I kind of wanted to wait to preview the Broncos, but it’s time to finish my AFC West series.
The Broncos’ offseason was marked by the departure of three important figures. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak left to become the head coach of the Houston Texans, where he’ll coach Mario Williams, the best defensive prospect in years…not. Longtime one-man pass rush Trevor Pryce and ace back Mike Anderson were let go in a bizarre salary cap measure right before the new labor deal was approved.
Yet each move makes at least some sense. With Kubiak, it’s not like the Broncos wanted him to leave, but they won’t miss him that much, either. If Rick Dennison can’t pick up the slack, Mike Shanahan surely can. Trevor Pryce once had amazing quickness for a defensive lineman, but injuries have led to two straight disappointing years. (Too bad, ’cause he’s a stud.) And Anderson rushed for more than a thousand yards…but he’s a running back, and he turns 33 next month.
The splashy move was the trade for first-round quarterback Jay Cutler. If one more person tells me Cutler should be starting this year, I am going to flip. Everyone I’ve talked to in person says he should start. And I guess, in theory, I’m fine with that-if he actually beats out Jake Plummer.
Plummer’s tremendous fourth-quarter comeback skills have vanished mysteriously, but he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Yes, psychologists are baffled by his decision-making process, but do you really think a rookie will do better? Especially a rookie you hadn’t heard of six months ago?
It’s good to have someone who can, theoretically, push Plummer for the starting spot, but the Broncos hosted the conference championship last year. They were two wins from another Super Bowl trophy. It’s not time to rebuild.
Besides, the Broncos’ offense is very complicated. I don’t know if Cutler can figure out how to fake the handoff and then run to the other side of the field every single freaking play.
A disturbing trend is the front office's inability to solve problems quickly. For years and years the Broncos sought a quality third receiver, but never found one. For three straight years the Broncos have been thrashed in the playoffs by prolific passing offenses. So this year they dumped Pryce and cornerback Lenny Walls. Are they better against the pass now? I doubt it.
The offense should be as good as last year. Merging the Mike Anderson/Tatum Bell attack into a single Mike Bell is probably a step down, but the entire offense is built around running effectively, so I’m not worried. And I expect Plummer to be better than ever this year. He’s coming off a great year but a bad playoffs, and he’ll have Cutler looking over his should all year long. He’ll be motivated, and I think he’ll respond with a great season.
The defense is as questionable as ever. Every regular season the Broncos have tremendous statistics, but break apart in the postseason. I hate to say it, but when Peyton Manning lines up across from us, he sees his brothers.
Last year the Broncos held opponents to a pathetic 6.25 yards per pass attempt, fourth-best in the league. Against Pittsburgh, though, our DBs were running in sand. I’d love to say it’ll be different this year, but I have no reason to think that. We will have some continuity going for us, and that will help.
Outlook: Despite some questions, I fully expect the Broncos, if healthy, to repeat last year’s division title. They could be even better in the postseason-the AFC is wide-open this year. I can’t wait.
The Broncos’ offseason was marked by the departure of three important figures. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak left to become the head coach of the Houston Texans, where he’ll coach Mario Williams, the best defensive prospect in years…not. Longtime one-man pass rush Trevor Pryce and ace back Mike Anderson were let go in a bizarre salary cap measure right before the new labor deal was approved.
Yet each move makes at least some sense. With Kubiak, it’s not like the Broncos wanted him to leave, but they won’t miss him that much, either. If Rick Dennison can’t pick up the slack, Mike Shanahan surely can. Trevor Pryce once had amazing quickness for a defensive lineman, but injuries have led to two straight disappointing years. (Too bad, ’cause he’s a stud.) And Anderson rushed for more than a thousand yards…but he’s a running back, and he turns 33 next month.
The splashy move was the trade for first-round quarterback Jay Cutler. If one more person tells me Cutler should be starting this year, I am going to flip. Everyone I’ve talked to in person says he should start. And I guess, in theory, I’m fine with that-if he actually beats out Jake Plummer.
Plummer’s tremendous fourth-quarter comeback skills have vanished mysteriously, but he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Yes, psychologists are baffled by his decision-making process, but do you really think a rookie will do better? Especially a rookie you hadn’t heard of six months ago?
It’s good to have someone who can, theoretically, push Plummer for the starting spot, but the Broncos hosted the conference championship last year. They were two wins from another Super Bowl trophy. It’s not time to rebuild.
Besides, the Broncos’ offense is very complicated. I don’t know if Cutler can figure out how to fake the handoff and then run to the other side of the field every single freaking play.
A disturbing trend is the front office's inability to solve problems quickly. For years and years the Broncos sought a quality third receiver, but never found one. For three straight years the Broncos have been thrashed in the playoffs by prolific passing offenses. So this year they dumped Pryce and cornerback Lenny Walls. Are they better against the pass now? I doubt it.
The offense should be as good as last year. Merging the Mike Anderson/Tatum Bell attack into a single Mike Bell is probably a step down, but the entire offense is built around running effectively, so I’m not worried. And I expect Plummer to be better than ever this year. He’s coming off a great year but a bad playoffs, and he’ll have Cutler looking over his should all year long. He’ll be motivated, and I think he’ll respond with a great season.
The defense is as questionable as ever. Every regular season the Broncos have tremendous statistics, but break apart in the postseason. I hate to say it, but when Peyton Manning lines up across from us, he sees his brothers.
Last year the Broncos held opponents to a pathetic 6.25 yards per pass attempt, fourth-best in the league. Against Pittsburgh, though, our DBs were running in sand. I’d love to say it’ll be different this year, but I have no reason to think that. We will have some continuity going for us, and that will help.
Outlook: Despite some questions, I fully expect the Broncos, if healthy, to repeat last year’s division title. They could be even better in the postseason-the AFC is wide-open this year. I can’t wait.
Comments
so true... everyone raves about mike shanahan's "complicated offense." but for broncos fans... it doesn't seem that complicated. Tight end flare, qb roll out, play action... a few off tackles and we are good to go.
great read mikey
I'm sure most of the NFL is less complicated than we're led to believe. Why do they try so hard to maintain the mystique?
I'm really worried about the pass rush. The biggest problem with the pass rush is that there is no pass rush. With Pryce gone, we're going to be hurting big time.
Even with all of these red flags, the Broncos are always competitive and usually in the playoffs. The last non-competitive team I remember was back in the Gaston Green and Li Lo Land era.