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Here's some fun trivia: Since Elway took over the Broncos they have utterly dominated the AFC West to the tune of 24-6. Keep in mind three of those losses happened in 2011 with the Tebow/Orton Broncos. Each of the Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers have beat the Broncos twice in this span, but each of those teams' first win was during that 2011 season. The AFC West opponents have scattered 3 wins over the Broncos over 4 seasons since 2011. Add to it the Broncos added a playoff win over the Chargers to bring the win total to 25 when playoffs are included. And to top it off, it's not like this has been domination over a hapless division the way the Patriots have. The AFC West took both wild card spots in 2013, had the third place team at 9-7 in both 2013 and 2014, and has had a second place finisher at 11-5 twice. So it's been domination of a fairly solid division.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iknowftbll
What would you consider "more improvement?" Another win? A winning record? A playoff appearance?
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Honestly, I'd like to see them be competitive in every game. Win the games they are suppose to win, pull off an upset or two and at least have a winning record.
Last year was the first time in a decade that at least they were trying all game long, far to many games you could see the players just going thru the motions
Honestly, I'd like to see them be competitive in every game. Win the games they are suppose to win, pull off an upset or two and at least have a winning record.
Last year was the first time in a decade that at least they were trying all game long, far to many games you could see the players just going thru the motions
JDR stated double digit wins and a home playoff game are the goals for 2016. Of course the unstated implication is that winning the division is the goal by virtue of wanting a home playoff game. That's a tall order in a division where the two top teams combined for 23 regular season wins. But I honestly won't be surprised to see the Raiders go 10-6 or so. I just don't know that 10-6 is good enough to win this division. It also wouldn't surprise me to see them go 7-9 again.
Del Rio has done a heckuva job with the Raiders. It is rare for a decent defensive coach to be a good head coach I think.
Plus you know that he is going to burn the midnight candles preparing for the Broncos.
Once again....we will be fighting tooth and nail in a very tough division. The good news is that the winner of the toughest division often walks away with a bloody nose and the Lombardy trophy. This is why 10-6 teams can win the Super Bowl against 14-2 teams. Carolina, for example, had a cream puff schedule that made them look like a juggernaut. Well....they had not played a Denver Bronco caliber team.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iknowftbll
JDR stated double digit wins and a home playoff game are the goals for 2016. Of course the unstated implication is that winning the division is the goal by virtue of wanting a home playoff game. That's a tall order in a division where the two top teams combined for 23 regular season wins. But I honestly won't be surprised to see the Raiders go 10-6 or so. I just don't know that 10-6 is good enough to win this division. It also wouldn't surprise me to see them go 7-9 again.
Hopefully, their defense will still be intact. The Broncos offense will be somehow better than it was this season. A crippled Manning offense was very hard to watch and was probably statistically a credit to the opposition ... in part to send PFM off in style.
I'd like to see the stats or a ledger sheet on Broncos scoring defense, stops in the red zone, points taken away from forced field goals, missed field goals, etc., vs Peyton Manning pick-sixes, turnovers and interceptions near their own goal line, etc.
The Broncos defense and special teams drug that team around the field all game long all season long.
Well, the Broncos are going to have to rely on the Defence more than ever next season...
I think this is a little pre-mature. Right now it's easy to be critical because the Broncos have let a few players go (which is always hard to see as a fan because you get sentimentally attached to these guys) and haven't made a big FA signing. Their most noteworthy achievement this week came today when they traded for the Butt Fumbler! But we've seen this from Elway. We've seen the Broncos active in FA and we've seen them quiet. And there is a long way to go before this offense takes shape for training camp and the pre-season. I'm not worried. Not yet, anyway.
It looks like the Chiefs defense has taken some major hits between FA and injury. That may undermine any improvements they've made on offense. The Raiders are aggressively seeking parity with the top AFC West teams and with a young core of players may be a good team for a stretch of seasons. The analysts are going to hype these two teams this off season, and leave the defending champs for dead. That is what I'm hoping happens, anyway.
The Broncos defense returns 9 of 11 starters, one of whom despite being a fan favorite, is replaceable as an ILB in a 3-4. Jackson will be harder to replace but the Broncos do have some depth there and this draft is deep at the DT/DE position. It's the Broncos offense that has everyone questioning them.
And the more I look at what they're doing on offense the more I am convinced they are going to be just fine. They solidified their O-line and will likely add depth in the draft. They likely draft a RB to complement Anderson. They are set at WR and TE. As for QB, if they go with Kap they put an explosive game changer at the position. If they stick with Sanchez the bring in a game manager who will be going into the best situation he's experienced in his NFL career in terms of organizational management, coaching and supporting talent. This offense is beginning to remind me of the 2005 Broncos offense led by Jake Plummer, Rod Smith and Mike Anderson. It was a really good unit, explosive when it needed to be, but mostly a very efficient ball control offense that scored on long drives and played opposite a very good defensive unit that held opponents to 16 PPG. That 2005 team was left for dead by many in the months before the season, and in week one got blown apart 34-10 by the Dolphins. They went on to finish 13-3.
A lot of people will be surprised if the Broncos win the AFC West again. I won't be. I think this team is going to contend for a 6th straight title and see them as an 11-5 or so team as of now. The bigger question in my mind is will the Raiders or Chiefs be good enough to surpass that or win it on a tie breaker?
I think the AFC West will be the toughest division this season. No strong reason to believe that the Broncos fall a couple notches. Injuries, luck, and officiating will be the wild card and possibly the ultimate decider.
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