Flipping a conversation seems like a difficult process. Someone is discussing a topic and you want to prove the other side. How do you approach it? How do you not offend? How do you prove you are ultimately on the right side? It all boils down to two words….yeah, but. The “yeah” confirms the other person’s opinion and the “but” prefaces what you knowledge you are about to drop.
The Denver Broncos have made moves this offseason. The filled holes, they added depth and they added talent. Now is the yeah, but…
The draft and free agency added some key components to the Broncos roster. The QB of the future, the running back of the future and strong depth in a defensive backfield already set at starter highlight the draft. Free agency brought new offensive linemen and Mark Sanchez, the QB of the present. A pretty good haul overall. Yeah, but a team built on a defense needs to limit turnovers on offense to be able to last the whole season and finish at a high level. Mark Sanchez is one of the most turnover prone QBs in the league. He averages just shy of 2 turnovers a game (1.8 turnovers).
The new offensive lineman and reshuffling of holdovers from 2015 should bring some more stable offensive line play. Yeah, but The offensive line play last year was the biggest weakness in 2015 and there is nothing to indicate two older free agent offensive lineman added to the mix will make it better. If Mark Sanchez gets the same time to throw as Peyton Manning did last year 2016 will be a drastically different story than 2015.
Devontae Booker is a solid all-around back that carried the University of Utah at times during his career. He can catch, block and run. A terrific value for the Broncos no matter who you talk to. Yeah, but the questionable offensive line play mentioned above, Devontae coming off injury, CJ Anderson not being healthy in 2015 and Ronnie Hillman being Ronnie Hillman does not point to a huge uptick in run production.
The defense is great. Last year it was all-time great. It was compared to the great defenses of the recent past. The 1985 Chicago Bears, The 2000 Baltimore Ravens and The 2002 Tamp Bay Bucs. They were great and should build around this D. Yeah, but the defenses listed above all have one thing in common. They did not repeat. They were not able to bottle up the greatness and open it up the next year on the way to another championship.
The Broncos can definitely compete for a Super Bowl in 2016. The roster is still solid and built to compete at a high level in the AFC. They just need to round out some edges and keep the yeah, buts to a minimum.
