Denver Broncos

Written by Rich Arleo Edited by Marc Caviglia To help better prepare you for your upcoming 2013 fantasy football drafts we have has decided to take a close look at each team’s depth and predict how each players role will play out during the 2013 NFL season. These fantasy football depth charts will cover every position, however the main focus will be on the running back and wide receiver positions, since fantasy football owners have the toughest time projecting these positions. Keep in mind our NFL Depth Charts are fantasy football specific. ::UPDATED: MAY 25, 2013 Denver Broncos Depth Chart QB1: Peyton Manning | QB2: Brock Osweiler | QB3: Zac Dysert RB1: Montee Ball | RB2: Willis McGahee | RB3: Knowshon Moreno | RB4: Ronnie Hillman | RB5: Lance Ball WR1: Demaryius Thomas | WR2: Wes Welker | WR3: Eric Decker | WR4: Tavarres King TE1: Joel Dreesen | TE2: Jacob Tamme K: Matt Prater 2012 In Review The Denver Broncos brought in Peyton Manning with the hope he could overcome his neck issues and revert back to Hall of Fame form, and that’s exactly what he did. Manning threw for a whopping 4,658 yards, good for sixth best in the league, to go along with 37 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions (105.8 quarterback rating). Manning gained an instant rapport with receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. Thomas became a top-flight WR1 with 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns while Decker was also a top 20 receiver with 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns. Veteran Brandon Stokley also made some plays with 544 yards and five touchdowns. Manning also found his tight ends Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen. Tamme led the duo with 544 yards and two touchdowns while Dreesen scored five times with 356 yards. The run game also flourished with Manning under center. Willis McGahee was on his way to a big year before his season ended with yet another knee injury. After McGahee went down, Knowshon Moreno filled in well as both a receiver and runner. Rookie Ronnie Hillman showed some talent in limited time but he may not be able to cut it as a workhorse back, while Lance Ball fell out of favor and was limited to 42 carries all season. At kicker, Matt Prater had another very solid season and has established himself as one of the beck kickers in the NFL. What to Expect in 2013 Denver will look to build on a great season as much of the group returns…along with one big addition. Wes Welker left the New England Patriots and joins Thomas and Decker to form quite simply the best wide receiver corps in the league and in fantasy football as well. All three should be starting fantasy football receivers; the only issue may be with Decker as he could lose some targets to Welker. Thomas should remain unaffected, but all three will put up very good numbers. Manning owners can expect more of the same as long as the neck issues don’t flare up. He should be drafted as a top 5 fantasy football quarterback in re-draft formats and repeat with about 4,500 yards and 35-plus touchdowns. With Welker basically replacing Stokley, he could be even better. The backfield situation heading into 2013 is not as clear as the passing game. Montee Ball was taken in Round 2 of the NFL Draft and immediately has the most upside out of anyone in the backfield. McGahee and Moreno both are recovering from knee issues and the Broncos could look to pair him with Hillman while letting go of either (or both) of the veterans. Hillman should be able to see consistent carries this year along with Ball. McGahee and Moreno are only worth late-round picks at this point, and either could be jobless before the season starts. Tight ends Tamme and Dreessen return and will likely see a pretty even split of targets for a second straight year. They are tough to trust as anything other than bye week replacements. It’s rather random which back produces each week, so starting either one of them will always be a risk. Prater is one of the best fantasy football ki

Still no San Diego Chargers people, but no worries, there is a reason they are moving up the board and I will share those thoughts in a few days. For now, we're going to see another 2012 playoff team fall just short of the playoffs in 2013. The Indianapolis Colts were the surprise time in 2012, climbing from the worst record in football to a playoff berth. Somehow they scraped together win after win, in often comeback fashion. Andrew Luck is the real deal, but he is also short on experience. 17. Indianapolis Colts (2012 Record: 11-5) Colts 2013 Draft Picks 1.24 Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State 3.24 Hugh Thornton, OG, Illinois 4.24 Khaled Holmes, C, USC 5.6 Montori Hughes, DT, Tennessee-Martin 6.24 John Boyett, FS, Oregon 7.24 Kerwynn Williams, RB, Utah State 7.48 Justice Cunningham, TE, South Carolina The Colts are fools gold. Almost all of their wins were close, nail biting affairs. Their biggest wins of the year were 20-13 scores over the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. All things even out over time, so I expect their close games to start going the other way more often. The draft went fairly well for the Colts, as they picked up Bronco favorite Bjoern Werner to replace Dwight Freeney and then proceeded to expend picks to shore up their offensive line. At least they know that keeping Andrew Luck upright and uninjured is their only hope to make the playoffs. I still don't like their roster overall as I believe Peyton Manning helped mask how terrible they have drafted in recent years and Luck just got, well, lucky last year. The AFC South is one of the weaker divisions this year and it will show across the board. The Colts should fight their way to .500, but mostly due to winning at least half of those games within the division. It will also be interesting to see how Andrew Luck progresses into his second NFL season. Previous: 18. Detroit Lions Next: Tune in tomorrow at Noon MST Follow Me on Twitter!Like Me on Facebook! Poll Does Luck keep winning those close games or do they come back down to Earth? Too high or too low at #17? Too High Too Low Just Right 41 votes | Results

