Change Is in the Air in Broncos Country

The Denver Broncos have had the ultimate offseason of change.

 

Starting at the top, Mike Shanahan was fired as head coach and replaced by 32-year-old Josh McDaniels (former offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots).  McDaniels proceeded to fire most of the previous coaching staff.

 

The Broncos owner, Pat Bowlen, then promoted Brian Xanders to the role of general manager after firing Jim and Jeff Goodman. Jim Goodman was originally reported to be next in line to take over the general manager role after Shanahan was fired. Instead he was unceremoniously fired after 11 years with the Broncos.

 

I mention the front office changes because it proves the point of how deeply changed this organization will be in 2009. The Broncos will be different from the GM to the long snapper on punts and kickoffs.

 

McDaniels hired Mike Nolan to be the defensive coordinator. He will install a 3-4 defense, which continues to gain popularity throughout the NFL.

 

As if these changes weren’t enough, McDaniels then traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for two first-round picks and Kyle Orton.

 

In the draft, the Broncos made a splash by selecting running back Knowshon Moreno with the 12th pick.

 

Offensively, McDaniels brings a new system to Denver. While this system has roots in the West Coast offense, it is decisively different. There will be more three- and four-receiver sets.  oth the full back and tight end will be asked to line up on the slot to create mismatches.

 

The good news is that, with Peyton Hillis and Tony Scheffler, the Broncos have the personnel to get the job done. Both Hillis and Scheffler have excellent hands.

 

As in any offensive system, there is a lot of pressure put on the quarterback. The addition of Orton and Chris Simms brings new blood to the position. McDaniels is hoping that whoever wins the battle for the starting job—many believe it will be Orton—will have the ability to read defenses and make accurate passes. These are the most valuable assets for a quarterback to posses in this offense.

 

The running game is often used to set up the passing game. This is why McDaniels has spent so much time and money on bringing in free agents and using a first-round pick on the position. Everyone is expecting Moreno to be the starter on opening day, but he will be pushed by LaMont Jordan and Correll Buckhalter.

 

The defense was ranked 30^th in the league last year. Wholesales changes were made as a necessity.

 

The addition of safeties Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill will be a huge upgrade from the horrific safety play last season.

 

The main concern here is the front seven. Elvis Dumervil and Jarvis Moss will be asked to move from defensive end to outside linebacker. The defensive line will be revamped.  Free agent acquisition Roland Fields will likely start at nose tackle, but Marcus Thomas will get a chance to play there, as well. 

 

There is now talk of first-round pick, Robert Ayers, moving to linebacker in the scheme. He could move back and forth between defensive end and linebacker in a hybrid role for this defense. 

 

The linebacking corps should be pretty good, assuming Dumervil and Moss can make the transition. Of course, with the changes to a 3-4, Boss Bailey and D.J. Williams will have to make adjustments, also.

 

There will be a lot of things worked out on this side of the ball in mini-camps and training camp. I am not sure the coaching staff can tell you who will be where when the season starts. There could be as many as eight new starters on this defense, which isn’t a bad thing since they played so badly last season.

 

With so many changes on a team during one offseason, we will have to wait and see what happens when they actually lineup and play a game, or at least scrimmage. The playbook is completely new to everyone on the team, and there are huge changes in personnel. 

 

One thing is for sure, this season will be fresh and interesting for the fans. I just hope it all comes together in the end.

Hello Denver, Meet Kyle Orton

The following is a fictitious interview with Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton. The list of questions are what I would ask if granted an interview. The answers to the questions are for entertainment purposes only.  I did try to answer them as I thought he might, if he were being honest and not giving the company line.

 

 

Q:  Hello, Kyle, how do you like Denver so far?

 

A:  I like Denver a lot.  It is a fun city.

 

 

Q:  Are you excited about the opportunity to start for the Broncos?

 

A:  Yeah, it’s going to be a good competition with Chris, but I think I will win the    

      starting job.

 

 

Q:  What would you say to Broncos fans that are down on the team for trading Jay   

      Cutler?

 

A:  I would say hold your opinions until you see what I can do in this offense.

 

 

Q:  You have never played an entire 16 game season.  Do you think you can perform at a high level for an entire season?

 

A:  I have played in 15 games my rookie season and last season.  I am sure I can play at a high level though an entire season.  I have improved my quarterback rating and

touchdown-to-interception ratio each season.

 

 

Q:  How did you feel when you heard about the trade?

 

A:  I was a little pissed off, to be honest with you.  I put a lot of hard work in trying to prove to Coach Smith I could be the man in Chicago, and then it felt like they gave up

on me.

 

 

Q:  You had four seasons to prove yourself.  How much longer did you want?

