Denver Broncos: The Beginning of a New Era, Or The Beginning of the End?

WHOA! Just to clarify, this isn't a picture of the future, but just a reminder of how truly awful the first uniforms were. And if on the 75th or the 100th anniversary of the AFL, they must promise not to bring these monstrosities back.

As to the title of this article, I have read and wrote on where this franchise lies at the moment. And it does seem to be an either/or thing with most fans and followers of the Broncos: Either you are with the new regime or you are against it.

So, to bring some balance, let's review where the Broncos have been, where they are, and maybe take a glimpse at where they might be going.

The Past

I know, I know, this isn't all the way back, the first slide and those U G L Y vertical socks went too far, but this picture does start the modern Bronco legacy, with the win over Green Bay and Bret Favre in Super Bowl XXXII. That seemed to wipe out some of the memories of the four previous losing appearances in the Big Game.

And when they won the championship again over the Falcons in SB XXXIII, it seemed to cement the Broncos as the best and brightest of the next decade.

It also gave Mike Shanahan the title of "Mastermind" which might just have set the stage for what was to follow in the past two years.

Did the retirement of Elway and the injury and end of Terrell Davis' career have an impact? Absolutely. But there is more to the story as we shall see.

The Near Past

This may well define a lot of what happened in the past year. Shanahan's firing, McDaniels' hiring, and the ultimate trade of Cutler to the Bears.

The picture is fuzzy because the whole incident surrounding Cutler's leaving is a bit unclear. A lot of "he said/she said" has gone on and we may never know all the gory details.

But the results were that Cutler is now in Chicago, and Orton and some Bear draft choices are now Broncos.

The Present

After throwing two pick six's against the lowly Chiefs in maybe the ugliest home game of Denver's history, Kyle Orton has created some great controversy of his own, going forward. Plus he started to have an uncanny resemblance to Cutler, throwing to the wrong-colored jerseys.

After a great 6-0 start, McDaniels had recorded strong wins over San Diego, Oakland and Kansas City...on the road! What a way to start your career as the next Bronco Mastermind.

But going 2-8 over the last 10 games has certainly muddled that perception.

Hoody West - The Beginning of a New Era?

With his hiring and Cutler's trade, McDaniels has set about to create Hoody West.

He brought along several players from his Hoody East team, in the likes of WR Jabar Gafney, LS Lonnie Paxton and WB LaMont Jordan.

Gafney is an average wideout, no great shakes there. LS Paxton was an even trade for Leach, but makes more money.

The wackiest deal was WB Jordan, yes WB, he is the SLOWEST dude in the backfield and is a walking back, not a running back. He hasn't run since he was with the Raiders. He took whatever carries Hillis would have received, so that was a major mistake.

In McDaniels' defense, he did sign S Brian Dawkins, a sure Hall of Famer when he retires. He brought class, leadership and toughness to a sorry-ass defense.

Then there were free agents RB Buckhalter (often injured), LB Andra Davis (average), DT Fields (so, so) and a few others.

As for draft picks, RB Moreno, with the No. 12 selection, was a mixed bag. He showed some ability in the first half of the season but fell off sharply at the end. A 3.8 yards per carry average won't cut it.

The second first-round pick, LB/DE Ayers, has been a semi-bust so far. In the future, who knows? Two other picks (CB Smith and TE Quinn) were both trade-up reaches and may or may not work out as Josh gambled when he took them.

He (and GM Xanders) also brought in Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator and switched to the 3-4—a very good move, so far.

Or The Beginning of the End?

The meltdown in the end where Denver got destroyed by Kansas City, blew a game to the Raiders they coulda, shoulda won and were whacked by San Diego, all at home, did not set the stage for a great beginning to the McDaniels era.

The fans have shown their lack of total buy-in and showed it loud and clear at the Chiefs game. The signs (see poster boy) and the boo-birds were all out in force.

What is in store for the coming year? Let's take a look:

- WR Marshall, he of the attitude issues and, by the way, holds the NFL record for catches in a game (21), his second 100-plus catches in a season and his second Pro Bowl in his young career, could be gone. There's no current replacement on the roster for his skills.

- Tony Scheffler, a pass-catching TE with good hands and decent speed, was a non-factor this year and may be gone next year. This will leave a big void at TE receiving. Graham and Quinn are both primarily blocking TE's and Graham's hands are iffy.

- LB Dumervil, is the NFL-leader with 17 sacks and his first Pro Bowl selection, will be a restricted free agent and Elvis may leave the building. And tthere is no current replacement on an already anemic pass-rushing front seven.

- K Prater, who rebounded from an okay season last year may also take the money and run (or kick) his way out of town.

- OLinemen Kuper, Hamilton and Hochstein may also leave or be asked to leave. Whatever, a major rebuilding of an Offensive line will be required. And to add a little more drama here, 2nd year T Ryan Harris has a foot injury that may take the entire off-season to heal.

- QB Orton and his $1-million salary could be gone if another team decides to take a shot (not too likely) as a serviceable back-up. If so, the Broncos can always fall back on the $6-million man, Chris Simms. Or maybe sixth-rounder Tommy Brandsater, who hasn't thrown a pass in his one-year pro career.

- Two position coaches may also be missing. Longtime OL coach Dennison will end up on Shanahan's staff in Washington or in Houston and most likely, we will see RB Coach Bobby Turner get out of Denver.

So Where are the Denver Broncos?

Questions yet to be answered:

- Who will leave via Free Agency or be cut or traded?
- Will the 2010 draft produce adequate talent to make an immediate impact?
- Will there be talented free agents out there who will sign on with the Broncos and the Boy King?
- Will McDaniels mature and learn from his mistakes, or even admit that he has made some?

The answers to all these questions will determine which direction the era of the Broncos will go.

Half Empty....or Half Full?

We all can speculate but .... Only time will tell.