The hopeful six

[dkmightyhammer]

Denver is pretty much done pursuing qb's at this point (some idiot fans started a petition to bring Tebow back, but that's about as likely to happen as my 6 month old son being the next Broncos qb). Sanchez will be the opening night starter unless Lynch comes in and just blows everyone away and develops a lot faster than anticipated.

While I'm not thrilled with the idea of Sanchez starting, I will say that he's done everything right since being traded and Denver and he's working his butt off. With Denver's defense the Broncos will still be competitive, and if they can get just average qb play this season they should be competing for a first round bye at the end of the year.

If I had to bet my life today, I would bet against it, mainly because there are a lot of good teams in the AFC and the AFC West looks to be much better, but I won't rule out the possibility.

Fair enough. Anything is possible and Sanchez did get to an AFCCG once before. Your defense will help carry the team, but like you say, the level of competition in the AFC and the AFCW in particular are a lot better so it's going to be a harder road to that 1st round bye. If I was betting on 1st round bye's right now I'd say N.E., Cincy, Pitts, are first in line and then you guys, then a bunch of other maybes.

 

[Broncos6482]

Fair enough. Anything is possible and Sanchez did get to an AFCCG once before. Your defense will help carry the team, but like you say, the level of competition in the AFC and the AFCW in particular are a lot better so it's going to be a harder road to that 1st round bye. If I was betting on 1st round bye's right now I'd say N.E., Cincy, Pitts, are first in line and then you guys, then a bunch of other maybes.

The good news for us is that our schedule broke favorably with home/road matchups. We get the Panthers, Patriots, Colts, and Texans at home. The Bengals are really the only tough road game out of division.

 

[eaglesnut]

Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland, Denver, Tampa Bay, and LA.

People think Jacksonville will be a playoff team. People think Tennessee will be a playoff team. People think Oakland will be a playoff team. People think Denver will still be a first round bye, people think TB will finish third or second in NFC South. And people think LA will improve. Well, all six of these teams have connections in one way or another with the schedule.

Jacksonville and Tennessee play Indy and Houston in their own division and also play KC, Denver, and Oakland. They also play Green Bay, Chicago, and Minnesota. Someone's going to be disappointed.

Oakland, KC, Denver play TB and Carolina. And TB and Carolina play LA, Seattle, and Arizona. LA plays Seattle and Arizona, plus NE(as does Seattle and Arizona).

So who do all of these teams beat to do what people predict of them with them all basically playing each other?

It's kind of funny when people aggregate opinions and then wonder why those opinions contradict themselves.

 

[jarntt]

Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland, Denver, Tampa Bay, and LA.

People think Jacksonville will be a playoff team. People think Tennessee will be a playoff team. People think Oakland will be a playoff team. People think Denver will still be a first round bye, people think TB will finish third or second in NFC South. And people think LA will improve. Well, all six of these teams have connections in one way or another with the schedule.

Jacksonville and Tennessee play Indy and Houston in their own division and also play KC, Denver, and Oakland. They also play Green Bay, Chicago, and Minnesota. Someone's going to be disappointed.

Oakland, KC, Denver play TB and Carolina. And TB and Carolina play LA, Seattle, and Arizona. LA plays Seattle and Arizona, plus NE(as does Seattle and Arizona).

So who do all of these teams beat to do what people predict of them with them all basically playing each other?

They sound like pretty dumb people to me...

 

[eaglesnut]

Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland, Denver, Tampa Bay, and LA.

People think Jacksonville will be a playoff team. People think Tennessee will be a playoff team. People think Oakland will be a playoff team. People think Denver will still be a first round bye, people think TB will finish third or second in NFC South. And people think LA will improve. Well, all six of these teams have connections in one way or another with the schedule.

Jacksonville and Tennessee play Indy and Houston in their own division and also play KC, Denver, and Oakland. They also play Green Bay, Chicago, and Minnesota. Someone's going to be disappointed.

Oakland, KC, Denver play TB and Carolina. And TB and Carolina play LA, Seattle, and Arizona. LA plays Seattle and Arizona, plus NE(as does Seattle and Arizona).

