It's Time to See What Wink is All About

[Ziggy]

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_16817770

Interim head coach Eric Studesville said today that he's giving defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale complete control over the team's defense, along with the rest of the defensive assistants.

"My role with Wink is going to be there to listen and support him," Studesville said. "We've got great football coaches there. I'm going to let them coach."




One of the many things that have been hinted about during the McDaniels era is that he would not let his coaches coach. With interim coach Eric Studesville now running the show in Denver, Broncos defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will get to run the defense the way he wants to.

Will that mean an aggressive, Buddy/Rex Ryan style blitzing attack defense, or more of what we've seen throughout the 2010 season? With the exception of the first Kansas City game in which the Broncos jumped out to a huge early lead, the term 'Ryanesque' has not come to mind when watching Denver play defense.

This year's Broncos defense is currently ranked 29th in points allowed, and 27th in total yards given up per game. Few will question that the Broncos defensive line is in dire need of a talent infusion. That will have to wait until the 2011 draft and free agency period begins.

Wink has been turned loose by his new head coach. Will he bring the type of attacking defense that the Ryan family is known for, or stick to the fairly vanilla schemes that the Broncos have run all season long? This is his time to shine. We won't know the answer until Sunday, but if I'm Wink Martindale in the midst of this 4 game audition, I go with what I know. Either be successful, or go down swinging.

[shank]

all year it has seemed like our blitzers have player assignments, like blockers. they never blitz at a gap, they blitz at an offensive player... so even when we blitz, we need one of our guys to win their 1-on-1 matchup to get pressure on the qb.. that's dumb. we need guys hitting gaps and getting through untouched, especially when we're bringing 5+ guys.

[I Eat Staples]

Wink is a horrible DC and better be gone next year.

Only McDumbass would hire someone like him.

[Juriga72]

Can you name a better team to play this week than the Cardinals?..... Of course the Cardinals are saying the very same thing about the Broncos

[Northman]

I will laugh my ass off if the defense improves a lot.

[Ziggy]

I will laugh my ass off if the defense improves a lot.

I was excited in training camp to see what Wink's D was all about. I have to say that I was truly disappointed as the season rolled along. Hopefully, Wink will turn them loose on Sunday. This defense is horrible. I'd much rather see a defense that takes risks being aggressive and gets burned, than a defense that plays vanilla and gets burned.

[Ziggy]

Wink is a horrible DC and better be gone next year.

Only McDumbass would hire someone like him.

Quality post. Keep up the good work.

[Elevation inc]

I will laugh my ass off if the defense improves a lot.

you know it just might...rumors were that MCD didnt like all the blitzing nolan was doing and forced him to change..enter rumored fallout...blah..blah...but i think its very telling studesville says im gonna let the coahces coach...seems to me by that quote that wasnt allowed by MCD.....so maybe the reason we all think wink sucks is becasue behind the scenes his hands were tied by a conservative MCD.....and the defense suffered...maybe wink knwos whats up he just wasnt allowed to be as aggressive as he wanted....


this is also would piss me off even more if we got more aggressive becasue all season MCD said we wnated to be tough and aggressive on defense...if it happens afetr he is gone, we know where the defensive issues started from a coaching standpoint...

[nevcraw]

I give wink a pass. I think he has subpar talent to line up every week as starters and no one in reserve..

I would prefer to see him grow a defense with some of these guys he has and the new talent they will start to bring in once that commitment to do so is made. getting rid of him would be blaming him for what's not been in his control.
This dumping DC's every years is as silly as Shanny and Mcd thinking they could field a competitive D with bandaides and retreads.

[Dreadnought]

I was excited in training camp to see what Wink's D was all about. I have to say that I was truly disappointed as the season rolled along. Hopefully, Wink will turns them loose on Sunday. This defense is horrible. I'd much rather see a defense that takes risks being aggressive and gets burned, than a defense that plays vanilla and gets burned.

Well, we'll see which of these is true

1) Wink is a good coach hamstrung by control freak McDaniels; or

2) He is a Dud

It would be like found money if he turns the D around or shows sign, but I'll remain cautious.

[Dzone]

Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl by stepping back and letting his coaches coach. It worked.
If Studesville can do that, then he might be the man for the job.

