An Interview with Broncos Blogger Kyle Montgomery

In my continuing quest to bring you analysis from fans of the Packers' opponents, I got in touch this week with Kyle Montgomery of Broncotalk.net.

Andy Tisdel: As far as QB controversies go, the Broncos' situation this year has to be the most talked-about in the league today. Is Tim Tebow a long-term answer at QB for the Broncos? If not, where do they go from here?

Kyle Montgomery: That's the $11 million question, and many Broncos fans have run out of patience waiting for the answer. Right now the Broncos aren't focusing on whether Tim Tebow can win games in the future; they're interested in if he can win games now. John Fox, and likely others in the building, don't believe so, so Kyle Orton continues to start.

I'll say this: the Broncos can't keep Orton as the starter at his current tepid pace. He needs to play like he did in early 2009 and early 2010, for the entire season, or they'll be finding out what they have in Tebow in a few weeks' time. It's a risky proposition: Tebow has all the potential and all the intangibles, but John Elway has intimated more than once that moving from Urban Meyer's Florida offense to the pro-style offense he'd run in Denver is difficult. Elway believes rushing Tebow before he is ready could be detrimental to his long-term career. Broncos fans want to see what they have in Tebow so they can possibly draft a QB next year. Some think Tebow is sidelined because Elway and company don't believe he'll ever amount to a starting quarterback; I like to think he's sidelined because they do.

AT: What has John Fox done to help the Broncos' defense move on from last year, when they gave up more yards than any team in the league?

KM: He's placing his players in positions of success, something (previous head coach) Josh McDaniels had trouble doing. Rather than building his roster around his scheme, Fox is building his scheme around his roster. Recognizing that the Broncos don't have a suitable nose tackle, Fox moved to the 4-3 (something that may have seemed obvious given his history in Carolina, but Fox wouldn't commit to a base scheme either way until after the draft). Also, Brodrick Bunkley has played very well at defensive tackle; better than any run-stuffing defensive lineman the Broncos have had in several years. Their linebackers -- always a proud unit in Denver history -- are stout again as well.

AT: How have the return of Elvis Dumervil and the drafting of Von Miller helped the Broncos? What do those players bring to the table?

KM: Dumervil got hurt in Week One and hasn't played since (he's expected to play Sunday in Green Bay), so the effect of his return isn't known yet. But Von Miller is the real deal. He brings an insane explosiveness off the snap. You expect a rookie to have a few hiccups here and there, but surprisingly Miller's been very solid in both run support and coverage.

AT: Can Brandon Lloyd repeat his breakthrough season last year? (As an aside, did anyone in Bronco-land see that coming last year?)

Few saw Lloyd's breakout year coming. I attended every training camp practice for over a week and was more impressed with the likes of rookie Demaryius Thomas and Matthew Willis. But Lloyd and Orton always had chemistry, especially come game time, dating back to their days in Chicago. The Broncos' decision to trade away Brandon Marshall opened the door for that connection to really bloom last year. I'd say Broncos country was as surprised as everyone else.

As far his numbers this year go, Lloyd certainly wants to match them, and he even started muttering some discontent to various media types this week. So far he's behind pace. He sat out Week Two with a hamstring injury, but otherwise he's had 10 catches for 127 yards and no touchdowns. Those numbers aren't bad for seven quarters of play, but last year he led the league in both receiving yards (1,448) and average (18.8). He has some catching (up) to do.

AT: Given that the Broncos are 1-2 and that the two losses were by a field goal apiece, is the arrow pointing up for this team?

KM: The Broncos could just as easily be 0-3 as they could be 3-0. It's hard to gauge where they are at this point. You see promising strides on defense. You see a clear decline in passing yards on offense without a significant upswing in rushing yards. The rushing attempts are there -- Fox and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy are more committed to the run than Josh McDaniels was -- but the efficiency, yards per carry, they just aren't.

The Broncos have a very tough schedule. If they don't upset either the Packers this week or the Chargers at home next, they'll take a 1-4 record into the bye, and I can see them falling into the bottom-dwellers of the league. But I think they're better than that. With a healthy Dumervil and Champ Bailey on the field for the first time, they have a chance to be competitive in these next two games and possibly win one of them. I think that could move them into an 8-8 type season.

AT: What do you see as the Broncos' greatest strength? Their biggest weakness?

KM: Given the last two years, I'd say the Broncos' greatest strength was its passing offense, and its weakness the ability to stop the run. But that hasn't been the case this season. I almost can't believe it myself, but through three weeks (especially the last two), those attributes have flip-flopped: their passing offense is anemic, and their rush defense is stalwart. We're still learning about this team.

AT: What will you be watching for, in terms of individual matchups, on Sunday?

KM: Backup right tackle Marshall Newhouse against Dumervil and Miller will be a crucial matchup the Broncos will try to exploit defensively. Offensively, I want to see how well LG Zane Beadles and C J.D. Walton handle Packers NT B.J. Raji. Beadles and Walton are both second-year starters, but, in my opinion, they've yet to earn a third.

AT: What's your predicted final score?

KM: I think the Broncos will be more competitive than most suspect, but they'd have to win the turnover battle to knock off the champs, who are better disciplined and more talented and at home. I think they keep it close before Aaron Rodgers makes them pay in the end. Packers 27, Broncos 20.

To read more of Kyle or to see my interview on his site, visit Broncotalk.net.