Devner Broncos 2006 Schedule | Team Page	Select Team AFC EAST Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Jets AFC NORTH Baltimore Ravens Cincinati Bengals Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers AFC SOUTH Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans AFC WEST Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Oakland Raiders San Diego Chargers NFC EAST Dallas Cowboys New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Washington Redskins NFC NORTH Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings NFC SOUTH Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFC WEST Arizona Cardinals St. Louis Rams San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks

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Projected starting lineups Offense No. Player Pos. No. Player Pos. 80 Rod Smith WR 84 Javon Walker WR 82 Stephen Alexander TE 78 Matt Lepsis LT 50 Ben Hamilton LG 66 Tom Nalen C 65 Cooper Carlisle RG 72 George Foster RT 16 Jake Plummer QB 33 Ron Dayne RB 39 Kyle Johnson FB 1 Jason Elam K Defense No. Player Pos. No. Player Pos. 98 Courtney Brown LE 96 Michael Myers LT 61 Gerard Warren RT 91 Ebenezer Ekuban RE 52 Ian Gold WLB 56 Al Wilson MLB 55 D.J. Williams SLB 24 Champ Bailey LCB 27 Darrent Williams RCB 25 Nick Ferguson SS 47 John Lynch FS 10 Todd Sauerbrun P 2006 Draft No. Player Pos. School 1 Jay Cutler QB Vanderbilt 2 Tony Scheffler TE Western Michigan 4 Brandon Marshall WR UCF 4 Elvis Dumervil DE Louisville 4 Domenik Hixon WR Akron 5 Chris Kuper G North Dakota 6 Greg Eslinger C Minnesota Outside the Huddle Home cookin’ The Broncos posted an undefeated home record in the regular season for the fifth time in team annals — the most in the NFL since the 16-game schedule began in 1978. If they can repeat that feat this year, they’ll be sitting pretty. They face an improved Baltimore (Oct. 9) team at home, AFC South powerhouse Indianapolis (Oct. 29), reigning NFC Champ Seattle (Dec. 3), and Cincinnati (Dec. 24). Forward progress Denver allowed the fewest plays for negative yardage in the NFL last year. The Broncos had only 76 plays for negative yards — 47 rushes, 23 sacks and six passes. Making ’em pay The Broncos forced 36 turnovers last year, which they converted into 112 points — or 28.5 percent of their total scored. By comparison, the Broncos committed a franchise-low 16 turnovers, leading to 27 points for their opponents. Do the streak Jake Plummer ranked second in the NFL in interception percentage (1.5 percent) and had the NFL’s fourth-longest streak (229) since 1996 of passes without an interception. It’s a stark contrast to 2004, when he tossed 27 touchdowns but 20 interceptions.

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The Denver Broncos took two giant steps forward with their run to the AFC Championship Game last year. But after a season in which the stars and planets all seemingly aligned for them, can they really get to the next level?

Or is a more likely that in 2006 they'll take a step back?

Last year, Mike Shanahan quieted detractors by taking a mistake-prone quarterback and turning him into a Pro Bowler, and by turning Denver into Cleveland West with the acquisition of so many ex-Browns defensive linemen.

Now he's counting on a few more Brownies (Kenard Lang and Corey Jackson), a draft-day trade for a playmaking wide receiver (Javon Walker) and the push of a potential franchise quarterback to spur Denver to new heights in 2006.

Quarterbacks

Instead of Jake the Fake, he turned into No Mistake Jake - almost. In his third season with the Broncos, Jake Plummer finally got it. He answered his coaches' challenge in leading the Broncos all the way to the AFC Championship Game. His touchdown-to-interception ratio (2.57) ranked sixth in the NFL, his seven picks tied a career low, and his 60.7 completion percentage was the second-highest of his career. Though he seemed to take a step back in the AFC title game, tossing two interceptions and fumbling twice, not much went right for any Bronco in that game, and Plummer got little help from his receivers.

In '06, he'll be looking to build on the progress he made. But for the first time as a Bronco, he'll get a push for the starting job since Denver moved up in the draft to take Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler at No. 11 overall. Cutler, a strong-armed scrambler, is hailed as the team's quarterback of the future, but should Plummer revert to his old form, they'll be plenty of calls for the new backup to step in.

Running Backs

Mike Anderson was the team's leading rusher (239 carries, 1,014 yards, 12 TDs) last year and was considered so valuable to the team that he was released for cap purposes.

But it shouldn't have been much of a surprise. The Broncos had so many backs last year, at times they didn't know what to do with them. With Ron Dayne almost a younger version of Anderson, Tatum Bell a nice change-of-pace with his lightning speed, and Cedric Cobbs making strides on the practice squad, it made sense.