[JaxBroncoGirl]

I will laugh my ass off if the defense improves a lot.

Since I am a very new Bronco supporter and fan, I do not have too much background on a lot of things.

Does it seem that McD ego and character held our coaches and players back? Do you think it is possible that he would hold back great players so Josh in his mind is the Master?

If he is the control freak everyone says he is then it must be very nice that he is gone and the coaching staff actually gets to coach.

If this is the case, Broncos owner should have seen this trait in the first year he was here. Why did we give him that much power? Sure we can have bad apples every once in a while that may not be a fit. All the players he chopped are really thriving or at least doing much better on other teams. :confused:

[dogfish]

I was excited in training camp to see what Wink's D was all about. I have to say that I was truly disappointed as the season rolled along. Hopefully, Wink will turns them loose on Sunday. This defense is horrible. I'd much rather see a defense that takes risks being aggressive and gets burned, than a defense that plays vanilla and gets burned.

agreed. . . i'd rather see guys make mistakes going forward, full speed, than while they're backpedaling. . . we heard a lot about wink's attacking defense, and rarely ever saw it. . . now we get to see whether those were just BS puff pieces to begin with, or whether mcdaniels forced his moronic ideas about playcalling on wink. . .

hopefully the latter-- it hurts me deep inside to see QBs sit in the pocket for 6+ seconds. . . come on, heat the ****er up! i want a disruptive defense, not that bend-and-then-break horseshit we always seem to favor for whatever retarded reason. . . someone should have strangled shanahan when he told coyer to back off. . . '05 was the best defense we've run in gat damn forever, then we get outschemed in one big game, and mike gets stupidly reactionary and changes our whole approach-- and surprise, we go back to being shit on that side of the ball. . . man that year was fun-- just let them line up and get after it. . . if you get beat you get beat-- play with some balls, FFS. . .

it's why i though then and still believe now that steve spags was absolutely the right choice for us. . .

[topscribe]

My impression is that the coaches have received too much blame for the
deficiency of personnel. If a person is going to be put into that capacity and
called "coach," then he should be allowed to coach.

Maybe Studesville is doing the smart thing . . . that perhaps McDaniels should
have done?--That is, he understands that he is an offensive coach, and the
bulk of defensive coaching and decisions should be implemented by defensive
coaches.

I already like what I see in Studesville . . .

-----

[dogfish]

Well, we'll see which of these is true

1) Wink is a good coach hamstrung by control freak McDaniels; or

2) He is a Dud

It would be like found money if he turns the D around or shows sign, but I'll remain cautious.

or

3) Wink is a decent coach, but the guy in charge our of personnel never really gave the DC anything to work with beyond the couple of good players left from the previous regime.

[Dreadnought]

or

3) Wink is a decent coach, but the guy in charge our of personnel never really gave the DC anything to work with beyond the couple of good players left from the previous regime.

Yeah, that too

[Dirk]

Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl by stepping back and letting his coaches coach. It worked.
If Studesville can do that, then he might be the man for the job.

And remember the famous Shanny clip from the GB Superbowl where Greg Robinson asked Shanny what he wanted him to do and Shanny said something like.....just do what you would normally do or do what you have been doing?

He let the DC do what a DC should do back then. It worked.

So you never know. The more that comes out the more I see McD was too much of a micro-coach. :tsk:

[underrated29]

I like wink and do hope he stays around. I think he knows what he is doing and he is a passionate guy, who I think gets it.


My problem is we have so many guys hurt and out. Who is replacing Mays at ILB? Woody? Cant be larsen, he is out too.


I think lack of talent and injuries are bringing the downfall. But we Can NOT get another new DC...6 in 6 years- that is pathetic. No of course if we can snag a dom capers, nolan then its cool. Otherwise give the man some players and lets see what happens.

[BroncoStud]

I give wink a pass. I think he has subpar talent to line up every week as starters and no one in reserve..

I would prefer to see him grow a defense with some of these guys he has and the new talent they will start to bring in once that commitment to do so is made. getting rid of him would be blaming him for what's not been in his control.
This dumping DC's every years is as silly as Shanny and Mcd thinking they could field a competitive D with bandaides and retreads.