So who do all of these teams beat to do what people predict of them with them all basically playing each other?

Now to your topic which I guess is discussing those 6 teams.

Jacksonville had added a ton of talent on defense and has a developing QB with good weapons.

Similarly, the Raiders have done the same. They are about a year ahead of the Jags but they play in the tougher division.

Tennessee is pretty much crap. Maybe their young QB is actually good and that will be something to build on. Maybe.

Denver has a lot to live up to without some defensive pieces they had last year. A lot hangs on QB play. Not that different from a lot of teams.

Tampa is a weird case since they only fired their coach so they could keep a coordinator. Who knows how the team will respond to Koetter. The defense needs to mature. And that division should be tougher than last year.

LA is at the mercy of Fisher. Does the offense have enough beyond Gurley? The defense has a new secondary. Probably middle of the pack as usual. A tough play most weeks, but you never really know which team your getting any of the 4 quarters. They can go from great to crap within the same game.

 

[megalodon30]

denver is gonna slip because of qb play

Like that could get any worse than last year. Even w/buttfumble and a rookie.

 

[Clayton]

Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland, Denver, Tampa Bay, and LA.

Well lets look at how far each team is along in what its trying to do.

Denver is obviously the furthest along. They took some body blows on the roster but they still have the core intact. I think they are an 8-11 win team but the type of team that is built for the playoffs if they make it and they should still have a top 5 defense and probably top 3.

LA is probably the 2nd furthest along. They should be better on offense and worse on defense and likely middle of the pack until they suffer injuries. I don't think they have any depth at all but they are still relatively young with room for improvement in spots. 5-8 win team imo.

Oakland is pretty far along in their rebuild. They should be hitting their stride this season but it all comes down to how good Carr actually is. They are a 10-11 win team if Carr is a real franchise QB and a 6-8 win team otherwise.

Jacksonville has a budding offense but an unproven defense. They are basically adding 4 good pieces to their defense which was bad last year and its a guess as to how much that improves them. Jack should be an instant contributor if he is healthy. Ramsey and Fowler are a bit harder to tell. I'm guessing a 8-9 win team that will look better at the end of the year than the start. Not convinced they can run the ball.

I think the Saints, Bucs and Falcons all have similar strengths and issues so they might all be heading for 7-9. I do think I'll probably be picking the Bucs to finish 2nd in the NFC South next year. I like their draft a lot in terms of picking players that can theoretically help their team. I'll put them in a 7-10 win area which makes them a fringe contender.

I think the Titans are still a year off. A 6 win season would be improvement for them.

 

[cdumler7]

Fair enough. Anything is possible and Sanchez did get to an AFCCG once before. Your defense will help carry the team, but like you say, the level of competition in the AFC and the AFCW in particular are a lot better so it's going to be a harder road to that 1st round bye. If I was betting on 1st round bye's right now I'd say N.E., Cincy, Pitts, are first in line and then you guys, then a bunch of other maybes.

Actually he made it twice before to the AFC Championship with a team very similar to the Broncos that is based around establishing a very strong run game and leaning upon the defense. Not saying they will win with him just saying he has been in a similar situation before and found success.

I agree at this time I would put those other teams ahead of the Broncos in chance of getting the Bye. NE I would be shocked if they didn't have one of them. Easier division than most of the other teams listed and still a very strong roster with an MVP caliber QB. The other two have a much more established QB in place so again probably better situation because of that.

Still I do think it is funny that so many are discounting the Broncos and basing that so much on the QB position when they had such terrible QB production last year and really little to no running game most of the year.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

Like that could get any worse than last year. Even w/buttfumble and a rookie.

Peyton & Oz didn't turn over the ball at the pace Sanchez routinely does. That will likely be the biggest difference between last year and this year. Combine that with the players lost and a SB hangover I would have to say chances of getting the bye are slim.

No need to tell me about the injuries and back ups they had/have. It's been discussed ad naseum on other threads. It's all speculation at this point.

Denver had a very good draft, how many drafted players will make an impact is yet to be seen.

