- Thread starter
- #1
iknowftbll
Well-Known Member
- 4,169
- 1,320
- 173
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2013
- Hoopla Cash
- $ 1,000.00
- Fav. Team #1
- Fav. Team #2
- Fav. Team #3
BLUF: "Are the 2016 Broncos a Super Bowl Caliber team?"
There's the question in plain English. I have repeatedly praised the collective intelligence of the regulars on this board and believe we can see some well thought and reasonable answers here. We're not going to see a bunch of homer answers proclaiming the Broncos a lock to win the next Super Bowl (or 3 of the next 7 the way Raiders fans do). We're also not going to see an "all is lost" gloom and doom forecast for this team. I think we can expect some balanced answers and discussion here.
My thoughts on why the Broncos are not a legit contender:
While the 2016 Broncos are better than a lot of people expected them to be, there are major issues on both sides of the ball. On offense the line is a disaster. The QB production is lacking and the ground game is marginally good. Sound familiar? Yes. Yes, it does. But unlike last year, we don't have Peyton Manning at the helm. I don't know when the thought occurred to you all last year that the Broncos had a legit shot. For me the moment he entered the week 17 contest against the Chargers and led the team to a win is when it hit me. I remember telling my wife in the final moments of that game, "This team is winning the Super Bowl." They just had the feel of a team that was going to rally around its leader and carry him across the finish line. This year's team has a lot of positives, but it's missing the IT factor like last year's team did. I've been a huge Siemian supporter and really love what the Broncos are getting out of him, given his credentials. And make no mistake about it: This is a team full of men who play for each other. But it does seem to lake that vital quality that last year's team had.
On defense the run defense is suspect. I was concerned after week 2 when both the Panthers and Colts piled on 150+ apiece. I didn't panic because those are two pretty capable offenses, but I was definitely concerned. Not until week 10 did the Broncos hold an opponent to under 100 rushing yards. And that's a big gap from last year's defense. The unit still gets after the QB and the secondary is as good as it's ever been, but that lack of consistent run stuffing ability just may be enough to be this team's undoing.
This team is good, but it's flawed. Nobody expected the Broncos to repeat and before the season I stated I'd consider a finish of ~ 10-6 and reaching the divisional round of the playoffs to be a successful season. But for the reasons above, I don't know we can consider the Broncos a legit contender.
And now that we got that out of the way, let's get to the fun side of this answer!
First, every team is flawed. Every. Last. One. Every team can be beat. When we look at the flaws on this Broncos team, they are literally inches away here, a missed tackle there, and a dropped pass in the middle away from seriously throttling their opponents. CDumler laid out some great analysis about how close this team is to really opening it up on the enemy and we've not yet seen a complete game from them.
Now the question must be asked: Have we not seen that complete game because the ability isn't there? Or is it a matter of a young QB behind a makeshift O-line that is holding the team back. If it's the former, then go back to the top half of this post. If it's the latter, then we can hope the team clicks down the stretch and gets into a groove. Plenty of teams have won the Super Bowl with marginal regular season records but having found a groove toward the end. A groove they ride all the way to the Super Bowl.
This Broncos team legitimately has the feel of a team that can do that. They have a good defense, and in the face of some injuries, Wade Philips schemed them into their best day against the run. And we know that pass D is just insane. So even with the Run D being unimpressive to this point, I believe it can be fixed to the point that the unit will be playing its best ball as the regular season ends.
As for the offense the potential is there. Siemian isn't perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement. But believe it or not, despite leading the league again in 3 and outs, this offense is better by a longshot than last year's for one simple reason: they don't turn the ball over as much. Production is marginally better than last year but the fact they don't give the ball up as much as last year's unit did is a huge help. If they can make a marginal improvement from where they are now the team is going to give a lot of opponents trouble when taken as a whole.
And let's not forget Special Teams. The third unit is often overlooked but was without question a big part of last year's Champion Broncos, and if the Broncos are going to have a shot at repeating the special teams unit is going to be a big part of that. I believe without question this part of the team is Super Bowl caliber.
