TXBRONC
08-05-2009, 12:37 PM
Krieger: Nolan needs time, talent
By Dave Krieger
The Denver Post
Even Mike Nolan doesn't know if the Broncos' defense will be any good this year. And he's the guy in charge of it, so if he doesn't know, your neighbor probably doesn't either.
When I asked the Broncos' fourth defensive coordinator in four years if the talent among his obscure defensive linemen is adequate to the NFL task, his answer was both honest and a little disconcerting:
"I think it is, but you'll find out, obviously, in competition, because when a guy hasn't been on film, you really don't know what you're going to get until you get out there and play," he said. "So it's a hard one to answer until we play some games."
Now, let's face it, NFL defensive coordinators seldom decline comment on whether their players are good enough to get the job done. Nolan literally doesn't know. He has never seen most of these guys before. He couldn't find game tape on some of them.
"The reality is we don't have a lot of starting experience, but that doesn't mean we don't have players," he said of the linemen. "The guys are working hard. We're finding out a lot about them. There wasn't a lot of film on them to try to evaluate them, so we're doing a lot of evaluations."
If the season started today, the Broncos would likely start a strongside end who has appeared in one NFL game (Ryan McBean), a nose tackle who has not started a game since 2006 (Ronald Fields) and a weakside end who was a member of last year's much- maligned unit (Kenny Peterson).
Among the alternatives are two more members of last year's crew (Marcus Thomas and Nic Clemons), a player who last appeared in an NFL game four years ago (Matthias Askew) and a second-year nose tackle who missed his rookie season with a torn Achilles tendon (Carlton Powell).
Any of these guys could be supplanted by a waiver-wire refugee when teams make their final cuts.
By comparison, the linebacking corps is well-known. The challenge there is half of them are learning a new position — former defensive linemen now playing outside linebacker.
"It's easier for some than others," Nolan said. "Some guys are better space players than others."
Somebody asked him what the strength of his defense is likely to be.
"Boy, we'll have to wait and see on that one," Nolan said.
So that's encouraging.
The conventional wisdom points to the secondary, which Josh McDaniels stocked with veteran NFL starters. But it's worth remembering that Mike Shanahan, his predecessor, also invested heavily in the secondary, assembling what he considered an elite cornerback tandem of Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. For the same reasons that McDaniels signed veteran safety Brian Dawkins this year, Shanahan signed John Lynch five years ago.
But the defensive line's chronic failure to put pressure on the opposing quarterback doomed Shanahan's defenses. Even the best defensive backs can cover for only so long.
Without a proven pass rusher on his interior line, Nolan will try to pressure the quarterback with his outside linebackers, former pass-rushing defensive ends such as Elvis Dumervil and rookie Robert Ayers. Opponents will no doubt try to force them to play pass coverage.
What has to stop is blaming the coordinator for a lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball. That's what Shanahan did in his final years as head coach, going through defensive coordinators like golf shirts. Unwilling to acknowledge his own personnel mistakes, he insisted the defensive failings were all about scheme and coaching.
One defensive coordinator after another tried to make this delusion come true. One after another failed.
Other organizations don't blame them for failing in Denver, which tells you how they diagnosed the problem. Jim Bates, author of the 2007 disaster, takes over this year for Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator at Tampa Bay. Larry Coyer, fired to make room for Bates, has the job in Indianapolis. Bob Slowik, author of the 2008 disaster, will likely have the job wherever Shanahan lands.
The lesson isn't complicated. With good players, experienced coordinators such as these can succeed. Without them, they can't.
McDaniels began rebuilding last year's 30th-ranked scoring defense by replacing eight of 11 starters. But Ayers is this year's only high-profile investment in the front seven. If Nolan is to succeed, McDaniels will have to give him time and talent.
On the bright side, it can't get much worse than last year. Whether this year will be much better is anybody's guess. Even the guy in charge says so.
