2006 RECORD: 9-7  -  2007 RECORD: 7-9  -  2008 RECORD: 8-8

Fantasy Stats Scoring System

Total Team Fantasy Points (TTFP): 1780.6 FP – 3 of 32

KEY ADDITION: QB Kyle Orton (CHI)

KEY LOSS: QB Jay Cutler (CHI)

KEY DRAFT PICK: RB Knowshon Moreno – Georgia

COACHES: After 14 years, the Mike Shanahan experience is over in Denver. Josh McDaniels comes in as the new Head Coach of the Broncos. McDaniels spent the previous eight years in New England and served as the Patriots offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the past three seasons. Everyone knows the success QB Tom Brady (and to a lesser degree Matt Cassel) had under the tutelage of McDaniel’s. That being said, his first impact on the Broncos was alienating QB Jay Cutler who has moved on to the Bears. McDaniels wanted Cassel but has ended up with QB Kyle Orton and QB Chris Simms. Mike McCoy comes over from the Panthers to assume the offensive coordinator role in Denver. McCoy was with the Panthers as an offensive assistant coach for nine years. Mike Nolan has been brought on as the Broncos defensive coordinator and has his work cut out for him. Nolan was the 49ers Head Coach for past three and a half seasons.

STATS SLANT: The Broncos were third in Fantasy scoring based on the World Championship Of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) scoring system in 2008. They had to score a lot because their NFL defense was ranked 29th in 2008. They won’t be much better on defense in 2009, the QB situation is not good and this green group of coaches sends up a red flag over Denver.

QUARTERBACK (QB) The Broncos have gone from QB Jay Cutler guiding the ship to QB Kyle Orton and the seas are angry in Denver. We don’t see this working out very good as it’s a huge downgrade. Just look at the 2008 season as an example. Cutler had 344 FP while Orton had just 234 FP. Cutler was sacked 12 times while Orton was buried 29 times and had the better O-line. Cutler had better receiver weapons but Orton had a better backfield so that’s basically a wash. The Broncos are saying that QB Chris Simms will have an opportunity to compete as the starter. Don’t buy it though as Simms will start the season as a backup to Orton.

STATS SLANT: The Broncos QB situation is a mess. Unless McDaniels can give Orton some magic “Tom Brady Potion”, it’s going to be a long season in Denver. Consider Orton as a mid range QB2 at best. Better yet, just leave him to someone else.

RUNNING BACK (RB): The Broncos shocked the world by ignoring their glaring needs on defense and drafted RB Knowshon Moreno with their 1st round pick (12) in the 2009 Draft. Prior to the Draft, the Broncos picked up Correll Buckhalter (PHI) and Lamont Jordan (NE) plus they still have rehabbing RB Ryan Torain (ACL surgery). Peyton Hillis is fully recovered from his torn hamstring injury and will re-assume the FB position. It’s a very crowded backfield in Denver again this season. Did Mike Shanahan take Running Back University with him when he left Denver? Did he manage the system or WAS HE the system? We are about to find out.

STATS SLANT: It doesn’t get any more RBBC than it is in Denver but isn’t that always the case? The Broncos paid a heavy price for Moreno and he will be running in a spread offense that suits his electrifying running style perfectly. However, given the number of players battling for touches and the QB situation, we suggest that you should just avoid this situation all together. Rank Moreno as a mid range RB3 and get Buckhalter as the handcuff if you chose to deal with this murky situation.

WIDE RECEIVER (WR): The WR positions in Denver take a huge hit with Orton coming in. Their defense is still going to be horrible so the Broncos will be passing and playing “catch up” in most games. WR Brandon Marshall had another brush with the law in March of this year and is facing another suspension to start the season (August court date). Marshall is a repeat offender and will almost certainly get at least a couple of games. Marshall has also left the Denver area and returned home and looks like he could be a holdout at the start of camp. What a mess! Second year WR Eddie Royal will start opposite Marshall and he posted 232 FP as a rookie in 2008. Veterans Brandon Stokley and Jabar Gaffney (NE) are also in the mix in Denver but they are not a threat to either starter. Brandon Lloyd recently signed with the Bronocs and has a history with Orton (Bears 2008). It’s been a brief one though as Lloyd just can’t stay healthy. We will be watching how this all shakes out and keep you posted.

STATS SLANT: Even with the looming suspension and if Cutler were still in Denver, Marshall would be a mid range WR1. With Orton and the looming suspension, we can’t recommend him any higher than a high end WR3. Royal should be considered as a high end WR2 with a chance to move up as Draft Day approaches. He should be used in Denver in the same fashion that McDaniels used Wes Welker in NE. Watch Royal in preseason as he could end up with over a 100 catches and be more valuable than Marshall.

TIGHT END (TE): In what was a very prolific passing offense in 2008, the best a Denver TE could manage was Tony Scheffler posting 122 FP. That was good for 12th overall at the TE position. Daniel Graham and rookie Richard Quinn Round 2 Pick 32 (64) are both more suited as blocking TE’s but Graham did post 95 FP (22nd) in 2008. The Quinn selection was one of the worst picks (maybe the worst) made during the 2009 Draft. The guy is a monster blocker but had just 17 receptions during his career at North Carolina. The selection is not only bad based on the other TE’s that were still on the board at the time but also because it’s a pick that could have been better used on a defensive player. Hello Denver? Your defense was 29th last season and you already have a blocking TE in Graham!

STATS SLANT: Orton was able to get the ball to Greg Olsen (144 FP) and Desmond Clark (84 FP) in Chicago last year so Scheffler has some potential. Consider him as a mid range TE2 for the 2009 season.

PLACE KICKER (PK): Matt Prater came in and replaced Jason Elam as the PK in Denver. Jason Elam he was not! Elam had 148 FP (5th) in Atlanta while Prater had 135 FP (15th) in Denver. In his defense, the Broncos were always behind and needed to score TD not FG. Prater did the best he could, with limited chances, in his rookie season.

STATS SLANT: The Broncos will be after a lot of TD scoring again in 2009. Consider Prater as a mid range PK2.

DEFENSE-SPECIAL TEAMS (D/ST): The Denver D/ST was dead last with 64 FP scored in 2008. 64 FP? How can that be?? Apart from the KC game (260) and the Bills game (275) the Broncos didn’t hold any team under 300 total yards per game in 2008. They also managed just two DTD the entire season.

STATS SLANT: Run; don’t walk, away from this group.

RED FLAG: As we said in the Coaches review, there is one big red flag surrounding the entire Denver team heading into 2009.

Keep a pre-season eye on: Orton’s comfort level in the Denver offense. How they dole out the RB touches.

Stats Sleeper: WR Brandon Stokley

Strength Of Schedule: 19 of 32

Summary: There is no question that there’s some talent in Denver. It’s just such a muddy and convoluted mess that you would do well to avoid this situation all together.

StatsGuru

Photo Credit: boston.com/sports/football/articles/2009/06/14/kyle_orton_gets_nod_to_be_broncos_starting_qb/