I would give him a pass as well but Mike Nolan had this defense ranked 20 spots ahead of what Wink does... That's a head-scratcher.

[BroncoStud]

Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl by stepping back and letting his coaches coach. It worked.
If Studesville can do that, then he might be the man for the job.

I seriously hope he is not the man for the job... I wish him the best of luck for the next 4 games but we had better see a proven and respected coach in here by the time the offseason begins...

[SoCalImport]

These last few games are Winks job interview. We'll see what he can do with what he's got.
Our Defense doesn't have to turn into the 85 Bears for Wink to impress me, Just be aggressive and PLEASE let champ play up on his man more.

[Northman]

Since I am a very new Bronco supporter and fan, I do not have too much background on a lot of things.

Does it seem that McD ego and character held our coaches and players back? Do you think it is possible that he would hold back great players so Josh in his mind is the Master?

If he is the control freak everyone says he is then it must be very nice that he is gone and the coaching staff actually gets to coach.

If this is the case, Broncos owner should have seen this trait in the first year he was here. Why did we give him that much power? Sure we can have bad apples every once in a while that may not be a fit. All the players he chopped are really thriving or at least doing much better on other teams. :confused:

Certainly possible. One reason why Nolan left was because Mcd wanted to try and step on his toes and control how the defense was run.

[PAINTERDAVE]

Wink will be here for these last games of the 2010 season...
I would be very surprised if he or any of these other coaches is held over into the next regime.

But heck..

I am not prognosticator... I never dreamed they'd actually fire McD.

Who knows how the players will react to all of this change.
They are all either playing for thier job now..
or auditioning for their next team...

I am hoping the team plays lights out...
and blows everybody's minds.

I would LOVE to get a win.

It feels like forever since we had one.

________________________

Can you imagine the look on McD's face if we were to win or even win a few ?

[Juriga72]

Hell.....

It can't get any worse right?

[Dirk]

PLEASE let champ play up on his man more.

Yes! A hundred times YES!! Every time he plays off his man he gets burned.

[red98]

And remember the famous Shanny clip from the GB Superbowl where Greg Robinson asked Shanny what he wanted him to do and Shanny said something like.....just do what you would normally do or do what you have been doing?

He let the DC do what a DC should do back then. It worked.

So you never know. The more that comes out the more I see McD was too much of a micro-coach. :tsk:

Actually in that clip Robinson had just sent the prevent team onto the field. Shanny was telling him No! Do what you normally would do!

But I agree that in general it's better to let your coaches coach.

[Dirk]

Actually in that clip Robinson had just sent the prevent team onto the field. Shanny was telling him No! Do what you normally would do!

But I agree that in general it's better to let your coaches coach.

Really? I didn't know that. I was sooooooo wrapped up in us about to win our first SB I didn't know what kind of defense went on the field. But I don't remember Shanny saying no to him.

[nevcraw]

Actually in that clip Robinson had just sent the prevent team onto the field. Shanny was telling him No! Do what you normally would do!

But I agree that in general it's better to let your coaches coach.

That's not exactly how I remember it..

Robinson consulted him before plugging in the defense in that series and shanny said "do what you would normally do".

but i could be wrong..

[Dzone]

"He can take his'n and beat your'n and you'rn and beat his'n." (Oilers coach Bum Phillips on Don Shula's coaching talent)

[Dirk]

"He can take his'n and beat your'n and you'rn and beat his'n." (Oilers coach Bum Phillips on Don Shula's coaching talent)

:confused:





:lol:

[Dzone]

How bad do you think Ariz wishes it still had Matt Leinhart?
With Red Skelton starting at QB, I Hope Wink sends everything but the kitchen sink at Skelton, even if it means putting cassius vaughn on the Dline again

[horsepig]

These last few games are Winks job interview. We'll see what he can do with what he's got.
Our Defense doesn't have to turn into the 85 Bears for Wink to impress me, Just be aggressive and PLEASE let champ play up on his man more.

Did you see Champ's body language during the home beatdown of KC?

Even Bowe was not rubbing it in because knew what they were making Champ do. Bowe almost looked apologetic to Champ a few times.

