Is Broncos Country being trolled right now? Seriously, what is with all the negative predictions for the defending Super Bowl champions? Mile High Report has already taken on Football Outsiders ludicrous prediction of six or seven wins for the 2016 season. That's a group of football people you can scratch off the list of credible. But the disrespect does not end there.
A cursory glance at what odds makers are saying about the Broncos upcoming season is baffling. Somehow, the loss of Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler, Danny Trevathan and Malik Jackson have put the Broncos into free fall. Is that it? Is that why pundits and odds makers have been slow to accept Denver as a true contender in the upcoming season? But to put them as low as even nine wins feels like a slap in the face.
I need someone to tell me how losing an aging, turnover-prone Manning (who I love), and Brent Osweiler hurts the offense. I need an expert to explain to me how the loss of only two starters on defense turns the No Fly Zone into the defensive sieve we are all hearing about. Can someone please tell me how Denver does not improve next year on both sides of the ball?
It has to be trolls. There is no doubt that the AFC West has become a tougher division. Kansas City is probably the closest team to Denver. Oakland and San Diego are also in an upward swing, but what have the "experts" been paying attention to? Is it all about the quarterback position? Is the prospect of Mark Sanchez leading this team into the season really that bad?
Tom Brady had his four-game suspension upheld, and the Patriots chances went up to win the Super Bowl. Up? It must be about more than just the quarterback, but I cannot find a place on this Broncos team that is worse going into the 2016 season. The only thing I can figure is that NFL analysts and pundits do not like Tom Jackson, so they are down on Denver just to tick him off. It is the only possible explanation.