Denver Broncos Betting – Big Changes Means No Postseason For The Broncos

Denver’s online betting chances for the upcoming 2011 season may be stunted by some massive changes throughout the organization, from the top all the way down, and on both sides of the ball. There is some promise on the team, but it’s not going to happen overnight, so it should be another long season for the fans at Mile High.

• Head Coach: John Fox
• Offensive Coordinator: Mike McCoy
• Defensive Coordinator: Dennis Allen
• Owner: Pat Bowlen
• Stadium: INVESCO Field at Mile High
• Capacity: 76,125
• Super Bowl Wins: 2

Offense

It looks like the Tim Tebow era is beginning in Denver under new head coach John Fox, who will keep Mike McCoy as the coordinator. Kyle Orton probably won’t make it to the first week of the season as the Broncos are shipping him around, but he had the Broncos in 13th when it came to total offense, and he was ranked 15th in passer rating for his best season as a professional. Tebow showed some promise in the last two games of the season, but he still has some things to work on, such as mechanics. Brandon Lloyd exploded to lead the NFL in receiving yards, while Eddie Royal moves up in the pecking order to replace the departed Jabar Gaffney. Demaryius Thomas won’t be ready until Thanksgiving at the earliest because of an Achilles injury, which means there is room for another receiver to step up.

However, the line struggled in 2010, giving up 40 sacks and they were 26th in the league in rushing. Granted, some of the sacks could have been avoided as Orton isn’t very mobile, and you have to put some of the blame on the Denver running backs, but it all starts with a push up front. Knowshon Moreno may be on his final chance to prove he should be the No.1 back in Denver, but don’t be surprised if the Broncos bring in some competition to push the former first-round pick.

Grade: C+

Defense

In a word, awful: the Broncos were the worst defense in the league last year, ranking 25th against the pass and 31st against the run. Coordinator Don Martindale was fired and replaced by Dennis Allen, who was the secondary coach in New Orleans, and he has some good pieces at the back led by Champ Bailey, who remains one of the top three cornerbacks in the NFL at 33 years old. The Broncos will also have a healthy Elvis Dumervil as the end missed all of last season with a torn pectoral muscle, and along with rookie Von Miller, the Broncos should have a feared pass rush, which will help the secondary out. Don’t forget, Dumervil lead the league in sacks two years ago, and a pass rush can do wonders for a team’s NFL betting odds. Third-round pick Nate Irving as the inside track on the starting spot at middle linebacker, and don’t be surprised if another rookie, Rahim Moore, sees more time at safety than people think.

However, it’s not going to be a quick fix for the Broncos as there are a lot of young players, and they’re playing under a new system. Allen’s defenses in New Orleans were known for their ability to create takeaways, and the Broncos were tied for last in the AFC in that category. Allen and Fox have to be patient with the young Denver players because there is talent there, it just has to come together, so it may be a long year.

Grade: C-

Special Teams

Denver had seven players returning kickoffs last year, but they were still seventh in the league, and you can expect Eric Decker and Royal to take most of them this year. In the punt-return game, the Broncos were 16th in the NFL thanks to Royal. Coverage was a different story as the Broncos were 24th in punts and 29th in kicks, which put the defense on the back foot from the start.

Britton Colquitt was 11th in average punting, but 22nd in net thanks to the poor coverage team, and he’ll back. Matt Prater is a restricted free agent who wants to come back to Denver, and the Broncos will welcome him back with open arms. Prater was tied for seventh among kicks, hitting 88.7% of his field goals and at 26, he is only getting better.

Grade: C+

Prediction

The Broncos are the darkhorses of the AFC West according to NFL betting odds, coming in at +800 to win the division, +2900 to win the AFC and a +6500 longshot to win the Super Bowl for the third time in their history. The man who was instrumental in the first two Super Bowl wins was John Elway, who is now the Executive VP of Football Operations, and he has a major say in how the Broncos will be shaped.

There is a change in culture in the front office, and a new head coach in Fox, although he has plenty of experience from his eight years in Carolina, where he led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2003. The biggest question to be answered obviously comes at quarterback, as Orton is very likely to be traded, and that puts a lot of pressure on Tebow, who was a winner at Florida, but the pro game is much different and teams will make adjustments against him. Defensively, the Broncos are also young and learning a new system, so that will take some time. Betting on Denver’s odds would be a risky sports betting play.

2011 Schedule

• Week 1 – vs. Denver (Monday, 10:15 PM ET)
• Week 2 – vs. Cincinnati (4:15 PM ET)
• Week 3 – at Tennessee (1:00 PM ET)
• Week 4 – at Green Bay (4:15 PM ET)
• Week 5 – vs. San Diego (4:15 PM ET)
• Week 7 – at Miami (1:00 PM ET)
• Week 8 – vs. Detroit (4:05 PM ET)
• Week 9 - at Oakland (4:05 PM ET)
• Week 10 – at Kansas City (1:00 PM ET)
• Week 11 – vs. New York Jets (Thursday, 8:20 PM ET)
• Week 12 – at San Diego (4:15 PM ET)
• Week 13 – at Minnesota (4:05 PM ET)
• Week 14 – vs. Chicago (4:05 PM ET)
• Week 15 – vs. New England (4:15 PM ET)
• Week 16 – at Buffalo (Saturday, 1:00 PM ET)
• Week 17 – vs. Kansas City (4:15 PM ET