Denver Broncos 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds
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Denver Broncos 2009 NFL Record: 8-8 Home: 4-4 Away: 4-4
Denver Broncos 2010 Preview
Mike Shanahan is long gone, but his words from the day he left the Broncos still hang in Denver’s thin air: ((They would be crazy to break up this offense.” So what has Shanahan’s successor, Josh McDaniels, done? He has broken up the Broncos’ offense. Jay Cutler, gone. Brandon Marshall, gone. Casey Wiegmann, gone. All three played in the Pro Bowl after the 2008 season, and all three have been shown the door, along with many others. McDaniels has spent much of his dme blowing up the roster he inherited in January 2009. Offense, defense, hasn’t mattered. If you were a Shanahan man, you might as well have had a bull’s-eye instead of a nUlnber on your back. Question is, will the 2010 Broncos be better in the aftermath of all the changes? They’ll be younger, with McDaniels having acquired several draft picks for the ‘deposed players. But better? Most will believe it when they see it, especially now that Kyle Orton will be looking over his shoulder at starting quarterback-in-waiting Tim Tebow.
2010 Denver Broncos Quarterbacks
By unofficial count, the next analyst to say “Kyle Orton manages the game” will be the 1,000th. Translation: Orton, whose arm and mobility are the stuff of journeymen quarterbacks, needs playmakers around him because he can’t carry a team. He is, however, a heady player, a standup guy and a born leader. The question facing the Broncos is this: How much of a distraction will Tebow be for Orton this season? If the Broncos are fading from the playoff picture, say, 10 games into the season, the masses will be calling for a change. A few words of caution for those who believe Brady Quinn can push Orton for the starting job: Mike Holmgren, who knows a thing or 22 about quarterbacks, ran off Quinn without so much as a second look. Yes, it’s conceivable that Tebow could play late this season, but 2011, if not 2012, is a better guess.
2010 Denver Broncos Running Backs
Enough already with Knowshon Moreno splitting time with Correll Buckhalter. You don’t use the 12th pick in the 2009 draft on a part-timer. Moreno will have to improve dranlatically on his rookie season, when he averaged 3.8 yards per carry. He needs to break through the first wave of would-be tacklers and get into the secondary, as he did so often in the big, bad SEC. Of all the players on the roster, he might be at the top of the list of breakout candidates. Buckhalter is a solid backup (642 yards, 5.4 yards a carry) who is widely respected for playing through serious knee injuries that cost him three seasons. Fullback Spencer Larsen doubles as a linebacker.
2010 Denver Broncos Receivers
Orton spent most of last season playing pitch-and-catch with Marshall, who caught 101 balls for 10 touchdowns. So who picks up the slack in Marshall’s absence? The Broncos figure to use mostly three-wide sets, so look for Eddie Royal to start in the slot with Jabar Gaffney and No. 1 pick Demaryius Thomas split wide. Thomas must produce early, period. If he isn’t ready, the pressure will be amped up on Gaffney and Royal. Combined total of touchdown catches between them in 2009? Two, both by Gaffney. Royal had a shaky year, catching only 37 balls in his first year in McDaniels’ system, but the veterans in the locker room believe he’ll bounce back. Daniel Graham isn’t used much in the passing game but is arguably the best blocking tight end in the business. That’s not a bad thing for a team with a No.1 draft pick at tailback. Finally, there’s tight end Richard Quinn, a No.2 pick who disappeared in his rookie season. He needs to get on the field and produce.
2010 Denver Broncos Offensive Line
This was a strength under Shanahan but has become a position in flux under McDaniels. It’s all about philosophy. Shanahan, a zone-blocking devotee, liked his linemen lean and mean, particularly the guards and center. McDaniels, who prefers a powerblocking scheme, is cleaning house in an attempt to get bigger and stronger. Left tackle Ryan Clady is Pro Bowl stuff, but a torn patellar tendon he suffered playing pickup basketball in April will set him back. It will be well into training camp, at least, before he’s back. If he is out for any games, 2008 rookie free agent Tyler Polumbus will be under the gun to stop opponents’ best pass-rushers. Ryan Harris figures to start at right tackle, but rookie second-rounder Zane Beadles could move in during the season. Underrated Chris Kuper is set at right guard, but left guard and center are major question marks. A couple of dark horses to keep an eye on: Seth Olsen, a fourth-rounder in ’09 who could move in as the starting left guard, veteran Russ Hochstein, who can play any interior position, and rookie J.D. Walton, who may end up starting at center by default.
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2010 Denver Broncos Defense
Another year, another remake on the defensive line. Welcome to life in Denver, where the Broncos routinely turn to free agency – out of desperation, not desire – to patch holes up front. This year’s newcomers include Jarvis Green, a part-time starter in New England who will play in Denver, and fellow 30-somethings Justin Bannan and Jamal Williams. Or should we say the Performer Formerly Known as Jamal Williams? If the former San Diego star has one more big year in him, it could dramatically impact the defense’s overall performance. But he’s 34 and was deemed expendable by the Chargers. Bannan is a tough guy who could stabilize, for the short term at least, a longtime problem area. This much is certain: With right outside linebacker Dumervil, who led the league with 17 sacks, certain to occupy double-teams, the Broncos need their ends to rush the passer.
The Broncos needed an infusion of youth here but didn’t get it in the draft. D.J. Williams and Mario Haggan are solid, and Dumervil is disruptive almost every Sunday, but there’s little else beyond them unless left outside linebacker Robert Ayers recovers from a lost rookie season to become an impact pass-rusher. Could happen, too. Ayers is a big-time athlete who devoted himself to getting bigger and faster in the offseason. The Broncos did sign free agent Akin Ayodele, who started for the Dolphins last year, after the draft. He could work his way up the depth chart ahead of Haggan. But the unit is unquestionably thin. An injury or two and things could get ugly.
The good news is the Broncos have two likely Hall of Famers in their secondary. The bad news is that Brian Dawkins (36) and Champ Bailey (32) aren’t getting any younger. Add Renaldo Hill and Andre Goodman to the mix and every starter is 30-something. But age isn’t the problem. Bailey remains among the elite cover corners in the game, and Dawkins was the Broncos’ unofficial MVP last season. The issue is a lack of pressure by the front seven, leaving the backs vulnerable in coverage. If Alphonso Smith, for whom the Broncos traded a 2010 first-rounder to pick in the second round last year, isn’t a quality nickelback, he’ll officially qualify as a bust. Smith was so lost as a rookie, the Broncos signed graybeard Ty Law to be the nickelback. Safeties Darcel McBath and David Bruton provide quality depth. Bruton already is earning his keep as a quality special teamer.
Denver Broncos 2010 Season Prediction
The Broncos ranked No.2 in the league in offense in 2008 but dropped to 15th in McDaniels’ first season. And then he dumped Marshall and Tony Scheffler, one of the top big-play tight ends in the business. This is progress? Only if young players step up. Same goes for the defense, where Ayers and Smith must break through and become impact players. The bottom line? It’s all on McDaniels. A lot ofNFL coaches clean house after getting their gigs, especially when players don’t fit their system. The trick is replacing them with better players. Denver has missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, something fans hadn’t seen since the early to mid-70s. There’s no reason to think that trend will change this season.
We predict that the Denver Broncos will finish 2nd in the AFC West, with a record of 9-7.
Denver Broncos Betting
AFC West Odds: 5-1 AFC Conference Odds: 25-1 Super Bowl Odds: 50-1
Denver Broncos Five-Year Win Betting Trends
2005: 13 2006: 9 2007: 7 2008: 8 2009: 8
Bet on the Denver Broncos
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