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Denver Broncos (13-3)
Denver did not make many offseason changes, but they might have shot themselves in the foot by letting a few key players go. The Broncos could easily slide back down to the 10-6 or 9-7 range where they were the three seasons prior last year or they could maintain their spot at the top of the AFC West.
It is still hard to trust Jake Plummer to lead an offense, be he defintely earned the No Mistake Jake moniker last year. Plummer might revert to his old form of throwing about as many interceptions as touchdowns. He could maintain his high level of play, but the loss of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak (Houston), RB Mike Anderson (Baltimore), and TE Jeb Putzier (Houston) could all contribute to some regression in Plummer's progress. QB Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt) was an excellent pick for the future, but he should not make an impact this year. If anything, his presence might get under Plummer's skin and cause him to play worse.
Only Shaun Alexander, Larry Johnson, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Edgerrin James had both more rushing yards and more touchdowns than Mike Anderson last year. Denver made no effort to re-sign him and that might have been a mistake. Putzier is not special, but he was probably the best tight end to switch teams in free agency. The fact that Kubiak brought Putzier with him to Houston tells us something about Putzier's value. Second-round pick TE Tony Scheffler (Western Michigan) could turn into a good player, but he is not a good blocker and comes from a small school.
The offense should get a big boost if WR Javon Walker (Green Bay) gets back to his pro bowl form of 2004. However, Walker is coming off a serious knee injury. Brett Favre has made a lot of average receivers look good over the years, so it remains to be seen if Walker will play well with Plummer tossing him the ball. WR Rod Smith is on the decline and this could be the year his age really catches up with him. It is hard to believe WR Ashley Lelie will open the season in a Broncos uniform and he is killing his chances to make an impact. If Javon Walker is fully-recovered and can play well without Favre, Rod Smith maintains his level of play, and Ashley Lelie comes in and contributes then this could be one of the best receiving corps in the league. With all the question marks, it could end up being one of the worst. Fourth-rounder WR Brandon Marshall (Central Florida) is a playmaker, but he might not be ready to contribute right away.
Good offensive line play has been a staple in Denver with their zone-blocking scheme. Jeff Jagodzinski (now in Green Bay after a brief stint Atlanta) and Gary Kubiak are both gone. The line could take a step back because of it, but that seems unlikely. They should once again easily be a top ten line, led by pro bowler C Tom Nalen and an outstanding player in LT Matt Lepsis. He should make the pro bowl now that Willie Roaf has retired. Only Indianapolis has allowed fewer sacks than this group the past two seasons.
The defense should be about as good as they were last year. They are solid in the secondary led by CB Champ Bailey, who is probably the best corner in the league. CB Darrent Williams, FS John Lynch, and SS Nick Ferguson are all solid players as well. MLB Al Wilson is one of the best in the league at his position and anchors that linebacker group.
The problem with Denver is the defensive line and an anemic pass-rush. Mike Shanahan brought in four guys (DE Courtney Brown, DE Ebenezer Ekuban, DT Michael Myers, DT Gerard Warren) from the Cleveland Browns last offseason. The group played well, but that had a lot to do with the leadership of DE Bryce Fisher (Baltimore). The Broncos made no effort to keep Fisher either, which could also have been a mistake. He is going to start for the Ravens. Shanahan went back to Cleveland to get another defensive linemen in DE Kenard Lang, but he won't make an impact. The team only took one defensive player in the draft and waited until the fourth round to do so, but they got the right guy. DE Elvis Dumervil (Louisville) led the NCAA in sacks last year with 20 and also had 11 forced fumbles. His size and inconsistency make him a candidate to be nothing more than pass-rush specialist on third-down, but that happens to be exactly what Denver needs.
The Broncos could feel some serious ramifications from the loss of Gary Kubiak and the three guys that they made no effort to keep around. They did not lose anyone in free agenc;, they actually cut Anderson, Putzier, and Pryce. Even if the Broncos slip a little, they will still challenge for the division title and either of the wildcard spots. Denver does have some tough games against New England and Indianapolis, which could really hurt their chances at winning the division. Mike Shanahan might have let his ego get the best of him and it looks like this team might have sacrificed the present for the sake of the future on a few too many occasions.
