Are the Broncos Really 5-0?!?!

The Broncos extended their surprising start to 2009 with a 20-17 overtime win over New England on Sunday. The win gives Denver its' first 5-0 start since the 1998 Super Bowl season. The Broncos win over the Pats proved a few things. First, Josh McDaniels has done a very good job so far. Aside from all the distractions and offseason turmoil, McDaniels has proved what he was brought to Denver to do- he can flat out coach football. He implemented his own version of the "Wildcat," and he forced Bill Belichick to burn a timeout early in the game. When you are forcing Belichick to take timeouts like a basketball coach, you know you are doing well. Also, Denver was able to throw the ball at will out of that formation because they knew that New England couldn't change coverages in that look. McDaniels' handle of game management, attention to detail and game planning has been very impressive through his first set of games as an NFL head coach. Secondly, Kyle Orton is very underrated. He can make every throw. When you go 35-48 for 330 yards and two touchdowns against the Pats, then you are pretty damn good. His two touchdown drives were both over 90 yards, and he put together a nice drive to set up the game winner in overtime. Yeah, he is no Jay Cutler, but the guy does enough to win games. He is 26-12 as an NFL starter, and a lot of QBs would take that winning percentage. Thirdly, the defense makes great adjustments after halftime. It is so refreshing to watch a Bronco game and know that the defense will settle down and pitch a doughnut in the second half. It happened twice the past two weeks and the opponents were Dallas and New England. Mike Nolan continues to dial up the right blitz, and different guys take different turns at making the big play. Vonnie Holiday game up big with his strip sack of Tom Brady near the end of the game to send the game into OT. When was the last time a Denver defense made a huge stop like that on defense in a big game? Throw in the fact that it was against Brady and the Patriot offense, and it is completely stunning. Lastly, the Broncos are buying into McDaniels' program and the "Us vs. the World" mentality. Anytime you can get a team to believe in the fact that no one else believes in them, it can really motivate and help a team get going. Look, after the offseason that Denver endured, no one thought they would be 5-0. I'm stunned and so is everyone else, but as I said before I am just enjoying this ride. The offense is coming along, I and I really enjoy watching this defense every week. Seeing McDaniels get emotional after the win on Sunday was fun and contagious. Many people are starting to believe in these Broncos and why not? I'm going to enjoy this ride and see where it takes us. Who knows maybe McDaniels and company have some more thrills up their sleeves. For now though, the Broncos are back to respectability, and they head to San Diego for a date with the Chargers Monday Night. A lot has changed since the last time Denver was in San Diego. Here's hoping the ride continues.