Broncos Training Camp Notes: Marshall Holds Out, Jordan Running With First Team

News and notes from observations at Friday night’s session of Day One of training camp:

— Brandon Marshall didn’t practice in the night session after a good (reported) earlier session.

— LaMont Jordan is running with first team, Correll Buckhalter with second team and Ryan Torain with third team. Remember, Knowshon Moreno is not in camp yet as he waits to get a contract deal done.

— First-team WRs for most of night session were Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney. Brandon Stokley played in the slot with Daniel Graham at TE.

— Team ran a lot of group drills after going through stretching exercises.

— Offense ran a number of short five- and 10-yard in-and-out patterns, including a nice catch by rookie Kenny McKinley.

— Passing game looked rough when it went up against the secondary—a lot of deflections and near interceptions.

— Kenny McKinley made a couple of nice long catches from Chris Simms.

— Team threw a number of swing passes to the left flat to Peyton Hills.

— Correll Buckhalter had one nice inside handoff run.

— Brian Dawkins nearly picked off one of Simms’ passes.

— WR C.J. Jones got rocked on one offensive play. Left practice, but came back later.

— DE Tim Crowder would’ve had a sure sack on rookie QB Tom Brandstater on one play. QBs are wearing non-contact red jerseys.

— Rookies Alphonso Smith and Kenny McKinley were working on kickoff returns along with Eddie Royal.

2009 NFL Betting Picks Preview: Denver Broncos

Where to begin with the Denver Broncos offseason this year? Does the word whirlwind mean anything to you? That’s probably the best word to describe the Broncos offseason up to this point.

If you’re looking for free NFL preseason football picks you might want to stay away from penciling the Broncos into the playoffs this year. Let’s review what happened in the offseason.

First of all, they fire their successful coach that has been there forever in Mike Shannahan. Some people thought it was overdue, but this is nothing in comparison to what happens later.

They then proceed to hire a first time head coach in Josh McDaniels, another assistant from the Patriots regime. Yes, the same regime that hasn’t pumped out a lot of successful coaches outside of New England, i.e. Charlie Weiss, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, etc. McDaniels then proceeds to trade off his mid 20-something Pro Bowl quarterback (Jay Cutler) to get Matt Cassell who he was familiar with from the Patriots.

This proceeds to anger Cutler to no end and he demands a trade. Amazingly they go ahead and give in to his demands in order to get two first rounders and Kyle Orton. Yes, that Kyle Orton.

The Good News: The good news is…well it’s really hard to pinpoint the exact good news here. I guess starting with a clean slate is fun sometimes. At least the Broncos didn’t relocate to another city! They were the most active team in free agency although they didn’t exactly bring in any great players.

The Bad News: In that free agency crop they managed to sign like 10 running backs and then drafted one with their first round pick. Are they really going to have that many running backs on the roster? Of course not! However, that doesn’t stop them from getting running backs on the team for McDaniel’s “pass-happy” offense.

They even traded one of those first round picks that they got next year for a second round pick this year. Has anyone ever done that before? Then on top of all the other drama that they’ve had, their star wide receiver Brandon Marshall demands a trade.

For some reason, they have declined to trade him as of yet. Why would you trade away a franchise quarterback and keep a disgruntled, law-breaking wide receiver that doesn’t want to be there? This offseason has defied logic and any convention.

Outlook: If you haven’t picked it up by now, I’m not big on the Broncos chances this season. In fact, if you’re looking for free NFL picks, you should know that the Broncos will battle it out with the Raiders for last place in the AFC West this year.

They might even take it away from the Raiders early on in the season. How can you replace a successful head coach with an unproven rookie and a Pro Bowl quarterback with Kyle Orton and expect to be successful right off the bat? Yes, it might work in the long term, but I don’t see it happening this season.

Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Expert NFL Picks this season.

Jay Cutler Versus Kyle Orton: Why Does Either Player Have to Be Bad?

Jay Cutler is overrated, and Kyle Orton is a system quarterback.

