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View Full Version : Bailey sees a resurgence afoot in Denver



LRtagger
09-12-2008, 02:43 PM
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afcwest/0-3-122/Bailey-sees-a-resurgence-afoot-in-Denver.html


Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson


Champ Bailey has seen the Denver Broncos change before his very eyes.

This is Bailey's fifth season in Denver, and he is still the face of the Broncos. He has been and probably will continue to be the team's best player.

Yet times have changed, and he hopes things are moving in the right direction. Bailey saw some encouraging signs in the season opener. With Bailey providing his usual shutout artistry at left cornerback, the Broncos crushed the Oakland Raiders, 41-14. Bailey barely broke a sweat.

Are the fresh-faced Broncos ready to be a contender again?

"I've always thought so," Bailey said after the game. "It's everyone else who didn't think so. We've believed."

The reason Bailey was happy to come to Denver in 2004 -- he was traded by the Washington Redskins for running back Clinton Portis in a blockbuster deal -- was the fact that the Broncos were a Super Bowl contender. Bailey was driven by the notion of playing for a winner.

Things started terrifically for Bailey in Denver. The Broncos made the playoffs in his first season, and in 2005, Denver hosted the AFC Championship Game, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But since then, instead of moving forward, Denver has taken steps back.

In the final game of 2006, the Broncos lost at home in overtime to the San Francisco 49ers, coming up just short of the playoffs. Last season, Denver tumbled hard, finishing 7-9. It was only the second time in Mike Shanahan's tenure in Denver, which started in 1995, that the Broncos had finished under .500.

"We haven't been to the playoffs in two years, that has to change," Bailey said. "I've never, even as a kid, remembered the Denver Broncos not going to the playoffs. That has to change."

Plenty has changed in Denver. In the past year-plus, Bailey has seen fellow Denver leaders Al Wilson, Jason Elam, Rod Smith and John Lynch leave. Bailey -- whose younger brother Boss joined the lineup at strongside linebacker this season as a free agent from Detroit -- has seen the landscape of the Denver defense change dramatically. Only Bailey and linebacker D.J. Williams have been starting with the team for more than two seasons.

"It's crazy how much this roster has changed," Bailey said. "But that's the NFL. Things change every year. It may not change as dramatically as it has changed here. But it's a young man's game. I'm just trying to fit in."

Bailey turned 30 in June. The No. 7 overall pick by the Redskins in the 1999 draft has made it to the past eight Pro Bowls. Bailey is showing no signs of slowing down. NFL insiders say he remains the top shutdown cornerback in the league. Teams rarely attack Bailey, one of the game's most intelligent players. He's also a terror in run support.

If the Broncos can build on their explosive start to the season, Bailey's efforts may not be wasted. He leads the team into an AFC West clash Sunday against visiting San Diego. The Chargers, who were stunned at home on the final play against Carolina last week, need to beat Denver to avoid dropping two games behind the Broncos.

Bailey believes Denver has a good chance to stay hot. He said he believes there are two keys for a team to make a long Super Bowl run. You must stop the run on defense and you must have a quality quarterback.
"We have both," Bailey said. "I really think we're headed in the right direction."

Denver was ranked 30th in the NFL against the run last season. Under new defensive coordinator Bob Slowik, Denver has rededicated itself to stopping the run. It had a good start Monday against the Raiders, who had the No. 6 rushing offense in the NFL last season. The Raiders didn't get most of their rushing yards until the game was out of hand.

Bailey loves his quarterback, Jay Cutler. In his second full season as a starter, Cutler looks like a star.

"I'm telling you, there are some good things here," Bailey said. "I really think we're in the right direction again. The faces are new, but hopefully we'll be the same old Broncos again."


Denver Broncos, Champ Bailey

Day1BroncoFan
09-12-2008, 02:47 PM
Cool news. This is an encouraging thing coming from Champ.

broncofaninfla
09-12-2008, 03:03 PM
Good story, thanks!

Italianmobstr7
09-12-2008, 05:04 PM
Awesome story. Thanks.

omac
09-12-2008, 06:18 PM
"But it's a young man's game. I'm just trying to fit in."

Refreshing to see humility from the best in the game.

EastCoastBronco
09-12-2008, 08:19 PM
If only they could all be like Champ, Howard Griffith, Eddie Mac, Tommy Nalen, Mark Scheleth, Rod Smith, TD and Elway...These are the type of unselfish individuals that the 96, 97, 98 teams were made of...
That is what we need. If B Marsh, Royal, Young...Guys like that can get that through their heads we are on the road to recovery...and VICTORY...