As every loyal Broncos fan knows, each season brings forth a new sense of optimism, regardless of the team’s actual chances of contention. Any fan of any team (yes, even you, Cubs fans) should feel at least a twinge of excitement on opening day; you never know, this year’s team could be the one.
In Denver though, this year feels different. For the first time in years, the hopes of Broncos fans do not rest on the perennially mediocre Kyle Orton (35-34 in career games started), nor on the hope that Tim Tebow will surpass Orton as the starter and restore the Broncos to their former glory.
This year has brought to the Mile High City a man perhaps as amazing as the city itself. Peyton Manning, surgically repaired neck and all, has come to fix the Broncos.
To those who insist the playoff team from last year needed no fixing, look at the passing offenses of the Super Bowl champions of the last five years.
During the 2011 regular season, the New York Giants averaged 295.9 passing yards per game (YPG). In 2010, the Green Bay Packers averaged 257.8 YPG. In 2009, the Saints brought home the Lombardi Trophy and an average of 272.2 YPG.
While the 2008 Steelers averaged a considerably less 206.3 YPG through the air, they also boasted the league’s stingiest defense in terms of points scored. How good was the Steelers defense in ’08? They held opponents to an average of less than two touchdowns per game. In 2007, Giants once again won the Super Bowl while averaging only 197.1 YPG.
The average passing offense of the last five Super Bowl champions was 245.86 YPG, with that figure increasing toward 300 almost every year. Last year, the Denver Broncos averaged a meager 152.1 yards in the air per game.
Averaging close to 100 passing yards less per game will not win the Super Bowl in this day and age. In his first regular season game with both a new offense and new receivers (mostly), Manning threw for 253 yards and the win.
With Manning, the Broncos actually have a shot at winning the Super Bowl, not on some gimmick like the Rockies’ four-man rotation, but on the proven winning formula for the NFL in 2012: throwing the football.
As fans, our job now is simply to enjoy the ride. No more billboards downtown aimed at lineup changes; let’s all just be like the farmer who engraved a picture of Manning into his corn field.
There is certainly a chance this team will fall apart worse than the Chargers do every November, especially considering the strength of Denver’s schedule, but until that happens, it sure is going to be a fun year to be a fan.
