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Jake Plummer Brian Bahr/Getty Projected starting lineup Offense No. Player Pos. 80 Rod Smith WR 85 Ashley Lelie WR 87 Jed Weaver TE 78 Matt Lepsis LT 50 Ben Hamilton LG 66 Tom Nalen C 62 Dan Neil RG 72 George Foster RT 16 Jake Plummer QB 22 Quentin Griffin RB 38 Mike Anderson FB 1 Jason Elam K Defense No. Player Pos. 93 Trevor Pryce DE 68 Mario Fatafehi DT 90 Darius Holland DT 98 Reggie Hayward DE 52 D.J. Williams WLB 56 Al Wilson MLB 57 Jashon Sykes SLB 24 Champ Bailey CB 35 Lenny Walls CB 25 Nick Ferguson FS 28 Kenoy Kennedy SS 4 Micah Knorr P 2004 Draft Rd. Player Pos. School 1 D.J. Williams LB Miami 2 Tatum Bell RB Oklahoma State 2 Darius Watts WR Marshall 3 Jeremy LeSueur CB Michigan 5 Jeff Shoate CB San Diego State 6 Triandos Luke WR Alabama 6 Josh Sewell C Nebraska 7 Matt Mauck QB LSU 7 Brandon Miree RB Pittsburgh 7 Bradlee Van Pelt QB Colorado State Outside the Huddle Out of the gate The Broncos held 12 opponents scoreless in the first quarter last year, and that included a streak of six consecutive to start the season. They outscored foes 110–63 in the first quarter. One and only The Broncos recorded 36 sacks last year but only one was by a linebacker (Al Wilson). Will that change with the addition of Miami rookie D.J. Williams, who had six last year for the Hurricanes? Sticky fingers The Broncos finished near the bottom of the league last year in interceptions with only nine, but that may change this year with the addition of Champ Bailey and the decision to make the defensive backs go through offensive drills in workouts. RB factory The franchise hasn't spent a No. 1 pick on a running back in the regular phase of the draft since taking Steve Sewell in 1985. Still, the Broncos' 20,150 rushing yards are the highest figure in the league since 1995, as is Denver's 4.51 yards-per-carry average. Settling in Jake Plummer threw 15 touchdown passes in 2003 and only seven interceptions, and finished with the best TD-to-INT ratio of his career. Plummer's previous best was 18-to-14. Not bad considering he threw three picks in the season-opener against Cincinnati. 2003 Revisited The Prophecy: "Still, the bottom line is [Jake] Plummer will have to play smarter." The Lie: "Denver has another run-stopper/pass-rusher [Daryl Gardner] to complement wide-body Lional Dalton." --Athlon Sports Pro Football 2003

It's been five years since John Elway called it a career, and that long since the Broncos won a playoff game.

While the organization celebrates its first bronze bust in Canton this summer, head coach Mike Shanahan is hoping some daring offseason moves will help him bust the other streak.

Perhaps no player meant more to the Broncos last year than running back Clinton Portis, who in some ways carried the team on his back into the postseason. He rushed for 1,591 yards and 14 touchdowns, and left everything he had out on the field.

But when the Broncos play in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 9, Portis will be wearing a Washington Redskins jersey -- the result of Denver's blockbuster trade to acquire Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey.

At least when the Broncos close the regular season against Peyton Manning, who lit them up in a 41–10 wild card loss, they'll have the lock-down corner Shanahan has coveted for so long.

Still, it figures to take more than one Champ to turn the Broncos into champs again. Shanahan will need key players on offense to produce if he is to get that monkey off his back at last.

Jake Plummer exceeded expectations last year, providing a dimension the Broncos hadn't seen at the position in years. His mobility complemented Denver's running game, and he only got better as he grew more comfortable in Shanahan's offense.

The Broncos were 9–3 with Plummer in the lineup and 1–4 without, which means they need a more reliable backup. Who that is remains to be seen. Steve Beuerlein, who was released in May, and Danny Kanell struggled in that role last year. Kanell is back in the mix, along with free agent acquisition Mike Quinn.

The Broncos also drafted two quarterbacks in the seventh round: LSU's Matt Mauck and local favorite Bradlee Van Pelt, who starred at Colorado State. One figures to be a candidate for the expanded developmental squad.

No one was more excited to hear his name called during the NFL Draft than Oklahoma State running back Tatum Bell. He knows the success the Broncos have with running backs (i.e. Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis), and he may be next in line.

