2008 Denver Broncos Team Overview: Contender or Pretender?

Three weeks into the 2008-09 NFL season, one thing is for certain. The Denver Broncos offense is a force to be reckoned with thanks to the emergence of QB Jay Cutler, WR Brandon Marshall, and a revamped offensive line anchored by 2008 1st round pick LT Ryan Clady. With the perennial favorites (Patriots and Colts) in the conference aging and reeling from injuries, are the Broncos legitimate Super Bowl contenders or are they entertaining pretenders?

Head coach Mike Shanahan has entrusted the play-calling duties this season to Cutler and QB coach Jeremy Bates. It is Bates who is in control of the passing game and Cutler hears his voice through the headset on gameday. Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison is in charge of the rushing gameplan and protection schemes. According to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, Shanahan hasn't called plays on gameday for over nine years. He stopped in 1999, where he gave those duties to then offensive coordinator and current Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. Now the pressure is on Bates and Dennison to keep the offense rolling. After three weeks, the Broncos offense is 1st in the NFL in scoring and total yards.

When Brandon Marshall first stepped onto the practice field in his uniform, he was told by Champ Bailey, the best cornerback in the game, that not many corners in the league could handle Marshall's blend of size, speed, and strength. Judging by his performance last season and the first two games this season, Marshall is finally starting to put it all together. Rookie WR Eddie Royal and Brandon "the slot machine" Stokley give Cutler his new version of the "Three Amigos" that John Elway once had. Daniel Graham, the best blocking tight end in the NFL, leads the group with Tony Scheffler and Nate Jackson as reliable receivers who can stretch the middle of the field.

The trio of Selvin Young, Andre Hall, and Michael Pittman works because they are unselfish, team-oriented players who sacrifice individual statistics for the good of the team. Young, the starter, leads the team in carries and yards through the first three games. He is also averaging 6.9 yards per attempt. Pittman is the short-yardage and goalline back. He leads the team with 4 rushing touchdowns. Rookie 5th rounder Ryan Torain, sidelined the first 2 months due to an elbow injury, could provide a boost during the second half of the season. Shanahan has compared Torain's running style to that of Terrell Davis and is not afraid of using rookies, especially at RB.

Keeping defenders off of Cutler was a major issue for Denver last season. There needed to be changes made. Starting with the team's decision to draft Clady with the 12th pick in the draft, the team revamped the whole line. Last years starters at tackle, Matt Lepsis and Erik Pears, failed to give Cutler adequate protection most of the time as the pocket consistently collapsed around him. With Clady on the left side and 2nd year T Ryan Harris manning the right side, Cutler has two young athletic tackles who can give him the time to look downfield without worrying about defenders hanging all over him. LG Ben Hamilton, who missed all of last season with a concussion, is back along with RG Chris Kuper. All-time Bronco great C Tom Nalen was recently put on IR, ending his season. Ex-Kansas City Chief C Casey Wiegman has stepped in admirably and this unit has not skipped a beat. They have allowed only one sack of Cutler (the Hochuli call).

If this team is to make a serious Super Bowl run then the defense has to play better under new defensive coordinator Bob Slowik. Not much better but better than the past two weeks against San Diego and New Orleans

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