2010 Denver Broncos Preview
Head coach Josh McDaniels is probably still lucky to have a job. His Denver Broncos lost eight of their last ten games of the season, and after starting 6-0, they failed to make the playoffs. McDaniels also came into a lot of hot water after getting into a dispute with several of his players. Ultimately, several were suspended for the final regular season game, and WR Brandon Marshall was traded for the equivalent of a song and a dance to the Miami Dolphins in the offseason.
My, what a mess the Broncos have created at the quarterback position! Truth be told, QB Kyle Orton had a fantastic season, throwing for 3,802 yards. He proved to be a capable signal caller for an offense that had middle of the road numbers across the board. Still, instead of using their first round draft choice on a piece of the puzzle that probably could've been used immediately, McDaniels elected to take University of Florida QB Tim Tebow. Tebow is selling plenty of jerseys, but there's a big question whether or not he will be able to perform on the field or not. If he does, Orton is out of a job. If not, McDaniels might be out of one.
The two back system with Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter worked well last season. The two combined for 1,589 yards on the ground and eight scores. Even though Buckhalter averaged 5.3 yards per carry as opposed to Moreno's 3.8 yards per carry, expect to see the former Georgia Bulldog tote the rock more often than the 247 times he did last year.
Now that DE Elvis Dumervil and his 17 sacks from a season ago are resigned to a long-term deal, the Broncos have a huge cog wrapped up for the foreseeable future. Denver ranked third in the NFL last year in pass defense at 186.3 yards per game. However, it didn't quite translate into a solid scoring average, as 20.2 points per game was only good enough for 12th in the league. Allowing 44 points to the Chiefs in the last week of the season didn't help matters either.
Denver could be a train wreck waiting to happen. There are clearly plenty of problems in the Mile High City, and the end result might be McDaniels getting canned and a disappointing finish to the season.
2010 NFL Betting Odds @ Bodog Sportsbook
Denver Broncos Odds To Win AFC West: +600
Denver Broncos Odds To Win AFC Championship: +2400
Denver Broncos Odds To Win Super Bowl XLV: +6000
Denver Broncos Season Win Total: 7.5 (over -125)
2010 Denver Broncos Regular Season Schedule
9/12 @ JAC
9/19 vs. SEA
9/26 vs. IND
10/3 @ TEN
10/10 @ BAL
10/17 vs. NYJ
10/24 vs. OAK
10/31 @ SF
Bye
11/14 vs. KC
11/22 @ SD
11/28 vs. STL
12/5 @ KC
12/12 @ ARI
12/19 @ OAK
12/26 vs. HOU
1/2 vs. SD
