Denver Broncos will go 13-3, Part II

[dragondawg]

Denver Broncos will go 13-3, Part II
This took just a bit to come out, but I just wanted to add a quick update. The last time Denver went 13-3 (2005) this was their roster:

Offense

* Quarterback: Jake Plummer and Bradlee Van Pelt
* Runningbacks: Mike Anderson, Ron Dayne, Tatum Bell and Cecil Sapp
* Fullbacks: Kyle Johnson
* Wide Receivers: Ashley Lelie, Rod Smith, Darius Watts, Charlie Adams, Todd Devoe and David Terrell
* Tight Ends: Jeb Putzier, Stephen Alexander, Nate Jackson and Wesley Dukes
* Right Tackle: George Foster and Cornell Green
* Right Guard: Ben Hamilton
* Center: Tom Nalen
* Left Guard: Cooper Carlisle, Chris Myers
* Left Tackle: Matt Lepsis


Defense

* Defensive Ends: Trevor Pryce, Courtney Brown, Ebenezer Ekuban and John Engleberger
* Defensive Tackles: Gerrard Warren, Demetrin Veal and Michael Myers
* Linebackers: Al Wilson, DJ Williams, Ian Gold, Keith Burns, Patrick Chukwurah and Louis Green
* Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey, Darrent Williams, Domonique Foxworth, Karl Paymah and Roc Alexander
* Free Safeties: John Lynch
* Strong Safeties: Sam Brandon and Nick Ferguson


That was the roster the last time it happened, packed full of all pros and all stars. People who no less than three years later continue to dominate in the NFL (wait, that was me being sarcastic). A majority of those players no longer play in the NFL, are currently free agents, even knocked off the two-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots (Jan. 2006) and only about six (who happen to still be great players) are currently employed by the Broncos.

My point? Mike Shanahan did it with these guys, why would you doubt that he can do it with the current roster? Are we weaker in any of the above positions? Is Darrell Jackson not a more capable receiver than Ashlie Lelie? Selvin Young no more capable than Mike Anderson? Jay Cutler worse than Jake Plummer? Dre Bly less talented than Darrent Williams was? Doubters will continue to doubt of course, but I've given the believers a better argument.

Is it Sunday yet?

http://broncos-denver-broncos.blogspot.com/2008/07/denver-broncos-will-go-13-3-part-ii.html

[cmhargrove]

I consider myself a huge homer talking about 10-6. You, my friend have must be smoking the orange colored Ganja.

1. New starting O-tackles.
2. New offensive coordinator(s).
3. New defensive coordinator.

I'll stop there. I love me some Broncos, but 13-3 is calling for a miracle from the Virgin Mary herself...

[2KBack]

I consider myself a huge homer talking about 10-6. You, my friend have must be smoking the orange colored Ganja.

1. New starting O-tackles.
2. New offensive coordinator(s).
3. New defensive coordinator.

I'll stop there. I love me some Broncos, but 13-3 is calling for a miracle from the Virgin Mary herself...

who are you talking to?

[DukeWoody]

who are you talking to?

Me thinks he got into that "orange coloured ganja" he speaks of...;)

[wolf754life]

fandom at its best and WORST, wake up tools, you guys are making the rest of us bronco fans look like blind and un-intelligent fans..........

6 and 10, i'll remember this post........next january

[Merlin]

fandom at its best and WORST, wake up tools, you guys are making the rest of us bronco fans look like blind and un-intelligent fans
The likes of you and Telluride did that a long time ago. See if you can find someone to explain the articles linked below to you. The first one is easier to understand, but still far too complicated for you to read on your own.

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=406

http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf

[Ian BDB]

Thanks for posting the article, I just don't see it not happening baring some major injuries like last season.

In reality though, the unfortunate thing about predictions is that everyone's right before they're wrong. Orange tinted glasses, yes. Just look at the tag line: "Broncos Denver Broncos, the first Broncos is just a warning... Assuming that you know the vernacular since 2008."

