Mile High Madness

After a 5-8 start in 2014 the Denver Broncos decided to change the culture of the organization and make a head coaching change. The Broncos hired Geno Polanco and he immediately caused controversy with his first coaching moves. Polanco changed the entire scheme of the Broncos by going to a more run oriented offense and switching back to a 4-3 defense. Alex Smith, who was signed to 5 year, $32m contract in the previous offseason, was immediately benched by Polanco for their 23 year old gun-slinger Brock Osweiler.
Osweiler struggled in his first start under Polanco by throwing 5 interceptions in a blow-out loss to Carolina, but Polanco reiterated that Osweiler was the future of the organization. The Broncos managed to finish the season on a high (at least high-er) note by winnning their winning their final two games.

Many questions swirled in Denver about what the Broncos should do in the offseason. Is Brock Osweiler the answer at QB? What will they do about their below average receiving core? Is their secondary good enough for a playoff push? What moves will they make to transition back to a 4-3 defense while dealing with a horrible salary cap situation?

Once the offseason started, the Broncos seemed to go after a lot of their former players that the previous coach (Josh McDaniels Jr.?) traded away and/or let go to free agency.
The Broncos started by trading Pro Bowl LB Tamba Hali and 3rd string CB Jarrett Bush to the hated Chiefs for LB Wesley Woodyard and CB Chris Harris. They also made a few questionable moves by trading their 2015 1st round pick to the Bengals for former Broncos SS Quinton Carter and trading their 2015 2nd round pick to the Bills for former Broncos FS Rahim Moore. These moves raised concerns considering they traded their only Pro Bowler and high draft picks, but it established a defensive personnel that fit the 4-3 scheme.

The Broncos biggest concern going into the free agency period would be how they would manage their horrible salary cap situation. The Broncos released 10 players in order to free up enough cap to franchise their starting CB Kyle Wilson and give them enough room to make a few free agent signings. The Broncos managed to sign multiple players they targeted in free agency. They were able to sign former Colorado University CB Jimmy Smith, former Broncos WR and fan favorite Eddie Royal, former RB Ronnie Hillman and a solid coverage/special teams LB in Brian Rolle.
After the free agency period, the Broncos already managed to answer many questions that the Broncos fans wondered going into the offseason. They established their personnel for a 4-3 defense, solidified their secondary, and improved their receiving core. While answering those questions, they were also able to obtain established special teams players and players that are well liked by the fans. Once the preseason started, the Broncos were also able to obtain former Broncos WR Brandon Lloyd and former Broncos TE Joel Dreessen via free agency.

With a huge culture change in the mile high city, it's only a matter of time before we can know if these moves will payoff.

The Denver Broncos coaching change to bring in Geno Polanco as their head coach has seemed to payoff so far. The Broncos are not only an improved team, both on paper and on the field, but they are off to a 4-0 start to the 2015 season. They are 1 of only 2 teams in the rugged AFC to still have a 0 in the loss column. They have looked very impressive in those 4 wins by winning by at least 28 points in every game. Even more impressive is that 2 of those 4 wins were against division rivals giving them an early lead in the AFC West standings. The Broncos have a good shot at going into their bye week at a perfect 6-0 record and 3-0 in their division.

They have managed to get off to this strong start despite being hit hard by the injury bug early on and losing 3 key players to injuries. They lost 3 offensive weapons to injuries: WR/KR Eddie Royal (4 weeks), Starting HB Al Bostick (4 weeks), and WR Brandon Lloyd (7 weeks).
The depth the Broncos acquired via free agency and the draft has seemed to pay off for them, making their head coach Geno Polanco look like a genius.
With their starting HB Al Bostick out for the first 4 weeks the Broncos split carries between their veteran HB Shonn Greene and newly acquired HB's Ronnie Hillman (Free Agency) and Harold Barnes (Draft). Shonn Greene's time in Denver would come to an end however. The Broncos released the overpaid, regressing veteran in favor of signing 25 year old, former VA Tech stand out, Ryan Williams.

Their running backs stepped up to make up for the loss of Al Bostick:
Ronnie Hillman - 43 carries, 378 yards (8.8 YPC), 7 total TD's
Harold Barnes - 28 carries, 182 yards (6.5 YPC), 2 total TD's
Ryan Williams (1 GM) - 8 carries, 89 yards (11.1 YPC), 2 total TD's

Losing two WR's (Eddie Royal and Brandon Lloyd) raised concerns with what they would do to fill the void at WR and their return game. The Broncos moved their inexperienced WR Corin Ballard to the starting lineup and he excelled:
Corin Ballard – 14 catches, 283 yards, 4 TD's

All of the Broncos offseason acquisitions have stepped up and given a strong contribution to their 4-0 start:
CB Chris Harris – 4 INT's
CB Jimmy Smith – 4 INT's, 2 Defensive TD's
FS Rahim Moore - 1 INT
SS Quinton Carter – 1 INT
LB Wesley Woodyard – 8 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 FF
LB Brian Rolle – 9 Tackles, 1 Sack, 3 Pass Deflections

A lot of the credit for the Broncos 4-0 start needs to go to the head coach Geno Polanco and the consistent confidence he has shown in his young QB Brock Osweiler. Osweiler has shown that he has what it takes to lead this team:
Brock Osweiler – 71/103 (68%), 965 Yards, 10 TD, 5 INT, 110.6 QB Rating, (1 Rushing TD).