Or is it: Cutler is a wimpy cry baby, and Orton is a simple-minded game-manager?

How about none of those?

Why do either of these guys have to be regarded as fantasy (or real world) busts for 2009 just because they are switching teams?

Yes, they both have new offenses, new coaches, new cities, and new weapons.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t good or can’t play at an elite level.

Even though both of these players have a hate-wagon following them to every city they go to, I beg of you to relax, sit back, and read an unbiased approach to both of their new situations.

Life is about change, people. Remember the song? “Change, change…will do you good.”

No?

Well, still, both of these guys are talented enough to make things happen in their first year in new colors, and I have evidence as to why I believe so.

 

Jay Cutler

Cutler took over for Jake Plummer midway through the season three years ago, and he showed enough to Mike Shanahan and Co. that they knew they had done the right thing.

Trouble is, they stopped at the quarterback, and never built a new defense.

John Lynch, anyone?

Cutler went on to form a bitter and exciting rivalry with Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, routinely dominate the Oakland Raiders, and finally turn himself into a sure- fire Pro Bowler in 2008.

You don’t pass for 25 touchdowns and over 4,500 yards on a whim. The guy is talented.

He’s got a Brett Favre-moxie that you can’t teach, a rocket arm, and excellent mobility.

To anyone who doubts his ability to win, or his fading at times in clutch situations, I have some news for you.

The guy is 25-years-old.

He just started coming into his own last year. And while a change in scenery could potentially affect that growth, I believe he’s already reached a confidence and talent level too high to be knocked back down to where he was as a rookie.

In Chicago, he will find no Brandon Marshall’s, no Eddie Royal’s, and no Mike Shanahan.

But he still has weapons.

Devin Hester’s speed and explosiveness could make both players look like magicians in 2008, and Greg Olsen’s size and speed could make Tony Scheffler look like a baby Mark Chmura.

The point is, Cutler may not be quite as “great” as his Denver weapons and numbers made him out to be, but he also isn’t anywhere close to the wimpy, cry baby, drama king that the trade to Chicago made him out to be either.

He still knows how to play football, and he’s talented enough to make things happen with the few weapons that Chicago does have.

Oh, and this time around, he’ll actually have a supportive defense.

 

Kyle Orton

Orton is entering into a system that gave Matt Cassel the quickest quarterback makeover we’ve ever seen.

Cassel had no experience to speak of at any level, and he hadn’t started a football game since high school. We may find out fairly soon in Kansas City that, while the guy is talented, he is nowhere near as good as this system, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker made him out to be.

Do you see the common theme here? Nothing is what you think it is. At least, not when you’re discussing Cutler and Orton.

Orton tossed over 2,900 yards and 18 touchdowns with those average weapons everyone keeps talking about. But he is now walking into Cutler territory, where he has the luxury of having Marshall, Royal, and Scheffler at his disposal.

So, really, which is it?

Did those talented receivers make Cutler, or did Orton’s lack of talent make him? Or is it both?

I say neither.

Orton proved—on a bum ankle for the final four weeks—that he can manage games and is talented enough to put up solid numbers, despite not having polished weapons around him.

With a new cast of friends sharing the load on offense, Orton’s numbers could get halfway to where Cutler was last year.

And as far as that whole “system quarterback” label is concerned—so what?

If he is indeed a system quarterback, then that’s all the more reason to pull the trade that Josh McDaniels orchestrated to nab Orton—a guy who can clearly do what he’s told, when he’s told it, and do it well.

Denver won’t have the defensive support Orton had last year, at least, not immediately. But if McDaniels’ system is anything like Bill Belichick’s in New England, there should be some good results.

 

Fantasy Summary

If you’re looking to draft either of these guys as sleepers, good luck.

It’s becoming more and more obvious that both quarterbacks are getting very comfortable in their new environment, and with all of their respective offensive weapons healthy, there’s no reason to think they both can’t succeed.

Cutler has his defense backing him, as well as a fantastic weapon in Matt Forte, whom people tend to overlook when talking about Cutler’s supporting cast. And whether you like it or not, the guy is actually good.