 

A:  I think I did prove myself.  I have a good record in games that I have played (21-12). 

I know it is better than Cutler’s win-lose record. They just never had the confidence

in me.

 

 

Q:  Do you think you can run McDaniels’ system at a high level?

 

A:  Well, if I can’t, I should quit now. This will be a quarterback-friendly offense. I can’t

wait to start running it.

 

 

Q:  Other than the Chargers, this division is pretty open. Do you think the Broncos can

win the AFC West?

 

A:  It will be tough. The Chargers are a good team, and the Chiefs are getting better. I

know we will give it all we have and see where it comes out at the end. I’m not really

into making predictions like that.

 

 

Q:  This was a good offense last year.  Can you make it better?

 

A:  We will be better.  McDaniels has brought in a good system.  I will make this prediction, we will score a lot of points.

 

 

Q:  Broncos fans have been used to quarterbacks making plays when things breakdown. 

Do you have that ability?

 

A:  I’m not the most athletic quarterback in the league, but I’m not a statue either.  I can make plays more with my intelligence. Peyton Manning isn’t real mobile, but he can

still make plays better than anyone in the league.

 

 

Q:  You think you can be on the level of Peyton Manning?

 

A:  Look, I have confidence in my ability; I think anyone at this level does. Peyton is the best in the league in my opinion.  So, no, I am not on that level.

 

 

Q:  No one is expecting you to be Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but can you be as

efficient as Matt Castle was last season?

 

A:  Oh yeah, that is what this season will be all about, being efficient.

 

 

Q:  Kyle, thank you for your time.  I have one last question. As a die hard Broncos fan, I

hope for the best but fear the worst.  Are my fears misguided?

 

A:  No, I don’t think so.  It’s a fear of the unknown.  For the first time in Denver, there is so much that is unknown with a young rookie head coach, a new quarterback that  

Broncos fans know nothing about, and a rookie running back. Then there is an entirely

new defense.  I understand the fear.

Too Many Holes For The Denver Broncos To Fill In One Offseason

The Denver Broncos may have a long, tough season ahead of them. This team had so many holes to fill going into the off-season it resembled Swiss cheese. Then they created another huge hole by trading quarterback Jay Cutler.

The Broncos biggest holes are in the defensive front seven. Many Broncos fans and draft experts expected the team to focus on these positions in the draft. In the end they used only one pick on the front seven—first round pick Robert Ayers, a defensive end from Tennessee. 

 

There will be as many as four new starters in the front seven and another two that are going to playing new positions in the 3-4 scheme this season.

The secondary has been completely revamped as well. The only hold over from last season in the secondary is corner back Champ Bailey. However, the free agent acquisitions in this part of the defense are proven starters in the league. 

The biggest addition is strong safety Brian Dawkins.

To say the defense has a new look is a huge understatement. With 80% of the starting defense being changed,fan are going to need a roster sheet just to know who these guys are.

 

The offense moved the ball effectively last season, ranking second in the NFL in total offense.  As we all know, they count points not yards in the NFL. The Broncos were not as proficient at scoring those points. 

The argument can be made that, because the Broncos defense was so bad, the offense was constantly in a position to have to go 80-90 yards to get into the end zone.  In fact, the Broncos did have the worst starting field position in the league.

 

General Manager Brian Xanders and head coach Josh Mcdaniels were wise to leave the offensive line and starting receiving corps intact. The running back position is a different story. 

It has been revamped with the addition of first round pick Knowshon Moreno and free agents Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan, and JJ Arrington.  Peyton Hillis, a starter at half back for part of last year, has been moved back to full back.

Of course, the biggest change on the team is at quarterback. McDaniels and Cutler had a very public falling out, which led to the franchise quarterback being traded to the Chicago Bears for two first round draft picks and quarterback Kyle Orton. 

With the addition of Orton and free agent Chris Simms, McDaniels believes there is no hole at quarterback.  However, neither quarterback has proven to be a consistent, quality starter in the NFL.

Orton was third on the depth chart in Chicago at times in his career. Chicago is not exactly a hot bed of quarterbacking talent; this is why they wanted Cutler. 

In fact, Orton spent some time behind Brian Giese.  Broncos fans will not doubt remember that name from his time spent quarterbacking the team after John Elways retirement.

Simms hasn’t thrown more than two passes since a spleen injury in 2006.  He spent 2007 season on injured reserve.  He threw those two passes last season, and was third on the depth chart for the Tennessee Titans.

The coaching staff has a monumental task to get the completely remade defense to play together.  They also have their work cut out for them when it comes to coaching up the most important position on the field, quarterback.  

Only time will tell if the holes truly have been filled or simply spackled over.

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