The Denver Broncos organization seem to be all-in on Geno Polanco as their head coach and their fans feel confident Polanco will give the city their first Super Bowl since the John Elway era. With the Broncos getting healthier, the confidence in Denver couldn't be higher. They hope to head into their bye week with a 6-0 record, which will be very important as they enter a very difficult part of their schedule.

Upcoming Games:
@ Kansas City Chiefs
@ Pittsburgh Steelers

Waiver Wire: The Denver Broncos claimed CB Antoine Cason off waivers, giving the Broncos a great addition to their secondary for the remainder of the season.

The Denver Broncos went into their bye with 5-1 record after a disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-1). The Broncos got off to a rocky start against the Steelers by falling into a 21-0 deficit after the 1st quarter. They seemed to kick into gear by outscoring Pittsburgh 28-10 in the final 3 quarters but fell short after a redzone interception thrown by Brock Osweiler with 30 seconds remaining.
The Broncos just didn't show up to play. Their offensive line failed in the running game, receivers were dropping open passes, and the defensive secondary was frequently burned.

The Broncos can't be too upset about their first loss of the year. Nearly coming back from a 21 point deficit on the road is something to take as a positive and this prepares the Broncos for a brutal next two games. They take on the defending AFC champion Houston Texans (4-2) and the defending Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins (6-0). Going into Houston won't be as difficult as the Broncos first thought due to Texans QB Matt Schaub still serving a 2 game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league. It will also help the Broncos having WR Brandon Lloyd back from injury, giving Brock Osweiler a reliable target in the passing game. Even though the Broncos will be well prepared and completely healthy coming off their bye week, their game against Houston will be a tough win to pull off on the road.



7 Week Summary:

AFC West
-Denver Broncos (5-1)
-San Diego Chargers (4-3)
-Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
-Oakland Raiders (2-5)

Brock Osweiler: 106.1 QB rating, 1,606 yards passing, 16 TD's, 9 INT's, 1 rushing TD.

Leading Rusher:
Ronnie Hillman, 55 rushes, 444 yards, 8.1 YPC, 6 TD's.

Leading Receivers:
Eric Decker, 29 catches, 318 yards, 4 TD's.
Corin Ballard, 19 catches, 425 yards, 5 TD's.

Defensive Standouts:
OLB Von Miller, 12 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble.
DE Elvis Dumervil, 12 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 7 sacks.
SS Richie Martin, 21 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 4 INT's, 1 TD.
CB Chris Harris, 13 tackles, 5 INT's, 1 defensive TD.
OLB Brian Rolle, 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 INT's.

The Denver Broncos are carrying a 6 game win streak heading into week 16 after a big win on the road against the San Diego Chargers. After a 3 game slump in the middle of the season, the Broncos are on a dominating roll. They have scored at least 42 points in their last 6 games with a point differential of 340 points. This hot streak has put the Broncos in good position for a first round bye in the playoffs.

They have been carried by a strong team performance. Brock Osweiler has played very smart, their running game has been phenomenal, and their defense has been dominant. Things are looking good for the Broncos right now and if they can take control of the #1 seed in the AFC, they will be a tough out in the playoffs.

This 6 game roll has gotten national attention and it has showed in the Pro Bowl voting. The Broncos currently have 10 players in position to make the Pro Bowl this year... for the Broncos sake, let's hope none of those players are actually in Hawaii when the game is played.


14 Week Summary:

AFC West
Denver Broncos (11-3)
Kansas City Chiefs (7-6)
San Diego Chargers (6-8)
Oakland Raiders (2-11)


Broncos Pro Bowl Voting Leaders:

QB
2. Brock Osweiler
115.9 QB Rating, 3,752 Passing Yards, 42 TD's, 21 INT's, 66% Pass Completion Percentage, 1 Rushing TD

HB
1. Ronnie Hillman
136 Carries, 1,065 Yards (7.8 YPC), 17 TD's, 18 Receptions, 157 Yards, 2 TD's

FB
2. Michael Robinson

WR
4. Eric Decker
66 Receptions, 1,127 Yards, 11 TD's

8. Eddie Royal
24 Receptions, 608 Yards, 9 TD's, 1 KR TD

OL
1. LT Ryan Clady – 1 Sack Allowed
1. RG Chris Kuper – 1 Sack Allowed
2. RT Branden Albert – 2 Sacks Allowed

LOLB
2. Von Miller
37 Tackles, 24 Tackles For Loss, 18 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble

K
1. Matt Prater (31/31, FG Long – 58 Yards)