The Denver Broncos have had a strange few seasons as the Mike Shanahan era ended quickly with an 8-8 record in 2008, followed by the exits of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall when they hired Josh McDaniels. The Broncos then became Tim Tebow’s team in 2011 when they won the AFC West for the first time since 2005 and also won a playoff game, but it was over as quickly as it began when John Elway signed Peyton Manning.

RealGM has been using a statistic called the Trench Counter to rank NFL teams since the 2007 season.

The Trench Counter accounts for average yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards, first downs and turnovers to determine how well teams control the game in the most meaningful ways.

The Broncos rank 23rd in Trench Counter from the 2007 season through 2011.

Below are Denver's season-by-season rankings, Trench Counter totals and actual record in parentheses.

2007: 16th, +0.7 (7-9)
2008: 23rd, -2.8 (8-8)
2009: 14th, +1.7 (8-8)
2010: 28th, -5.3 (4-12)
2011: 22nd, -2.7 (8-8)