The Future Is Very Bright for the Denver Broncos

Although the Denver Broncos' Pro Bowl rookies did not stand out among the other superstars, they have provided Denver fans with a foundation from which to build on for the future.

Quarterback Jay Cutler, wide receiver Brandon Marshall, and center Casey Wiegmann are all set to return to the Mile High City for another try at the most prestigious sports championship game in world history.

One may wonder, "What does it matter if they have three good players? Why does that mean their future is 'bright'?"

Aside from these three star players, the Denver Broncos have a slew of young talent both offensively and defensively, and with the 25th lowest payroll and nine draft picks come April; this team seems ready for any obstacle that may come its way.

In 2009, the Denver Broncos will face off against some of the NFL's very best. Denver's arduous schedule includes the pesky NFC East, the vastly improved AFC North, a steadily improving AFC West, the Indianapolis Colts, and the New England Patriots.

Many people will be keeping the Broncos out of most postseason discussion in 2009, mainly because they are coming off of the worst three game collapse in NFL history.  However, this team has a young group of players, a young head coach, and a lot of good competition to get them ready for January of 2010.

Offensively, the Broncos boast the AFC's top unit.  Despite having tied for the League lead in turnover differential (-17), Jay Cutler led a Denver offense that averaged 396 yards per contest, good for second in the NFL.

Denver's third year quarterback, along with much of the offense, struggled with keeping possession of the ball at times. Cutler threw a career high 18 interceptions in 2008, something that he needs to improve upon in 2009.

The Broncos' gunslinger has stated publicly that his offense needs to "cut down on turnovers, especially in the red zone." There is not a Denver fan out there that doesn't agree with that statement. 

I'm not one to play the "what if" card very often, and I normally frown upon it. But if the Broncos "had not" turned the ball over in the red zone as much as they did, they "could have" potentially been a 13-3 club, at the very worst.

Games in Oakland and Jacksonville were marred by offensive mistakes and turnovers, putting a ton of pressure on Denver’s top five defense. Top five worst defense.

There is no doubt in my mind that those turnovers were nothing but mental mistakes by Cutler and company. Jay was consistently upright, and his offensive line was absolutely phenomenal in 2008.

Led by Pro Bowl center Casey Wiegmann and rookie All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady, the Denver offensive line established itself as the best in the NFL last season.

Jay Cutler threw for a team record 4,526 yards, and 616 pass attempts which was second in the NFL. In all, Denver quarterbacks dropped back a total of 620 times, and the stellar offensive line only allowed 12 sacks.

To put that into perspective, they allowed a sack once every 52 pass attempts. There isn't a group in the league that can boast that kind of statistic. 

In addition to their stellar pass protection, the Broncos' offensive line led the way for the 16th best rushing attack in the NFL, despite the fact that seven running backs went down for the season with injuries.  That's not even the best part.

Not only did the Denver offensive line dominate in 2008, they figure to be doing it for many years to come.  Clady (22), left guard Ben Hamilton (31), Wiegmann (35), right guard Chris Kuper (26), and right tackle Ryan Harris (23) all figure to be doing this for quite a bit longer.

In addition to Denver's youthful offensive line, they boast one of the top groups of receivers in the NFL. In fact, no starting duo in the entire league caught more passes than the duo of 24-year old Pro Bowl selection Brandon Marshall and 22-year old two time Diet Pepsi rookie of the week selection Eddie Royal.

Marshall, who missed the first game due to suspension, started off in week two against San Diego by catching a team record 18 passes, a point from which he never looked back.

The former fourth round draft pick out of Central Florida finished the season with 104 catches and 1,265 yards.  Marshall, along with Wes Welker of New England, became the ninth player in NFL history to post back to back 100 catch seasons. All of this, and he still managed to lead the league in drops.

Marshall's counterpart, rookie Eddie Royal, had a stellar freshman season. The second round draft pick out of Virginia Tech really impressed me at Denver Broncos Training Camp back in late July, and he translated it on to the playing field.

The sure-handed speedster proved to be the best rookie receiver in the league, hauling in 91 Jay Cutler passes, a Broncos team record among rookie wideouts.

Royal’s contributions went far beyond his pass catching skills. The former Virginia Tech star led the Broncos’ skill players in total yards, netting 980 receiving, 109 rushing, 140 punt returning, 600 kick returning, and he even attempted a pass in the opening Monday Night game.

When he was drafted, Royal’s initial projections were to eventually supplant veteran Brandon Stokley as Denver’s slot receiver. While the rookie figures to be the No. 2 guy for the Broncos for years to come, the team’s eldest receiver proved to be a major asset to the success of the offense. 

