2009 Denver Broncos NFL Season Predictions

Written July 21, 2009 by Jason Lowry

Denver Broncos 2009 Predictions The Denver Broncos entered week 14 at 8-5, and needed just 1 win to secure a playoff spot, but were unable to come away with a victory and the San Diego Chargers came out of nowhere to steal the division. That seemed to be the final straw for long time head coach Mike Shanahan, who was fired and replaced by New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. After looking like a team destined to be a playoff powerhouse, Broncos fans have to be wondering what the hell happened this offseason.

Thanks to trade rumors that McDaniels tried to trade Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler for Matt Cassel, the Broncos are now stuck with Kyle Orton as their starting quarterback, as the Broncos wound up trading a disgruntled Cutler to Chicago for two first round draft picks, a third round pick, and Orton. Another surprising move came in the draft when the Broncos decided to take Knowshon Moreno with the 12th overall pick, instead of addressing some big needs on the defensive side of things. The Broncos had also already signed running backs J.J. Arrington, Correll Buckhalter, and LaMont Jordan to share duties in the backfield. The Broncos did get some defensive help with their next three picks, as they took defensive end/linebacker Robert Ayers, corner Alphonso Smith, and free safety Darcel McBath. The Broncos also added some help in free agency, as they signed veteran strong safety Brian Dawkins to help sure up the secondary and provide the unit with some leadership. The Broncos also added free safety Ronaldo Hill, corner Andre’ Goodman, linebacker Andra Davis, quarterback Chris Simms and wide receiver Jabar Gaffney. This might seem like quite a few additions, but the Broncos got rid of over 20 players that were part of the 2008 squad. Its hard to tell what this team is going to look like in 2009, but if McDaniels doesn’t show some results, he is going to be one hated man in Denver.

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McDaniels believes that a lot of quarterbacks can succeed in his offense of spreading the ball to a number of receivers and a solid ground game, but the Broncos can’t afford to lose wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who has not been on good terms with the team this offseason and has asked to be traded. The Broncos have named Orton their starting quarterback even with the addition of Simms. Moreno could end up being just what this offense needed without Cutler at quarterback, if Moreno can put together a solid season behind one of the best offensive lines in the game, the Broncos might not be so bad after all. The team is pretty well stacked at the receiver position if Marshall is back this season, as 2nd year wide out Eddie Royal was a nice surprise in his rookie season. Behind the top two the Broncos have Brandon Stokely, Gaffney, and two solid tight ends in Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler. I have already mentioned that the offensive line is loaded, and a big reason for that is the play of left tackle Ryan Clady, who was outstanding in his rookie season. The Broncos also have a Pro Bowl center in the veteran Casey Wiegmann, and a former third round pick in Ryan Harris, who has turned into a pretty solid right tackle. If McDaniels can work his magic with this group, the Broncos might not be in as bad as shape as many would think with Cutler no longer in the picture. Bet the Broncos +400 to win the AFC West at Sportsbook.com.

With new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan running things, the Broncos are going to join a number of teams in the 3-4 scheme. The Broncos will likely start the rookie Ayers at defensive end, but the other two spots are pretty well up for grabs. Ronald Fields and Marcus Thomas look to hold down the nose tackle spot, while Kenny Peterson, Ryan McBean, Tim Crowder, and Elvis Dumervil fight it out at the other end spot. At linebacker it looks as though newly acquired Andra Davis will join D.J. Williams at the two inside backer spots, but its unclear who will start on the outside especially with the recent cut of Boss Bailey. Darrell Reid could make the switch from end to linebacker, as could the rookie Ayers and Jarvis Moss. The team also has Wesley Woodward here, and its likely not going to be decided till training game gets underway. The secondary for the Broncos should be much improved in 2009, as they plan on having a healthy Champ Bailey this season, and they got a very good talent in corner Andre Goodman to play opposite of Bailey, but keep a close eye on the rookie Smith who should step in and be the nickel back right away. The new safety duo of Dawkins and Hill should be a big upgrade from last season, that is as long as Dawkins stays healthy. Bet the Broncos +4000 to win the NFL Super Bowl at Sportsbook.com.

My Prediction: Tie for 2nd AFC West (6-10) Not very often can you be this bad and still finish at the top of your division, but the AFC is very weak this season with the Broncos, Raiders, and Chiefs all in rebuilding mode. This division also has a tough schedule forcing them to play both the NFC East and AFC North.

For those of you looking to do some NFL betting this season, be sure to check back for our expert NFL picks and the very latest NFL betting odds at Betfirms. See who I have winning it all in my 2009 NFL predictions article.

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One Response to “2009 Denver Broncos NFL Season Predictions”

D-bronx on June 25th, 2009 6:25 pm

I believe the broncos will have a winning record this year. All of the changes were good that were made this year despite loss of cutler. Stacked at runningbacks. Kyle is a good qb. Defense got good overall players hybrids for the defensive transition. Despite the tough schedule the powerhouse teams will be in Denver for some games and let me tell you. No matter who you are it’s not easy winning on invesco field at mile high.

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