[horsepig]

How bad do you think Ariz wishes it still had Matt Leinhart?
With Red Skelton starting at QB, I Hope Wink sends everything but the kitchen sink at Skelton, even if it means putting cassius vaughn on the Dline again

Do you think they'll put in Clem Cadiddlehopper at fullback?

[Northman]

How bad do you think Ariz wishes it still had Matt Leinhart?
With Red Skelton starting at QB, I Hope Wink sends everything but the kitchen sink at Skelton, even if it means putting cassius vaughn on the Dline again

I still laugh at that. Whisenhunt totally gaffed on that.

[I Eat Staples]

I'm fairly confident no one but McD would have hired Wink as a DC. Let's just rid ourselves of all of his garbage, please don't let Wink stay...

[frauschieze]

This is exactly what I was hoping Studesville would do/say. So far, I'm decently impressed with his approach (likely because it's the approach I'd take myself :)). I have no idea what it will translate to on the field, but I'm excited to find out.

[HORSEPOWER 56]

How bad do you think Ariz wishes it still had Matt Leinhart?
With Red Skelton starting at QB, I Hope Wink sends everything but the kitchen sink at Skelton, even if it means putting cassius vaughn on the Dline again

I agree with everything... except the Cassius Vaughn part... ;)

[I Eat Staples]

Let's not get too attached to Studdesville. He probably isn't a head coach in this league. I don't blame you guys for liking him already due to the McD catastrophe, though. Studdesville is like the rebound after breaking up with the most awful girl in the world. The replacement for that person seems perfect for the first few weeks compared to what you just got done with.

[Dzone]

Let's not get too attached to Studdesville. He probably isn't a head coach in this league. I don't blame you guys for liking him already due to the McD catastrophe, though. Studdesville is like the rebound after breaking up with the most awful girl in the world. The replacement for that person seems perfect for the first few weeks compared to what you just got done with.

LMAO:laugh::laugh::lol:...been there done that with the most awful girl in the world...why is it that the psycho chicks are such hell on wheels in the sack?

[HORSEPOWER 56]

Let's not get too attached to Studdesville. He probably isn't a head coach in this league. I don't blame you guys for liking him already due to the McD catastrophe, though. Studdesville is like the rebound after breaking up with the most awful girl in the world. The replacement for that person seems perfect for the first few weeks compared to what you just got done with.

I really have no expectations for Studs at all. He's just so refreshing compared to "he that will no longer be named by me except in a non-Broncos discussion area because he's not a Bronco anymore" (whoohoo :whoo:). Seriously, I'd probably be just as enthusiastic about them letting Greek take over as the HC. Anyone is better than "he I no longer speak of" :D

[topscribe]

How bad do you think Ariz wishes it still had Matt Leinhart?
With Red Skelton starting at QB, I Hope Wink sends everything but the kitchen sink at Skelton, even if it means putting cassius vaughn on the Dline again

Are you talking about a pass rush? I've heard of that.

I understand there are teams in the NFL that have something like that . . .

-----

[frauschieze]

Let's not get too attached to Studdesville. He probably isn't a head coach in this league. I don't blame you guys for liking him already due to the McD catastrophe, though. Studdesville is like the rebound after breaking up with the most awful girl in the world. The replacement for that person seems perfect for the first few weeks compared to what you just got done with.

I think you're likely right. But the fact is, he seems to be approaching the next four weeks in a way that's completely appropriate for an interim coach. I don't expect him to be our head coach longer than that, but he's setting up for the best he can do for the next month, leading and delegating authority instead of micromanaging. Why shouldn't we be excited for that?

[TXBRONC]

I will laugh my ass off if the defense improves a lot.

That would be pretty funny.

[rationalfan]

Wink is a horrible DC and better be gone next year.

Only McDumbass would hire someone like him.

do you like anything?

[robert ethan]

There is nothing concrete to indicate that Josh didn't "let his coaches coach". Just more rumor mongering. Martindale failed miserably in his first shot as a co-ordinator and it's telling that Bowlen passed him over for the interim position, even though Wink interviewed for the Raider's HC position before he came to Denver.

