2010 Denver Broncos Team Preview/Predictions
With NFL football just a short time away, Cappers Picks Football handicappers have been hard at work putting out the team by team NFL previews for those of us who can’t wait. Bet on the Super Bowl winner, plus Conference and Divisional winners.
What are you waiting for use our insider knowledge today to gamble on all the NFL Football Futures in our top online sportsbooks today.
2009 Record: 8-8
ATS: 9-7-0
The 2009 Denver Broncos were a team in transition. It seems that when they shipped their starting quarterback (Jay Cutler) off to Chicago, they were just getting started.
Second year head coach Josh McDaniels has turned the Mile High City into his own personal fiefdom and after a few more ego-wars, two more skill players – this time wide receiver Brandon Marshall and tight end Tony Scheffler – found themselves saddled with the (non-)distinction of being ex-Broncos as well.
Thus, in very short order, the Broncos went from a team on the verge of contending for their division to a team that’s almost completely retooling.
They were 6-0 at the start of 2009, but then tumbled out of playoff contention and left their fans reeling once again in the middle of a harsh Colorado winter. Who knows if a retooling team is what owner Pat Bowlen had in mind when he hired McDaniels, but that’s what he got.
The problem McDaniels faces now is making a masterpiece out of what he’s left himself with. Although he picked up quarterback Brady Quinn in the offseason (from Cleveland) and acquired Colorado’s new favorite son – Tim Tebow – in the draft, it still seems certain that Kyle Orton will be the Broncos’ starter under center in 2010.
The good news in that is that Orton is coming off his best season as a pro… and that McDaniels has a successful history with a QB some people have heard of, a man named Tom Brady.
However, every quarterback needs weapons around him and the Broncos are now rolling the dice on wide receiver Eddie Royal stepping up in class.
They’re also betting on two rookies, Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech) and Eric Decker (Minnesota), both of whom have a history of leg problems coming into camp. So far, the bet is coming up snake eyes before a single preseason game has been played: yes, Thomas and Decker came up gimpy again heading into the preseason opener on August 15 against Cincinnati.
Add all that to that the fact that the Broncos’ big guns at running back, Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter, and LenDale White, have all been banged up in training camp to the point where Denver brought in ex-Raider Justin Fargas if only to have someone to hand the ball off to for the time being.
This is all before one can even get to an analysis of the defensive side of the ball. In this part of the Bronco roster, linebacker Elvis Dumervil has been sidelined for what locals say will be the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Dumervil’s injury means second year linebacker Robert Ayers must take a big step forward. It also means that newly installed defensive coordinator Don Martindale must get creative right away.
It will be extremely difficult to replace the production Denver got from Dumervil, but the Broncos are strong at linebacker, and although cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Brian Dawkins are long in the tooth, they are still smart, solid anchors in the secondary.
All this leaves Denver with very little margin for error on the season. The Broncos’ division rivals have mostly improved while they’ve taken a step back in the hopes of taking a significant leap forward. The reality is that such a leap almost certainly won’t happen this year – not, at least, without a lot of surprises and a lot of help.
Broncos 2010 Outlook
Expect the Broncos to hover around .500 in 2010 – if they are lucky.
Broncos 2010 Futures
Super Bowl Odds: +6550
Conference Odds: +2550
AFC West Odds: +650
2010 Broncos Predictions
Place they’ll finish in AFC West: 3rd
Place they’ll finish in AFC Conference: 12th
Over/Under Season Wins Prediction: UNDER 7.5 Wins
JOIN JUSTBET SPORTSBOOK TODAY – GRAB A 60% DEPOSIT BONUS WHEN YOU CLICK HERE NOW AND TELL THEM CAPPERSPICKS.COM SENT YOU!!!
Dave Golokhov has written for BETUS Sportsbook, Sportsfanmagazine.com, FOX, Askmen.com, Sports-central.org, and the FOXSports.com Funhouse.
