Preseason Gibberish and Regular Season Predictions

What did we learn from this weekend's preseason game? One, we learned that Matt Prater can kick the crap out of a football, just not in the desired direction. I personally just learned that Matt Prater did not have a kicking coach in college; apparently, he just flailed like a madman, which makes me all the more excited that he is Jason Elam's replacement. Shanahan really is a gambler - .500 football here we come! Two, we learned that the running game lacks power, especially without Ryan Torain, and that Selvin Young is more of a Barry Sanders type than an Earl Campbell type. Not a surprise really, but exactly how many Super Bowls did Barry play in? Well, you get my point. Third, we learned that the NFL is really all about the QB. The Broncos of 2008 greatly resemble the Broncos of 1988 - they both featured an incredibly talented QB and that's about it. Finally, we were reminded that preseason games are a nuisance that serve to make money for owners, injure otherwise healthy players, and provide forums for gibberish.

Below you will find slightly more intelligent, and slightly less belligerent gibberish - a prognostication of the first 8 games of 2008:

W @ Oakland (9/8) - I'm not Raider Hating on this one. Well, okay maybe a little, but I truly believe the Broncos will win this one even without Brandon Marshall. The Raiders are too new at too many key positions including coach, QB, and possibly even RB. Plus, Shanahan plans for these games like no other. Shanahan likes to win on the big stage and this is a Monday night game against a bitter rival. It should be close because the Raider defense is stout, but the Broncos should win a close one.

L home San Diego (9/14) - There are a lot of problems with this one. First, the Broncos will come off a short week from the Monday Night Opener against the Raiders. They will have to play nearly flawlessly to win in Oakland, which will leave them slightly tired and less than perfect against San Diego. Second, the Chargers are returning nearly every starter on both sides of the ball from last year's team, a team which punished the Broncos in painful and embarassing ways. Twice. Plus, this is the team that took the Patriots to the brink in last year's AFC championship. They are not just good, they are playing for nothing less than the Super Bowl and they're mad enough to take it out on opponents every week. Even if the Broncos manage to play a perfect game, San Diego is just too good. Third, the loss of Marshall hurts the most against the Chargers. His presence would open up the field and give the running game a chance against one of the best front-seven in the NFL. And there's always the chance that he'd make a game-changing play. However, if the Broncos win this one it'd be the upset of the week and maybe shake things up in the AFC a bit.

W home New Orleans (9/21) - I'm being generous here. The Broncos might not even be favorites in this game. The Saints look to have a stellar team this season. However, the Broncos should get Brandon Marshall back for this one, and the Saints will have to play outside the comfort of a dome. Also in the Broncos favor, the trio of Bailey, Bly, and Foxworth ought to make life a little harder for Drew Brees. A problem arises if Deuce McAllister is healthy. The Broncos will have to stop him if they hope to control the clock and steal this one. If Deuce is out and Boss Bailey starts opposite DJ Williams, the Broncos have an even shot. Don't discount the homefield advantage which helped the Broncos steal one against Pittsburgh last year.

W @ KC (9/28) - This should be a gimme. If it isn't, they might as well call it a season. The Chiefs will blast the defensive line with Larry Johnson. Denver should play eight and even nine guys in the box and dare Brodie Croyle to beat us. And he won't. He doesn't have any weapons aside from Johnson. If we stop him, we win. In fact, we don't even have to stop him. Slowing him down a little will probably do the trick, especially since the Broncos offense should be potent against a rebuilding Chiefs defense. I have nightmares, though, about Larry Johnson steamrolling Marlon McCree.

W home Tampa Bay (10/5) - This is another close-call that should go for the hometown team. Tampa Bay was solid last year. Jeff Garcia made it the ProBowl, the defense regained some of their dominance, and the running game finally found their man in Earnest Graham. The Bucs haven't really lost anything coming into 2008. This one should come down to how good a QB Jay Cutler really is. He can and should win this one with his arm. Michael Pittman should have a solid game catching balls out of the backfield against his old team, Brandon Marshall should have a coming out game, and the Broncos can send 3, 4, even 5 wide-receivers out and find success. Again, this is all dependent on the defense containing the run and letting the offense control the clock.

L home Jacksonville (10/12) - Man for man, pound for pound, Jacksonville is a superior team. Their running game is unparalleled (ranked #2 last season). Their QB is solid and virtually flawless (only 3 INT's last season). Their defense resembles a brick wall (no meaningful stat necessary - those guys are simply big, fast, and mean). Our only chance is to keep things close and hope for a last-second field goal. Hence the loss. But moral victories count, and hopefully the Broncos can keep it close. A drubbing would hurt morale. Besides, if things go well, this will only be the second loss of the year.

L @ New England (10/20) - There's really no reason for the Patriots to lose any games this year either, especially at home. This is a vengeance year and the Broncos are just a bump on the road. If the Pats needed any more bulletin-board fodder for this one, here it is: Bill Belichick has had three meaningful playoff losses in the last three years. One came from the Broncos. It won't happen twice. Not in the regular season, not at home, and not against a very average Broncos team.

W home Miami (11/02) - Do I even need to explain this one? Didn't think so.

5-3 at the halfway point is plausible. Optimistic but within reason. The schedule gets decidedly easier in the second half of the season, which means the playoffs are a distinct possibility if the Broncos can start strong.