Stokley battled injuries for some of the season, but he still finished third on the team with 49 receptions. Stokley, along with Wes Welker of New England, is widely considered to be one of the best route runner’s the game has to offer.

He provided Cutler with a very consistent third down option, and has been one of the team’s more reliable receivers over the last couple of seasons.

Aside from the three stellar receivers, Cutler’s offensive weaponry extends to the play of Denver’s very versatile group of tight ends.  Offensive co-captain Daniel Graham is the best blocking tight end in the NFL, and is often considered an extra linemen when he hits the field. 

In 2008, the blocking specialist showed off some skills as a receiver, posting the best season of his seven year career. 

Graham had 32 catches for 389 yards, and scored four touchdowns, the most since he has been in the organization. While Graham may be the offensive co-captain, he most likely learned a little bit from his backup, Tony Scheffler.

Scheffler had big expectations coming into 2008; some even predicting that he would solidify himself as the best receiving tight end in the NFL. Though a groin tear limited his playing time significantly, Scheffler’s receiving skills would not be denied, and he finished fourth on the team with 40 receptions.

With his imposing 6’5” 255 pound frame, and 4.5 40-yard dash speed, Scheffler led the Broncos in yards per catch with 16.1. 

Along with Cutler’s arsenal of receiving threats are ten, yes ten running backs. At one point or another in 2008, behind Cutler in the offensive formation would have either been Anthony Alridge, Tatum Bell, Michael Pittman, Andre Hall, P.J. Pope, Peyton Hillis, Selvin Young, Cory Boyd, Ryan Torain, or Alex Haynes.

Denver’s running back situation was unlike any other that I have ever witnessed, and most likely was unlike any other in the long history of the game.

Through it all, Denver actually managed to unearth quite a bit of talent at the running back position. 

In the early goings of the 2008 season, the Broncos were content with Selvin Young as the starting running back. Dating back to his days at Texas, Young’s career has been filled with injuries, and this season was no different.  Young went down early in the year with a groin injury, and never really returned to form.

He was eventually placed on injured reserve, but not before averaging five yards per carry and netting the Broncos 300 yards of rushing.

Next in line was veteran power back Michael Pittman, who became a real fan favorite when he showed his excellent ability to burst through the hole and run over people with his 228-pound frame.

In the first three games, Pittman scored four touchdowns for Denver and as a result, the Broncos went 3-0.  However, Pittman suffered a spinal injury and was placed on injured reserve shortly after.

After Pittman, the Broncos handed the job to Andre Hall, who along with the others was quick to the injured reserve.  It has not been confirmed, but many speculate that his season ending injury was a strong case of fumbleitis.

While rookie Anthony Alridge never really got a chance to play, a fellow rookie who had already been out over two months with an arm injury finally got a chance to start in a prime time game against the Cleveland Browns. That rookie runner was fifth-round draft pick Ryan Torain, whom Mike Shanahan has publicly compared to former Broncos great Terrell Davis. 

Against Cleveland, Torain showed those comparisons to be somewhat true, putting out a great performance in the first half with 13 carries, 65 yards and a touchdown. However, his success was short lived, and prior to halftime he tore ligaments in his knee, and was also placed on injured reserve. 

At halftime of the game against the Browns, Denver was so desperate it had to look to seventh round pick Peyton Hillis, a fullback by nature, to carry the load at tailback.  While Denver fans may not admit it, they were absolutely terrified of this move, and probably didn’t want to see this guy carry the ball at all.

That all changed when Hillis’ second effort on a fourth down running play earned the Broncos a much needed first down, and probably turned the entire game around.

Hillis earned the starting job at tailback with his performance in Cleveland, and through his stretch of four starts, there was not a more efficient back in the league. Hillis ended up leading the Broncos in rushing with 343 yards and five touchdowns, but suffered a freak injury to his leg against the Kansas City Chiefs, and was placed on injured reserve.

With Hillis’ departure came the return of an old Bronco, Tatum Bell. Bell had been released by the Lions earlier in the season, and was managing a cell phone kiosk in a local Denver mall prior to getting a call from Mike Shanahan.

Bell answered the call, and he actually surprised many Broncos fans who doubted him in his previous stint with the team.  While his best performance came in a blowout loss to the San Diego Chargers, his play has warranted a spot on the team for 2009.

There is no doubt in my mind that this Broncos offense has Super Bowl capabilities, but Denver’s 29th ranked defense was simply too much for the offense to overcome. 

There is very little good that can be said of Denver’s defensive play in 2008, and it all starts up front with the defensive line.

