2012 Broncos Season Preview

A week from tonight the Broncos will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on NBC's Sunday Night Football. It will be the most anticipated opener in at least a decade for the entire legion of Broncos fans. The arrival of Peyton Manning has raised the bar in Denver this year, and this is the first time since John Elway retired that the Broncos have been routinely mentioned as a real Super Bowl contender. Let's take a look at the different elements of this year's team as we head into opening day.

OFFENSE: Obviously, Peyton Manning is the story here for the Broncos, but we will get to him later. The Broncos will be well-balanced on offense, and you have to think that Willis McGahee will be able to produce at least another 1,000 yards on the ground. With Lance Ball and Knowshon Moreno as his running mates, the Broncos should be able to give McGahee some breaks and still continue to run the ball effectively. Rookie Ronnie Hillman is a fast, explosive player, and he could be a real threat in the run game and on third downs as the season gets going. Up front, the Broncos will start the season without guard Chris Kuper, and their interior of the line must play better this year. Ryan Clady still mans the blindside, but they need RT Orlando Franklin to improve in his pass protection. I like the group of receivers on this team. Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas are poised to have really big seasons. Don't sleep on Brandon Stokley and Andre Caldwell too. From the moment the Broncos signed TEs Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreesen, I loved the move for this team. Look for a lot of two tight end formations and both players should be effective in the red zone. Lastly, you have Peyton Manning at the controls. After watching him in preseason, I think Manning will play at a high level. He took some shots in preseason, and he looked really sharp against the Niners in the third game. If Manning stays healthy, then I think he will have a big year. He may not be 100% and he may not be the Manning of 2010, but he is still a great player and one of the best quarterbacks of all time. He might be rusty at moments, but once he gets settled and everything kicks in watch out because Manning will be Manning. And that is very dangerous for the opposition.

DEFENSE: The best defense is a great offense. With Manning, the Broncos want to try and get an early lead for their defense and make the opposing offense play catch up. That plays right into the hands of pass rushers like Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller. Those two players are two of the best at their position, and if they can tee off on quarterbacks, then this Broncos defense will be pretty good. The front seven has some really big question marks. The departure of Broderick Bunkley will definitely hurt. If they can get anything from Ty Warren, Justin Bannan, and Kevin Vickerson, then the defense should be fine. I am really looking forward to seeing how Derek Wolfe develops on that defensive line. With D.J. Williams suspended the first six games, Joe Mays and Wesley Woodyard are in the crosshairs. Mays missed too many tackles last year, and he needs to step up his game in the middle. I like the Broncos secondary a lot. Champ Bailey is still playing at a high level, and Tracy Porter could be a real asset at the other corner. Chris Harris played really well as the nickel corner last year, and I love the potential of Omar Bolden. Mike Adams isn't a household name at safety, but the key at that position will be the development of Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter. Carter passed Moore on the depth chart last season, and Carter started down the stretch. Moore has looked better this preseason, but the jury is still out on him. They need those two young guys to improve and provide stability at the back end of their defense. This is not going to be a top 10 defense, but as long as they can get key stops, timely sacks/pressures, and big turnovers, then they will be doing their job effectively.

Overall: The Broncos were probably headed for anywhere between 6 and 8 wins in 2012 if Tim Tebow was still the quarterback. It would have been very hard to duplicate what happened last season. By getting Peyton Manning, everything changed. It is not a knock on Tebow, but Peyton Manning is a completely different animal. His addition to the Broncos changed everything. If you have a top-flight franchise quarterback, then your team can win it all every season. Even at 36, the Broncos have that with Manning. You could just tell in the preseason how much of a difference he has made for this organization. I know his health is a concern, but I've the got the feeling that Manning is going to come back with a vengeance this year. With Manning healthy, the Broncos should be at least a 10 win team and another trip to the playoffs should be on the horizon. Think about this: A week from tonight in Denver, Peyton Manning will run out of the tunnel for his first regular season game as a Denver Bronco. Last year at this time, we were talking about how Kyle Orton was going to be our starter again, and we were wondering when or if Tim Tebow will ever start a game in Denver again. What a difference a year makes. The Broncos fans are energized and the mood is completely different in Denver one year later. Peyton Manning has killed the Broncos in the past. Now, we get to see him on our side. Let the games begin!