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Last Year
Last summer, the running back factory that is the Denver Broncos partnered in a blockbuster deal, trading their backfield star, Clinton Portis, for a defensive backfield star, Champ Bailey. The ground attack didn't suffer much as Quentin Griffin and Reuben Droughns replaced Portis' yardage totals and Bailey was an excellent addition, but he wasn't able to stop the Indianapolis Colts from ending the Broncos season for a second consecutive season. Memo to Denver: avoid Indianapolis.
What We Learned From Last Year
The Denver Broncos keep producing stellar running backs like 50 Cent keeps pumping out hits.
Second-year runner Quentin Griffin was the first to step in for Portis and proved to be a wanksta after a stellar opening game in Kansas City. Injuries took care of him the rest of the way.
That paved the way for Reuben Droughns, who had been patiently waiting for his turn for five years. He only carried the ball in 10 games, but still finished with 1,240 yards.
Even so, nobody mistook him for the explosive Portis. Droughns was a drone — more of a workmanlike back with decent speed. Droughns' yards-per-carry average faded as the season progressed and he was not the homerun threat head coach Mike Shanahan typically pines for.
Droughns would poof and disappear during critical situations such as third downs and inside the opponent's 20-yard line, which was part of the reason the Broncos ranked 28th in red-zone offense.
Contributing to that distressing stat was a very inconsistent group of receivers. Ashley Lelie finally broke the 1,000-yard benchmark in his third season with 56 receptions, but he had only one catch in the red zone. Rookie Darius Watts did only one better. If you watched how they moved on downfield plays, you could mistake them for a playa or a pimp, but when it came to tough yards or a demanding catch over the middle, both went limp.
In his second season with the Broncos, Jake Plummer tried to take the offense to the candy shop, but his play was sweet and sour. His 4,089 yards and 27 touchdowns ranked highly among quarterbacks, but so did his 20 interceptions. At times, he tried to do too much which usually resulted in turnovers and usually made Shanahan hot as a tea kettle. Plummer looks more comfortable out of the pocket, which is a serious concern if he cannot resolve his issues inside it.
On defense, the Broncos added safety John Lynch and Champ Bailey in the offseason to inject playmaking and aggressiveness, but neither of those characteristics rubbed off on the defense.
The statistics were so seductive at every point — except takeaways. The Broncos finished with 20 — tied with Kansas City's much maligned defense — and with the personnel they have, it is simply unacceptable.
Sacks were a deceiving stat for the Broncos as 38 seems like a reasonable total, especially since 16 different players registered sacks. But the problem was dominance; only one player totaled more than three (defensive end Reggie Hayward) and consistent blitzing was required. Losing Trevor Pryce for the bulk of the season with a back injury didn't help.
Champ Bailey wasn't the P.I.M.P we are accustomed to seeing in 2004 and his partner, Lenny Walls, still didn't expose his full potential, but both did upgrade the 2003 duo. Considering the team used its first three selections in the 2005 draft to pickup cornerbacks, it gives you an idea how they feel about the position.
The heart and soul of Denver's D-Unit, middle linebacker Al Wilson, got some company in 2004 with the additions of John Lynch and linebacker D.J. Williams. Lynch was a shrewd pickup and represented the Broncos in the Pro Bowl, while Williams led the team in tackles as a rookie.
If you are wondering how a team can have the fourth-ranked defense and the fifth-ranked offense and still get crushed in the first round of the playoffs, you can blame it directly on the lack of defensive/special teams playmaking and offensive consistency in the red-zone. Therefore, a 10-6 record sounds about right.
But if they can remedy those maladies and Plummer can be more efficient, the Broncos will have an opportunity to put some hardware in their piggybank.
This Year
An aging Jerry Rice, one-hit wonder Maurice Clarett, and two Cleveland Browns underachievers, Courtney Brown and Gerrard Warren, could round out a cast of VH1's The Surreal Life, but all are part of the Broncos 2005 roster instead.