[TXBRONC]

How bad do you think Ariz wishes it still had Matt Leinhart?
With Red Skelton starting at QB, I Hope Wink sends everything but the kitchen sink at Skelton, even if it means putting cassius vaughn on the Dline again

I want Wink to be greedy, send the kitchen and anything else you need to send at them.

[topscribe]

do you like anything?

He likes Orton.

I guess the reason I know that is because I like him, too. :lol:

-----

[Lancane]

I have some concerns regarding Don Martindale, so it'll be interesting to see what he can do with having to game-plan and call plays, how he adjusts to certain looks. The problem is that we're playing Arizona and I'd rather see us playing a better offense to gauge his ability.

Right now, Studesville is not the only coach playing for a job...depending on who is hired, I think McCoy being so committed to Josh's playbook will in the end be gone, after all...a new head coach if they're offensive orientated is going to want someone that they can groom to their offensive style, if they are a defensive minded coach or a coach which is limited, such as Studesville then they will want someone who is highly intelligent, can mix it up and can do more then read a playbook.

[gobroncsnv]

That's the thing with Spags... he did come from an organization that knows the importance of DLine. The Giants ALWAYS have that going on, and their DC's are always looking good because of that. That said, I think Spags dials up some great plays, because he always knew he was gonna have front 4 pressure, and could bring tremendous heat by just having one guy blitz. And he is working on building the same thing with the Rams. That is a team identity that I ache for Denver to take on.
Hoping we'll give Wink that opportunity to have one before we send another DC down the road, and Denver's name becomes even more poison around the league in that way.

[dogfish]

That's the thing with Spags... he did come from an organization that knows the importance of DLine. The Giants ALWAYS have that going on, and their DC's are always looking good because of that. That said, I think Spags dials up some great plays, because he always knew he was gonna have front 4 pressure, and could bring tremendous heat by just having one guy blitz. And he is working on building the same thing with the Rams. That is a team identity that I ache for Denver to take on.
Hoping we'll give Wink that opportunity to have one before we send another DC down the road, and Denver's name becomes even more poison around the league in that way.

actually, his pressure philosophy comes from philly, where he studied under the late great jim johnson. . . that's why the giants hired him, because he learned blitz packages from the master. . . his aggressive mentality pre-dates having that killer NY line. . .

[rcsodak]

Wink is a horrible DC and better be gone next year.

Only McDumbass would hire someone like him. Most people on the boards wanted wink...even the players did
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[rcsodak]

do you like anything?
I like your use of rhetorical questions. ;-)
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[I Eat Staples]

do you like anything?

I like the Broncos winning games, and players and coaches that give us the best chance to win those games. If I feel a player or coach hurts our chances of winning games, I'm not going to like them.

That really shouldn't need to be explained. If you're the type of fan that wears orange colored glasses then that's just you, but you shouldn't have the name rationalfan.


Most people on the boards wanted wink...even the players did
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I didn't. I didn't want him and I definitely didn't want the clown that hired him. We're finally rid of the latter, let's not leave his trash laying behind.

[Cugel]

I give wink a pass. I think he has subpar talent to line up every week as starters and no one in reserve..

TRUE. McDaniels wasted draft picks on offensive players like Moreno instead of drafting to help the defense. What few defensive players he drafted (Ayers, Alphonso Smith, etc. have either had ZERO impact or were simply wasted picks).

His trades were worse than useless and his FAs have not performed even adequately despite the large salaries (the sole exception being Dawkins).

In short he simply left the defense in as bad shambles as when he arrived.

Meanwhile on offense he dismantled the offense and brought in players who were in every single case WORSE than the players they replaced!


I would prefer to see him grow a defense with some of these guys he has and the new talent they will start to bring in once that commitment to do so is made. getting rid of him would be blaming him for what's not been in his control.

This dumping DC's every years is as silly as Shanny and Mcd thinking they could field a competitive D with bandaides and retreads.

#1 -- Unless Studesville returns as head coach (don't bet on it), the new HC is going to want all his OWN assistants and not the losers that helped get McDaniels FIRED!

That's normal in the NFL and the new GM will let him hire whatever assistants he wants. You can't make a man accountable for winning and not let him have a chance to assemble the best staff he can. He might keep some, but that's up to the new guy.

#2 -- The new coach will also want to determine the defensive scheme, especially if he's a former DC rather than a retread head coach like someone like Gruden.