What team poses the biggest threat to a Broncos SB run? Tim Lynch Even with the Michael Crabtree injury, I have to say the San Francisco 49ers. They are loaded with young talent and have a dynamic offense that can beat you in a myriad of ways. The other team that I find to be pretty dangerous would be the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rogers with an actual rushing attack? Yikes! The other team would be the Atlanta Falcons, but I don't really fear that team all that much. Tons of talent, but really not all that scary. You may notice I am only naming NFC teams here. That's because the AFC is going to get obliterated by the Denver Broncos this year and its not even going to be close. Bronco Mike The Broncos. Yes you read it right. The only thing that is going to stop us is us. Quite frankly, the Broncos should be planning their Super Bowl ring party this year. Baltimore had no business in that game. The only reasons they got there was luck and a meltdown of epic proportions. The vaunted Broncos secondary that made teams look silly throughout the year folded. This team is by far the most talented team in the AFC and has a clear path to the Super Bowl in 2013. Hopefully the Broncos learned a lesson from January and is prepared to put their foot on the throat of any opponent that threatens their glory. I'm looking at you John Fox--keep doing what you do Monday-Saturday, but stay the hell out of the way of Peyton and our offense come gameday! What is your favorite Broncos win over an AFC West team? Tim Lynch My most memorable game was one I attended. I live in Northern California, so in 2008 my Raider fan of a brother and I got tickets to the Monday Night Football opener in Oakland. I went over to Silver & Black Pride to talk a little smack in the weeks leading up - all good humored - and ended up getting some phone numbers of some guys who would be tailgating at the game. Long story short, my brother and I ended up tailgating over in the RV section with Raider fans everywhere. It was mostly pleasant and they were all nice to me surprisingly. We drank their beer, ate their food and chatted it up for several hours. It was one of the coolest experiences and I've never gotten around to going back to a Raider/Bronco game. Why you ask? Well....the Broncos won 42-14 and totally embarrassed the home team. By halftime, the game was already getting ugly and my brother came back from the bathrooms and told me I should hold it until after the game (thanks for the warning AFTER I downed 3-4 beers) because some thuggish Raider fans were hanging out in the bathrooms looking for Bronco fans to drown in the clogged urinals. If you are mouthing the letters W.T.F., yeah, me too. After the game, it was dark obviously and the parking lot began to look like a third world country during a coup d'état. I ended up finding relief in port-a-potty that was one of the most disgusting experiences of my life. I mean, I don't even want to know how people were able to pull off what they did in there. My brother, who is a cop by trade, was trying to hustle me back out to the car because even he no longer felt safe without his firearm (stowed in the trunk). Once there, locked the doors and tried to get out of there before it got any worse. What was a great experience turned into something that I won't be paying $300 for a seat and $10 a beer for a looooooong time. In Oakland anyway.... haha A road trip to Denver is not out of the question. Bronco Mike It happened last season. The Chargers have had our number in recent years, going all the way back to a 52-point embarrassment in their house to end the season when crybaby Cutler was still in town. Fast forward to 2013...well, I'll let video do my talking for me;) Never seen anything like it! I was so pissed off at halftime because, well, I knew we were a better team than we had showed to that point. My brother and I were messaging on facebook, and he call