Orton, on the other hand, is only going to play as bad as Marshall allows him to, and Eddie Royal is set to have huge numbers as the Wes Welker clone.

If those two receivers are putting up elite numbers, don’t you think Orton will reap some of those benefits?

 

Real World Summary

If we’re being realistic, it’s as simple as this:

Orton is good enough to help make the Denver offense go, but their offensive line is still aging, and their entire defense is, well, incomplete.

They are probably still a .500 team, but Orton is too smart and safe to have them lose more than nine games.

Cutler, on the other hand, has a good defense and special teams. And while some of his weapons aren’t necessarily elite or proven yet, the Bears have the athleticism and explosiveness needed to make that jump.

With Cutler’s arm guiding the way, the Bears could enter into the top 10 in the league offensively.

Even if they don’t, Cutler is still better than Orton, and Chicago won’t finish any worse than they did last year. That could equate to Cutler’s first “winning” season.

32 Teams In 32 Days: Denver Broncos

Lets think back to when Mike Shanahan was head coach: The Broncos were considered contenders. They had one of the top quarterbacks in the league in Jay Cutler. Brandon Marshall was happy to be a Bronco.

But then Shanahan was fired, and hell broke loose.

The Broncos hired Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. But can you blame them? Who wouldn’t want the man you helped put the Patriots number one offense together? I know I wouldn’t mind it.

But that’s when the problem started.

McDaniels tried to bring the Patriots offense with him to the Broncos. A trade almost went down that would have sent Jay Cutler to the Buccaners and brought Matt Cassell, the quarterback he coached last year, to Denver.

The trade didn’t fall through, but their was a problem with it anyway—Jay Cutler.

Cutler found out about the trade and took it very personally. He then asked to be released or traded. After a long month, he was finally traded to the Bears for their first round pick and Kyle Orton.

But, the mile high drama didn’t stop there. Now Brandon Marshall wants a new contract, or to get out. Can McDaniels keep this team together? Thats the question we’d all like to know the answer to.

Denver made many moves during this offseason; some good, some bad.

Offseason Acquisitions:

Added:

Correll Buckhalter, RB.

Andra Davis, LB.

Brian Dawkins, S.

Ronald Fields, DT.

Jabar Gaffney, WR.

Andre Goodman, CB.

Brandon Gorin, OT.

Nick Griesen, LB.

Renaldo Hill, S.

Dirk Johnson, P.

Lamont Jordan, RB.

Kyle Orton, QB.

Darrell Reid, DT.

Chris Simms, QB.

Darius Walker, RB.

Lost:

Tatum Bell, RB.

Dre Bly, CB.

Ebenezer Ekuban, DE.

John Engelberger, DE.

Darrell Jackson, WR.

Niko Koutouvides, LB.

Marquand Manuel, S.

Marlon McCree, S.

Tom Nalen, C.

Karl Paymah, CB.

PJ Pope, RB.

Patrick Ramsey, QB.

Dewayne Robertson, DT.

Michael Pittman, RB.

Nate Webster, LB.

Jamie Winborn, OLB.

Selvin Young, RB.

Draft Picks:

