ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –Last season, tight end Jacob Tamme was one of the many new parts to the Broncos' offensive machine.
Along with fellow tight end Joel Dreessen, the 2012 Broncos added slot receiver Brandon Stokley and quarterback Peyton Manning through free agency. While Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy returned from the 2011 team, he reset his offensive philosophy to match the talents of his new quarterback, giving the offense a completely different look from the previous year's squad.
This season, that machine has received a new part with the addition of five-time Pro Bowler Wes Welker via free agency.
"Wes is awesome," Tamme said. "It's great to have him here. It's been great to get to know him the past few days. He's going to be a great addition to our team. We've got a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things."
With the majority of the offense returning from last year's unit that ranked second in scoring, Tamme expects that continuity to pay off in 2013.
"I think we can definitely be better," he said. "We did good things last year, but I think we have a group of guys that aren't real satisfied with just doing good things. I think we want to win a Super Bowl. That sort of thing starts now. It starts with getting the playbook down, getting all the changes, getting this right, getting that corrected, watching what we did last year, seeing where we can improve. I think we've got a group of guys that are doing a good job of that right now."
At this point in time a year ago, the Broncos were learning a very new offensive playbook. While much of the terminology stayed the same, Manning brought with him more than a decade of success from running an up-tempo style in Indianapolis.
The offensive coaches and Manning blended their experiences, giving the Broncos' offensive players a good deal to learn.
This year, the base offense will be closer to second-nature for most of the team, meaning the offseason can be dedicated to fine-tuning as opposed to a start-from-scratch installation.
"We're always trying to take things to the next level," Tamme said. "So if playing faster is something that's going to help us, we'll try to play even faster than we did last year. Some games we may slow it down. But I think we want to work on being able to take it to another level of tempo if that's something we feel like will help us."
After McCoy left to become San Diego's head coach, Adam Gase took over the offensive controls. While a new offensive coordinator could mean a new offensive scheme in some cases, Gase won't be starting from square one with the Broncos.
As the team's quarterbacks coach last year, Gase is familiar with the team's offense and vise-versa.
"He's doing a great job," Tamme said about Gase's promotion. "He's a coach that when you first get around him, you know that he's got it. So I was excited. I think he's going to be really good for our football team."
In addition to their comfort level with the playbook, Tamme and company that are entering their second year with the Broncos have the added benefit of a year under their belt getting into a routine in their new city with new teammates.
"I think it's good, for sure," Tamme said. "When I first got here last year, when Peyton first got here last year, he didn't know Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas, whoever, the running backs, the O-line, down the line. I think having been out there in the games, been battling together, fighting for the same prize and working with guys and seeing how everybody works, all that stuff helps.
"The better you know the people you're playing with, the more you care about them. This is football. I don't care if it's pee-wee, NFL, whatever, if you care about the guys you're playing with, it makes a difference. I think we've got a group that does."