But Quentin Griffin may have something to say about that. Griffin, who rushed for 136 yards against Indianapolis in place of the injured Portis last year, will get the first shot at filling the void created by the Portis trade. Anderson also will get a look at tailback after having been moved to fullback.

Garrison Hearst was signed in late March as insurance. The 11-year vet gained 768 yards in his injury-shortened 2003 season with San Francisco.

The Broncos also have Reuben Droughns to play both positions, and used a seventh-round pick on Brandon Miree, who reminds Shanahan of Howard Griffith when he first came into the league.

If one of these backs steps up, fans will forget about the flashy Portis, who rushed for 3,099 yards in two seasons and wanted to be paid like the best back in the league. If not, the trade will get the thumbs down.

Rod Smith, who fell 155 yards short of his seventh consecutive 1,000-yard season, returns as the only consistently reliable receiver for the Broncos.

Ed McCaffrey called it a career after 13 seasons. And Ashley Lelie has yet to establish that he can handle the starting job. He started and finished strong in 2003 but suffered a slump of sorts in between. Still, the team is hoping he'll have a breakout year.

Beyond that, the Broncos have a lot of wannabe No. 3s. Adrian Madise, Nate Jackson and Charlie Adams return. And the team brought in MarTay Jenkins and Willie Jackson.

But in a strong year for wide receivers, the Broncos missed out on the top draft prospects. Instead they'll try to develop speedsters Darius Watts and Triandos Luke for that contributory role.

The George Foster era has begun. After spending his rookie year on the bench, the former first-round pick is being counted on to start at right tackle.

Matt Lepsis, meanwhile, moves from right to left tackle. The Broncos are confident he will do as well as or better than Ephraim Salaam did last year, plus he doesn't have the health issues that Salaam did.

The other three spots are solid, with Ben Hamilton and Dan Neil at guard, and center Tom Nalen playing at a Pro Bowl level. Cooper Carlisle and P.J. Alexander add depth.

Trevor Pryce is coming off his best year ever, though his stats might not reflect it. The question is who will join him in the starting lineup.

Tackles Darius Holland and Mario Fatafehi, both street free agents last summer, did a great job as starters in 2003. But Denver lost sack-leader Bertrand Berry at right end and cut loose controversial defensive tackle Daryl Gardener.

End Reggie Hayward is back, and he will be in a contract year. Tackles Dorsett Davis and Monsanto Pope both will push for playing time. The Broncos also have Bryant McNeal, Nick Eason and Clint Mitchell back after they missed their rookie years with injury.

The acquisition of free agents Luther Elliss and Marco Coleman gives Denver two veterans to plug into the rotation.

Al Wilson is back to anchor this unit after re-signing for $42 million over seven years.

But the free agent loss of Ian Gold means there's a big hole on the weak side, and the Broncos are hoping first-round pick D.J. Williams will follow in the long line of successful Miami linebackers. Donnie Spragan did an admirable job filling in last year, but Williams could make a bigger impact as a rookie once he learns the system.

The Broncos cut veteran John Mobley, who wouldn't have been able to play because of a neck injury he suffered last season. That means Jashon Sykes will likely start on the strong side again, though second-year Terry Pierce could challenge for playing time if he's slimmed down.

Bailey is the great cover corner Shanahan has desired after going bust on first-round picks Deltha O'Neal and Willie Middlebrooks. He'll team with 6-foot-4 Lenny Walls, who should be even better in his second year starting, and Kelly Herndon, who moves to nickelback.

At safety, the Broncos have depth if free-agent pickup John Lynch can stay healthy. Nick Ferguson is back to start at free safety, and Kenoy Kennedy and Sam Brandon will battle at strong safety.

Jason Elam is coming off one of his best years, hitting 27-of-31 field goals. The Broncos have been pleased with Micah Knorr's punting and his kickoffs.

Denver needs to upgrade its return game after trading away Deltha O'Neal and letting Chris Cole leave via free agency. Madise, a reserve receiver, is the frontrunner to handle kickoffs, but some of the rookies, most notably Jeremy LeSueur, will get a chance to show what they can do in the return game.

The Broncos definitely helped themselves on defense this offseason, with the addition of Bailey, Williams and Lynch.

But there still are questions up front, and even bigger questions on offense. If the Broncos have a few players step up at running back, wide receiver and offensive tackle, there's little doubt this is a playoff-caliber team.

If they make it to the playoffs, they will have earned it, since the schedule down the stretch is nothing less than formidable, with the last four games against Miami, Kansas City, Tennessee and Indianapolis.

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