BS7: Special Broncos Season Preview Edition

Just sitting here thinking that this time last year the Denver Broncos were one of the “big spender’s” of the previous offseason. The team had landed Sam Adams, Travis Henry, Brandon Stoakley, Simeon Rice, and Dre’ Bly just to name a few. Truth is that I honestly expected to see this team contend for a title, and I think quite a few Broncos fans were with me on that. So here we are a year later, coming off of one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory and with most of those “prized pick-ups” of a year ago gone, as well as Javon Walker taking his mouth and knee issues to Oakland. Broncos fans are not exactly planning the Super Bowl parties just yet.

Which brings me to this question, should Broncos fans get excited about this season? After a careful look I have to give you an astounding YES! Now before you get carried away I’m NOT saying that the Broncos are a contender to win it all at this point, but to expect 10 to 11 wins is really NOT out of the question.

Since I haven’t done my weekly blog, well it used to be weekly, in a while I’ll kick off my comeback with a Denver Broncos edition of the BS7.  I may have a full version out next week as well. So let’s give my 7 reasons Broncos fans can get excited for 2008.

#1- If you think Ohio State has an easy schedule, take a look at the Broncos.

Ok, maybe they don’t start off with games like Youngstown State and Ohio University, but the Broncos have it fairly easy this year. First off you have 4 games against the Raiders and the Chiefs neither of which look like they have made ANY of the necessary moves to become any sort of a contender. Sure Oakland is out buying every player they can, but if you talk to Falcons fans they aren’t really that upset over losing Hall (gets burnt OFTEN, and can lose his cool in a hurry, see the Panthers game last year) and I’m pretty sure Broncos fans couldn’t hand pick a better place to watch Javon Walker continue to waste what could have been a great career.

Next we look at the non conference opponents, this list reads off like the podium from the NFL Draft.  The Broncos travel to Atlanta and the Jets while hosting Miami and Buffalo.  I know that the Jets added a 75 year old QB and are pretty sure he can revive their 4-12 team who also lost their big defensive playmaker. Somehow I’m skeptical that Favre can REALLY make the Jets into anything more than a 6 win team.

Bottom line is that the Broncos will play 10 games against sub .500 teams a year ago. They will also have 7 games against teams that couldn’t muster up more than 4 wins in 2007.

#2-  The Broncos’ new favorite stat…. Blood Sugar Level.

Strange that finding out that your starting QB has Type 1 Diabetes is actually good news.  But for the Broncos this can be great news. 

As it turns out Denver’s franchise QB has had diabetes for a while now, but just had no idea that he was diabetic. It got so bad last year that he was rapidly losing weight and lost quite a bit of zip from his throws. Now that he knows about his condition and can keep it under control Jay Cutler is poised for a breakout season.

The guy was arguably a top 10 QB last year when he was around 60 to 70% healthy… just think about this guy at 100%.

#3- Eddie Royal loses job as return man.

I know, this looks like another thing that you wouldn’t be too excited to see. But people that have been following the Broncos out of camp know that this is not only AMAZING news, but VERY unexpected.

Royal was picked up in the second round this year and expected to add a much needed spark to the Broncos’ special teams. From the first looks of training camp it seemed like he was the perfect man for the job. The 5’10” WR out of Virginia Tech seemed to not only bring that great speed that the Broncos were looking for, but he also had a work ethic that seemed to allow him to fit right in at this level.

As camp went on Royal turned out to be a little too good for the job that the Broncos drafted him to fill. He has since leaped over Brandon Stoakley, Darrel Jackson, Keary Colbert, and recently released Sammie Parker to become the Broncos #2 WR. Royal will actually fill in as the team’s #1 wide out while Brandon Marshall sits out the first game.

If this guy can carry this over into the regular season his speed mixed with Stoakley’s talent in the slot and Brandon Marshall’s freakish talent could make life VERY easy for Bronco’s QB Jay Cutler.

#4- Hate to say it… but NO John Lynch.

While I am a HUGE fan of John Lynch, and really do wish the guy all the best luck in the world from here on out. I will say that he is most certainly lost a step over the past year. I know he made the pro bowl last year, but let’s be honest Vince Young was a Pro-Bowler a year before that so I really don’t want to use that as a way of evaluating a player.

