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View Full Version : Dawkins sees a doggone good defense in Denver



Denver Native (Carol)
05-20-2010, 10:12 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_15122015

With all the debate, discussion and dispute about the you-know-who-three, the subject of returning the "D" to Josh Mcaniels' enver efense at ove Valley has been shoved to a back field.

Brian Dawkins — who is all about the first letter in his last name — brought the matter back to the front Wednesday.

The Broncos can have a "D"efense again if they adopt a "D"og mentality that he believes the new Large Three on the defensive line already possess.

"What 'dog mentality' means is playing with attitude," the Broncos' all-pro, all-decade, all- leadership safety explained.

Junkyard dogs bad to the bone, that's what the man wants.

The Chairman of Defense says the attitude starts upfront with the Ways and Mean Committee — the run stoppers and the pass rushers — and the secondary must be primary in pass prevention and the last line of defense.

After the Broncos began with six straight victories in 2009, "down the stretch, we just made too many mental mistakes. At the end of the season is when you must eliminate mental mistakes."

It all came apart in the regular-season finale when the Broncos lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 44-24. "I didn't feel helpless; I felt anger."

There have been changes on defense — the three new linemen, presumably all starters in the 3-4, and seven new linebackers (veteran free agents, a draft choice and rookie free agents, including the nephew of Brian Bosworth, who once called John Elway "Mr. Ed"), none of whom are expected to start, and a veteran and a rookie draft pick to back up at cornerbacks.

Oh, and there's new defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale, the former linebackers coach of the Broncos (last year) and the Raiders (2004-08). His nickname comes from the former TV game-show host, who gave me my big break at 10 (on a local children's program called "Mars Patrol") and years later on the teen- oriented "Dance Party."

I doubt this Wink Martindale will give me much of a break. He's not talking about alterations being made in the defense (he hadn't been a coordinator since Western Kentucky in 2003), but Dawkins offered this: "You'll have to see. It's going to be fun."

And because the Broncos have just ended what is termed a "passing" minicamp, the emphasis and the attention were on the passers in seven-on-seven drills. As newbie Justin Bannan said Wednesday, he hadn't even lined up against the offensive linemen. (He did last year, when the Ravens stuffed the Broncos 30-7.)

Dawkins praised the offseason signings of defensive linemen Bannan, Jamal Williams and Jarvis Green. "Love it, love it, love it."

The Broncos' improvement in scoring defense from 30th in the NFL in 2008 to 12th under Mike Nolan seems more impressive than maybe it actually was. In the eight losses after the bye week, the Broncos were torched for 239 points. Nolan and McDaniels had issues. Nolan was off to Miami (where he gets to watch Brandon Marshall recover from another "hip" surgery the Dolphins didn't know about).

Strong safety Dawkins had to participate in 88 tackles and combined with leading tackler D.J. Williams (122) for 74 more tackles than the Broncos' first six defensive linemen.

The Broncos' 2010 "D" should be shown tapes of the 1977 Orange Crush defense, which had a weekly objective of holding opponents to 17 or fewer points — and achieved the goal in 13 of 14 games. Joe Collier, the 3-4 innovator of the old Broncos, should be brought in by Martindale to consult occasionally.

Recently, McDaniels, spelled with a "D," said that although they drafted offensive players mostly, the Broncos "will have depth on the defense. We brought in three experienced, quality defensive linemen, and we've got three young guys on the line who had a lot of playing time last year. We've added cornerbacks and linebackers, and I really like our safeties (Dawkins and Renaldo Hill, with three others entering their second season)."

The coach didn't wink or blink.

Three of the Broncos' defenders made the league's all-decade team — Champ Bailey, Jamal Williams and Dawkins, who have 37 collective seasons. This defense was constructed for now, but it can't wear down later.

Elvis hasn't left the building — and won't for many years — but he needs help in the sack race. Robert Ayers was virtually invisible at the other outside linebacker.

Will Ayers step up or aside? Can the defensive linemen mesh as a unit? Who will be the other inside linebacker with D.J. Williams — Mario Haggan, Wesley Woodyard, Akin "The Yodeler" Ayodele or the forgotten Spencer Larsen? Will Alphonso Smith become a player? Will Tony Carter get a longer look at playing more safety? Can the defense hold up for an entire season instead of just eight games? Will Dawkins be lead dog?

Will this dog hunt?

Bite or bark?

More "D," please.

turftoad
05-20-2010, 10:28 AM
Hope he's right. Then again, what would we all expect him to say?

dogfish
05-20-2010, 10:32 AM
i approve of the dog mentality. . . .

claymore
05-20-2010, 10:41 AM
Same shit different year.

TXBRONC
05-20-2010, 11:03 AM
Hope he's right. Then again, what would we all expect him to say?

True I wouldn't expect him say something that's not pc but at the same time if they don't buy into it or attempt to buy into it that's not a good thing.

Tned
05-20-2010, 12:06 PM
Hope he's right. Then again, what would we all expect him to say?

Yep. As I mentioned in a different thread, after 4 years or so of Champ talking up the great offseason changes to the defense, and how great the new DC's were, people started to realize quotes like this have to be taken with a grain of salt.

Northman
05-20-2010, 12:16 PM
Its been stated already in this thread. Talk is cheap, prove it on the field.

Lonestar
05-20-2010, 12:28 PM
Nolan was off to Miami (where he gets to watch Brandon Marshall recover from another "hip" surgery the Dolphins didn't know about).

Probably the best two deletions from the team.