Will The Denver Broncos Succeed Without A Key, Offensive Skill Player?

Denver Broncos fans are preparing for an entirely new scenario this year.

It will be the first time in a long time that the offense doesn't have a single, proven explosive commodity.

Sure, there is an argument that Knowshon Moreno could step up, but last season he struggled to break off any runs that went farther than ten yards. Realistically, guys like Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker need and deserve time to become NFL stars.

The Broncos have some older help on offense with former Patriots Daniel Graham and Jabar Gaffney, but Eddie Royal figures to be the go-to guy.

And since his initial splash in the first game of 2008, (which was against a dismal Oakland Raiders team) Royal hasn't been able to lead the team.

Say what you will about Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall (they definitely were not winners, I concede) but they were elite, offensive skill players.

Cutler's fate should pretty much be sealed this season depending on what Mike Martz can get out of him. If Jay has a bad season this year, then he will have been a colossal trade bust and Josh McDaniels will look brilliant for getting rid of him. Quarterbacks are almost entirely defined after starting in the league for five seasons.

But Brandon Marshall? He is one of the most elite receivers in the NFL.

People say he is going to have trouble finding his way off of Revis Island. I didn't see him having much trouble with Nnamdi Asomugha, who is just as good.

Last year, he was the key offensive guy. His presence defined the offense.

He was the one who led the crazy win over the Dallas Cowboys and broke the record for single game receptions against the Indianapolis Colts.

Historically, he is one of the best receivers Denver ever had, if not the best, and he is not replaceable.

Of course, I am playing devil's advocate here, to point out all the things that the Broncos biggest critics are pointing out. However, most of them have some serious validity.

How does an offense succeed without truly big-name, big-play guys?

Josh McDaniels' system doesn't necessarily require them in order for the team to be successful.

In fact, the system takes some relatively average players and turns them into offensive stars.

Obviously, a lot of what he is running now came from the New England Patriots, and they have been known as the NFL's evil empire for the past decade because of their success.

But I would point out, that it seemed like whoever they put on the team found substantially more success than they had previously in other systems.

Even Tom Brady, who has been considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for a long, long time, likely wouldn't have found his level of success with other franchises.

When it comes to raw quarterback ability, there are a lot of guys around the NFL who are arguably substantially better than him. He was just a smart guy from a smart school with good mechanics; the complicated system fit him perfectly.

Yet the question for him is whether he made the system work or the system made him work.

In this particular instance, after watching Kyle Orton turn into a top ten NFL quarterback last season (he has always been underrated, I have always said that) I'm leaning towards the idea that Josh McDaniels' system makes average and good player better and still allows great players to be great.

That being said, I think you actually can plug in a lot of average NFL talent and see great results with McDaniels. Last year we saw how successful he was simply by controlling the clock early in the season.

The defense would force three and outs, and then the offense would grind along down the field eating up time.

It doesn't take a lot of talent on offense to do that; however, it can be extremely successful by shutting down opponents opportunities.

The style of play isn't particularly flashy, but from a football strategy standpoint, as long as you avoid turnovers, it is very sound.

Of course, Brandon Marshall was key in situations when the Broncos needed a big play immediately, but how often did that really happen?

If the team was down in a close game late, it had more to do with the fact that they had been outplayed throughout the game. They hadn't stuck to the strategy.

Denver's offense is likely to lack the flash that most fans want to see. However, it can be extremely effective.

There is a difference.

One requires elite players and the other does not.

However, both produce wins.