My piece with the Joel Dreessen interview has been pushed back a couple of weeks in order to include an interview with Loren Landow (A sports trainer who has worked extensively with Dreessen). Keep your eyes peeled; it’s a can’t miss. Thanks for reading!

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is going to lead the organization back to greatness. (Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

While flipping through the channels on Sunday morning, I came upon a replay of the 2011 Denver Broncos-Chicago Bears game. Naturally I watched every second. Not only did it take me back to the emotional highs and lows of the 2011 season, but it had my head spinning for the rest of the day thinking about the future.

No team in the NFL has improved as much as the Broncos this offseason. They improved about as much as you possibly can at the most important position in the game when they signed Peyton Manning. Add to that some new offensive weapons such as Joel Dreessen, Jacob Tamme, and Andre Caldwell; some reinforcements for the defense with Mike Adams, Ty Warren, Tracy Porter, and Drayton Florence; some talented youth through the draft such as Derek Wolfe, Ronnie Hillman, and Omar Bolden; and the 2012 team will look drastically different than the one we saw in 2011.

We won’t see the Broncos being shut out through three and a half quarters before springing to life like last year, and the defense will not be under an immense amount of pressure to hold the opponent below 17 points anymore. We are entering a new era of Denver Broncos football, and it is going to be better on all fronts.

Think about where the Denver organization was 2 years ago. They struggled through the worst season in franchise history in 2010 with quite possibly the worst head coach/general manager football has ever seen. Since then, the franchise has added John Elway, John Fox, and Peyton Manning. That is quite a trio, and they have made all the difference. Broncos’ fans who were praying for an unlikely turnaround have had their prayers answered. Denver has seen a legitimate championship window open up in front of them and it will be open for as long as Manning is healthy and playing. My feeling is that Manning can give this franchise four good years. If that is the case, they are going to get back to the success that the Broncos fans have become accustomed to during most of their lives.

Broncos Country is flying high right now. Most everyone is counting down the days to the season opener on September ninth, and oh how glorious it will be to see Manning throwing touchdowns in a Broncos uniform! If you take the temperature of the fan base on Twitter, you will see a level of enthusiasm for the coming season that has been missing since Johnny himself was playing quarterback. Many fans, including myself, are already busy making travel plans to see the team play live in multiple locations. Season ticket holders who used to sell tickets to a few games every season will be holding on to all of them very tightly this year. The opportunity to see an elite quarterback playing for your favorite team doesn’t happen every day, and it has been a long time coming for this fan base.

For the first time in a long time Denver has a very real chance to compete for a championship. While watching the Broncos offense look so inept during the game replay yesterday, all I could do was shake my head. The 2011 season was awesome. It was a year I will remember for the rest of my life, and I was so grateful the organization became relevant again. But the realist in me knew that they still had a long way to go in order to actually contend for a Super Bowl. As they stand today, the Broncos have covered a lot of that ground faster than I ever could have dreamed. I still can’t believe that Peyton Manning plays for Denver, and I expect that he is going to take us all on a memorable ride. Get ready Broncos fans, the Manning Era is about to begin!

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Omar Bolden during the game against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. (Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE)

The Broncos took a small risk when they drafted CB Omar Bolden in the fourth round (101st overall), but the payout could be huge. Bolden missed the 2011 season with a torn ACL, but had he not sustained the injury, many agree that he would have been a first or second round draft pick.

DIRECTV and NFL Draft guru Michael Lombardi have come up with the 2012 NFL Draft “All Value Team,” and Bolden has made that list. Bolden could very well fill in as a dime back and take over Eddie Royal’s duties in the kick return game.

Here’s a list of other player’s that made the NFL Draft All Value Team.

Jeff Allen – OT/OG, Kansas CIty (44th)

Mike Adams – OT, Pittsburgh (56th)

Demario Davis – LB, New York Jets (77th)

Akiem Hicks – DE, New Orleans (89th)

Frank Alexander – DE, Carolina (103rd)

Tank Carder – LB, Buffalo (147th)

Jack Crawford – DE, Oakland (158th)

Vick Ballard – RB, Indianapolis (170th)

Billy Winn – DT, Cleveland (205th)

Caleb McSurdy – LB, Dallas (222nd)

Cam Johnson – DE, San Francisco (237th)

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Omar Bolden against the Oregon Ducks. (Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE)

On defense everything starts up front, but it’s the secondary that often feels the most pressure.

When the Broncos pass rush and run defense were spot on last season, the secondary had an easier time doing their jobs. When it was off, big plays would break and eyes would lock in on a corner or safety that missed an assignment.

The Broncos have one shutdown corner in Champ Bailey, and this offseason they ‘re looking to beef up the other side. They let Andre Goodman go and brought Tracy Porter in from the New Orleans Saints. They’re hoping second-year CB Chris Harris continues to step up, and Cassius Vaughn will compete for a spot as well.

This past weekend, they drafted cornerback Omar Bolden out of Arizona State. The Broncos think that he has first or second round talent. The only problem is they got him in the fourth round (101st overall) because he didn’t play at all last season with a torn ACL.

“Greek (Trainer Steve Antonopulos) said he was fine,” John Elway said. “Even though he hasn’t played on it yet, he’s been through workouts. We felt with Greek’s blessing, it was a good pick for us in the fourth.”

The Broncos didn’t have much contact with Bolden before the draft even though he put up great numbers at the combine in February (4.45 40-yard dash, 24 reps on bench press). Bolden met with the Broncos before his pro day and then the Broncos called him a couple of times leading up to the draft.

When asked if that has anything to do with not wanting to tip off other teams as to what the Broncos are doing, John Fox said, “Very much so.”

Bolden tore his ACL last April and missed all of the 2011 season. He also missed eight games in 2009 with a knee injury.

“I’m ready to play, ready to compete,” Bolden said.

Perhaps Bolden’s success in the NFL doesn’t hinge so much on his talent, but on his ability to stay healthy.

Bolden was a freshman all-American in 2007 and he was first team all-Pac-10 in 2010.

“From my perspective, I think getting one very good corner, we’re very happy with that,” Elway said. “You never have enough, but we feel very good about the one that we have.”

The Broncos will likely use Bolden in the return game as well (he played running back in high school).

Here’s a highlight video of Bolden: