(Sports Network) - Fourteen years is a long time for an NFL head coach to keep his job, but at the conclusion of this season, that is exactly how long Mike Shanahan will have been in Denver.

Whether Shanahan will last for a 15th year is a matter of some debate.

The Broncos have sat at home for each of the last two Januarys, with a pair of playoff-less seasons doing little to endear the longtime coach to Denver's passionate fan base. These days, the good citizens of Colorado are more likely to know how many playoff games the team has won in the post-John Elway era (one) than who the governor is.

No matter what owner Pat Bowlen might say, you have to believe that another mediocre or worse season in Mile High will signal Shanahan's exit.

General manager Ted Sundquist, Shanahan's last layer of insulation from blame over the team's missteps, was fired in March.

That leaves the head coach at the mercy of the roster that he's assembled, one that includes his hand-picked quarterback, Jay Cutler. Cutler's play in this, his third season in the league, figures to have much to say about the fortunes of the Broncos in 2008.

If Cutler fails to live up to expectations, and the team fails, the head coach and quarterback might just be escorted out of the town on the same rail.

Can the duo reverse the downward trend this once-revered franchise has taken in recent years?

Below we take a capsule look at the 2008 edition of the Denver Broncos, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2007 RECORD: 7-9 (2nd, AFC West)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2005, lost to Pittsburgh, 34-17 in AFC Championship

COACH (RECORD): Mike Shanahan (130-78 in 13 seasons with Broncos, 138-90 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Rick Dennison/Jeremy Bates

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bob Slowik

OFFENSIVE STAR: Jay Cutler, QB (3497 passing yards, 20 TD, 14 INT, 205 rushing yards, 1 TD)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Champ Bailey, CB (84 tackles, 3 INT)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 9th rushing, 13th passing, 21st scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 30th rushing, 7th passing, 28th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: RB Michael Pittman (from Buccaneers), WR Darrell Jackson (from 49ers), WR Samie Parker (from Chiefs), WR Keary Colbert (from Panthers), WR Eddie Royal (2nd Round, Virginia Tech), T Ryan Clady (1st Round, Boise State), C Casey Wiegmann (from Chiefs), DT Dewayne Robertson (from Jets), LB Boss Bailey (from Lions), LB Niko Koutouvides (from Seahawks), S Marquand Manuel (from Panthers), S Marlon McCree (from Chargers)

KEY DEPARTURES: RB Travis Henry (released), RB Mike Bell (released), WR Javon Walker (to Raiders), TE Stephen Alexander (not tendered), C Chris Myers (to Texans), T Matt Lepsis (retired), LB Ian Gold (released), S Nick Ferguson (to Texans), S Marviel Underwood (released), S John Lynch (to Patriots), K Jason Elam (to Falcons)

QB: Now in his third year in the league, Jay Cutler appears set to arrive in earnest this season. Cutler has shown glimpses of becoming a star in his first two seasons on the job, but needs to make more big plays and commit fewer turnovers (he had 18 last season) in order for the Denver offense to succeed. If Cutler goes down, the Broncos are in trouble. If opposing GMs were looking to pluck a backup quarterback off an NFL roster, Patrick Ramsey (262 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) wouldn't be their first choice. Ramsey played in a couple of games last year and wasn't horrible, but might struggle if he had to play an extended period. If the Broncos keep three quarterbacks, Darrell Hackney will make the team.

RB: The revolving door of Broncos running backs keeps on spinning. With Travis Henry and Mike Bell now on the scrap heap, Denver will turn this season to Selvin Young (729 rushing yards, 1 TD, 35 receptions) and Andre Hall (216 rushing yards, 1 TD), both of whom played extensively last year, to do most of the running. Also on the roster is veteran Michael Pittman (286 rushing yards, 26 receptions with Buccaneers), who is a good pass-catcher on third-downs but has also had trouble staying healthy during his career. Rookie Ryan Torain (5th Round, Arizona State) looked like he was going to get a real shot in training camp, but a broken elbow suffered early in camp put his roster spot in jeopardy. Denver will probably keep two fullbacks, with Cecil Sapp (59 rushing yards, 14 receptions, 3 TD) a reliable fixture at the position and seventh-round pick Peyton Hillis (Arkansas) looking to help the team somewhere down the line.

WR/TE: The Denver offense has a big, ominous cloud hovering over its head, and that cloud's name is Brandon Marshall (102 receptions, 7 TD). Marshall was snubbed for the Pro Bowl after being the Broncos' most reliable offensive player last season, but his continued pattern of bad off-the-field conduct landed him a three-game suspension from the commissioner (the suspension could be reduced if Marshall keeps his nose clean and attends counseling). Without Marshall, the Broncos will rely on holdover Brandon Stokley (40 receptions, 5 TD) and a host of newcomers. Veterans Darrell Jackson (46 receptions, 3 TD with 49ers), Samie Parker (24 receptions, 2 TD with Chiefs), Keary Colbert (32 receptions with Panthers), and rookie Eddie Royal (2nd Round, Virginia Tech) were all vying for spots on the depth chart as the preseason neared its conclusion. Another holdover, Glenn Martinez (14 receptions), who will have to prove himself valuable enough on special teams to make the squad. The Broncos look pretty strong at tight end, where Tony Scheffler (49 receptions, 5 TD), Nate Jackson (3 receptions, 1 TD), and Daniel Graham (24 receptions, 2 TD) are all capable.

