Friday, August 31, 2012

Peyton's New Place: Denver Broncos Season Preview


2011 Record: 8-8
AFC West Champions, Lost to New England in Divisional Round

2011 Ranks
Total Offense: 23
Rush Offense: 1
Pass Offense: 31
Scoring Offense: 25
Total Defense: 20
Run Defense: 22
Pass Defense: 18
Scoring Defense: 24


Offense

The Broncos offense got a face lift when they brought in Peyton Manning and jettisoned Tim Tebow to...well...the Jets. Yes, that was a terrible pun. Manning is miles better than Tebow as a quarterback, and the Broncos have a solid line to protect him and a decent running game to take some of the pressure off him. Word is that it's Peyton's passing game mixed with the Broncos running game, and we'll get to see it first hand on kickoff weekend.

Defense

With all the buzz around Tim Tebow last year, Denver's defense was often overlooked and actually had a stellar season. It was the Broncos defense that kept them in games and smothered opposing offenses to the point that Tebow was able to do his thing at the end of games. They are anchored by DE Elvis Dumervil and OLB Von Miller, who are both quality pass-rushers. In the secondary, the Broncos have an older group of defensive backs, but they're still capable of getting the job done.

Intagibles

Any team with Peyton Manning is going to be competitive.

Prediction

This is a pretty good team, but not nearly as good as Peyton's Colts teams were. Their defense should keep them in games, and they'll be right in the mix for the division crown. 10-6.

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