Broncos buzz.....

OK, who predicted the Denver Broncos would start the season 6-0? Umm, anyone? I'm not even sure you could find anyone being paid by the Broncos who would have seen this coming. Let's go back, because if we look again at the Broncos offseason, we should be able see this perfect record after six games staring us in the face.

Last December, the Broncos are 8-5 and only have to win one game to take the AFC West division. Three losses in a row, including a 31 point loss (it wasn't even that close) at the hands of the Chargers to give San Diego the division ended 2008. OK, not good, but Denver has a 2 time Super Bowl coach in Mike Shanahan, a franchise QB in Jay Cutler, and a top 5 WR in Brandon Marshall. A few adjustments to the defense, and all should be good.

Three days after the Charger loss, Broncos' owner, Pat Bowlen, fires Mike Shanahan, and less then 2 weeks later, hires Patriots' assistant coach, Josh McDaniels, who in turn, tries to trade for his old QB in New England, Matt Cassel, which ends up annoying his current QB, Cutler, who demands a trade. Finally, on April 2nd, with the situation deteriorating, the Broncos trade their All-Pro QB, Cutler, to the Chicago Bears. Then to top it all off, their best remaining player, Marshall, has problems with his coach/team, causes a disturbance during a practice, and gets himself suspended for the last 2 preseason games. A three win season looked like a lock. I know I was sure thinking that way.

Instead, six weeks into the season, and the Broncos are perfect, with wins over the Cowboys, Patriots and Chargers the past three weeks. They are shutting people down with great team defense, including allowing only 10 points in these six second halves. Kyle Orton, who replaced Cutler, has been great, with only one interception, and that was on a Hail Mary pass to end the first half of the Patriots' game.

So, does the ride keep going? For the last three weeks I have said no and picked against them, but after last night's win over the Chargers, in San Diego, I am now part of the Bronco Believers. A solid defense, along with a descent running game, and a QB who doesn't turn the ball over sure seems like the formula for good things. Add in a young coach with lots of energy, plus a rabid fan base, and this does seem to have the makings for a special season.

It also shows how close the teams are in the NFL from season to season. A few tweaks, and some good breaks can turn a bad team into a good team, and also that the opposite is true (ie: Tennessee, but that's another column).

So looking at the remaining schedule ahead of them, I can see them going 6-4 or 5-5 the rest of the way, which will give them an 11 or 12 win season. What about the rest of you? Are these Broncos for real? What do think was/is the difference and what do you see happening the rest of the way?