So what say the rest of the Broncos fans? Can this team make a run? What if they finish 11-5 and in the #5 seed? Can they do it on the road? Is this going to go down as just a solid "transitional" year for the team? Or can they make another improbable run?
There's the question in plain English. I have repeatedly praised the collective intelligence of the regulars on this board and believe we can see some well thought and reasonable answers here. We're not going to see a bunch of homer answers proclaiming the Broncos a lock to win the next Super Bowl (or 3 of the next 7 the way Raiders fans do). We're also not going to see an "all is lost" gloom and doom forecast for this team. I think we can expect some balanced answers and discussion here.
My thoughts on why the Broncos are not a legit contender:
While the 2016 Broncos are better than a lot of people expected them to be, there are major issues on both sides of the ball. On offense the line is a disaster. The QB production is lacking and the ground game is marginally good. Sound familiar? Yes. Yes, it does. But unlike last year, we don't have Peyton Manning at the helm. I don't know when the thought occurred to you all last year that the Broncos had a legit shot. For me the moment he entered the week 17 contest against the Chargers and led the team to a win is when it hit me. I remember telling my wife in the final moments of that game, "This team is winning the Super Bowl." They just had the feel of a team that was going to rally around its leader and carry him across the finish line. This year's team has a lot of positives, but it's missing the IT factor like last year's team did. I've been a huge Siemian supporter and really love what the Broncos are getting out of him, given his credentials. And make no mistake about it: This is a team full of men who play for each other. But it does seem to lake that vital quality that last year's team had.
On defense the run defense is suspect. I was concerned after week 2 when both the Panthers and Colts piled on 150+ apiece. I didn't panic because those are two pretty capable offenses, but I was definitely concerned. Not until week 10 did the Broncos hold an opponent to under 100 rushing yards. And that's a big gap from last year's defense. The unit still gets after the QB and the secondary is as good as it's ever been, but that lack of consistent run stuffing ability just may be enough to be this team's undoing.
This team is good, but it's flawed. Nobody expected the Broncos to repeat and before the season I stated I'd consider a finish of ~ 10-6 and reaching the divisional round of the playoffs to be a successful season. But for the reasons above, I don't know we can consider the Broncos a legit contender.
And now that we got that out of the way, let's get to the fun side of this answer!
First, every team is flawed. Every. Last. One. Every team can be beat. When we look at the flaws on this Broncos team, they are literally inches away here, a missed tackle there, and a dropped pass in the middle away from seriously throttling their opponents. CDumler laid out some great analysis about how close this team is to really opening it up on the enemy and we've not yet seen a complete game from them.
Now the question must be asked: Have we not seen that complete game because the ability isn't there? Or is it a matter of a young QB behind a makeshift O-line that is holding the team back. If it's the former, then go back to the top half of this post. If it's the latter, then we can hope the team clicks down the stretch and gets into a groove. Plenty of teams have won the Super Bowl with marginal regular season records but having found a groove toward the end. A groove they ride all the way to the Super Bowl.
This Broncos team legitimately has the feel of a team that can do that. They have a good defense, and in the face of some injuries, Wade Philips schemed them into their best day against the run. And we know that pass D is just insane. So even with the Run D being unimpressive to this point, I believe it can be fixed to the point that the unit will be playing its best ball as the regular season ends.
As for the offense the potential is there. Siemian isn't perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement. But believe it or not, despite leading the league again in 3 and outs, this offense is better by a longshot than last year's for one simple reason: they don't turn the ball over as much. Production is marginally better than last year but the fact they don't give the ball up as much as last year's unit did is a huge help. If they can make a marginal improvement from where they are now the team is going to give a lot of opponents trouble when taken as a whole.
And let's not forget Special Teams. The third unit is often overlooked but was without question a big part of last year's Champion Broncos, and if the Broncos are going to have a shot at repeating the special teams unit is going to be a big part of that. I believe without question this part of the team is Super Bowl caliber.
So what say the rest of the Broncos fans? Can this team make a run? What if they finish 11-5 and in the #5 seed? Can they do it on the road? Is this going to go down as just a solid "transitional" year for the team? Or can they make another improbable run?
