After three preseason games, the only certainty surrounding the Broncos is that there is none.
They have shown good things. They have things upon which to improve. They have played well at times. They have played poorly at times.
Perhaps the most certain thing with the Broncos is that they are losing key players to injury.
Quarterback Kyle Orton hurt his finger against the Bears. Guard Chris Kuper came out of that game with a leg injury. Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney didn’t play against Chicago because of what some reports are calling a thumb injury. Back-up quarterback Chris Simms is trying to recover from an ankle injury. Running back Knowshon Moreno is getting his banged up knee back to full strength.
This sounds like a great time to take a deep breath. Then we simply must wait and see.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to sugarcoat what has been an inconsistent three games this preseason. It is clear the Broncos have plenty they need to work on and the time until the regular season starts is drawing short.
But regardless of what the Broncos have shown this preseason, the fact is, I don’t yet have any idea what kind of team they will have when the regular season gets going on September 13th against the Bengals.
I look at the offense and when healthy, I see a lot of talent. I see a really good offensive line. I see a deep and talented corps of running backs. And I see good, solid wide receivers, even better than that if Brandon Marshall is producing like we know he can.
But I also see a lot of red M*A*S*H crosses, too. Every NFL team has to stay healthy to have a chance to be good and right now, the Broncos are not healthy. So I wait…and hope the injured players get better soon.
I look at the defense and see improvement over the course of the first three preseason games. I see more pressure on the quarterback. The number of sacks is up. It looks like the Broncos are making a pretty good transition to the 3-4. I see some young players who seem to be getting the hang of things and look like they will be able to contribute.
But I also see a unit that has yet to force a turnover. The Broncos have given up some really big drives. They have surrendered 27 points in each of the last two games.
In the bottom line world of the NFL, the final score says it all. And on that front, the Broncos have not had a good preseason, with the game against the Bears being the latest example.
But I also remind myself that this is still the preseason. And we all know what that means. Need I dust off the stat that showed the 2008 Detroit Lions went 4-0 in games that didn’t count?
I’m an optimistic person. And I don’t wear glasses, let alone ones that are orange and blue. I wish I had a sense of what this season might bring. The schedule appears to be tough. The challenges with injuries appear to be mounting.
While I’m not going to pretend I think the Broncos are a lock to make the playoffs, I’m also not ready to say I think they’ll only win a handful of games. I just don’t know. I am, however, really looking forward to finding out.
In the meantime, I’ll take another deep breath and simply wait and see.
Have your expectations for this season changed during the preseason? If so, how? I’d love to get your thoughts.
Also, please be sure to vote for your 50th anniversary Broncos team. You can do that at www.denverbroncos.com/50th by this Friday. I’ll share my team with you this week.
Best,
Mike
Tags: Chicago Bears, Postgame, Preseason
Overlook this team at your own peril. Let us remember McDaniels came from the Belichick line and while he’s not a cheater like his mentor (I’ll believe such until proven differently), he has learned the value of not tipping his hand too early. The Bengals are about to get suckered when we go to the Natti on the 13th. GO BRONCOS!!! Also, we should go with Orton for the short term and prepare for Brandstater to dominate in the future.
Damon Huard got released today..do we take a chance??
hey mike,
didn’t the bronc’s go 1-3 in preseason the year the steelers beat them in the afc championship? so nothing is ever predictable out of the preseason.
No to Damon. It is too close to regular season to try another QB. Give Martin his shot. Huard never impressed me. Besides, as soon as Orton and Simms are back, Martin is history.
As for Brandstater, he is the QB of the future, yes. Just not this season. Much depends on Kyle and Chris.
1509, no, McD won’t trade Hillis. Hillis has been a bright star in a black sky. He isn’t going anywhere.
I am excited for this team this year and for years to come! I am tired however of ppl bringing up stats of Detroit in their preseason last year and others stats….trying to make sense of this preseason for us…let us have our own identity and I believe this preseason it was more important to evaluate the talent than to try and win games. I just think Mcd did the right thing by giving everyone playing time with this being a new scheme, new defense, new coaching staff, etc because you really don’t have an idea of what you have until you try them in a real game environment and I believe doing so is more important than trying to win a meaningless game! yeah it would have been nice to win too for morale purposes
lol i agree with the write up . its pre-season, and i have no clue how good we could end up being but im sure the offense made cutler look just as good as cutler made the offense look last year… so i have high hopes. BDAWK wont hurt anything. and hillis with knowson will be a great backfield, that will be the key to the denver offense , the backfield ….
I’m not worried about the record as much as I’m worried about the amount of points scored by the first team defense. I am though thrilled at how the defense looks much improved.
First team offense not defense I meant.
honestly, i dont see a problem with the broncos, i mean sure they lost to the bears, and the seahawks, and the 49ers, but we made alot of strong plays, and i think once our First Team D sees more action they will start pullin the sacks/safetys/interceptions, i love alphonso smith i think champ will groom him 2 be a sick starting corner, and Kyle Orton is better then he gets credit, i mean he’s a system qb and system qbs have done statistically better then arm qbs like cutler. Our running game is off the charts, and tom brandy (credit awesomeness to whoever made that up, cuz of the mocking of tom brady). I dig, our WR without marshall too, gaffney can catch, lloyd can catch, mckinley can catch, royal can catch, Stokely can catch. So can jackson, i think this is gonna be a good year and i predict a 10-6 year at least AT LEAST. I just don’t see how we dont go 10-6 i support every decision josh mcdaniels has made.
Ok, here we go the D will come together, Orton will be just fine, although Brandstarter did look like the qb for the future. 8-8 maybe 10-6.
The Broncos will be just fine in the season ahead, foe all who are really worried, you are not a true fan! I totally agree with whatever decisions McD makes also! Lets go Broncos! If we go 10-6 this year we will be winning the Suer Bowl in another year or so!
Is Tom Brandstater another Ben Roethlisberger?
Ben was third string when Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch went down to injuries. Ben did not give up the starter label since.
Ben played at small school Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).
Tom played at small school Fresno State
Love these Orange and Blue glasses!
Well we haven’t won much so far but our losses wasn’t by blow away scores either. Our team is really looking good right now and I just can’t wait for kick-off. I still like those orange jurseys. Go Broncos.