Tony Gonzalez is a big fan of our team

[cdumler7]

So during an interview this week Tony Gonzalez (our old rival) made a very very bold prediction. He thinks the Broncos are going to go 19-0 this season! Now the odds of that are obviously very slim and honestly even being a Bronco homer myself I don't see it happening, but it is good to see a future HOF recognizing the talent on this team. Definitely wouldn't mind though him being right and this team going down in history as one of the top-3 or so teams. Too much can happen between now and then though to have any clue how this team will do this year. All I can say is I cannot wait for this season to kick into high gear...

Tony Gonzalez says the Denver Broncos will go undefeated - Mile High Report

 

[TDs3nOut]

I also read that this morning. On one level it is gratifying that Gonzalez thinks so highly of the squad that we figure to field. More than the 19-0 prediction, however, I think the important point is that he qualified that prediction with "if healthy". Also agree with the writers conclusion that 18-1 will do just fine, so long as we win that last game.

 

[cdumler7]

Yeah whatever the regular season record all that matters in the end is whether we win the last game of the season. I can be completely happy going 9-7 in the regular season and sneaking into the playoffs to only then go on and win the Super Bowl. Hardly anybody remembers what you did in the regular season if you win the Super Bowl.

 

[iknowftbll]

I gotta tell you, I am excited for this team, but I'll be stunned if they pull 19-0. This is a tough slate, and even if the teams on the schedule are not as good this year as they were last year, these are still NFL teams. The 6-7 Chargers came into Denver and handed the 11-2 Broncos a loss.

Now I firmly believe as I look at the schedule the Broncos are capable of beating every team on the slate. But we all know teams have their ups and downs, off days, or sometimes will just run into a team that has a great day. Or...a combination of all of the above (Super Bowl...)

I definitely think this roster is better than last year and with good fortune (read: good health) stays with them all year, a 12-4 finish in the regular season is the worst I can see from them. I think they may be playing during wild card weekend in this year's playoffs, but that's okay. But all this is just speculation. Is it just me or is this preseason obscenely long?

 

[Wamu]

19-0 isn't happening but the Broncos will be exciting to watch again this year.

 

[WizardHawk]

If the league is serious about calling contact as small as they have in preseason I'm betting on Denver to be the run away favorites this year as well, as long as Peyton is healthy and his line stays in tact all year.

This is going to be the year of the passing offense to be sure and who does it better?

Only question is which QB will take most advantage of it in the NFC? Saints? Packers?

 

[DownSetHutch]

Whatever, Seattle fan. Your compliment, while I'm sure is partially sincere, is a pretty thin veil for an attempt to make excuses in advance for the Seahawks when they fail to have the same success as last year. And to bitch in advance for the refereeing. The Seahawks got away with more contact and physicality than any other team last year, and they basically boasted that the refs would not stop them, which they didn't. So the NFL stepped in and will put a stop to it this year.

Seattle will still be a top team, but it will be interesting to see how they perform when the refs are not afraid to call PI/defensive holding/illegal contact multiple plays in a row, until it is actually stopped. If they are as good defensively this year as they were last year, I will be impressed. I just don't expect they will be.

Having said all that, I don't want to see the game become any softer and offensive-oriented than it already is. The refs just need to have the intestinal fortitude to call penalties every time they occur, regardless of how it affects the flow of the game.

 

[WizardHawk]

First of all, I don't make excuses. The over emphasis is something pretty much no one has liked and as has been pointed out, Seattle wasn't nearly as bad at those contact calls as people seem to accuse them of. Their reputation is worse than the reality. I have no doubt Carroll will adjust and have them playing well.

Second, I don't troll or bait on team boards. Just don't.

If it isn't obvious that big time passing offenses will benefit from a major shift in what they call illegal contact against WR's then I don't know what is. While there are plenty of QB's that can thread the needle and take advantage of the extra room this will create, none have as complete of a team as Denver does provided of course that they are much more lucky with injuries than they were last year on that defense.

I'll take by your tone that your board may not want legit conversations from Seahawk posters so I'll respect that and escort myself out.

