Many people say that one of the hardest things to do in sports is to win championships in back-to-back seasons. This is especially true in football, where a team could go from winning the Super Bowl to not even making the playoffs the following season. No team has won consecutive Super Bowls since the New England Patriots did so in 2004 and 2005.
Coming off of a miraculous Super Bowl winning season in 2015, the Denver Broncos will face some tough tasks as their training camp is set to start on July 28. For starters, they lost both of their quarterbacks from last season, as Peyton Manning retired and Brock Osweiler signed with the Houston Texans to be their new starting quarterback. They also lost two defensive players to free agency: defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan.
In terms of the positives, the Broncos did sign linebacker Von Miller to a huge contract, with $70 million just in guaranteed money. Prior to this, Miller and the Broncos went back and forth with different negotiations, but eventually got the deal done a few hours before the deadline. Miller was deserving of the money, as he made huge plays throughout the playoffs, especially in the Super Bowl.
The Broncos enter training camp with a bit of a quarterback competition for the starting job, as Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch, and Trevor Siemian are all competing for the top spot. However, there have been rumors that Sanchez looks to be the front-runner for the job. Many people have different opinions on Sanchez, but he did take the New York Jets to two straight AFC championship games in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. If he can play consistent and not have a lot of turnovers, the Broncos should have a good season.
The biggest problem for the Broncos last year was the offense. Manning had the worst season of his career and players such as running back C.J. Anderson and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas were inconsistent for most of the season. The defense, however, was not a problem, as they were ranked fourth in the NFL in points allowed (18.5) and first in passing yards allowed (199.6). This is causing some Broncos players, such as safety T.J. Ward, to say that their defense can be the best of all-time.
Another problem for the team last season was their offensive line. Offensive tackle Ryan Clady, who is now with the Jets, missed all of last season due to injury and it showed. Many say Anderson had a bad year and called him a “bust,” but a running back cannot excel if he does not have good blocking in front of him. The Broncos fixed this problem by signing former Seattle Seahawk Russell Okung to help the offensive line out.
The Broncos definitely face some questions heading into training camp, but there is nothing that they won’t be able to deal with. They basically have the same offense with a different quarterback and the defense is just about the same except for the loss of two players.
The team had one of the worst offenses in the league last season, but they still won their division and eventually the Super Bowl based on their outstanding defense alone. If the offense can be a little better and the defense as dominate as they were last season, then there is no cause for concern in Broncos Country.
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