1(12). Knowshon Moreno, RB. Draft Grade: B+

1(18). Robert Ayers, DE. Draft grade: B

2(37). Alphonso Smith, CB. Draft Grade: A

2(48). Darcel McBath, S. Draft Grade: B-

2(64). Richard Quinn, TE. Draft Grade: D

4(114). David Bruton, S. Draft Grade: C

4(132). Seth Olsen, G. Draft Grade: B

5(141). Kelvin McKinley, WR. Draft Grade: C-

6(174). Tom Brandstater, QB. Draft Grade: B

7(225). Blake Schileter, C. Draft Grade: D+

• Right when you thought the Broncos added enough running backs, they drafted Moreno to be their number one.
• Robert Ayers was a one year wonder, but shot up draft boards with an amazing senior year. All-American tackle Andre Smith said he was the hardest player to cover. Boom-or-Bust pick of the draft.
• Alphonso Smith was a steal in the second round, fell on the draft boards because of his height(5-9). Could be the top corner in this draft.
• Darcel McBath could start along side Brian Dawkins at Safety.
• Denver traded up in the draft to select tight end Richard Quinn. He’s a good blocker, but lacks recieving skills. Bit of a reach here.
• Saftey David Bruton, guard Seth Olsen and center Blake Sclueter with all provide depth at their positions.
• Kelvin Mikinley comes from a school where receivers that struggle in the NFL.
• Tom Brandstater has a great name for a quarterback, but can he produce at the same level as other quaterbacks in the NFL? He could surprise.

Draft Grade: B-

Breakout Player: Kyle Orton, QB.

 

• Kyle Orton is now the starting quarterback after being brought to Denver during the Jay Cutler trade. He put up solid numbers for a team with weak receivers, and could put up even better numbers with better receivers.

Is change really for the best? That’s what fans are wondering after the many moves Denver made this offseason. New head coach Josh McDaniels came in and lost Denvers star quarterback, and now have their best player wanting out also.

Can McDaniels fix everything as well as he messed it up? He has a lot to prove, and I think McDaniels could be sitting on the couch this time next year if he doesn’t come up with a winning record right away.

Projected Record: 5-11

 

Five Reasons Josh McDaniels Will Suceed In Denver

Everyone (well, most people) think that the Broncos will go 4-12 or something like that and get a high draft pick next year. Those people also forgot that Seattle has our draft pick. I for one think that the Broncos will at least match their mark in ’08.

Everyone thinks that Josh McDaniels has set this franchise back, but I think he is moving it forward. Here are 5 reasons he will succeed in Denver.

Walker’s Being Random, and He’s Ranting

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We are one week away from training camp, so till that happy day comes around, you guys are stuck listening to me rant about whatever, I feel like.

I know a few weeks back I said that Mark Martin was bad for NASCAR, but after watching today’s Brickyard, I remembered that it will be Jimmy Johnson who is the death of NASCAR…

Judging by Shaq’s television ventures and other media ploys, I have a good feeling he will come into the 09 season a few pounds overweight and Cleveland fans will once again suffer through a painful season…

It was great to see Ricky Henderson inducted into the Hall of Fame, but damn, I was hoping for some classic “Ricky moments.” I guess even the most extravagant can be humbled on the big stage…

I guess Lance Armstrong didn’t get a big enough dose of his special vitamins before the Tour. Don’t worry, next year he will have some new and improved meds…

Brett Favre, take your ass back to Mississippi and stay there, you’re an embarrassment to the league and to yourself…

T.O. should never be on television if it is nothing football related…

Mike Vick is reinstated to play football. He deserves it. He served his jail sentence, and now he deserves a chance to get back on his grind. That being said, smart move by Goodel to make him sit out at least opening week, to help keep the focus on the NFL and not Vick…

Remember when the New Orleans Hornets were the pick of the league? Well with the impending trade of Chandler for Okafor it’s safe to say, those days are long gone…

Tony Parker gets hurt overseas, Yao ruins his foot playing for China, Manu does the same playing for Argentina. How long before NBA teams start putting clauses in these guys contracts to keep them from playing international ball?

Watching the Denver Broncos implode will make for god television this season…

Since when did T.O. become the voice of reason in the NFL? We are in the midst of strange times I tell yea…

Congratulations to Xavier Rugby for finally stepping up to play with the big boys. Now it’s time to cowboy up…

Jason Whitlock, Shut up…

You know what I hate? Fans who swear they are abandoning their team cause of the owner and then proceed to snipe and moan at every move said owner makes…

I have a bad feeling Mike Vick is going to land in Ashburn, Va. Before it is all said and done, just wait and see..

No Man Better for the Job : Why Kyle Orton Will Excel for the Denver Broncos

Let’s clear the air.

Brandon Marshall will stay in Denver.

At least this year.

