When previewing the Denver Broncos for 2009, it’s tempting to dig into the archives for standard points to build a story around:

Head coach/leader of the franchise Mike Shanahan.

Strong armed QB Jay Cutler.

Unknown QB that could surprise.

A stout, dominating defense.

On second thought, scratch that last one.  Hasn’t applied for several years.  As a matter of fact, you may as well hit ‘delete’ for all of them.

The NFL is a league of change, year in, year out. Up until now the Broncos were the exception to the rule.  Think Wrigley Field in a world of new ballparks.  The Simpsons still going strong while other shows come and go.  Manny Ramirez still slugging, with no performance enhancing asterisks attached…again, scratch that last one off.

After a late season collapse that kept the Broncos out of the playoffs for the third consecutive year, owner Pat Bowlen did what everyone, himself included, thought he’d never do.  He fired Shanahan and decided a fresh start was needed.  Bowlen’s choice to take the Bronco reigns: 32 year old Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels, who ran the explosive New England offense the last few years, is the latest Bill Belichick disciple to be plucked from the Patriot system.  The hope is that a bit of Patriot magic can rub off in the Mile High City.

Judging by McDaniels’ first few months on the job, you may as well call it black magic.  How else to explain the disappearance of a 25 year old franchise QB?

When the opportunity arose to acquire Matt Cassel, his prized pupil of a year ago, McDaniels didn’t say no.  That set off a chain reaction of trade requests, backtracking, clarifying, and missed phone calls, as Cutler steamed at the notion his new coach didn’t want him around. 

After one missed phone call too many, Bowlen had enough, and ordered Cutler to be dealt.  He was, to Chicago, for a bounty of draft picks and QB Kyle Orton.

The trade set off a flurry of shock and anger, with a small dose of “good riddance” thrown in.  Bronco fans and the media passionately debated the trade, asking who was to blame, and wondering if the new coach was in over his head.

Welcome to Denver, coach.  How do you like it so far?

What is clear is that McDaniels is in Denver, and Cutler is not.  The trade was the capper on an offseason of turnover for the Broncos, the likes of which hadn’t been seen since Shanahan arrived in 1995.  ‘The Mastermind’ made wholesale changes and went on to win a couple of Super Bowls. 

If McDaniels hopes to start the next wave of Denver dominance now, he must live up to his billing as a QB guru from his time in New England, where he coached Tom Brady and Cassel to aerial brilliance.

Orton has the inside track to start at QB.  In Chicago, he was asked simply not to screw up, and he did post a 21—12 record as a starter.  Orton will be surrounded by more talent than he has ever had, and will be asked to air it out to a talented group of wideouts, and not just on 3rd-and-long.

In Denver, Orton will have Brandon Marshall (104 catches, 1265 yards), Eddie Royal (91, 180), Brandon Stokley (49, 528) and New England transfer Jabar Gaffney (38, 468).  Tony Scheffler (40, 645) and Daniel Graham (32, 389) man the TE position.

In Chicago, Orton had return-man-turned-receiver Devin Hester, and…?

How can Orton throw if he’s on his back, you may ask?  Well, the Broncos only allowed 12 sacks all year.  Ryan Clady, a standout as a rookie in ’08, and Ryan Harris give the team stout, bookend tackles, so Orton should have ample time to show that he can be more than a “game manager.”

Shanahan’s very first draft in Denver produced Terrell Davis in the sixth round out of Georgia.  A Super Bowl MVP award and one 2,000 yard season later, and the Bronco way of unearthing 1,000-yard backs in later rounds was off and running.  McDaniels first draft?  A RB from Georgia—in the first round.

The new regime is counting on Knowshon Moreno to be the next franchise back in Denver.  Moreno had a stellar collegiate career, amassing over 2,700 yards in two years. 

The Broncos ended last year with seven backs on injured reserve, so McDaniels brought in veterans J.J. Arrington, Correll Buckhalter, and LaMont Jordan to compete as well.  Ryan Torain and Peyton Hillis remain too, but there’s no doubt the team is hitching its backfield wagon to Moreno.

Drafting Moreno shows all one needs to know about the team’s new direction.  With every Bronco fan yelling “DEFENSE,” McDaniels went against the grain to pick a RB.  But even the offense-minded coach knows his defense must step up if he hopes to return Denver to the playoffs. 

The Broncos finished 30th in total defense in ’08, a weak pass rush (25 sacks) and lack of big plays (a mere six INT’s) its undoing.

Former 49ers coach Mike Nolan becomes the team’s fourth defensive coordinator in as many years, and will look to install a 3-4 system.  The Broncos used their other first rounder on DE/LB Robert Ayers of Tennessee. 

The club hopes his presence, along with DE turned LB Elvis Dumervil can rush the QB, and take pressure off a revamped secondary.

All-world CB Champ Bailey missed seven games with an injured groin, and his return can only help.  Following in the tradition of Steve Atwater and John Lynch, the Broncos added former Eagles S Brian Dawkins as the jewel of their free agent class.  The hope is he can add leadership, toughness, and, well…talent to the Bronco defense.

No matter how many RB’s you have, or how many points you score, McDaniels knows you must stop the other team when it counts.  Go to YouTube and type in “David Tyree/Super Bowl” if you need a reminder (McDaniels doesn’t).

The Broncos finished 8-8 last year, a humiliating 52-21 loss to the Chargers in week 17 costing them a division title, and starting the roller coaster that has become the 2009 Denver offseason. 

It will probably take more than eight wins to nail down a playoff berth (it usually does), and the fact that the rebuilding Chiefs and always-rebuilding Raiders reside in the AFC West is a plus, but Denver is not in San Diego’s class at this point.

If Orton makes use of the talent around him, and the newcomers on defense can register a sack or an interception (or a tackle) on occasion, the Broncos could find themselves in the wild card mix.  Realistically, with all the upheaval in Denver, 8-8 and home in January sounds about right once again.

Time to write a new Bronco list to refer back to down the road.  Josh McDaniels is hoping he can keep his name on it for years to come.

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