The BT Staff predicts the 2011 Broncos season

Broncos players (from right) Kyle Orton, Elvis Dumervil, and Brandon Lloyd sit on the sideline during the 2011 preseason. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Our 2011 Denver Broncos Season Preview dropped earlier in the week, but that reflected the opinions of just one man/overactive child. Let’s get the entire BT Staff’s opinions, shall we? The BroncoTalk staff drops their respective Broncos and Super Bowl predictions.

E. Halsey Miles —

After taking a very realistic look at our schedule, we have 6 pretty winnable games. That means we only have to be good enough to win 2 challenging games to make 8-8, which would be have been considered an incredibly lousy season only a few short years ago, when Mike Shanahan was fired. Now, it would be considered a big step up, out of the NFL basement and into the “between the 20s” of NFL mediocrity. This team, currently rebuilding, could have a ferocious D-line, and that is probably the thing that will win a few games. I think the defense will rank generally pretty good thanks to a good pass rush and a good secondary. It’s still weak up the middle, though, and that will prevent it from being an elite defense. The offense? I can’t say I’m excited. The O-line still needs some help (WHY did we let Ryan Harris go?) and that’s going to hurt the run game, no matter how good the Knew Knowshon and McGoalline McGahee are. And I don’t think Orton is going to see the stellar numbers he had with Josh McDaniels and the spread offense, either.

Final record: 8-8, 2nd in division

Super Bowl: Patriots over Packers in a nailbiter.

Josh Temple —

John Fox has started to repair the two largest glaring holes on this team left by the previous regime, the defense and the running game. After reading up on the background of Fox teams we will be anything but exciting, but exciting doesn’t always get the job done in the NFL. We will run the ball, whether that requires 8 Tight Ends and 4 Fullbacks on the roster it doesn’t matter. One of the biggest killers over the last two seasons wasn’t necessarily being able to run the ball, but being able to convert short yardage in crucial situations. One of the hurdles to a single back offense is how exactly do you pound the ball? From what we’ve seen in pre-season this has been addressed. The additions of Fells, Franklin, and a hard-nosed McGahee will help us squeek out field position battles. The difference in football theory will do far more good than any roster changes.

Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil (92) and defensive tackle Ryan McBean (98) react after sacking Seattle Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson (7) in the second quarter of a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Combine that with a defensive scheme that works for the personnel we have on the roster and not against it. We were never a 3-4 group and it killed us time and again. This group of decision makers knew that we wouldn’t be able to fix all of the problems year one on that side of the ball. Well, lets do one thing, and one thing well this year. We will make it very difficult to pass. Draft a pass rusher, make the secondary scheme more difficult for opposing offenses and kill the quarterback. If you want to run the ball we’ll play bend but don’t break. We get you in 3rd in long, now you’re playing our game.

It won’t be the defense or the running game that decides how well we perform this season, it’s going to be based off of the success of Mike McCoy calling all the offensive shots. How much did he learn under McDaniels? There is still some value left there. If we still have the ability to hang 30+ points on the board with a constant defense, running game, and clock management it sets this team up for success. It’s not how you win, it’s that you win. We play the two hardest divisions in my opinion this season. The AFC East and NFC North. That’s going to hammer us down, I think we’re a better team than the Raiders and Chiefs but I still see us struggling. The Chargers are slipping as a franchise. The only reason I see us having trouble chasing down KC is their option to lean on Jamaal Charles, he will win them games on his legs alone.

We finish 6-10, 3rd possibly 2nd in the division.

Super Bowl: Green Bay over New York Jets. Aaron Rodgers looks to be completing his climb into the elite 3 QB class in the league along with a punishing defense nobody can stop that team if they stay healthy. The Jets now know what it takes to win in the playoffs and get to the big game, unfortunately they will be going against a superior opponent.

Mr. East —

If there is one thing you can’t fault Pat Bowlen for, it’s his dedication to winning. Bowlen did not like where the organization was headed and he decided to make some bold moves such as bringing in the Johns (Elway and Fox) and keep Brian Xanders (who arguably should have been fired). This team may not be a playoff contender but they are set up to be competitive nonetheless. John Fox has instilled a hard-nosed and physical mindset here in the Mile High City and he has a roster of motivated players with a lot of heart. Unfortunately, a big heart and a strong will, won’t stop the run.

This Denver team reminds me of the Buccaneers of last season. No one believe in them, but they recognize the potential talent that is there. Denver will be very competitive, and they will surprise a lot of people. That being said, anything more than 8 wins, with this schedule, is wishful thinking. However, the future is bright… and the Von Doom Alliance will wreak havoc.

Mr East’s prediction: 6-10

Super Bowl: Saints vs. Patriots. Winner Saints

Jon Heath —

Fox is going to bring a run-first mentality back to Denver that we haven’t had for years. (Hopefully they place as much emphasis on stopping the run on the defensive side of the ball.) With two fresh backs in Moreno and McGahee, a lead blocker in Spencer Larsen and running lanes paved by monstrous Orlando Franklin, I can see the Broncos running up and down the field. Add in the passing attack lead by Orton and Lloyd, and I’m pretty excited for the return of football season!

Put me down for a 9-7 season.

Super Bowl: I’m with East only I have the Patriots winning. (Patriots over Saints)

Monty —
(Excerpted from the 2011 Broncos preview).

The Broncos still have problems, the greatest being their run defense. The interior of that defensive line is still full of retreads; middle linebacker Joe Mays truly has his work cut out for him. All five positions on the offensive line come with questions as well. (Will Ryan Clady return to form? Can the interior guys improve from a year ago? Is rookie Orlando Franklin ready to start 16 games at the NFL level?).

But there’s a lot of talent on this team, too. A lot more than national “experts” may notice.

The problem is, this talent only goes one level deep. It’s a side effect of rebuilding. The talent gap between the Broncos’ starters and backups is wide and dramatic. The Broncos have done a good job acquiring youthful, skilled players (three promising rookies starting from Week One, and a fourth, Julius Thomas, who figures to see the field early and often), but their depth is lacking. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” as the saying goes, and neither was a football dynasty.

And make no mistake, John Elway has his sights on nothing less. That’ll take time. As ugly as the word is, the Broncos are in a “rebuild.”

Cornerback Champ Bailey #24 of the Denver Broncos stands on the sidelines during the preseason NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 1, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Broncos 26-7. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

So, more than any season in recent memory — more even than the injury-plagued disaster of 2010 — the 2011 Denver Broncos are at the mercy of the injury bug. This offseason and preseason, the bug has been relatively kind, but the Broncos need the following players to both stay healthy and excel in order to make the playoffs:

• Kyle Orton
• Ryan Clady
• Elvis Dumervil
• Von Miller
• Champ Bailey

If all of these players finish the season with 14+ healthy starts… If Ryan Clady and Elvis Dumervil return to pre-2010 form… If Kyle Orton takes the next step… If Champ Bailey maintains his form and if Von Miller fulfills his promise… we’re talking about an 11-win Broncos football team.

11 wins. Imagine that.

But, you might have noticed, that’s a lot of “If’s.” No single one of those “If’s” is outside the realm of possibility, but banking on all of them coming true is foolhardy.

The 2011 Denver Broncos will finish 8-8, tied for 2nd in the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Super Bowl: Chargers over Saints. This isn’t my first time picking the Chargers to win it all on this site. I jinxed them then, too…

Two votes for 8-8, two for 6-10, and one for 9-7. Your turn…

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