The Denver Broncos are expected to have a larger emphasis on the defensive side of the ball with the hiring of John Fox as the head coach. This is direct contrast to the style of former head coach Josh McDaniels who was more known for his offensive pedigree. The signing of Champ Bailey at least should guarantee that the team will not reach even lower than their league worst defensive stats in many categories.
The team is going to have to get more production out of Elvis Dumervil off of the edge of the defensive line and many people are of course going to expect more production out of D.J. Williams and the linebackers. Williams has a lot of talent, but he also has a tendency to fade in and out of games and a certain level of inconsistency.
The Kansas City Chiefs are not expected to be as dynamic on offense this year without Charlie Weis calling plays so you may be able to see the Denver Broncos improve their defense enough to win the AFC. Most prognosticators like the approach that John Fox takes on
the defensive side of the ball and he is known as a player’s coach. Can John Fox get the most out of players like Braxton Kelley and make sure that other linebackers like Robert Ayers live up to the hype that they got when they happened to come out of college. Robert Ayers can be a key linebacker for them if he just plays with more confidence and thus takes his ability to a whole new level.
Brian Dawkins has been an absolute professional during his time with the Denver Broncos and throughout his sixteen year career. It will be key to see if Dawkins, who is a leader from the safety position will buy into the system that John Fox happens to bring to the table. If Dawkins does not buy into the defensive scheme, then this can mean trouble for Fox because Brian Dawkins has an opinion that happens to carry a lot of weight on the defensive side of the ball. The new defensive coach staff has to be able to make the necessary evaluations of the talent and they may decide that someone like Dan Morgan who played for Fox in Carolina may be a great free agent to bring in.
Dawkins and his mentoring skills can be very important in helping the development of players like Kyle McCarthy and Nick Polk in that secondary.