If you just listen to Shanny it seems that Denver has a lot of hot young talent. They have a couple of problems, though.
1. What else is Shanny going to say; "Our young guys really suck. I feel so sorry for Jake this year."? Hardly.
and
2. Denver has had at least its share of "young talent" at the WR position that went nowhere.
I like Willie Jackson as a leader, but will he be a reliable 2nd or third WR? His career numbers don’t inspire me to faith.
I love Lelie's athleticism, but don't trust him to be consistent. He dropped way too many easy balls last year.
I love the stuff I'm hearing about BJ Johnson, the undrafted FA from Texas, but right now it's just off season hype.
Despite any of that, my worry is not so much that Denver’s offense will suck. They have some pretty good TE’s and Jackson will likely prove to be a serviceable enough acquisition. My concern is that Denver will have just another crop of mediocre WR talent, just as they did for most of Elway's career.
With the defense they will likely have, even a middle of the road offense will be made to look better than it might really be.
A dominant D will always increase your success, despite the failings of your O.
The examples of the Ravens and Bucs are perfect. Have two SB winning teams ever been more underwhelming offensively, yet had more stunning success specifically because of their defenses?
On the other hand look at recent examples of the Vikings, Chiefs, Rams and Colts. All had great offenses with so-so or poor defenses. What did it get them? Sure, the Rams did manage a SB win, but only in a year that they had a top 10 defense to go with their stellar offense.
I would prefer that Denver had a strong unit on both sides of the ball (as they did in their two SB winning years). But if I can have only one, I'll take the strong D.
So I do see reason for concern, but not a lot of it. When I stack Denver up against the rest of the AFC, I still see them on top.
And don't think I'm being a homer when it comes to my picks. Last year I picked KC to win the AFC West (and, oh yeah, I was right).
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