John Lynch may have hurt the team on the field last year more than people actually realize.  You see Lynch’s position at FS is VERY important with an over aggressive corner like Dre’ Bly.  Bly has a tendency to go for the interception almost every time. While this did lead to him picking off more balls than any other Bronco it also led to some very long TD passes on other instances.

While Lynch is a great dude, and someone you defiantly want in your locker room.  The truth is that he didn’t really have the speed or the agility to cover when Bly’s coverage broke down.  Lynch actually lost the position in camp which led to Denver giving him the opportunity to play elsewhere.

#5- The AFC West just isn’t that great.

I’ll try not to completely slam the rest of the AFC West, but the truth is that this division is really up for grabs. Don’t believe me? Take a look.

KC-

While the Chiefs can expect a little more out of RB Larry Johnson than he put up last year, their season’s hopes rest on Brodie Croyle’s right arm.  Add to that they lost star DE Allen, and really haven’t filled that void either.  KC fans can look forward to a 10+ loss season add to that a new QB and possibly a new coach next year.

Oakland-

Year after year teams are showing that game are won and lost in the trenches. The O and D lines are really where the battles are week in and week out. Cleveland showed everyone when they took LT Thomas in last year’s draft to much criticism, yet no one said much of anything when they made themselves a contender almost instantly.  Despite all of this the Raiders continue to target the “playmakers” and even at that questionable playmakers.

Like I said earlier, Javon Walker will not play more than 8 games and don’t be surprised if he doesn’t surpass the 400 yard mark this season. After all the guy has already been mugged, and tried to retire and the season hasn’t started yet.

It will take a lot for me to believe in Russell as a QB, something about strong armed guys with no work ethic just don’t get me excited.

SD-

The Chargers are not nearly in as great of shape as you may think.  Rivers, LT, Gates, and Merriman all have pretty serious injury issues coming into this season. Tomlinson has also lost the security of his solid #2 in Turner. This will cause him to have to take even more carries, see Larry Johnson if you want to know what that does to a RB.  Add to that LT lost his go to FB.  Jacob Hester seems too small to fill that role as a lead blocker and will be used more as a goalline RB than anything this year.

As for Rivers, we are all waiting for his talent to catch up with his mouth.  The guy has looked pretty sloppy this pre-season, and after all that talk last year look for some teams to gun for this guy.

#6- Big signings don’t always equal big seasons-

Last year the Broncos were among the big spenders in the offseason. But the truth is that outside of Dallas and New England most of the big spending teams usually don’t have too much success. Teams like Washington and Oakland throw money at the top Free Agents almost every year, yet they don’t really seem to get much better.

The fact that the Broncos have worked to get solid character players (outside of a certain WR), they have checked the ego at the door and will focus much more on a team concept this season. In years past this has been a successful season.

#7- ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!!!

This time last year I’m pretty sure Giants fans couldn’t even predict their team as Super Bowl champs without laughing a little.  I mean sure it wouldn’t come as a shock to see Manning as the Super Bowl MVP, but Eli?

The beauty of football is that at this point EVERY team has a shot at this. The Broncos were 7-9 last year and that was a broken and bruised team that had all sorts of issues. There is no way that picking up 3 more wins is out of the question.

After all it is that time of the year for NFL fans to wear those rose colored glasses. At this point… “Yes, your team could be amazing”, not just have to sit back and wait to see if they actually are.

Does John Lynch Deserve To Be In The Ring Of Fame?

This subject came up today when John Lynch unexpectedly decided to leave the Denver Broncos.  I know there are arguements on both sides of the coin,but I know he's a sure Hall of Famer.  The thing about the ring of fame at Invesco Field is that it is for career Bronco players, not free agent players that only play a part of their careers in a Bronco uniform.  Anyways, the Bronco's Ring of Fame should be reserved for players like Rod Smith, Terrell Davis Atwater etc...  We love John Lynch and thank him for his effort and leadership on and off the field, we will miss having number 47 roaming the secondary and hurting receivers that dare come his way.  late... 

This Year It's All About The "D!"