Just trying to keep it positive when it seems like Denver's media is focused on "investigating" the negative.

[NFLBRONCO]

Not to sound like Woody Paige but, look at the schedule. The best I can see us going in first 7 games is 4-3. If we do that we'd have to win 9 games straight to win 13 games. I give props to fans who set such a high goal for our team. Consistancy has been our weakness of late so even with a easy skid this team has alot to prove. I think 10 wins would be a decent goal for 08 with a young team.

[Popps]

This team is an absolute wild card. (Not in a literal, playoff sense.)

There are just too many question marks on defense. I'm convinced that our offense can perform well, despite the question marks on that side. But, we've got to be able to get our defense off the field on 3rd down... rush the passer, force teams into mistakes, and shut down running games.

Same old same old. Honestly, I'm underwhelmed by our prospects, but there will be a lot of new blood and a new coach on the D side of the ball, and you just never know how we might come out of the gate. On paper, we should be a better defensive team, but I think we all might have thought that last year, too.

This year, like the last 10 will be determined by what our defensive front seven brings. Mike Shanahan can wring enough offense out of his teams, as a rule. But, we all need to remember just how bad we were on defense last year. Many of us who have been watching for several decades never saw melt-downs like that.

But, in a couple months... everyone has a clean slate.

[DarkHorse30]

I consider myself a huge homer talking about 10-6. You, my friend have must be smoking the orange colored Ganja.

1. New starting O-tackles.
2. New offensive coordinator(s).
3. New defensive coordinator.

I'll stop there. I love me some Broncos, but 13-3 is calling for a miracle from the Virgin Mary herself...

Dude, your whole list belongs in the "what should I look forward to" not "what am I afraid of".

1) Lepsis should have retired a year or TWO ago. He was a turnstile.
2) The more Shanahan controls our offense, and has nobody to question him (like Heimerdinger) the more Denver's offense will get better. Like it or not, Shanahan is one of THE best signal callers in the NFL.
3) Bates disappearing is a gift from above. The guy gave away one or two of our best tackles because they didn't fit "his scheme". Slowik KNOWS the players better than any DC we've had in years. Look for plenty of pressure and a top 10D.

[telluride]

The likes of you and Telluride did that a long time ago. See if you can find someone to explain the articles linked below to you. The first one is easier to understand, but still far too complicated for you to read on your own.

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=406

http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf

Leave me out of this.

[cmhargrove]

Dude, your whole list belongs in the "what should I look forward to" not "what am I afraid of".

1) Lepsis should have retired a year or TWO ago. He was a turnstile.
2) The more Shanahan controls our offense, and has nobody to question him (like Heimerdinger) the more Denver's offense will get better. Like it or not, Shanahan is one of THE best signal callers in the NFL.
3) Bates disappearing is a gift from above. The guy gave away one or two of our best tackles because they didn't fit "his scheme". Slowik KNOWS the players better than any DC we've had in years. Look for plenty of pressure and a top 10D.

Whoa boy, i'm a homer - you don't need to convince me. However, 13-3 teams usually look solid all over, then drop a few close ones. It's extremely rare to see a team luck into four or five victories when they are deficient in a few key areas.

1. Lepsis at LT was better than Pears at RT last year. Both have changed. Kuper should be pretty good, but he has never played Rt in the pros. It will take some adjustment. By the end of the season, i'm pretty convinced we will be better at OT in 2008. However, a huge part of the offense is timing. That will just take a while. In the meantime, we will play teams like the Chargers, Bucs, Jaguars, and Patriots (all playoff teams). There is the good chance of three losses in the first half of the season.
2. I am very excited about Jeremy Bates and a new passing offense, but once again, it will take a little time to get all our new components on the same page.
3. Slowik should be a much better fit for our team, I do agree. But, we are almost completely re-tooling our D-line, LB's, and Safeties. The corners are the only returning element (other than Elvis and Marcus). I think they will all be better, but it will take time for them to all get comfortable playing together. You can have all the talent you want, but guys need time and stability in order to really bring a unit together.

