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2009 Denver Broncos NFL Predictions

Written August 13, 2009 by InfoPlays

2009 Denver Broncos - NFL Predictions Two-time Super Bowl winning head coach Mike Shanahan is gone, paving the way for Josh McDaniels to try and get this team back on the winning track. He’ll have to do it without Jay Cutler, the team’s most important player. The Denver Broncos have missed the playoffs for three consecutive years and have won only one playoff game since capturing back-to-back Super Bowl titles to close out the 1998 season. So you can see why owner Pat Bowlen was growing frustrated with the results he was getting out of Shanahan, but there is plenty of work to do and plenty of questions that still need to be answered. NFL odds have the Broncos listed at +600 to win the AFC West at Sportsbook.com.

Offense: Kyle Orton and Chris Simms will battle for starting quarterback duties now that Cutler is gone to Chicago. McDaniels is looking for a QB to manage the game without taking as many risks as Cutler was known for. Orton comes in as the favorite because he is a proven winner, but Simms will get a fair shot. The backfield is very crowded. Rookie Knowshon Moreno and veterans Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan figure to get most the carries.

Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal give the Broncos a productive duo at the top of the depth chart. Brandon Stokley is a proven slot receiver, so whoever wins the quarterback competition will have plenty of proven targets to get the ball to. Big tight ends fit McDaniels’ system better, so look for Daniel Graham and rookie Richard Quinn to get most of the reps until Tony Scheffler proves he can show more power in the run game. He also likes big offensive linemen, unlike the quick ones that played under Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme. Returning players include guards Chris Kuper and Ben Hamilton along with center Casey Wiegmann. McDaniels inherited a quality tackle tandem of Ryan Harris and Ryan Clady. Look for this unit to beef up and become a lot more effective in short-yardage situations and in the red zone.

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Defense: The defensive line is the biggest question mark on a team filled with plenty of them. The Broncos haven’t gotten a consistent pass rush in years and this unit has failed to stop the run the past two seasons. To make matters more difficult, the defensive line will have to adjust to a new 3-4 scheme. Denver wasn’t impressed with the rookies on the board at nosetackle, so they failed to address the issue in the draft. Marcus Thomas and Ronald Fields head into camp as the top two options here. Kenny Peterson, Matthias Askew and Nic Clemons will battle it out for the starting end positions. Rookie Robert Ayers will serve as a hybrid end/outside linebacker.

Former defensive ends in Elvis Dumervil and Jarvis Moss are having to try and figure out how to play linebacker in the new 3-4 scheme. Special teams standout Darrell Reid will also get a shot at outside linebacker. Boss Bailey has been cut, so that makes it very important that Ayers is everything the team had hoped for. D.J. Williams will play weak-side inside linebacker and Andra Davis is getting the first look at the other side. Champ Bailey made it through his first nine seasons nearly injury-free, but the All-Pro corner has dealt with hamstring, groin and elbow injuries over the past two seasons. The Broncos signed Andre Goodman to replace Dre Bly at the right corner spot opposite Bailey. Rookie Alphonso Smith will get a long look at nickelback. Denver feels they upgraded at safety by signing 13-year veteran Brian Dawkins, a 7-time Pro Bowler. They also added Renaldo Hill from Miami to team with Dawkins in the secondary. This unit has been picked on the last few seasons due to a lack of pass rush from up front.

InfoPlays Prediction: 2nd in the AFC West – With a solid foundation on offense, the Broncos should still be able to pick up right where they left off last season in putting plenty of points on the board. They have a lot of talent at the skill positions which should make Kyle Orton’s transition very easy, considering he didn’t have many weapons in Chicago. The defense is the biggest question. But bringing in Dawkins should give the Broncos the leader they need at the back of their defense to get people in the right place and erase mistakes. With the Chiefs and Raiders in this division, the Broncos should have no problem finishing in second place in the AFC West behind the Chargers.

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