The new guy will have every chance to implement whatever he wants on offense and defense just as McDaniels did.

#3 -- We don't know what defensive scheme the new guy will want to run 3-4 or switch back to the 4-3. Right now the Broncos have so little talent that it really doesn't matter. They're going to have to get rid of most of their defensive starters simply because they SUCK big-time.

The comment you made about Shanny & defensive re-treads and has-beens & never-were's also applies to McDaniels in spades. When was the last time a DL actually put pressure on the QB? It certainly didn't look like Jamal Williams has much left in the tank and the rest of them are fodder. :coffee:

[dogfish]

#2 -- The new coach will also want to determine the defensive scheme, especially if he's a former DC rather than a retread head coach like someone like Gruden.

The new guy will have every chance to implement whatever he wants on offense and defense just as McDaniels did.

#3 -- We don't know what defensive scheme the new guy will want to run 3-4 or switch back to the 4-3. Right now the Broncos have so little talent that it really doesn't matter. They're going to have to get rid of most of their defensive starters simply because they SUCK big-time.

The comment you made about Shanny & defensive re-treads and has-beens & never-were's also applies to McDaniels in spades. When was the last time a DL actually put pressure on the QB? It certainly didn't look like Jamal Williams has much left in the tank and the rest of them are fodder. :coffee:

most of this is correct, and certainly the new HC should and will be allowed to select his own staff-- and it definitely won't be a surprise to see anyone and/or everyone from the current staff let go. . . doesn't always happen that way, though. . . it's not uncommon at all for an incoming coach to pick at least a few guys from the old staff to keep around to ease the transition a little. . .

if, for example, we hire a coach like ron rivera or rob ryan. . . i'm guessing both would retain the 3-4 or some type of hybrid-- and if they couldn't bring the staff with them from their current job, they may choose to keep the guys we have in place. . . we keep hearing that martindale worked with the ryans, it's not such a stretch to think that rob ryan in particular would keep the guy around for a year or two and see if he can bring him along as a coach. . . developing assistants is just as much the job of GOOD head coaches as developing players. . .

there should be some interesting names potentially available as defensive coordinators next year if we do go that direction. . . marvin lewis looks like he's done in the nasty-- he may get another offer to be a HC, and he may not. . . i don't know if the bengals will hire or retain mike zimmer, but he's another candidate if they don't. . . they're both primarily 4-3 guys. . . if we want to stick with the 3-4, wade philips is an obvious choice. . . greg manusky may be available if the staff gets canned in san francisco. . . i don't know that pepper johnson would leave new england even with a promotion to assistant HC (or that a lot of denver fans wouldn't object to another NE coach just on general principle), but in any case, there should be some decent choices available. . .

i don't care SO much which front we run as a base defense as long as we do it well, but ideally i'd rather get at least a little bit of stability by sticking to the 3-4 for now-- our personnel does fit it a little better, starting with dumervil exploding to all-pro status in the scheme. . . also, like it or not, the whole D-line ain't gettin' replaced in one off-season. . . not with three quality starters AND depth guys that are better than the ones we have now. . . at best, we might be able to add a couple of quality starters to bump some of our current ones to second string. . . honestly, i'll be more than happy if we can do that. . . and ATM, the guys we have that should be kept overall fit better in the 3-4 IMO. . .

i'd like to re-sign marcus thomas (should be reasonable), and bannan and vickerson are adequate rotational five-techs if we can upgrade the nose. . . fields and mcfacemask are FAs, and should be allowed to leave. . . i like that approach better than playing bannan, JWall or vickerson as 4-3 DTs on anything but first down-- especially when it also means having to choose between exposing dumervil to an every-down pounding with his hand in the dirt, or taking your impact rusher off the field more than you'd like. . .

nope, i'd rather stay with the 30 front for now-- ideally, with the intention of mixing in more 4-3 looks and shifting fronts once we get the base down really well, and have a year or two to acquire additional personnel. . . of course, making that work hinges on actually going out and getting a few impact DLs, and i have little confidence that we'll finally get that right, but that really goes for a 4-3 just as much. . .