The question is whether Dayne can be an every-down back again. Bell (921 yards on a 5.3-yard average) wants to vie for that right, but coaches believe he's more effective when he's not so beaten up. Cobbs, who was released by New England in training camp last year and signed by Denver, has impressed coaches with his acceleration and quickness.

Receivers

Getting consistent production across the board from this group has been a problem. So has finding someone to serve as a complement to Rod Smith, a rock coming off his eighth 1,000-yard season.

Denver thought Ashley Lelie would be that guy, and he's shown flashes at times with his ability to stretch the field (18.3-yard average in '05). But he caught only one touchdown pass last year and has only 12 in his career. Despite such less-than-impressive stats, he grumbled this offseason about wanting to be the No. 1 target, prompting trade discussions. Now, with the draft-day acquisition of Walker, Lelie falls to No. 3 and is threatening to hold out.

Unlike Lelie, Walker has made steady progress in his career, going from 23 catches in 2002 to 41 in 2003 and 89 for 1,382 and 12 touchdowns a year later. How well he returns from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in Week 1 last year may determine how explosive Denver's offense is.

If the Broncos keep Lelie in the mix, they'll have a formidable three-wide set.

Offensive Linemen

When it came to keeping players they wanted, the Broncos made the offensive line a priority. They re-signed center Tom Nalen and left tackle Matt Lepsis, ensuring the group up front will return intact. That's key considering they paved the way for a team total 2,539 yards rushing in 2005 and gave up only 23 sacks.

Depth is a bit of a concern, but Dwayne Carswell might help in that regard if he is able to return from a serious car accident suffered last season.

Defensive Linemen

Of all the moves the Broncos made this offseason, the one to release end Trevor Pryce was the most controversial. Pryce at times was a disruptive force up front, and his versatility to play various spots along the line was a plus. But he had only four sacks, the same number backup Ebenezer Ekuban recorded, and the Broncos couldn't justify paying his huge salary (they saved $8.534 million against the cap by cutting him).

Instead, the Broncos are hoping Ekuban, Corey Jackson, Kenard Lang or fourth-round pick Elvis Dumervil will step up. Jackson is a former hoops star who was NFL Europe's defensive MVP in 2004.

Lang is the fifth former Browns linemen acquired by Denver in the past two years. Last year, ex-Brownies Gerard Warren and Michael Myers found new homes in Denver. Now it's Lang reunited with position coach Andre Patterson. Lang is no John Abraham (a player Denver targeted but couldn't get), but he's expected to apply pressure as a nickel pass rusher.

Linebackers

This unit is clearly Denver's strength. Al Wilson, Ian Gold and D.J. Williams are all Pro Bowl-caliber players with speed to burn. This year they should be even more familiar with each other, a plus that should make them even more formidable.

Wilson (90 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and nine passes defended) is the heart and soul of Denver's defense. Though a thumb injury slowed him down late in the year, the eighth-year veteran is in the prime of his career. Williams and Gold make it difficult for runners to get outside, and their speed also helps them cover backs one-on-one. Patrick Chukwurah and Keith Burns do most of their damage on special teams, though they can step in if they have to.

Defensive Backs

This group made big play after big play, and should provide more of the same in 2006. Champ Bailey made a case for league MVP, with two of his eight interceptions returned for touchdowns during the regular season and a third returned 100 yards in the playoffs. While Bailey stepped up, so did a pair of rookies - Darrent Williams and nickel back Domonique Foxworth. They combined for four interceptions, all of them pivotal. Injuries slowed Williams at the end of the year, and the Steelers picked on Foxworth in the AFC Championship Game. But both should be even better in their second seasons.

At safety, John Lynch provides leadership, the ability to blitz and some crunching hits. And Nick Ferguson not only led DBs with 81 tackles, but he also had five picks (after recording only one in his first five seasons combined).

Specialists

The Broncos made great strides here, and should be just as good in 2006. Williams provided a big spark, averaging 8.7 yards on punt returns and 23.9 on kickoffs. Denver's coverage units also were better, second in opponent starting position, with only 10 opponent drives starting in Broncos territory.

Todd Sauerbrun also gave Denver's special teams a boost, with 14 touchbacks and a 43.8 gross punting average. Placekicker Jason Elam became Denver's all-time leading scorer last season.

Coaching Staff

The departure of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak shouldn't be as disruptive as, say, when New England lost Charlie Weis. The transition to Mike Heimerdinger, who carries the title assistant head coach, should be pretty flawless. Heimerdinger is Shanahan's former college roommate and worked as Broncos receivers coach for five years before moving on to coordinator jobs with the Titans and the Jets. Rick Dennison was promoted from offensive line coach to offensive coordinator, but Heimerdinger is expected to call the plays on game days - that is, when Shanahan isn't doing so.