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iknowftbll
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I actually look forward to the schedule's release more than the draft. With rookie players you never know how they're going to transition to the NFL and what kind of impact a guy is going to have in his rookie season. Sure, it's exciting to see the team drafting potential career players who will shape the franchise going forward but we often never will know for sure until several years down the road.
For that reason I consider the schedule release to be the single most relevant part of the off season. It matters who you play, but when and where you play them is just as important or more so. After all, the draft and free agency...it all goes toward the games themselves.
I felt like last season the Broncos had a pretty favorable sequence of opponents, bye week, TNF, etc. Unfortunately they weren't able to fully capitalize but that's the way the league goes. This year as I anticipate the schedule's release I've spent a lot of time thinking about what would be most advantageous for the Broncos.
Some thoughts:
- Despite being in the post-Manning era and a year removed from their SB title, I expect the Broncos to still be a pretty significant prime time draw. I expect the Raiders to as well, and look for one of the two games with the Raiders to be on MNF. The Chiefs should get some prime time games but they just don't seem to be as compelling the draw to a nationwide audience as the Broncos and Raiders.
- Hopefully we will get AFC West prime time games at home this year. My one complaint with the schedule last year was they put all three AFC West road games for the Broncos on prime time. WTF? (Okay, I also had a minor complaint about the Panthers being our week 1 opponent. I felt the Champs should have been able to open with a conference, even divisional game, but done's done. And the Ravens didn't even get to open at home the season after they won the SB, so I shouldn't complain.)
- The Broncos may likely start the season on the road this year. They've been fortunate enough to start at home every year since Elway's arrival but that came after years of always seeming to start on the road. Having gone 9-7 and missed the playoffs, the Broncos are due for a road game to start the season.
- Of the away opponents, the Raiders, Chiefs, Dolphins, and Colts jump out as most likely candidates for a week 1 matchup. @ Raiders would be a good MNF or SNF candidate. The Dolphins are a candidate just because the league seems to have a sick, demented fascination with sending the Broncos to Florida early in the season any time they play the Dolphins, Jags or Bucs. (At least they got the Jags later last year but they still made the trip early for the Bucs.) And the Colts are a candidate because Colts-Broncos has emerged as a pretty enticing matchup in recent years. The Chiefs in KC...it just seems to be a good way to round out the early Sunday slate in week 1.
- Of the home opponents, the Raiders seem like the most likely week 1 matchup if the Broncos open at home. My guess is that would be either SNF or the MNF double header. So based on this if the Broncos do get a prime time game week 1 my guess is the Raiders are the opponent.
So those are some thoughts. Now here's what I HOPE to see in week 1:
@ Kansas City Chiefs. My guess is this would just be a standard 1p eastern start, despite this rivalry being really good in recent years. The reason I hope this is our week 1 game is week 1 is a weird and wonderful thing in the NFL. I feel this week gives the Broncos the best chance to go into Arrowhead and get a win against the Chiefs. And if they don't, it's just week 1. They will have gotten one of their hardest road games out of the way.
I'd like to see them follow up that game with:
vs Raiders (MNF). I honestly wouldn't put it past the league to put the Broncos up against these two in back to back weeks to open the season, then backload the rest of the AFC West games in the last 7 or so weeks of the season. I also feel this could be a potentially advantageous way to start the season: get a roadie at KC out of the way early and then come back and see the Raiders in the home opener. A 2-0 start in this sequence would be huge. At the same time, 0-2 would be crippling. My guess is they'd win at least one of them though.
What say you? Who do you hope the Broncos will face in week 1?
For that reason I consider the schedule release to be the single most relevant part of the off season. It matters who you play, but when and where you play them is just as important or more so. After all, the draft and free agency...it all goes toward the games themselves.
I felt like last season the Broncos had a pretty favorable sequence of opponents, bye week, TNF, etc. Unfortunately they weren't able to fully capitalize but that's the way the league goes. This year as I anticipate the schedule's release I've spent a lot of time thinking about what would be most advantageous for the Broncos.
Some thoughts:
- Despite being in the post-Manning era and a year removed from their SB title, I expect the Broncos to still be a pretty significant prime time draw. I expect the Raiders to as well, and look for one of the two games with the Raiders to be on MNF. The Chiefs should get some prime time games but they just don't seem to be as compelling the draw to a nationwide audience as the Broncos and Raiders.
- Hopefully we will get AFC West prime time games at home this year. My one complaint with the schedule last year was they put all three AFC West road games for the Broncos on prime time. WTF? (Okay, I also had a minor complaint about the Panthers being our week 1 opponent. I felt the Champs should have been able to open with a conference, even divisional game, but done's done. And the Ravens didn't even get to open at home the season after they won the SB, so I shouldn't complain.)
- The Broncos may likely start the season on the road this year. They've been fortunate enough to start at home every year since Elway's arrival but that came after years of always seeming to start on the road. Having gone 9-7 and missed the playoffs, the Broncos are due for a road game to start the season.
- Of the away opponents, the Raiders, Chiefs, Dolphins, and Colts jump out as most likely candidates for a week 1 matchup. @ Raiders would be a good MNF or SNF candidate. The Dolphins are a candidate just because the league seems to have a sick, demented fascination with sending the Broncos to Florida early in the season any time they play the Dolphins, Jags or Bucs. (At least they got the Jags later last year but they still made the trip early for the Bucs.) And the Colts are a candidate because Colts-Broncos has emerged as a pretty enticing matchup in recent years. The Chiefs in KC...it just seems to be a good way to round out the early Sunday slate in week 1.
- Of the home opponents, the Raiders seem like the most likely week 1 matchup if the Broncos open at home. My guess is that would be either SNF or the MNF double header. So based on this if the Broncos do get a prime time game week 1 my guess is the Raiders are the opponent.
So those are some thoughts. Now here's what I HOPE to see in week 1:
@ Kansas City Chiefs. My guess is this would just be a standard 1p eastern start, despite this rivalry being really good in recent years. The reason I hope this is our week 1 game is week 1 is a weird and wonderful thing in the NFL. I feel this week gives the Broncos the best chance to go into Arrowhead and get a win against the Chiefs. And if they don't, it's just week 1. They will have gotten one of their hardest road games out of the way.
I'd like to see them follow up that game with:
vs Raiders (MNF). I honestly wouldn't put it past the league to put the Broncos up against these two in back to back weeks to open the season, then backload the rest of the AFC West games in the last 7 or so weeks of the season. I also feel this could be a potentially advantageous way to start the season: get a roadie at KC out of the way early and then come back and see the Raiders in the home opener. A 2-0 start in this sequence would be huge. At the same time, 0-2 would be crippling. My guess is they'd win at least one of them though.
What say you? Who do you hope the Broncos will face in week 1?
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