The NFL odds for the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl just keep climbing. The Broncos finished the 2008 season about as well Mike Tyson finished his boxing career, which has led to this tailspin of events.
The Mike Shanahan and Jay Cutler-led Broncos were sitting pretty at 8-5 with a three-game lead in the NFC West in early December. Fast forward through a three-game losing streak and a missed playoff opportunity, and the party began.
Head coach and general manager Mike Shanahan’s firing was nothing short of a surprise. Most people were betting management would undoubtedly bring him back after injuries hampered the team’s success, and not coaching.
After Shanahan was removed, 32-year-old offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was made head coach and the Broncos were off and running. McDaniels immediately tried to trade for his former project, Matt Cassel, and in doing so pissed off current Pro Bowler, Jay Cutler.
No problem – the Broncos simply traded Cutler away.
After the Broncos sent the face of their franchise packing, it looked like there would be a calm after the storm. Incorrect.
Now Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall is also requesting a trade, which will soon be granted to him.
Broncos fans are completely downtrodden. They look like they are going to head into the coming season without their two best players, which is like Wimbledon betting fans watching the Grand Slam without Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal in the tournament.
Last year, all the Broncos had was Shanahan, Cutler and Marshall. Now they have absolutely nothing.
Their defense was horrendous last year and very little attention has been paid to it this offseason. Veteran safety Brian Dawkins was one of the few additions but don’t bank on a 36-year-old to turn around the 30th-ranked scoring defense. Furthermore, the Broncos cut cornerback Dre Bly and their other stalwart starter, Champ Bailey, started to wear down.
On offense, Shanahan churned out 1000-yard runner one after the other but now the Broncos won’t even be able to rely on that anymore as McDaniels is a different type of coach.
This has been one of the worst offseasons in NFL history and it’s all been orchestrated by the young McDaniels. NFL daily picks won’t be backing his team very often, especially not after their offseason included canning a potential Hall-of-Fame coach and dismissing a Pro Bowl quarterback and wideout.
Now they’ll head into the season with Kyle Orton as their top quarterback and Eddie Royal as their best wideout. On defense, their whole unit is still in flux.
While new coaches sometimes have a honeymoon period, McDaniels has fast tracked past that stage and is already on the hot seat. It will be a very long year in Denver.
