
The defense was rancid last year, giving up 28 points a game. Champ Bailey is no longer the speedy shutdown corner of yesteryear, and yet may still be the best player on a unit that turns to old hands (Brian Dawkins, Andra Davis), the possibly unwilling (Jarvis Moss), and the unknown young bucks (Alphonso Smith, Robert Ayers) for a turnaround.
And that is merely covering personnel. Let us not forget that Mike Shanahan was sacked after 138 regular-season wins and the only two Super Bowl titles in Broncos history, and replaced with Josh McDaniels, who started college at about the time Shanahan was hired as coach. McDaniels comes from good stock (his dad is a legend in Ohio, if you believe the New York Times) and has a pedigree of his own as the architect of a Patriots offense that has set records and made millions for Matt Cassel. But he is about as young as they come in the NFL, the sixth-youngest head coach in the league’s history, and those hires tend to be either terrible (Harland Svare) or terrific (Mike Tomlin). This is McDaniels’ team, with Shanahan gone, Cutler out of town, and Marshall out of favor: He will and should be under a microscope.
Turmoil? This team? Nah. The 0-3 preseason record is salt in any of many wounds.
The Broncos, barring a meteor hitting San Diego, will not be winning the AFC West. Whatever valiant fight for second in the AFC West they might put up is made more arduous by their schedule, which includes the NFC East and AFC North, and the second-place AFC South and East teams from last year: New England and Indianapolis.
Predicting a 6-10 record for the Broncos is easy: They have enough firepower to pull an upset or two, and the talent to win four or five of the six games with Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Oakland. For Broncos fans, watching them may be hard.
NFC East: 2009 Dallas Cowboys Preview | 2009 Philadelphia Eagles Preview | 2009 New York Giants Preview | 2009 Washington Redskins Preview
NFC North: 2009 Chicago Bears Preview | 2009 Detroit Lions Preview | 2009 Minnesota Vikings Preview | 2009 Green Bay Packers Preview
NFL South: 2009 Tampa Bay Bucs Preview | 2009 Atlanta Falcons Preview | 2009 New Orleans Saints Preview | 2009 Carolina Panthers Preview
NFL West: 2009 San Francisco 49ers Preview | 2009 St. Louis Rams Preview | 2009 Arizona Cardinals Preview | 2009 Seattle Seahawks Preview
AFC East: 2009 New England Patriots Preview | 2009 New York Jets Preview | 2009 Buffalo Bills Preview | 2009 Miami Dolphins Preview
AFC North: 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers Preview | 2009 Baltimore Ravens Preview | 2009 Cleveland Browns Preview | 2009 Cincinnati Bengals Preview
AFC South: 2009 Tennessee Titans Preview | 2009 Indianapolis Colts Preview | 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars Preview | 2009 Houston Texans Preview
AFC West: Denver Broncos |
40 Responses to “2009 NFL Previews: Denver Broncos”
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September 3rd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Andy Hutchins, in one of his last assignments as an intern, previews the Denver Broncos.
Intern Bill was around for ten months. Andy has been around for two weeks. Life is unfair.
/May have totally made up those numbers.
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I recognized about four names on their roster. Of those four, one of them has done anything as a Bronco.
/still beats reading a Chiefs preview.
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Don’t leave us An-dy! That’s right all, it’s not “Andy” but “An-dy” a la Morgan Freeman …get it right!
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Slab Squatthrust
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Threadjack
I know no one cares but this Oudin/Dementieva match is fascinating. No one can hold serve. Oudin is 17 and playing with an injury. High drama at the Open.
/threadjack
The Broncos are going to be bad.
/related comment to post
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Buff McLargehuge
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
soooo you’re saying Orton should not be my Week 1 starter?
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
5-11
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:02 pm
McDaniels a lot like Belichick.
He’s gonna get run from his first job. He doesn’t stand a chance.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
shanny shouldn’t of been fired.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:04 pm
that NY Times link is not working
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
WOW. You wrote a lot of shit just to link a Patriot play.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Triston -
How you holding up having to listen to all the Chief whiners?
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Bring back the old uniforms and find a way to sign Vance Johnson.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Here, you can have Steve Atwater back. We apparently didn’t need him.
/Jets
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:17 pm
KC, The Chiefs fans have been very quiet. They don’t have much to talk about either. Luckily. Usually they’re predicting 14-2.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:17 pm
They did him a favor. Jerra gonna unload the wallet on him next year
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I wish I worked where you did. However, I agree, it was much worse when they predicted greatness each pre-season.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Congrats, Andy. Up until this point I was the only TBL writer to use “milquetoast” in a blog post. Well done, sir.
/adjusts monocle
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
1.) Love the Elway rookie card pic.
2.) BDawk is great, but I think he’s finished as a player.
3.) Great work Andy….look forward to reading your stuff again..
/between my Griffey and Elway rookies, maybe I can buy used books for my kid when he goes to college.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:24 pm
i have said it once i will say it again. no way does shanny go and put up with jerra. if the bears dont make the playoffs or they get bounced in the first round by a wide margin lovie will be gone and shanny will be back with his boy jay.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Paolo and me think you smoke way too much weed.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Mrejr -
How can the bounce Lovie since the Bears will be in the SUper Bowl.
/Peter King’d
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
so is your face.
/face!
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Congrats, Andy. Up until this point I was the only TBL writer to use “milquetoast” in a blog post. Well done, sir.
Does this mean Andy is the first one to use it correctly in a sentence?
/just kidding Ty, you write fine.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
ty, ised it yesterday in the post about favre’s jersey being No. 1. but I’m not a TBL writer
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:33 pm
mrejr, makes sense–shanny is a chicago guy
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Bill Parcells went. Shanny will go
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Still waiting for someone else to use “ass tassels” in a post.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Agree 100%. Anything short of a super bowl and it’s Shanny’s job if he wants it.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
parcells never worked with al davis.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
do those even exist?
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Any cred you get for “milquetoast” is nullified by your use of “vaunted.”
Glad we could have a Packers fan living in Florida write a paint-by-numbers Broncos preview. I’d have preferred Mike NYC again. Or even Raider Dan who calls into the local sports talk shows.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I don’t know what that has to do with anything. If it’s relevant at all, it probably just goes to show that Shanny will go to Dallas, since working for Jerra in his new football cathedral is lightyears better than working for been dead 25 years Al Davis in that shithole in Oakland. Besides, if it’s not Shanny in Dallas, it’ll be Shanny in DC and Gruden in Dallas. Take that shit to the bank my friend.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:52 pm
No matter where the Shanster goes, he’ll be bringing his incompetent ol’ college coaching buddy Bob Slowik with him to run the defense. All that glitters…
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
… goes 8-8
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
do you think shanny wants to go work for another owner who thinks they are a football genius? i dont. i was trying to point out that shanny has been down that road before
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Money makes the world go ’round, and unlike they crypt keeper in Oakland, Jerra doesn’t call the plays, he only meddles in personnel (which is really done by his son now), and that was Shanny’s undoing in Denver, he sucked at personnel.
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:13 pm
i dont think the money thing applies to shanny. he certainly isn’t poor. he can go wherever the hell he wants.
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:25 pm
They really got fucked on this. Another reason why the Chargers should win at least 12 games. Not even Norv can fuck this regular season up.