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports IS IT REALLY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ALREADY!? It seems like only a few weeks ago I was standing alongside rabid Broncos fans in sub-zero temperatures tearing my heart out. I wasn’t thinking about the redemption that comes with a new season but rather lamenting what could and should have been as well as searching for answers… and a heat lamp, perhaps. That was actually over four months ago. Jack Del Rio said this week that he got “tired of apologizing” for letting fans (who also happen to be neighbors) down back in January. He wasn’t saying that he hadn’t in fact felt sorry or that he hadn’t let Bronco fans down. He acknowledged that and took it a step further stating, “Obviously we let ourselves down first.” Del Rio’s statement simply places the extremely disappointing events of January 12 in the past… WHERE THEY BELONG! Whether you are as shocked as I am that it’s already summer (well… almost!), it means that football is right around the corner. There is no time to focus on anything but the present and prepare for the future. Besides, in addition to Del Rio’s comments on the events that unfolded in last season’s playoffs, he also stated that Von Miller “can get better”. He can?! From a statistical standpoint Von Miller’s first two seasons have been incredible. He has already logged 30 sacks! He was on pace to set the single season sack record for much of last year and finished with 18.5. If he makes the same kind of leap in production this year he will ultimately attain the distinction he was so close to in 2012-2013. Also, he’s durable. He’s played in 31 of 32 games despite wearing a cast for almost half of 2011. An improved Miller means an improved defensive overall, of course, and that must be a frightening prospect for the AFC and league as a whole. Simply consider that Denver had a top five defense last season en route to an 11 game win streak and a 13-3 finish. If Miller gets better that means the additions of Shaun Phillips and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were a success. It means that suring up the defensve line by re-signing Kevin Vickerson and adding Sylvester Williams and Terrance Knighton created the type of pressure that allowed Miller to pick his spots and make quarterbacks awfully uncomfortable. Del Rio shouldn’t be apologizing anymore. It’s summer time and preparations for the 2013 season are underway. An improved Von Miller is an exciting prospect for all Bronco fans and the prospects for his improvement are good. The Broncos have made solid off season moves. Hey, it’s Memorial Day weekend. Whatever you and your family have planned, it shouldn’t be about hanging on to the cold days of winter… it should be about what lies ahead. There is a lot to look forward to. Enjoy your long weekend, Broncos fans. It will be football season before you know it.

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Much time has passed since the so-called “Glory Days” for the Denver Broncos, but John Elway and company certainly hope to return to that trek as quickly as possible. But as exciting as it may be to see how this Broncos team will unfold this year, the historical past of the team was and is still standardized by the milestones set from 1997-99. Although not as talked about as much in the media, Broncos fans still cling on to those Super Bowl victories, and some, even still hold a special place in their heart for then-head coach Mike Shanahan. ESPN, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, have begun a countdown of the 20 greatest coaches in the history of the game. According to their most recent article, the legendary Broncos coach was ranked at the No. 19 position, one ahead of Tony Dungy. Shanahan, although virtually recognized for his back-to-back Super Bowl victories in the late ’90s, worked three separate tenures with the Broncos’ organization, and it was even the first NFL job Shanahan took. Since then, he’s coached in the NFL for over 20 years. Elway, who played for Shanahan during the Super Bowl years, had nothing but praise for his former coach, and expressed how he always demanded effort and tenacity from his players. “There’s one thing to me that was a great thing about Mike,” Elway told ESPN. “He did not treat the playoffs any differently than he treated the regular season. His mindset was the same whether it was the first game of the year or the Super Bowl. That was a great quality that he still has.” Although Shanahan’s experience in Denver will always be remembered, his final years at Mile High were certainly regrettable. During his last three years as head coach, the Broncos failed to make the playoffs for three consecutive years, and this of course includes the monumental three-game collapse that blew the division lead and inevitably ended the team’s season. Now currently the head coach of the Washington Redskins, Shanahan has yet to reach the level of success he achieved with Denver, but fans in Washington feel that their belief in franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III will translate to more wins for the Redskins family. Shanahan has a current record of 175-131, with an 8-6 career post season record. He is currently in his third season with the Redskins, and reached his first winning season with the team last year. Gary Fiore is a writer for Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @gmf721 or add him to your circle on Google.

The Mizel Institute recognized Broncos Owner and CEO Pat Bowlen as a community leader in Denver. Here's the tribute video that played during the program.