OL: The once-revered Broncos o-line is now something of an unknown quantity. The retirement of left tackle Matt Lepsis and a knee injury that will keep center Tom Nalen out until at least the regular season opener are two elements conspiring to rob this group of its identity. The anchor of the group could eventually become first-round Draft pick Ryan Clady (Boise State), who will immediately step into Lepsis' place. Next to him at left guard should be Ben Hamilton, who sat out all of 2007 with post-concussion symptoms. On the right side, Montrae Holland or Chris Kuper will play guard, and Ryan Harris will probably beat out Erik Pears for tackle duties. If Nalen is unable to return quickly, ex-Chief Casey Wiegmann can fill in at center. Fourth-round Draft pick Kory Lichtensteiger looks like a center/guard backup, and Dylan Gandy has some starting experience as a member of the Colts.

DL: Finding the right mix of players on the front four will be one of the chief directives for new coordinator Bob Slowik. At end, there are five potential contributors - youngsters Jarvis Moss (12 tackles, 1 sack) and Tim Crowder (16 tackles, 4 sacks), third-year player Elvis Dumervil (39 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 1 INT), and veterans John Engelberger (41 tackles, 1 sack) and Ebenezer Ekuban. Ekuban missed all of last season with an Achilles tear, and could be the odd man out if he can't prove he's back all the way. Dumervil remains the team's best pass rusher, but Moss, the 2007 first-rounder, has more every-down potential on the right side. On the interior, the team got bigger with ex-Jet Dewayne Robertson (57 tackles, 4 sacks with New York), who joins a rotation that already included Marcus Thomas (19 tackles, 1 INT), Alvin McKinley (14 tackles, 2.5 sacks), and the versatile Kenny Peterson (10 tackles, 1 sack).

LB: On paper, Denver enters the season with one of the weakest linebacking corps in the league. Last year, D.J. Williams (141 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) struggled at times in the middle and Nate Webster (87 tackles) was not the answer on the strong side. So this year, they're moving to different spots on the LB corps, with Williams on the weak side and Webster trying to beat out former Seahawks backup Niko Koutovides (23 tackles with Seattle) in the middle. The strong side will belong to ex-Lion Boss Bailey (51 tackles, 3.5 sacks with Detroit) if he can return from a sprained ankle that knocked him out of the preseason. If Bailey isn't ready for the opener, Louis Green (9 tackles) or Jamie Winborn (34 tackles) will likely get the call.

DB: The strength of the Denver defense - maybe the strength of the entire team - is the cornerback tandem of Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly (51 tackles, 5 INT, 1 sack). Both members of the duo are in their 30s now, but remain among the best in the business. Domonique Foxworth (42 tackles) and Karl Paymah (22 tackles, 2 INT) provide good depth behind them. At safety, there is new blood. John Lynch was granted his release at the beginning of training camp, and Hamza Abdullah (48 tackles) will be settled into his former strong-side role full- time. The free safety will be journeyman Marlon McCree (67 tackles, 3 INT), a consistent playmaker who gave the Broncos fits when he was a member of the Chargers. Marquand Manuel (18 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) should be the top reserve at both safety slots. The Broncos will be Manuel's fifth team in the last six years, but he knows the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS: During the free agency period, the Broncos surprisingly allowed the reliable Jason Elam to escape to Atlanta, creating a major void at kicker. Attempting to fill that vacancy will be one-time Falcon Matt Prater (1-4 FG with Atlanta), who kicked off well in a couple of games for Denver at the end of last season, but who has yet to prove himself as a big-leaguer on field goals. The punter will likely be another unknown quantity, Sam Paulescu (44.2 avg.), who appeared in one contest as a Bronco in 2007. Second-round Draft choice Eddie Royal will be given the opportunity to show off his blazing speed on returns. Mike Leach begins his seventh year as Denver's long snapper.

PROGNOSIS: The Broncos might have some major questions to answer heading into 2008, but they also have a couple of important things going for them. First, the presence of the Raiders and Chiefs in their division gives Shanahan's club a major jump on second place in the AFC West, and second place teams are generally involved in the playoff discussion. The schedule is relatively light, with four games against Oakland and Kansas City and crossover matchups with the NFC South and AFC East, divisions that have one true standout team (the Patriots) among them. So the job for Denver will be to win the games they should, and to spring an upset or two when they play the New Englands, Jacksonvilles, and San Diegos of the world. But is there enough talent for this to be a playoff team? Yes, but just barely. The Broncos are going to need some good luck with injuries, will require some of their young phenoms to be consistent, and will need to keep their heads above the waves while Marshall is out in September. If all that happens, this could be a nine- or 10-win team that ends up playing football the first week in January.