At the beginning of this year’s NFL season, there were a few things that people were sure of.
One was that Brett Favre might be coming out of retirement…maybe. Two was that Peyton Manning was a good quarterback. Three was the one that everyone was taking to the bank; The Denver Broncos were going to be horrible.
Well, two out of three is not bad.
The Denver Broncos are easily the surprise team of the year so far.
After rookie coach Josh McDaniels had a falling out with Pro Bowl quarterback, Jay Cutler, that ultimately shipped him to Chicago, things just kept going down hill…or so it seemed.
Star receiver Brandon Marshall was seemingly dissatisfied, and his displaying actions led to a 9 day suspension during the preseason. The draft seemed to be a headache in and of itself when McDaniels drafted running back Knowshon Moreno with his first pick even though the Broncos had already padded their backfield with Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan.
This, along with the fact that it was obvious the Broncos needed much more help on defense contributed to a poor judgment of McDaniels’ first draft day as a head coach. However, once the season started, those making a case against McDaniels’ newly formed Broncos had less and less to say.
The Broncos are currently 6-0 and have beaten respected teams such as the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers. This weeks game against the Baltimore Ravens will be yet another test, but finally one that critics are predicting the Broncos to pass. Two things seem to be the secret to the Broncos surprising success; Quarterback Kyle Orton, and Defense, Defense, Defense.
Kyle Orton was nothing flashy when he played for Chicago, and to be honest, he is not much more pretty a mile above sea level either. However, McDaniels has transformed Orton into a quarterback that wins games by not making mistakes.
Orton’s only interception of the season came on the last play of the first half against the Patriots where Orton tossed up a prayer 50+ yards into a group of jerseys, ironically it was Randy Moss’s first catch of the day.
This stat along with his 9 touchdowns is making for a very respectable season for Orton thus far. He is utilizing his wide array of receivers from Brandon Marshall to Brandon Stokley. While checking down when he needs to and never trying to do too much at once.
Jesus Christ is said to have turned water into wine. Mike Nolan has done something even more impressive with the Denver D. The Broncos were considered by many to be the worst defensive team last year, and ultimately the reason the team lost the division on the last game of the season against the Chargers.
This year, from Tony Romo to Tom Brady To Phillip Rivers, no one has been able to come out with a win against this unit. Elvis Dumervil is tied for the league lead with 10 sacks, while veterans Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins lead a suddenly scary secondary.
From the coach to the quarterback to the defense to the guy washing towels in the locker room after the game, this franchise has been resurrected. The Broncos seem to have complete control of the AFC West, and are starting to force people to respect their chances late in the playoffs. Don’t be surprised to see a few games slip by this squad.
However, Coach Josh McDaniels will continue to defy the laws of the universe as the team will continue on into January with cold, hard wins.