Broncos to rely on coordinated effort

Slowik hopes not to fumble his shot in a position that is rife with turnovers

By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Monday, July 21, 2008

The third time's supposed to be the charm.

But here's Bob Slowik, on chance No. 4 as a defensive coordinator with the Broncos, via Chicago, Cleveland and Green Bay.

What the heck do you call that?

Good fortune, for starters.

Perseverance. Hard work.

"It just points out to me that you know he's good," said Dave McGinnis, now the Tennessee Titans assistant head coach and a member of the Bears' coaching staff with Slowik in the mid-1990s. "A lot of times you have to see through things that happen, such as, 'What were the injuries?' and get the overall picture."

Broncos Latest News

Hello Bronco fans. It's time we refuel our engines and get back to work on the greatest group on Fannation. I'll start with a blog on the latest and most important news that has been happening with the Broncos and some information just around the NFL.


First things first, yesterday when I was looking around on the internet for something to do, I find on Yahoo! Sports that Brandon Marshall had another run in with the Po Po. In the report it says that Brandon was caught "allegedly disobeying his lane assignment, driving without a license, and driving without proof of insurance". Big deal? I say yes. It may not see like much, but even the littlest things can trigger you to get more out of control than you set off to be. And for a guy like Brandon Marshall, who we all know has had a bad reputation for off field events, anything involving the cops is sad and disappointing. Especially when his main goal this year was to "to be clean-cut and don't get into trouble". This should also frighten Bronco fans since the league was looking into suspending Marshall for the incident that happened with his girlfriend. It hasn't been proven that he hit her, but if Brandon. wasn't under the microscope before, you can bet his leash is getting shorter by the day.


Now let's move onto some news around the league. I'll start with the heart warming/gag-reeling story of Tony Gonzalez. While eating in a restaurant in California, Tony saw someone choking. See as though no one could help him, he came to the rescue and gave the guy the heimlich maneuver and saved the man's life. Only, the man was a Chargers fan. Had Tony been aware of this before, being the good person he is, he probably still would've done it. But if it were any Broncos player, I am more than confident that they would sit on their butts, laughing and mocking them while his faced turned that powder blue color he must like (mind you, for those people who are sickened by me, this is an exaggeration). But, I do have one question in mind, was this man really choking? Or was this all a display of real a real Charger fan? After all, he was CHOKING right? Something the Chargers are very fond of in the playoffs. Some say that this fan will converge to be a Chiefs fan. Well, I say nay. This man will keep on being the truest Charger fan and he will keep on choking. Good for him.


The next big news that everyone is tired of hearing about is Brett Favre's "comeback". ESPN, keeps referring to it as another comeback. There are two thing wrong with that: First, when was his FIRST comeback? Second, a comeback is not saying you retire, give the media bull **** tears and say you want to come back a month later. If great Favre were a good person, he'd quit screwing with the Packers and Aaron Rodgers (who by the way is now my second favorite current QB in the NFL for putting up with Favre). If Brett Favre is so worried about his legacy, he would've kept playing until HE wanted to, not when other people and the media started to say that he needed to. Look at Jerry Rice. Is his legacy tarnished for staying all those years? For going to the Raiders, the Seahawks, the Broncos? No! He's the great football player ever! Favre needs to stop being a **** and live with the fact that he's being a huge jerk and that if he comes back he will be the biggest jackass on the face of the earth.


On that note I will end this blog and hopefully we can get this group re-going again.




All Ready!

TRAVIS HENRY RELEASED!!!!!

There goes our #1 RB

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

The Broncos' decision to release Travis Henry this morning has been coming for months. Broncos' insiders said the team had been unhappy with Henry virtually all spring. In a rare statement about a released player, Denver coach Mike Shanahan made a point to say Henry had a lack of "commitment" to the team.

The final straw came in the past week when Henry stopped attending the team's OTA sessions. Yes, Henry was hurt with a hamstring injury he suffered 17 days ago, but injured players are required to show up for work. Henry didn't. Perhaps he was upset that he knew he had to fight for playing time with Selvin Young, Ryan Torain and Michael Pittman. Whatever the reason, the team tired of Henry's lack of dedication.