Denver Native (Carol)
05-19-2010, 03:42 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15118784
As much as everyone who works at Dove Valley — and all of you Broncos fans, too — would like to forget it, no one has been able to shake the bad memories of the end of the 2009 season.
The 2-8 finish in the final 10 games still stings, as does the dreadful defensive performance in the final game of the year: a 44-24 home loss to Kansas City.
"The whole stretch hurt, and that will be in my memory bank the way that felt the last part of the year. You don't want that feeling ever," safety Brian Dawkins said today. "To have to feel that, that was really my first time going through something like that, and you don't want to feel that again."
The late season collapse, especially in the run defense, spurred many of the Broncos' offseason moves. The team parted ways with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and promoted linebackers coach Don "Wink" Martindale, replaced the entire starting defensive line through free agency and made a couple changes to its linebackers corps.
Dawkins, a team captain in 2009 and the unquestioned defensive leader, said he approves of all of the changes.
"Obviously, there are going to be some things that remain the same, but Wink has his own ideas and how he wants to attack and do things," Dawkins said. "Let's just say I like them."
Dawkins met with reporters for about 15 minutes at Dove Valley in his first extended comments since the end of last season.
He said he was "surprised" when the team drafted Tim Tebow, but said he has met and liked the team's rookie quarterback. Both Dawkins and Tebow are devout Christians who are unabashed in sharing their faith.
"He's a very personable guy, he's a very, very, very positive guy - he looks for the positives in everything, which I think is a very good attribute, and he's a hard worker," Dawkins said. "He still has a lot to learn, but he'll learn those things and at some point he'll be able to add to what we do."
Dawkins said he was also happy to see quarterback Kyle Orton and outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil participating in the organized team activities with the rest of the team. Both Orton and Dumervil were restricted free agents and could have bailed on the offseason program. Orton has been with team since late March. Dumervil arrived this week.
"He could have easily said, 'I don't want to be here, I don't want to be in all that mess, I'm going to sit it out,' but he didn't do those things," Dawkins said of Orton. "He was here, he's been in the conditioning program with all the guys, and to me that speaks a whole lot about his personality."
As much as everyone who works at Dove Valley — and all of you Broncos fans, too — would like to forget it, no one has been able to shake the bad memories of the end of the 2009 season.
The 2-8 finish in the final 10 games still stings, as does the dreadful defensive performance in the final game of the year: a 44-24 home loss to Kansas City.
"The whole stretch hurt, and that will be in my memory bank the way that felt the last part of the year. You don't want that feeling ever," safety Brian Dawkins said today. "To have to feel that, that was really my first time going through something like that, and you don't want to feel that again."
The late season collapse, especially in the run defense, spurred many of the Broncos' offseason moves. The team parted ways with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and promoted linebackers coach Don "Wink" Martindale, replaced the entire starting defensive line through free agency and made a couple changes to its linebackers corps.
Dawkins, a team captain in 2009 and the unquestioned defensive leader, said he approves of all of the changes.
"Obviously, there are going to be some things that remain the same, but Wink has his own ideas and how he wants to attack and do things," Dawkins said. "Let's just say I like them."
Dawkins met with reporters for about 15 minutes at Dove Valley in his first extended comments since the end of last season.
He said he was "surprised" when the team drafted Tim Tebow, but said he has met and liked the team's rookie quarterback. Both Dawkins and Tebow are devout Christians who are unabashed in sharing their faith.
"He's a very personable guy, he's a very, very, very positive guy - he looks for the positives in everything, which I think is a very good attribute, and he's a hard worker," Dawkins said. "He still has a lot to learn, but he'll learn those things and at some point he'll be able to add to what we do."
Dawkins said he was also happy to see quarterback Kyle Orton and outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil participating in the organized team activities with the rest of the team. Both Orton and Dumervil were restricted free agents and could have bailed on the offseason program. Orton has been with team since late March. Dumervil arrived this week.
"He could have easily said, 'I don't want to be here, I don't want to be in all that mess, I'm going to sit it out,' but he didn't do those things," Dawkins said of Orton. "He was here, he's been in the conditioning program with all the guys, and to me that speaks a whole lot about his personality."