I am hopeful at 10-6.

[Paladin]

Well, 10-6 is one game off of 11-5. I am not looking at the schedule, so I don't know which six games you read as losses. I am a bit more of a dreamer, and I think 11-5 is possible.....

That is based more on the idea that there were at least four games that the Broncos could have won last year with just a bit of luck. This year, I figure the additonal eperience and a better Dline (and they will be better due to experience and the scheme change) will make those games up......

[dreasher54]

don't get too chubbed thinking about being 13-3

[Cito Pelon]

Denver Broncos will go 13-3, Part II
This took just a bit to come out, but I just wanted to add a quick update. The last time Denver went 13-3 (2005) this was their roster:

Offense

* Quarterback: Jake Plummer and Bradlee Van Pelt
* Runningbacks: Mike Anderson, Ron Dayne, Tatum Bell and Cecil Sapp
* Fullbacks: Kyle Johnson
* Wide Receivers: Ashley Lelie, Rod Smith, Darius Watts, Charlie Adams, Todd Devoe and David Terrell
* Tight Ends: Jeb Putzier, Stephen Alexander, Nate Jackson and Wesley Dukes
* Right Tackle: George Foster and Cornell Green
* Right Guard: Ben Hamilton
* Center: Tom Nalen
* Left Guard: Cooper Carlisle, Chris Myers
* Left Tackle: Matt Lepsis


Defense

* Defensive Ends: Trevor Pryce, Courtney Brown, Ebenezer Ekuban and John Engleberger
* Defensive Tackles: Gerrard Warren, Demetrin Veal and Michael Myers
* Linebackers: Al Wilson, DJ Williams, Ian Gold, Keith Burns, Patrick Chukwurah and Louis Green
* Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey, Darrent Williams, Domonique Foxworth, Karl Paymah and Roc Alexander
* Free Safeties: John Lynch
* Strong Safeties: Sam Brandon and Nick Ferguson


That was the roster the last time it happened, packed full of all pros and all stars. People who no less than three years later continue to dominate in the NFL (wait, that was me being sarcastic). A majority of those players no longer play in the NFL, are currently free agents, even knocked off the two-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots (Jan. 2006) and only about six (who happen to still be great players) are currently employed by the Broncos.

My point? Mike Shanahan did it with these guys, why would you doubt that he can do it with the current roster? Are we weaker in any of the above positions? Is Darrell Jackson not a more capable receiver than Ashlie Lelie? Selvin Young no more capable than Mike Anderson? Jay Cutler worse than Jake Plummer? Dre Bly less talented than Darrent Williams was? Doubters will continue to doubt of course, but I've given the believers a better argument.

Is it Sunday yet?

http://broncos-denver-broncos.blogspot.com/2008/07/denver-broncos-will-go-13-3-part-ii.html

2005 was the year Denver went +24 in TO ratio. A team would have to be totally incompetent from HC on down to go less than 12-4 with a +24 TO ratio.

I'm saying the 2005 season was an aberration because of the +24 TO ratio. You can't count on that TO ratio every year. Good coaching staffs don't need a +24 TO ratio to win a Div Title. Unfortunately, Shanahan does.

[*WARHORSE*]

This team has some football players on it. Rookies or vets, we have some real leatherheads. Along with that, we added a bunch of guys who think football......guys who get the paper work done, and transfer it onto the field.

I like what we did in the offseason, and Shanahan is the mainstay, so our team will be prepared to play, you can book it. Our team will get stronger towards the latter part of the season, and the schedule will get easier.

13-3?

Nah.

Id never predict a loss for Denver, much less three. We havent even taken a snap, so my thought is...........

19-0 baybee.


Pass the Orange Ganja please.............