Dave Krieger: 303-954-5297 or dkrieger@denverpost.com
By Dave Krieger
The Denver Post
Even Mike Nolan doesn't know if the Broncos' defense will be any good this year. And he's the guy in charge of it, so if he doesn't know, your neighbor probably doesn't either.
When I asked the Broncos' fourth defensive coordinator in four years if the talent among his obscure defensive linemen is adequate to the NFL task, his answer was both honest and a little disconcerting:
"I think it is, but you'll find out, obviously, in competition, because when a guy hasn't been on film, you really don't know what you're going to get until you get out there and play," he said. "So it's a hard one to answer until we play some games."
Now, let's face it, NFL defensive coordinators seldom decline comment on whether their players are good enough to get the job done. Nolan literally doesn't know. He has never seen most of these guys before. He couldn't find game tape on some of them.
"The reality is we don't have a lot of starting experience, but that doesn't mean we don't have players," he said of the linemen. "The guys are working hard. We're finding out a lot about them. There wasn't a lot of film on them to try to evaluate them, so we're doing a lot of evaluations."
If the season started today, the Broncos would likely start a strongside end who has appeared in one NFL game (Ryan McBean), a nose tackle who has not started a game since 2006 (Ronald Fields) and a weakside end who was a member of last year's much- maligned unit (Kenny Peterson).
Among the alternatives are two more members of last year's crew (Marcus Thomas and Nic Clemons), a player who last appeared in an NFL game four years ago (Matthias Askew) and a second-year nose tackle who missed his rookie season with a torn Achilles tendon (Carlton Powell).
Any of these guys could be supplanted by a waiver-wire refugee when teams make their final cuts.
By comparison, the linebacking corps is well-known. The challenge there is half of them are learning a new position — former defensive linemen now playing outside linebacker.
"It's easier for some than others," Nolan said. "Some guys are better space players than others."
Somebody asked him what the strength of his defense is likely to be.
"Boy, we'll have to wait and see on that one," Nolan said.
So that's encouraging.
The conventional wisdom points to the secondary, which Josh McDaniels stocked with veteran NFL starters. But it's worth remembering that Mike Shanahan, his predecessor, also invested heavily in the secondary, assembling what he considered an elite cornerback tandem of Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. For the same reasons that McDaniels signed veteran safety Brian Dawkins this year, Shanahan signed John Lynch five years ago.
But the defensive line's chronic failure to put pressure on the opposing quarterback doomed Shanahan's defenses. Even the best defensive backs can cover for only so long.
Without a proven pass rusher on his interior line, Nolan will try to pressure the quarterback with his outside linebackers, former pass-rushing defensive ends such as Elvis Dumervil and rookie Robert Ayers. Opponents will no doubt try to force them to play pass coverage.
What has to stop is blaming the coordinator for a lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball. That's what Shanahan did in his final years as head coach, going through defensive coordinators like golf shirts. Unwilling to acknowledge his own personnel mistakes, he insisted the defensive failings were all about scheme and coaching.
One defensive coordinator after another tried to make this delusion come true. One after another failed.
Other organizations don't blame them for failing in Denver, which tells you how they diagnosed the problem. Jim Bates, author of the 2007 disaster, takes over this year for Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator at Tampa Bay. Larry Coyer, fired to make room for Bates, has the job in Indianapolis. Bob Slowik, author of the 2008 disaster, will likely have the job wherever Shanahan lands.
The lesson isn't complicated. With good players, experienced coordinators such as these can succeed. Without them, they can't.
McDaniels began rebuilding last year's 30th-ranked scoring defense by replacing eight of 11 starters. But Ayers is this year's only high-profile investment in the front seven. If Nolan is to succeed, McDaniels will have to give him time and talent.
On the bright side, it can't get much worse than last year. Whether this year will be much better is anybody's guess. Even the guy in charge says so.
Dave Krieger: 303-954-5297 or dkrieger@denverpost.com