Enjoy the ride guys, should be a hell of a season for your team.

 

[iknowftbll]

This POE is so overblown. Every preseason there is something that has the refs throwing flags like their lives depend on it. This season it's the illegal contact/holding. It will simmer down once the regular season begins.

 

[cdumler7]

The NFL does this every year where they try to "scare teams straight." They talk about how they are going to enforce a rule so everybody better get on board and use the preseason when viewership is down to prove their point to then relax quite a bit during the season. It is just like a teacher who comes on tough at first to make sure the kids take them serious but then as the year goes on backs off a bit. I'm sure it will be called a bit more this year than last but not enough to make a significant difference in passing numbers in my opinion.


And honestly the teams I see this benefitting the most are those with running quarterbacks that can keep a play alive. I have already seen it quite a bit where Wilson keeps a play alive for Seattle to then get a nice 3rd down call for his team. How he escapes like he does just ticks me off. He is such a little guy you would think a 250 lb. linebacker should be able to take him down no problem.

 

[WizardHawk]

I thought the same thing, but if you listen to the interviews with league officials and coaches on what they are hearing, the rules as they are being enforced now are exactly what the league wants. They simply anticipate that teams will adjust to them and that will reduce the number of penalties. We will then be left with likely more sacks/hurries/knockdowns because of the offensive holding/hands to the face calls and much more open receivers down field as NO contact of any kind can happen now past 5 yards.

Penalties in NFL preseason games up 44 percent from last year - The Washington Post
Dean Blandino expects penalties to decrease - NFL.com

Sure, every team will have to adjust and those that do it best will win. The Seahawks took full advantage of the rules as they were last year, but it was more luck on injuries that put them where they were compared to their biggest competition than those advantages in the rules. This year a team best suited to adjust to both of those rule emphasis changes will likely put themselves in that same position, again barring injury.

You say Wilson, but everyone knows there are routes he can't/doesn't hit. He does live for the broken play and excels at it, but a true passer is going to tear up secondaries this year. If you want an elusive QB that can also destroy you in passing, you are talking about Rodgers and maybe Brees, hell even Foles might light it up. At least in the NFC. Don't count Brady out as someone that will find more open receivers either, just don't think they have enough of everything else to really take out Denver. Same with Luck/Colts.

I wasn't coming over here whining or making up excuses, I evaluate what I see and I honestly think this is Denver's year to win it if the injury bug doesn't bite them. I say enjoy the year and keep your fingers crossed on the injury front.

As for week 3 in Seattle, of course I think Seattle should still be favored as they are hard to beat at home, but neither team will lose their bid to repeat based on the outcome of that game. Honestly I care far more about the GB game because of the 'fail mary' rematch game.

Good luck to you all.

 

[cdumler7]

Week 3 honestly is probably season wise one of the least important games on our schedule. It is an out of division game so a loss to either team at least when it comes to playoff seeding will mean very little. Obviously there is the whole Super Bowl rematch that plays into it so the emotional side of the game is what makes it important. I'm excited for that game to see how our new team this year matches up with that of Seattle as many of our moves this season were based on what happened in that game and other ones where we were just out physicalled.


I do think teams will adjust as we get more into the season. I also think though the officials will calm down a bit and allow the teams to play a bit more. They have done this every year where they emphasize a certain penalty or penalties and then as the season progresses they seem to not call it as often. Now obviously some of that is teams adjusting but I do think some of it is officials just letting the players play and not trying to become a huge part of the game. So in this instance that 5-yard contact might turn into 7-yards as the season progresses.


I also think Seattle will adjust to the new rules probably better than most teams. Above anything else in that secondary they have intelligence. As much as I hate Sherman the guy is very intelligent. The same with Thomas. They both have great physical skills but there are lots of players that have those. Usually intelligence for the game is what separates the good from the great. That is why I think Seattle has actually been one of the fewest penalized teams for those points of emphasis in the preseason so far. They can adjust quicker than most.


Anyway good luck to you too WizardHawk. Wouldn't mind seeing a Super Bowl rematch with the chance for some real revenge this year.