[NFLBRONCO]

2005 was the year Denver went +24 in TO ratio. A team would have to be totally incompetent from HC on down to go less than 12-4 with a +24 TO ratio.

I'm saying the 2005 season was an aberration because of the +24 TO ratio. You can't count on that TO ratio every year. Good coaching staffs don't need a +24 TO ratio to win a Div Title. Unfortunately, Shanahan does.

Yep and lots of fans forget how many weak offenses we played that year as well.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

13-3 and AFC West Champs.

Book it!

[Ian BDB]

Yep and lots of fans forget how many weak offenses we played that year as well.

We played New England that year, beating them twice actually... Philadelphia Eagles, weren't too bad that year either with McNabb (who was still good back then) T.O. and Westbrook, guess the score... 49-21. That's three times playing the previous year's Super Bowl contenders.

We did get lucky in not having to play the Colts, at least I thought anyway, until the Steelers came out of nowhere.

::Not for NFLBRONCO::
(just for the non-believers)

Slowick's system looks like Coyer's system and Slowick didn't do too shabby in Chicago as the DC. I'm looking forward to 13-3, you can let whatever defense mechanism you've got in your system predict 10-6, 9-7, 11-5, 8-8 but last year we were two plays away from being 9-7. So you really don't think we've got four games improvement on what we've built in the offseason/player progression?

[wolf754life]

more comedy, love the logic, quality late night reading.......

[BroncosinDC]

I would put big money on the Broncos being 9-7, and bottom line 12-4 is not a stretch... 13-3 is possible. Go Broncos!

[Florida_Bronco]

13-3 and AFC West Champs.

Book it!

:believeit

[Bronco Yoda]

well... I'll be more realistic and say 12-4! Go Broncos!!!

[NFLBRONCO]

We played New England that year, beating them twice actually... Philadelphia Eagles, weren't too bad that year either with McNabb (who was still good back then) T.O. and Westbrook, guess the score... 49-21. That's three times playing the previous year's Super Bowl contenders.

We did get lucky in not having to play the Colts, at least I thought anyway, until the Steelers came out of nowhere.

::Not for NFLBRONCO::
(just for the non-believers)

Slowick's system looks like Coyer's system and Slowick didn't do too shabby in Chicago as the DC. I'm looking forward to 13-3, you can let whatever defense mechanism you've got in your system predict 10-6, 9-7, 11-5, 8-8 but last year we were two plays away from being 9-7. So you really don't think we've got four games improvement on what we've built in the offseason/player progression?

I'm all about setting goals and I like everyone's prediction of 13 wins and with our easy schedule why not. My realistic prove it side says

I go by trends and current feel of the team is all. We underachieve lose too much at home lack cosistancy lose to easy teams too often D never gets off field ST's are weak need more talent in key areas. Can we do better in 08 in some areas maybe but, how much none of us know. If you knew me in real life you'd see I'm not that negative this is a message board for discussion and rip em threads get more fans talking.

[Ian BDB]

Hi friends,

Since the thread is already started, I wanted to point out that Sam (the other Broncos Denver Broncos) blogger has also addressed the 13-3 issue. With extreme cynicism, which I'm sure you'll all love. Check it out and feel free to copy and paste the whole thing here:

http://broncos-denver-broncos.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-me-worry.html

Thanks for everyone's support, as you may have seen during the brief absence of the Orange Mane, I was supporting you guys over at Broncos Country.

[Sir_Robin]

The likes of you and Telluride did that a long time ago. See if you can find someone to explain the articles linked below to you. The first one is easier to understand, but still far too complicated for you to read on your own.

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=406

http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf

The second study was an enjoyable read. Thanks for posting! Their concluding line was hilarious. :D

[watermock]

This is funny:

That worry is that this article may contain faulty logic, methodological
errors, or poor communication. Let us assure our readers
that to the extent this article is imperfect, it is not a sin we have
committed knowingly.