Denver Broncos Preview

After a disappointing season and tragic offseason, can the Broncos bounce back and contend for the AFC once more?

They appear to have the talent to do so but will have to go through a brutal second half schedule that has them playing 3 sets of back to back road games.

The Broncos offense started to catch fire late last year as Jay Cutler took over in December but the defense was a disaster after its record setting first half pace and allowed 26.1 points per game in the last 10 games after giving up a mere 7.3 in the first 6 games.

The Broncos offense has the potential to be among the league's best in 2007 with the addition of Travis Henry at running back (provided he stays healthy and out of trouble) and Daniel Graham at Tight End. Big things are expected of Cutler after he showed flashes of Elway last season although none of his flair for the dramatics as the Broncos could have easily won 2 of his starts.

Javon Walker came back from a torn ACL injury to lead the Broncos in catches and cement himself among the elite gamebreakers in the NFL. The Broncos need someone to step up at the No 2. receiver position as Rod Smith looked older than dirt last season and Brandon Marshall was pretty raw in his rookie year but good for a few big plays. If Brandon Stokely can recover from an Achilles injury the Broncos could have a solid option for Cutler in the slot.

The offensive line is in decent shape and could be a top 5 unit if Matt Lepsis plays to pre injury form.

On defense the Broncos are in transition with the addition of Jim Bates at Defensive Coordinator. The defensive line once again had trouble getting pressure on the quarterback so not surprisingly the team spent 3 of their 4 picks on the D-Line including one of the top pass rushers in the draft in Jarvis Moss and the talented but troubled Tim Crowder.

The rookies will probably see most of their playing time on 3rd down while Gerard Warren, Alvin Mckinley and the rest of the Lake Erie imports play on 1st and 2nd.

The linebacking corps lost one of the league's finest in Al Wilson after he sustained a career threatening neck injury and was nearly traded to the Giants before being released. D.J Williams will move inside to replace Wilson and while he has the talent to replace him, it remains to be seen if he can provide the leadership Wilson did.

Ian Gold had another solid year so the weak side shouldn't be a problem. Williams' replacement on the strong side will likely be Nate Webster who has played decently in spots but lacks Williams' playmaking ability.

The secondary is the team's biggest strength by far. Champ Bailey who needs no introduction is one of the best the game has seen and had one of the greatest season's ever for a cornerback last year; intercepting 10 passes while having maybe 2 balls per game thrown his way. Dre Bly was picked up for Tatum Bell and George Foster, which should help against teams with deep receiving corps.

At safety John Lynch continues to play at a high level and if Nick Ferguson plays at pre injury form the secondary could be the best in the NFL.

The Special teams unit could use an overhaul as the Broncos ranked near the bottom in kickoff and punt coverage yet again. The kicking will again be manned by Jason Elam who had another superb season hitting 27/29 last year. Todd Sauerbrun was brought back after being released for violating the substance abuse policy again so it will be interesting to see if he still has the same booming leg and if he can avoid drawing the ire of Roger Goodell this year.

The Broncos have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, but the team is missing some key leaders from last season. If some players can step up to fill the void and Cutler takes a few steps forward the Broncos could compete with San Diego for the division title. If not there looking at another mediocre season.

Predicition: 11-5 2nd in the AFC West and a 2nd round playoff loss