Shanahan on RG3: "very special," can be one of the best ever | ProFootballTalkWashington coach Mike Shanahan says quarterback Robert Griffin III isn't just a good young quarterback. Griffin is, according to Shanahan, a unique talent who has the potential to be the best ever to play the game. Greatest Coaches in NFL History - Mike Shanahan - ESPNMike Shanahan, a former college quarterback whose teams have regularly ranked among the NFL's best on offense, was the fifth head coach to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Jon Heath Sports Media: Nalen: "We ran the same play five times"On Wednesday, the Denver Broncos announced that former center Tom Nalen will be inducted into the team's Ring of Fame this fall. Denver Broncos News and Blogs Dave Costa: 1941-2013 | DenverBroncos.comIt has been reported that former Broncos defensive tackle Dave Costa passed away earlier this week. He was 71. Ronnie Hillman Stronger, Wiser in Year Two | DenverBroncos.comRunning back Ronnie Hillman has added 15 pounds and plans to capitalize on a year of experience heading into his second NFL season. Gray Matter: May 24 | DenverBroncos.comThis week's Gray Matter fan mailbag talks camp surprises, fantasy running backs and Von Miller's ranking on NFL Network's Top 100. Ronnie Hillman trying to make most of his time with Broncos starters - The Denver PostThe Broncos used a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft on Ronnie Hillman because they believe he can be an impact player in both the run game and as a receiver in their offense. Great Broncos center Tom Nalen paved way for 1,000-yard rushers - The Denver PostBroncos followers assumed Tom Nalen was a really good center. No one really knew for sure. Who watches blockers? Maybe there is a way, though, to quantify an offensive lineman. From 1995 through the first five games of 2007, there was one constant in the Broncos offensive line: Nalen. Nickel is the new base - It's All Over, Fat Man!The nickel formation is usually dated back to the early 1960s, when Jerry Williams of the Eagles used it to try and defend Chicago Bears tight end Mike Ditka. Tom Nalen Gets Candid In Ring of Fame Press Conference - Predominantly OrangeIf history has a way of repeating itself, then Broncos’ Country is in for a real treat. Tom Nalen eleito ao Ring of Fame " BroncosBrasil.comEm reconhecimento a todo o trabalho prestado à franquia, Tom Nalen será inserido no Ring of Fame do Denver Broncos. A cerimônia será realizada durante o jogo contra o Philadelphia Eagles no dia 29 de Setembro. Ele será o 24º jogador do Ring of Fame, o 7º daqueles times que venceram os Super Bowls, e se juntará a grandes nomes como John Elway, Rod Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Frank Tripucka, entre outros. NFL News and Blogs Former NFL GM says Urlacher is not a Hall of Famer - Windy City GridironOf all the praise that has been heaped on Brian Urlacher since he announced his retirement Wednesday, most of it has involved the discussion, even assumption, that he will one day be enshrined in the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. Former Colts and Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi is not convinced. Ron Jaworski believes Chip Kelly's offense won't work in the NFL - SBNation.comThe Philadelphia Eagles believe Chip Kelly's offense is going to be a success in the NFL, but Ron Jaworski doesn't feel the same. Brian Urlacher didn't really retire as Green Bay Packer - NFL.comBrian Urlacher didn't really leave the Chicago Bears to sign a one-day contract with the Green Bay Packers and "go out a winner." Nobody believed it. Well ... almost nobody. Ricardo Lockette 49ers' answer at wide receiver? - NFL.comMichael Crabtree’s Achilles injury has left San Francisco 49ers fans desperately searching far and wide for his replacement. Is their answer in Colin Kaepernick’s house? Brett Favre settles suit connected to alleged racy texts - NFL.comBrett Favre is back in the news. The retired QB settled a lawsuit