Rice is a shade of what he used to be, is past his prime, (insert "old" synonym here), but for a receiving corps that has nervous hands in tense situations and doesn't run precise routes, there is no better teacher. The main goal here is for Rice to rub his work ethic and route-running mechanics off on Lelie and in turn, morph him into an all-around receiving star. Regardless, Rice will still be a reliable third-down option and has more trustworthy hands than Darius Watts.
As far as Clarett goes, you would have to be a fool to doubt the Broncos running back decisions.
Tatum Bell looks like the next big thing in Denver. His speed, burst, and explosiveness is phenomenal, but he hasn't displayed great vision yet. That's not a problem right now with a superb offensive line in front of him. He was a bit fragile in his first season and that will probably be the only way that Mike Anderson or Maurice Clarett will see the field.
Anderson heads into training camp as the starter, but he will be 32 in September and is coming off a serious groin injury, which kept him out last season.
To some onlookers, the signing of Stephen Alexander may seem a bit odd considering the Broncos invested in budding tight end Jeb Putzier this offseason, but the receiving corps is not trusted. The team needs help on third downs and in the red-zone and if last year's distressing trends resurface in 2005, expect the Broncos to get a lot of use out of both tight-ends.
Plummer is the unquestioned starting quarterback, but he won't be at the end of this season if he can't smarten up. Consistency is the key here and his high and low streaks will not get this team to the Super Bowl. He doesn't have any excuses with a top-notch offensive line in front of him and (what should be) a quality running game behind him.
The defensive front was the Achilles heel of the defense last year and there is a horde of new faces in town — most of which came from Cleveland.
Courtney Brown and Gerrard Warren are still chalk full of potential and a change of scenery could revitalize both of them. Brown has been riddled with injuries through his career and isn't a great speed rusher, but he's still a bully on the defensive line. Warren, on the other hand, has motivational problems. In Cleveland, Butch Davis allowed him to be lazy, but the coaches in Denver will get on him. Don't classify these two as busts quite yet.
Even though the leading sack artist from last season (Reggie Hayward) is departed, the Broncos are still fairly deep on the line. Former Pro Bowler Trevor Pryce should be healthy, Mario Fatafehi, John Engleberger, Luther Eliss, and Raylee Johnson have experience in primetime roles and Ebenezer Ekuban, although he underwent a couple of offseason surgeries, was the Browns leading sacker a year ago. There is a world of talent here, but making them a cohesive unit is another task in itself.
Ideally, they would get enough pressure without the excessive use of blitzes, force turnovers, and play man-to-man coverage in the secondary. The Broncos are praying that one of their three rookie cornerbacks will pan out because they don't have much depth behind Bailey and Walls. If not, they will pray they don't face teams that can spread them out (i.e. Indy).
Ian Gold returns to Denver's linebacking corps and will likely push D.J. Williams to the strong side. With Al Wilson in the middle, the Broncos have three premier backers.
At safety, Nick Ferguson will replace Kennoy Kennedy at strong safety, who was a hard-hitter, but not much else. The duo of Lynch and Ferguson lack speed.
The addition of Todd Sauerbrun will ameliorate the Broncos field position battle, but the team still doesn't have a threat returning punts.
They have all the mixings of a championship team — particularly if Plummer can stay smart and the defensive line can generate pressure — but just like the Colts cannot beat the Patriots, the Broncos cannot defeat the Colts.
Over/Under: 8.5
This total seems a bit low, but the Broncos are in a tough division. Kansas City won't be as bad as they were last year and San Diego won't be as good. Randy Moss is in Oakland now, but Denver is still the most complete team in this division. They can win at least three games here, so they'll need another six from the following: @MIA, @JAX, WAS, NE, @NYG, PHI, NYJ, @DAL, BAL, and @BUF.
Fantasy Sleeper
Don't believe the Mike Anderson or Maurice Clarrett hype. Clarrett is a rookie, Anderson is over the magical age of 30 and is recovering from a groin injury. Tatum Bell is one of the fastest running backs in the league, averaged 5.3 yards-per-carry in a limited role last year, and barring injury, will be the next in a long line of successful Broncos backs.
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