Prior to the draft, Denver traded for New York Jets defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson, whose play was limited to the point where the Jets will not even be receiving compensation for him.

Inspiring was the play of second year tackle Marcus Thomas, who if he wasn’t guilty by association would have been considered one of the bright spots on Denver’s defense.

The young man out of Florida didn’t record a sack, but he did have an interception and has the talent and potential to be a franchise defensive tackle.

On the outside, third year pass rush specialist Elvis Dumervil consistently received double teams, and was held to five sacks in what was supposed to be a breakout year.  There is speculation that Dumervil will be moved to outside linebacker in the new scheme, similar to the role James Harrison plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Former first day draft picks Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder did not receive hardly any playing time, and are already being considered busts by Denver fans and media.  Perhaps a new scheme and position will be just what the doctor ordered for the former high draft picks.

Denver’s strongest point on defense is the linebacker position. The team’s leading tackler was outside linebacker Jamie Winborn, who has become a fan favorite since landing in Denver via waivers in 2007. His 99 tackles were a career high, and his intensity was unmatched by any defensive player. 

Defensive co-captain D.J. Williams suffered a knee injury this season, but still was able to tally 93 tackles for the Broncos. New head coach Josh McDaniels has stated that Williams is a player the defense can “build around”.

Nate Webster was also struck with the injury bug, but still managed one of the most complete seasons of his career, netting 76 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, and a defensive touchdown. 

When Webster went down with an injury, Denver turned to rookie sixth round pick Spencer Larsen, a hybrid FB/LB who played college ball at Arizona. In a game against the Atlanta Falcons, Larsen became the first Denver Broncos’ player to start on both offense and defense.

Not only did he prove to be a valuable commodity on offense and defense, he was also one of the team’s key special teams players.

Not to be outdone was fellow rookie linebacker Wesley Woodyard, a player who was highly regarded by NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, but slipped through the draft where Denver was able to pick him up as a rookie free agent.

To make a long story short, he was a steal.  Woodyard finished sixth on the team with 55 tackles and played so well that Denver fans and coaches are itching to get him on the field in some capacity. He played both linebacker and safety at times, and was also a special teams stud for Denver.

In the defensive backfield, the Broncos were absolutely shredded by injuries and inconsistent play. 

Superstar cornerback Champ Bailey was having a great season until a groin injury against the Patriots put him out for over two months. The defensive co-captain’s presence was sorely missed, but it opened the door for another rookie to show what he could do.

Josh Bell, an undrafted rookie free agent who was acquired off of waivers prior to the season from San Diego, stepped in as the starter opposite Dre’ Bly in Denver’s defense. While his skills are still extremely raw, he showed that he has excellent speed and made a couple of great plays for the Broncos.

Maybe the most disappointing part of Denver’s defense was Dre’ Bly.  Bly was supposed to form the best cornerback duo in the NFL with Champ Bailey, but has failed to live up to lofty expectations.

His poor tackling and zone coverage skills have Broncos fans calling for his head, but a switch in scheme may be just what he needs. Bly is most effective in bump coverage where he can jam the receiver at the line and be aggressive. When he is forced to guess, he is often found out of place.

A factor that didn’t really help the lack of pass defense for Denver was the revolving door at both safety positions.  Denver tried its luck with Calvin Lowery, Vernon Fox, Marlon McCree, and Marquand Manuel, but was unsuccessful.

The Broncos may have unearthed a gem in seventh round draft pick Josh Barrett, a 6’2” 225 pound safety out of Arizona State who possesses 4.34 40-yard dash speed, but his time on the practice squad was lengthy, and he never really got a chance to play until the end of the season.

On special teams, the Broncos found another diamond in the rough with undrafted rookie free agent punter Brett Kern, who finished in the top ten in the AFC in all major punting categories. 

Likewise, the Broncos picked up an undrafted free agent kicker late in 2007 from the Miami Dolphins named Matt Prater, who has great potential as well. Prater started off the season very hot, and Denver observers thought he had a chance to be a Pro Bowl selection. 

Late in the season, it seemed that nerves caught up to Prater, and a missed extra point in San Diego really put an exclamation point on a very inconsistent season for the field goal kicker. 

Still, Prater showed great power and in training camp actually hit on a 70-yard field goal try against competition. In time, he could develop into a great kicker.

All in all, it was a roller coaster ride of a season for the Broncos.  While this team was inconsistent and erratic, they showed great flashes of brilliance and a sign of what is to come. 

Despite the fact that this team let a three-game lead with three to play vanish, there is hope for Denver.  With another year of experience under their belts, this young Broncos team has all of the potential in the world to be great. 

The only question is, will they find it?