Now, with that being said, let’s focus on Kyle Orton, the man traded from the Bears to the Broncos for Jay Cutler.

With all the Cutler talk that has been going on, it’s time we focus on the other side of the trade and the man who will lead Denver into the playoffs, and put them in contention once again to win the AFC West.

Before people begin to list Orton’s NFL statistics with the Chicago Bears, let’s address them.

2005 (Rookie Year): 51.6 percent completion, 1,869 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He started 15 games for the Bears, leading them to a 10-5 record before he was replaced for former first round draft pick Rex Grossman. Minus a five interception game against the Cincinatti Bengals, a decent rookie season for a fourth round pick out of Purdue.

2006: Chicago decided to sign free agent Brian Griese, demoting Orton to third string. Grossman “led” the team to the Super Bowl, but poor performances both during the regular season and post season, led to him being replaced in 2007 by Griese, and then Orton.

2007: Orton played in the final three games of the season, in his debut he was 22-38 for 184 yards and one interception. He ended the year with 478 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He improved upon his 51.6 completion percentage to 53.8 percent.

2008: Kyle was named the starter, out right. He started 15 games, completing 58.5 percent of his passes for 2,972 yards 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

These may seem like mediocre numbers at best to many critics and skeptics out there, but the Bears, for the past four years have not only lacked a premiere quarterback, but a starting wide receiver as well; at least when Orton was at the helm.

In 2005, Muhsin Muhammed led the team with 64 receptions for 750 yards and four touchdowns. Behind him was Justin Gage with 31 receptions for 346 yards and two touchdowns. The third leading receiver?

Running back Thomas Jones.

In 2008, rookie running back Matt Forte was the team’s leading receiver with 63 receptions for 477 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Greg Olson was the second leading man with 54 receptions, 574 yards and five touchdowns.

Lastly, was return man-converted-to-wide-receiver, Devin Hester with 51 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

In 2008 for the Broncos, Brandon Marshall had 104 receptions for 1265 yards and 12 touchdowns. Rookie Eddie Royal had 91 catches for 980 yards and five touchdowns.

After him was slot receiver Brandon Stokley with 49 grabs for 528 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Tony Scheffler rounded out the group with 41 receptions for 645 yards and three touchdowns.

Last time I checked, all four of these men were still in Denver (no matter how hard one wants to get out).

With that being said let us travel back to 2005, when a college senior from Altoona, Iowa was preparing to enter the NFL Draft.

Coming out of Purdue, Orton was one of the nation’s best passers.

A preseason All-American, rated the third best quarterback in the nation by Phil Steele, he was considered by The Sporting News to be the preseason Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and was touted to be the Most Accurate Passer, have the Strongest Arm, and be “Coolest in the Clutch” in the Big Ten by Lindy’s Sports.

In his final game as a quarterback, Orton threw for 522 yards, tying a record held by a former Boilermaker QB, Drew Brees. Needless to say, Orton was in good company. He ended his career with 9,337 yards, with 63 touchdown passes and 28 interceptions.

Every scout praised Orton for his accuracy:

“does not make many mistakes with the ball, and is accurate in most areas..”-Len Pasquarelli

“…can fit the ball into some tight spots in coverage. Shows excellent touch and accuracy when throwing vertically…”-ESPN Draft Tracker

Yet, they all criticized him for the same thing as well, slow delivery and his lack of experience in a pro-style offense:

“Elongated delivery is a big concern. He needs to improve his mechanics by getting the ball up and quickening his delivery…is he a bit of a system quarterback?”-Draft Tracker

“Played in a quarterback-friendly offense, often works out from the shotgun, and lacks top-shelf arm strength. Has an elongated throwing motion, and throws sidearm way too often…”-Len Pasquarelli

As Aaron Rodgers can attest, when scouts begin to knock your throwing motion, your stock falls.

So he was drafted in the fourth round, and has done nothing, besides get better since he entered the league. 

He led the team to a 10-5 record as a rookie, and was wrongly benched.

