Too much hype for the Manning lead Broncos?

Bronco Fans I know this is a statement that none of us want to hear. Denver Broncos are building way too much hype for the upcoming football season. I know I'm going to catch a lot of flack for this one. But, there are some very good reasons why I believe this is true.

1. The defense has taken a lot of hits this offseason: I believe the trouble started for the development of the Broncos defense was when they did not draft Courtney Upshaw when he fell to the second round. Upshaw would have been a great addition to this defense.. Instead they picked up two 2nd round picks and picked Derek Wolfe and Brock Osweiler. Sure Wolfe might become a great defensive lineman, but in my opinion Upshaw is going to be the next elite linebacker in the NFL.

Here is a video from Pro football weekly rating #15 draft prospect in 2012.

Plus with the immenent suspension of D.J. Williams for failing drug test two times in the last month. Now with Elvis Dumervil getting arrested and could face up to five years in prision from charges of pulling out a gun in the street in Flordia. We shall see if the other linebackers can step into the two potentially gaping holes in the defense. It is true that they still have Von Miller, Champ Bailey, and picked up Darren Sharper, who last played for the New Orleans Saints, but Von Miller will more than likely be double teamed with no other real threat to opposing offenses.

2. The recievers might not be ready for what Peyton Manning has in store for the offense. There is no doubt about it that Manning is one of the best, if not the best, quarterback of all time. It also takes time to mesh the timing and routes from the quarterback to the recievers. Not to offend the recieving corp. but the Broncos do not have the players that the Colts have had in the past. While they did bring in some people from Mannings past such as Brandon Stokely and Jacob Tamme. Stokelys' skills have deminished and he was sitting on his couch watching NFL Network seeing the news of Manning getting signed by the Broncos. Now I'm not saying Stokely is not going to be good just not as good as he was in these highlights.

3.AFC West believe it or not is going to be a tough division to go through. As fans, we have to come to the conclusion that our two biggest rivals in the last 10 years, San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs, showed signs that they could have breakout seasons this year. The Chargers still have Phillip Rivers one of the elite quarterbacks in the AFC, yes he had a down year last season but that will just give him the motivation to be that much greater. As for the Chiefs, they had a great defense that was quite dominate towards the end of the season especially. Remember this Kansas City squad was the only team in the regular  season to beat the Green Bay Packers. Lets not forget about the very hated Oakland Raiders, they seem to be one of those teams that play spoilers to playoff contention teams year after year. 

Now don't get me wrong I want the Broncos to succeed this season, hell the Super Bowl would be great. The Vegas odds have jumped into the Broncos favor every since Peyton Manning became apart of the team.

My prediction for the Broncos this season, making it to the AFC Championship and unfortunately, losing to the Baltimore Ravens 27-17. Yes this is discouraging but its by far a step up from last season. I believe this is really the experimental season for the Manning lead Broncos and it'll be a fun season to watch.

Thanks for reading!

Till next time,

Jacob Reyes