Key Additions: WR Javon Walker (GB), QB Jay Cutler (R), TE Tony Scheffler (R), DE Elvis Dumervil (R), WR Brandon Marshall (R), DE Kenard Lang (CLE)
Key Losses: OC Gary Kubiak, RB Mike Anderson (BAL), DE Trevor Pryce (BAL), TE Jeb Putzier (HOU)
Scores and highlights from a lame-ass weekend of NFL pre-season "action."
Friday
Detroit 20, Denver 13: This game came down to the final play, which might have been exciting were it not the third-string determining the outcome of the game. Bad news for Detroit: game doesn't count. Bad news for Jake Plummer: Jay Cutler looked pretty damn good. Bad news for Jay Cutler: it was against the Lions... the Lions' second team, at that.
Tampa Bay 16, New York Jets 3: Chad Pennington played two series, looking strong after consecutive shoulder surgeries to his throwing arm. He even showed off his arm strength by going deep with a couple of 15-yard out patterns.
Atlanta 26, New England 23: The big story coming out of Atlanta is punter/kicker Michael Koenen, who's looking to expand his punting and kickoff duties to include field goals afer making four of them against the Patriots. "I have reservations about it," Coach Jim Mora said. "I can't say he won the job. I liked what I saw tonight, but I'm concerned about having a guy do all three jobs." Yes, because punting five times throughout the course of three hours may make him too exhausted to kick a field goal.
New York Giants 17, Baltimore 16: Steve McNair survives one series uninjured. Punch lines Jeremy Shockey (concussion) and Ray Lewis (coach's decision) sit out. Wait a sec, Shockey's STILL got a concussion from that one hit in practice two weeks ago? Yeah, I have "concussions" on a lot of Monday mornings when the Sunday night game runs late.
San Francisco 28, Chicago 14: Brian Griese looked good for the Bears, suggesting that maybe Rex Grossman (3/11, 47 yards, one knee remaining) and Kyle Orton (4/9, 42 yards, .18 BAC) aren't the best choices to lead your franchise to an NFL championship. For the Niners, Alex Smith looked "strong... to quite strong" while "Bachelor" hunk Jesse Palmer played well enough to get a rose from coach Mike Nolan.
Saturday
Arizona 21, Pitsburgh 13: Will Leitch rejoices at meaningless Buzzsaw victory; Arizonans rejoice at three hours of air-conditioning. Check KSK tomorrow morning for a VERY special feature on this game.
Jacksonville 31, Miami 26: Jags throw 4 TD passes of 50+ yards; Nick Saban posts Craigslist ad after game looking for defensive backs. Daunte Culpepper and Byron Leftwich leave game surprisingly unhurt.
Carolina 14, Buffalo 13: White receiver Drew Carter and former Seahawk Ken Lucas score first-quarter TDs to lead Panthros to meaningless win. Keyshawn Johnson shines, pleased to finally get the damn ball. J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb surprise no one by continuing to suck.
New Orleans 19, Tennessee 16: Tennessee mascot T-rac injures Saints QB Adrian McPherson (who?) with golf cart. No, that's not some kind of typo. High-profile rookie report: Reggie Bush? Very good at football. Vince Young? Not bad, not good, mild ankle sprain. Lendale White? Sat out for spitting on teammate. Second-year "veteran" update: Pacman Jones gets 15-yard misconduct penalty for taunting after tackling Bush after a catch. Good to see that he's grown up.
Houston 24, Kansas City 14: Mario Williams didn't play very well. And there was much gnashing of teeth in Houston. The Chiefs, desperate to replace Willie Roaf after Roaf fucked up Drew's fantasy draft, played Kyle Turley at tackle. How Herm Edwards didn't get a helmet thrown at him is beyond me.
San Diego 17, Green Bay 3: Brett Favre, zero interceptions. Jesus wept.
Dallas 13, Seattle 3: Seahawks hear blogger say that it's hard for opponents to win at Qwest, fail to realize they have to play hard for statement to be true. Tony Romo-sexual leads 'Boys to win without the aid of Bledsoe or T.O.
Sunday
Cincinnati 19, Washington 3: Bengals' non-Johnson receivers look pretty good in easy win; Andrea Kremer most certainly does not. Residents of the capital prepare noose, stand on stool as they await news of Clinton Portis, who suffered a separated shoulder while slamming down a defender after one of the sixteen or seventeen INT's that Redskins QBs threw.
Denver Broncos Schedule
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