Then came back in 2008 and led the Bears to a 9-7 record without a number one receiver.

He improved his completion percentage from 2005 by nearly six percent in 2008, and in the last three games of the season Orton completed 71 of 109 passes for 903 yards with five touchdowns, no interceptions and a 106.2 passer rating.

That’s a 65.1 completion percentage.

The comparison may be unfair, but it took his predecessor Drew Brees, three years before he cemented his place as a good, if not great quarterback in the NFL.

Is it fair to say that by Orton’s eight or ninth year in the league he’ll be throwing for 5,000 yards in Denver?

Probably not.

But I think Orton is wrongly perceived by the media, and possibly Broncos’s faithful. He is not a conservative, dink and dunk passer. You don’t throw for 522 yards by throwing screens, and you don’t throw for nearly 10,000 yards in three years by throwing ten yard out patterns.

Orton is a gunslinger, do not underestimate him.

Just give him the weapons he needs, e.g. Marshall, Royal, Stokley, Schleffler.

Denver fans, if you were worried about Kyle Orton, you need not be.

In Illinois we have a theory; when a player leaves a Chicago team, he naturally gets better.

Just sit back and enjoy watching Orton get better Bronco fans.

To encourage thought here’s one more statistic:

He’s 21-13 as a starter, Cutler was 17-20.

Urlacher: Cutler Not What Bears Expected

He said what?

Say it isn’t so. Couldn’t we at least wait until training camp starts before we decide what to think about Cutler in Chicago?

Apparently Bears’ team captain, Brian Urlacher, couldn’t wait that long. Of course that depends on who you ask, as there are two sides to every story.

In an interview on a local Chicago radio station, Bobby Wade, a former Chicago Bear, couldn’t resist the urge to talk about the conversation he’d had with Brian Urlacher in Las Vegas over the weekend.

“I don’t want to get [Urlacher] in trouble, but it wasn’t what [the Bears] expected. Pretty much [Urlacher] said Jay Cutler was a [wimp] for the most part.”

Of course, “wimp” wasn’t the word used, although it’s amusing no matter how its said. I could come up some with more choice names for Cutler but I digress.

Brian Urlacher seemed to think it was funny when hearing that Wade had told the media his secrets.

“Oh, please. I don’t think I would ever say that about one of my teammates,” Urlacher told the Tribune. “Look, Bobby Wade’s a friend of mine. He’s trying to get things going before training camp. That’s just Bobby being Bobby. I’m pretty sure Jay knows I wouldn’t say that about him.”

So it seems to be a simple misunderstanding. Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I heard of “friends” across the NFL spreading rumors their “friend” called his supposed franchise quarterback a wimp.

Now that’s a unique sense of humor.

What makes Bobby Wade’s prank even funnier is that “wimp” is actually a name that many who have followed Cutler’s career would call him, after watching him pout after every loss in a Broncos uniform. So to hear Urlacher wasn’t a big fan was somewhat less than a surprise.

Is their anybody in the world that would put any stock into Urlacher’s denial of the comment? If this was a prank by Bobby Wade, he got the Bears good this time.

Another story circulating on Chicago radio stations, is that Urlacher had to be restrained from attacking Cutler in mini camp. This too was hilarious to Brian Urlacher. Yet another funny joke on the radio.

“I didn’t even practice,” Urlacher said, with a hint of sarcasm. “If anything, I called him a few names for zipping balls by my head with that cannon he has. Me having to be restrained? That’s funny.”

Love it.

Are Broncos Fans Prepared?

With training camp upon us, and preseason games fast approaching, I have to ask a question: are Broncos fans prepared?

This is not a prediction of doom and gloom but a reminder of the possibility that the Broncos could have a losing season.

Over the past several years, I have always had confidence that the Broncos would be respectable, and that they entered every season with odds of making the playoffs in their favor.

Over the entire Mike Shanahan era, the Broncos only posted two losing seasons.

This leaves an entire generation of young, and not so young, Broncos fans, myself included, who have never experienced the pain of a prolonged period of bad football teams.