Daniel Shirley-USA TODA Sports I’m not going to beat around the bush here: I have a bit of a man crush on Seattle Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson. I’ve tried to deny it, looking instead for a more traditional QB in this year’s Fantasy Football drafts, but I can no longer fight the feeling – this guy was made for fantasy football. Sure, I could spend an earlier pick on New England Patriots’ Tom Brady or Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning, the traditional level of NFL talent I’ve been looking at. But that would be a significantly higher pick for my QB, and what would I really gain? Brady was a 34 TD guy last season and Manning was a 37 TD guy, while Wilson had only 26 TDs. However, if you only get four points for passing touchdowns and six points for rushing touchdowns plus rushing yards, the extra Brady/Manning TDs almost come out in the wash. Plus, don’t forget the fact that Wilson really didn’t have that true No. 1 target one season ago. In the offseason, Seattle sent a first-round pick east for Minnesota Vikings’ electric WR Percy Harvin, who suffered through injury last season and could be labeled a poster child for explosion when at the top of his game and health. Imagine Harvin going an entire season injury free, and the proverbial ceiling of expectations from Wilson is raised exponentially. Many believe he’s a risky pick to base your fantasy football franchise on. I disagree. I believe this guy not only deserved the Rookie of the Year Award one season ago over Washington Redskins’ QB Robert Griffin III and Indianapolis Colts’ QB Andrew Luck, he is also the better fantasy option of the three. Hear me out on this one. RGIII gained nearly 300 more yards on the ground and four more rushing TDs than Wilson, but Wilson threw six more TDs than RGIII, threw for more yards, and Wilson doesn’t have the injury concerns of RGIII. Luck had far more passing yards than Wilson, but Wilson was superior on the ground in completion percentage, and threw far less INTs than Luck. The argument over whether Luck or RGIII would be better was a projected one even before we knew what team these two QBs would play in the NFL. A third name forever belongs in that argument. Don’t forget, Wilson lasted longer in the playoffs a season ago. Even if he is not as safe a pick in 2013 fantasy football drafts as the traditional top-tier pocket passers. You get more flexibility and options in this scenario. Wilson offers you near equal production with the possibility of even greater upside at a far lower pick than the traditional passers, which leads to the bottom line of this argument: draft Brady and a handful more passing TDs but far fewer rushing yards and rushing attempts plus a tier-two RB/WR, or take Wilson and a tier-one RB/WR – say team mate Marshawn Lynch? My money in 2013 is on the latter – give me Wilson, I’m loving those odds. Jim Heath is a Fantasy Football writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_heath, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports Now that the majority of the Denver Broncos offseason is complete in terms of player acquisitions, there seems to be a great deal of concern about the middle linebacker spot. I guess I get it because fans, by nature, are always looking for something to complain or worry about, but the concern over the middle linebacker spot is overblown. The position is just not that important anymore, and that’s a hard statement for some people to hear because it used to be one of the glamor positions in the NFL. However, the game has changed from the days of Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and even the Broncos own Al Wilson. Don’t get me wrong, those players would still be great today, but the position as a whole just is not what it used to be. Now it should be pointed out that some middle linebackers like Ray Lewis stayed on the field all the time, but they were still playing with two linebackers and five defensive backs most of the time. In the case of the Baltimore Ravens, Lewis was obviously one of the best two linebackers. It doesn’t always have to be the middle linebacker that comes off the field it just so happens to be that way with the Broncos. The best two linebackers are going to stay in the game when teams go to the nickel defense, and for the Broncos that means Wesley Woodyard and Von Miller are going to be on the field. People talk about the Broncos’ base defense being a 4-3 with four defensive linemen and three linebackers. That’s the traditional definition of a base defense, but in reality the Broncos were only in that formation about 30-35% of the time in 2012. That number is likely to decrease if, as expected, the Broncos are playing with the lead most of the time. If teams are passing to get back into the game after Peyton Manning has put up 42 points, then the Broncos are going to be in a defense that features five and six defensive backs. The base defense in today’s NFL is really one that features two linebackers and five defensive backs. That defense is on the field for 65-70% of defensive snaps. The Broncos nickel back, Chris Harris, will play far more than whoever wins the middle linebacker job. In fact, when the Broncos introduce the defensive starters, they should introduce Harris over the middle linebacker. The Broncos have three guys they like who are going to compete for the position in Nate Irving, Stewart Bradley and Steven Johnson. The front runner at this point is Irving, and I’ve always been a fan of his because I believe he has all of the tools. Irving is a little undersized, but so was Wilson. The Broncos will find someone from those three who can do the job. Every team has areas of concern. I know people like to point to the middle linebacker spot for the Broncos, but how can a position be that big of a concern when that position is rarely on the field? Follow me on Twitter @Jemorrone7

Tom Nalen -- "I felt like the team has little to no holes, and I felt like with the offseason, the little to no holes they had, they address. They’ve gotten stronger with [WR] Wes Welker and [CB] Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. I don’t know how teams are going to pass the ball on them. I don’t know if they’re going to have time to pass the ball on the defense. I don’t know how teams are going to stop their offense. I guess the only question is the team itself. Probably their most difficult opponent right now is the expectations of the fact that they’re going to have an easy time of it. I think last season, at the end of the year, they didn’t have any challenging games. Then you throw in the bye week and you get a hungry Baltimore team that’s coming into Denver and was embarrassed at home and I think that just that combination of things hurt the team. I draw tons of parallels from that ‘96, ‘97 team to this team coming up, and hopefully the parallels are correct in the fact that they win the Super Bowl. But there are a lot of lessons to be learned from that season last year and the guys they’ve added to that team just make them so strong." In that way, Tom Nalen is just like a lot of Denver Broncos fans -- we see this offseason as a parallel to the period between the 1996 and 1997 seasons, coming off a huge playoff loss, with a Hall of Fame quarterback in the twilight of his career, and with huge expectations. And we're all hoping the 2013 season ends just like it did in 1997 -- with a Super Bowl victory.