it IS doable this year if we're willing to committ to it. . . the FA class will have some possible solid additions, although you know a number of them will never reach the market (haloti ngata for sure, and probably cullen jenkins i'm afraid)-- we may have a chance at aubrayo franklin, shaun rogers or paul soliai. . . if any of those guys is available, upgrading the nosetackle position with a solid vet HAS to be a top priority. . .

i think we would ideally want to draft a developmental NT as well, but it's notoriously tricky. . . we might have to keep williams another year-- there's not a lot left in the tank, but he'd be serviceable as a backup for another year. . . bannan and vickerson can both play a little bit of NT in a pinch-- bannan did it in baltimore. . .

if we can fill the NT spot through free agency, this year has a very promising crop of potential five-tech DEs. . . we will most likely get a chance to draft either marcell dareus or nick fairley (either could play in the 4-3 as well), and even if we don't there are plenty of other guys-- cameron heyward, JJ watt, and probably three or four others that could go in the first two rounds. . . there's really no excuse for us not to draft a DE with one of our first three picks this year, and it wouldn't be overkill at all to take an
NT prospect in the second or third as well if one we like is available. . .

not that i necessarily expect us to do any, let alone all of that, but IMO if we bring in someone who actually understands the need and is willing to make the necessary investment, there's no reason that a lot of the heavy lifting of re-configuring the front seven can't be done this season. . . we have our natural high picks in the top three rounds plus another decent second from miami-- that alone is a lot of ammo. . . and if we're working under a salary cap, we'll have plenty of room. . . even all those assets can't fill all the holes on our shambles of a defense in one year, but we can make a damn good start if we use the assets wisely. . .

a couple of good DLs and a safety is where it has to start, and that's not out of our range at all-- possibly a veteran CB if cox gets the shoe, and we'll need at least one more 'backer. . . get at least one impact DL and a coodinator who knows how to scheme and call plays, throw doom and a healthy ayers back in the mix-- some of the guys we have now would start to look a little better as they slot in to their appropriate roles rather than being asked to do more than they're capable of (jason hunter, bannan, haggan), and get to run schemes that put them in the right place to make plays. . .

this "defense" isn't going to turn it all around over night, but there's no reason we can't at least get to middle of the pack within a year or so, instead of the ccurrent abortion. . .

[Elevation inc]

the DL strategy for next year is simple......Keepe bannan and jamal williams, re-sign thomas and vickerson and draft 2 young pups in the draft while looking to add a NT in FA like paul soliai.

the good news for us is that bannan and jamal have both come on much better the last 3 weeks against the run. the bad news is we dont have any pass rush ability from anyone on the DL(now the blitz scheme could be a reason for this to, since i have seen 2 DL try and blitz the same gap and get washed out a number of times..)......I'm also starting to think jamal just wasn't back to form from his injury but the last 3 weeks he has been solid there doing his job


honestly I would keep Thomas and Bannan at LDE in rotation, both are stout against the run, Vickerson at RDE is stout but his pas rush is lacking so draft a guy like dareus or Fairley and play him in pass rush situations from RDE right out the gate, and then rotate Jamal, a FA like soliai and groom a young pup from the draft at NT(jarvis jenkins, stehphen paea, phil taylor, Powe etc).....

if we add a OLB with pass rush skills as well we should be looking much better. Someone like steven friday from virginia tech in rd 3 is a option or jeremy beal in rd 2....

[Bosco]

As I said in another thread, I was at the Jacksonville game and the notion that McD was going all control freak on the defense is ridiculous. There was very minimal interaction between McD, Wink, and the defense. They spent most of their time on completely opposite sides of the sideline.

Wink's problems are simply growing pains associated with a first time defensive coordinator, injuries, and a lack of talent. The last two are correctable. The growing pains will simply have to be given time to see if he grows out of them. Whether he gets that in Denver or not is pretty uncertain at this point.

[nevcraw]

As I said in another thread, I was at the Jacksonville game and the notion that McD was going all control freak on the defense is ridiculous. There was very minimal interaction between McD, Wink, and the defense. They spent most of their time on completely opposite sides of the sideline.

Amazing is the the technology of today with those new fangled things called headsets. you can be on oposite sides of the sidlines and still micromanage like a real ************..