Since 1973, the Broncos have recorded fewer than six wins only twice.  The strike-shortened season of 1982 and a 5-11 season in 1990 are the only occurrences since 1972.

Even John Elway’s rookie season in 1983 netted nine wins. 

You have to go back to 1972 to find back to back losing seasons for the Broncos.

With all the changes that have been made at Dove Valley this year, I contend that no one knows how good or bad the Broncos will be.  All of the consistency that has been built over the past 30-plus years has been thrown to the wind.

New coaches, new general manager, nearly unprecedented turnover in personnel all contribute to the upheaval. 

Gone is the west coast offense led by the strong-armed quarterback and masterminded by Shanahan.  Will the zone blocking scheme that contributed to much of the Broncos’ success over the past several years remain?

How well does this work with the Patriots-style offense that Josh McDaniels is implementing?

Do the Broncos have the personnel to run the 3-4 defense that is becoming so popular around the league?  Can the unheralded linemen assembled by the Broncos stop the run?  How fast can the players transition from defensive end to outside linebacker?

With any change there is a degree of risk.  With multiple changes, the risk expands exponentially.  There are many questions remaining to be answered.

Whether you agree with the moves that have been made or not, you cannot argue that this Denver Broncos team will be vastly different than what we have seen in recent years.

Whether they are better or worse, we won’t know until the real games begin.

I hope that the changes that have been made all work out for the best.  I personally believe that they will, but it may take a few seasons for the results to show.  Many of the changes being made aren’t prone to quick results and the transition could take several seasons.

In addition, I believe the AFC West is on the rise.  After this season, the challenge of winning the AFC West will be much greater as the Chargers try to hold on against the three young, talented teams stocked with high draft picks.

I am not predicting what the Broncos’ record will be at the end of the season, but be prepared.  We may be in for a wild ride.

It’s (Mile) High Time For Josh McDaniels To Show What He’s Got

OK, Josh McDaniels, show us what you’ve got.

The time has come for the 33-year-old hotshot head coach of the Denver Broncos to silence all the critics and prove that he is the second coming when his team opens training camp Friday at Dove Valley.

New quarterback Kyle Orton will be there. All the rookies—OK, we’re still waiting on first-rounders Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers—will be in attendance. Shoot, hotheaded wide receiver Brandon Marshall is even here.

But make no bones about it. Even with all the free agents brought in this offseason, all the rookies—and there are plenty of them, 10 in all—and all the holdovers from the Mike Shanahan regime, when the first of two practices starts Friday morning at 8:30 a.m., all eyes will be on McDaniels.

Hoodie Junior, as he’s been affectionately called as a reference to his mentor, New England’s Bill Belichick, has turned Broncos Country upside down ever since he was named head coach in January.

Now, all things considered, that may not be such a bad thing. Consider that the Broncos were the first team in NFL history to blow a three-game division lead with three games remaining last year, and had a defense with more holes than swiss cheese, change may be a good thing.

But his very public spat with incumbent quarterback Jay Cutler is what comes to mind first and foremost when people think about McDaniels. Almost as quickly as McDaniels arrived in time, Cutler had a one-way ticket out, courtesy of a blockbuster deal with the Chicago Bears that brought Orton into the fold.

Behind Cutler and Marshall, the 2008 Broncos had an offense that was second to none when it came to moving the ball between the 20s. It was getting into the end zone that was a problem. Hopefully, McDaniels and his offensive prowess can fix that problem.

But he’ll have to do that without the services of Cutler. He’ll have to do that with an injury-proned Marshall, who despite demanding a trade and having concerns with both the new head coach and the training staff, reported to camp on time.

That said, maybe McDaniels can keep the offensive chugging along with a more balanced attack than what Denver was able to utilize last season, after a plethora of running back injuries rattled the team. That’s of course depended on Moreno signing his rookie deal and getting into camp.

Come Friday, Broncos fans will get to see for themselves whether McDaniels was the right choice to replace Shanahan. For his sake, I hope so.

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