1 Denver Broncos

THE BELIEF
After reaching last season's AFC Championship Game, the Broncos didn't have many improvements to make. Wide receiver was one weak spot, so in April they traded a 2006 second-round pick to the Packers for a big, speedy pass catcher: Javon Walker. The fifth-year veteran, who tore his right ACL in the '05 season opener and missed the rest of the year, gives quarterback Jake Plummer the weapon he needs to finally take Denver all the way to the Super Bowl.

THE REALITY
It appears that the Broncos, indeed, got their man. Walker's rehab is ahead of schedule. From the start of training camp he had no difficulty-and showed no hesitation-in leaping for balls in traffic and cutting sharply on routes, meaning he's already past the biggest mental hurdle of rehab: trusting that his body will hold up.

Coach Mike Shanahan says Walker "has the complete game," and the wideout can't wait to put it on display. "I'm going to give them exactly what they traded for," says Walker, who hooked up with Brett Favre for a Pro Bowl season in 2004, catching 89 passes for 1,382 yards. "I want to make big plays. I want to be a physical blocker in the running game. And I want to change the momentum on any given play. I'm confident I can be that guy again."

The Broncos aren't asking Walker to be their go-to receiver; he just has to fit into an offense that requires wideouts to run timing routes with discipline. When the game plan is clicking, the ball gets spread around to everyone. That said, his presence will make Denver more effective in another area in which they have to improve: third-down conversions. The Broncos ranked 22nd in the league in that category, converting only 36.2% of their opportunities last season.

Denver already had one crafty receiver it could depend on, 12-year veteran Rod Smith, but without a second reliable target for defenses to worry about, opponents could key on Smith in those third-down situations. To understand Walker's potential impact, consider that 31 of his 89 receptions in '04 came on third down-and 24 of the 31 moved the chains. That season he also made 14 catches that went for 25 yards or longer. "You want a guy who makes big plays in big situations," says Smith, "and Javon is one of those guys."

The Broncos were happy to see how quickly Walker fit in with his new team, following the squabbles he had with the Packers' front office. After his breakout 2004 season Walker wanted to renegotiate his contract, but Green Bay refused; Favre publicly questioned Walker's right to make such a demand after only one Pro Bowl year. Walker became angry with the team, and after his knee injury-suffered when he was tackled on a pass play-he went to Houston for rehab. His one trip to Green Bay after getting hurt came in December, for an end-of-season interview with coach Mike Sherman (who was fired on Jan. 2).

When he reported to the Denver camp, Walker was eager for a new beginning. He says he's not a selfish, high-maintenance player and wants to use his frustrating experience with the Packers as motivation. "I just want to show people why the Broncos gave up a second-round pick to get me," he says. "And I want the people in Green Bay to see what they're missing."

2006 SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER

10 at St. Louis