 

[Broncos6482]

Peyton & Oz didn't turn over the ball at the pace Sanchez routinely does. That will likely be the biggest difference between last year and this year. Combine that with the players lost and a SB hangover I would have to say chances of getting the bye are slim.

No need to tell me about the injuries and back ups they had/have. It's been discussed ad naseum on other threads. It's all speculation at this point.

Denver had a very good draft, how many drafted players will make an impact is yet to be seen.

Manning and Osweiler combined for 23 interceptions last year: the most Sanchez has ever had was 20 his rookie season. Manning himself had an interception percentage of 5.1%, Sanchez has been below that number every year since his rookie year.

The rest of your post I agree with.

 

[Davis_Mike]

After the 2015 draft I had Jacksonville in playoff contention in 2016. Their offseason FA signings & excellent draft have done nothing to dissuade me from that. Tennessee is still at least another season or two away from playoff contention. Same for the raiders. Denver might take a step back but will almost certainly be in the running for a top seed.

Tampa is just... Hell, I don't know what to think of Tampa yet.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

Manning and Osweiler combined for 23 interceptions last year: the most Sanchez has ever had was 20 his rookie season. Manning himself had an interception percentage of 5.1%, Sanchez has been below that number every year since his rookie year.

The rest of your post I agree with.

When Sanchez has played at least 15 games in a season he averages over 17 picks and 11 fumbles per year. He's a TO machine.

 

[megalodon30]

Manning and Osweiler combined for 23 interceptions last year: the most Sanchez has ever had was 20 his rookie season. Manning himself had an interception percentage of 5.1%, Sanchez has been below that number every year since his rookie year.

The rest of your post I agree with.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

 

[Broncos6482]

When Sanchez has played at least 15 games in a season he averages over 17 picks and 11 fumbles per year. He's a TO machine.

And so were Manning and Osweiler last year.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland, Denver, Tampa Bay, and LA.

People think Jacksonville will be a playoff team. People think Tennessee will be a playoff team. People think Oakland will be a playoff team. People think Denver will still be a first round bye, people think TB will finish third or second in NFC South. And people think LA will improve. Well, all six of these teams have connections in one way or another with the schedule.

Jacksonville and Tennessee play Indy and Houston in their own division and also play KC, Denver, and Oakland. They also play Green Bay, Chicago, and Minnesota. Someone's going to be disappointed.

Oakland, KC, Denver play TB and Carolina. And TB and Carolina play LA, Seattle, and Arizona. LA plays Seattle and Arizona, plus NE(as does Seattle and Arizona).

So who do all of these teams beat to do what people predict of them with them all basically playing each other?

people think your brain works in mysterious ways.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

And so were Manning and Osweiler last year.

My bad I forgot to check the Denver forecast. Sunny 365 days a year for eternity

Sanchez couldn't even hold a starting job against Foles or Bradford. He hasn't had a winning season since 2010. Good luck with that.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

And so were Manning and Osweiler last year.

Manning was terrible until his wife's supply of hormones arrived. Well that and the last game of the regular season. 4 INTs what was that?

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Jags and Raiders, I could see them in the playoffs if the new additions to the teams work out. Humbug on the rest.

 

[Thruthefog]

How does TB make this list every year? They are the Browns of the NFC.

 

[cdumler7]

My bad I forgot to check the Denver forecast. Sunny 365 days a year for eternity

Sanchez couldn't even hold a starting job against Foles or Bradford. He hasn't had a winning season since 2010. Good luck with that.

This isn't about sunshine. This is about trying to compare Sanchez at his worst compared to what the Broncos put out on the field last year. Even at his worst he still played better than what the Broncos put out on the field last year at the QB position. So it shouldn't be all that crazy for Bronco fans to actually think they could have better QB play this year compared to last year. The bar was set pretty low. That doesn't mean it is all sunshine in Denver. I mean this is us going from embarrassing to maybe now just bad QB play. Nothing to write home about but it gives us a little glimmer of hope that things on the offensive side of the ball could actually be better this year.