Denver Broncos - NFL Season Information, Trivia and History

2011-12 NFL Season

After posting the worst win/loss record in franchise history last season, the Broncos are looking to get back into the game of winning and have hired on two legit winners to help get them there. New Head Coach John Fox (who took his former team the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII and the 2005 NFC Championship) was one of five possible choices. Fox was chosen because of his 20+ years experience in the NFL and signed a 4 year contract. Also coming on board this season is Hall of Fame QB John Elway who takes over as Executive Vice President for Football Operations and while Brian Xanders is still the GM, all football related decisions will run through Elway.

The draft will also help to change the Broncos fortunes as they selected Texas A&M monster Von Miller, a 6-2 OLB with 4.42 speed with a 37 inch vertical. "His athleticism at 248 pounds matched up with average starting corners and receivers in the league,” GM Xanders said. But his production, graded off the tape, was so rare. And his mismatch ability; there were tackles he'd run by and they wouldn't touch him."

Other notable draft selections that could make an immediate impact on the roster are FS Rahim Moore who could usurp the free safety position from Renaldo Hill; S Quinton Carter could take over for the injury riddled Darcel McBath. Look for Carter to bring his hard hitting to the NFL and Oklahoma DE Jeremy Beal who was a 3-year starter that collected 28 sacks to help pace the defense.

Outlook: Denver has shored up a bunch of soft positions in the draft and has anywhere from 4 to 6 rookies that will make an immediate impact. The team is also very deep at the QB position and could trade Orton or Quinn for another impact player leaving Tim Tebow to run the team. With a defensive minded head coach, look for the team defense to move from last in 2010 to top 10 this season, John Fox has done it before.

Denver Archives

The Denver Broncos are a franchise that can be epitomized in two words… John Elway. The Hall of Fame quarterback was one of the guys that was in the same class as Dan Marino and Charles Barkley where they were incredible players but never got the ring that would’ve made their careers complete. Elway was one of the guys mentioned with them until the 1997 season. In 1997 the team finished the regular season with a 12-4 record that got them second in the division and a playoff berth, their 12 th in franchise history. In the first round of the playoffs the Broncos matched up with the Jacksonville Jaguars who had beaten the Broncos in the playoff a year earlier. The Broncos blasted the Jags out of the playoffs with a score of 42-17. In the second round the Kansas City Chiefs who had split the two games with the Broncos during the regular season but still won the AFC West. The Broncos barely got by the Chiefs in front of the hostile Kansas City crowd by a score of 14-10. The only thing that was standing between a Super Bowl appearance and the Denver Broncos were the Pittsburgh Steelers who were the other Wild Card team to make it into the playoffs from the AFC that year. The Broncos pulled off another barnburner where they just slipped past the Steelers by a score of 24-21. In the Super Bowl the Broncos had to face the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers who were led by a Hall of Fame quarterback of their own, Brett Favre. The game was back and fourth all night and then the quarterback that could, John Elway sparked his team to victory. In the third quarter, with the score tied at 17-17, on a 3 rd and six play Elway couldn’t find a receiver so he scrambled to his right and saw some running room. Elway then flung his body in the air and is hit by LeRoy Butler and then hit from the other side by Mark Prior and helicopters his way past the first down marker. Elway then got up and started pumping his fist where a lesser man would’ve taken a play or two off. After that play the Broncos scored and never looked back winning the game 31-24. The Broncos won their first Super Bowl ever and would win the next years Super Bowl where Elway would be named the MVP and retire on top the way every great athlete should retire.

Last season the Broncos reached the playoffs for only the second time since Elway had retired. They did that by accumulating 10 wins and only six losses. In the first round of the playoffs the Broncos faced off against the Indianapolis Colts who were led by NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning. Manning proceeded to carve the Broncos defense apart like a Thanksgiving turkey passing for 377 yards and 5 touchdowns to seal the Broncos fate for the 2003 season.

In the off-season the Broncos changed the face of their team through just one trade. The Broncos traded away All-Pro running back Clinton Portis for Redskins cornerback Champ Bailey. The Broncos let go of key players like linebacker Ian Gold, The team also lost wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and tight end Shannon Sharpe who both decided to retire. Sharpe is regarded as one of, if not the, greatest tight end of all time. The team did make some big moves in what seems an all or bust year for the Broncos. They picked up strong safety John Lynch, who had won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay, and defensive tackle Luther Elliss.

In the draft the Broncos filled some holes that needed to be filled due to off-season moves are retirements. With their first round pick the Broncos drafted Miami linebacker D.J. Williams and with their second round pick that they got from Washington the Broncos picked up Oklahoma State tailback Tatum Bell.

On the offensive side of the ball the Broncos are going to need a running back, quarterback Jake Plummer and wide receiver Ashley Lelie to step up and have a big year. The Broncos will also need Plummer and number one receiver Rod Smith to stay healthy all year to keep their playoff hopes afloat.

On the defensive side of the ball the Broncos made a number of upgrades. Champ Bailey gives them a shut down cornerback that every Super Bowl winning team has had in the past decade and John Lynch is a future Hall of Famer that will bring some veteran leadership to the defense and whatever else he still has left in the tank.