The Lead
With his arrival in Denver, Russell Wilson is continuing a proud lineage of star quarterbacks that most prominently features John Elway and Peyton Manning, and as he does so, he holds the same goal his predecessors had: to win a championship.
He could follow in their footsteps in yet another way by winning league MVP honors. Elway won his in 1987, and Manning earned his in 2013.
In making 10 bold predictions about the upcoming season, CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora thinks Wilson's will win the award this year.
"I am Team Russ," La Canfora wrote. "Always have been. Always will be. Dudes like this don't get dealt in their prime. And make no mistake, he is still very much in his prime. This is the best cast he has had around him in a long time. This is a coach who is going to be the opposite of Pete Carroll and will be skewing everything possible in favor of the passing game. It's go time. They have speed. They have big targets. They will have a scheme that has worked wonderfully well in Green Bay and with the L.A. Rams, among others. I see Denver as being a very real factor in a loaded AFC, and Russ is going to get his cookies."
In another article, La Canfora predicts Denver will make the playoffs as a wild-card team.
"The Russell Wilson factor is real," La Canfora wrote. "His presence changes everything for this long-dormant franchise. All of that speed and talent in the pass catching ranks is about to take a step forward. This team will no longer feel like falling behind by 10 is ballgame. The defense will be more free to take gambles with a true franchise QB on the roster."
Below the Fold
In another set of early predictions, NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund has formulated “way-too-early” win projections for each team. The Broncos' projection is just shy of 10 wins — 9.8 to be exact — which places them in third place behind the Chiefs (10.4) and Chargers (10.2). But, as can be expected, the division is projected to be very tight; only .7 wins separates the Chiefs from the Raiders (9.7).
