TXBRONC
08-14-2009, 08:47 AM
While a lot of this well known I think bears repeating that more than likely we'll not see Denver whole lot from the defense. I mean in terms of blitzes heck we might not see them rush more than the three up front.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_13062175
sports - broncos briefs
Aggressive style top priority for retooled defense
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/14/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Maybe not tonight, but it's coming. Broncos nose tackle Ronald Fields, who played four seasons for current Broncos defensive coordinator Mike Nolan with the 49ers, says people can expect the Broncos' new-look 3-4 defense to be aggressive.
But they may not pull the lid off all the way until the regular season.
"I think people are going to see a whole new deal," Fields said. "We're pushing the line of scrimmage. We want to change it, push it back."
While most teams keep things under wraps in the preseason, the Broncos are in a position to experiment with a first-year staff and 47 new players on the roster. And they did show some attacking rush schemes briefly last week in their scrimmage at Invesco Field at Mile High.
"Everybody knew coming in here what the problems on defense were," Fields said. "You can't sit back."
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels agrees.
"We want to be aggressive. (Nolan) calls a game aggressively, he wants his players to play aggressively, and that's how I want to play," he said.
The Broncos allowed 448 points last season, finishing 27th in run defense, 26th in pass defense and 29th overall.
Another way.
Tonight will be the first chance for the Broncos to try to work without a longtime football staple — the wedge on a kickoff return.
Teams have grouped three, four, or even five players in front of the kickoff returner for decades to make a gap in the coverage unit. Sometimes the players even interlocked hands to close the space between the blockers.
But NFL rules this year prohibit the formation. No more than two players can be grouped, and no other player can be within 2 yards of the pair of blockers in front of the returner.
Broncos special-teams coach Mike Priefer has spent plenty of time adjusting.
"(Teams may) send a double team here, send a double team somewhere else, really trying to get the movement you would get with a wedge with a couple double teams," McDaniels said. "It puts a little bit more pressure on some of the blocking schemes. You can't really send a returner behind a wall of four or five players."
Footnotes.
Safety Brian Dawkins (hand) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall (hip) will not play tonight. . . . Running back LaMont Jordan, who missed practice time this week with an unspecified leg injury, is not expected to play much, if at all. . . . Running back Marcus Thomas, signed shortly before Wednesday's practice, is expected to get some carries. . . . McDaniels said he would not use a blanket policy toward playing time in the preseason — in which the starters would get a certain number of series or plays before leaving — but that he would play individual players more or less depending on what he believed they needed. "We have a lot of young guys who need to be out there," he said.
Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_13062175
sports - broncos briefs
Aggressive style top priority for retooled defense
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/14/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Maybe not tonight, but it's coming. Broncos nose tackle Ronald Fields, who played four seasons for current Broncos defensive coordinator Mike Nolan with the 49ers, says people can expect the Broncos' new-look 3-4 defense to be aggressive.
But they may not pull the lid off all the way until the regular season.
"I think people are going to see a whole new deal," Fields said. "We're pushing the line of scrimmage. We want to change it, push it back."
While most teams keep things under wraps in the preseason, the Broncos are in a position to experiment with a first-year staff and 47 new players on the roster. And they did show some attacking rush schemes briefly last week in their scrimmage at Invesco Field at Mile High.
"Everybody knew coming in here what the problems on defense were," Fields said. "You can't sit back."
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels agrees.
"We want to be aggressive. (Nolan) calls a game aggressively, he wants his players to play aggressively, and that's how I want to play," he said.
The Broncos allowed 448 points last season, finishing 27th in run defense, 26th in pass defense and 29th overall.
Another way.
Tonight will be the first chance for the Broncos to try to work without a longtime football staple — the wedge on a kickoff return.
Teams have grouped three, four, or even five players in front of the kickoff returner for decades to make a gap in the coverage unit. Sometimes the players even interlocked hands to close the space between the blockers.
But NFL rules this year prohibit the formation. No more than two players can be grouped, and no other player can be within 2 yards of the pair of blockers in front of the returner.
Broncos special-teams coach Mike Priefer has spent plenty of time adjusting.
"(Teams may) send a double team here, send a double team somewhere else, really trying to get the movement you would get with a wedge with a couple double teams," McDaniels said. "It puts a little bit more pressure on some of the blocking schemes. You can't really send a returner behind a wall of four or five players."
Footnotes.
Safety Brian Dawkins (hand) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall (hip) will not play tonight. . . . Running back LaMont Jordan, who missed practice time this week with an unspecified leg injury, is not expected to play much, if at all. . . . Running back Marcus Thomas, signed shortly before Wednesday's practice, is expected to get some carries. . . . McDaniels said he would not use a blanket policy toward playing time in the preseason — in which the starters would get a certain number of series or plays before leaving — but that he would play individual players more or less depending on what he believed they needed. "We have a lot of young guys who need to be out there," he said.
Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post