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View Full Version : this is why the broncos had a "GREAT OFFSEASON"



T.K.O.
09-23-2009, 11:01 AM
all the whining about how mcD did'nt address the defense in the offseason(and there was aton of it...was all b.s.

"It's a totally different atmosphere," said outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil, whose four sacks vs. Cleveland left him second in the league behind Cincinnati's Antwan Odom. "Brian Dawkins is our emotional leader. He's the guy who brings the noise day in and day out. And to me, the sleeper has been Andra Davis. He's the quarterback of the defense. We were blessed to get him on board."

Dawkins' presence can't be discounted. When a likely future Hall of Famer talks, teammates tend to listen, and he has laid down the law. Several Broncos insiders, including owner Pat Bowlen and wide receiver Rod Smith, have acknowledged in recent years that a poor attitude and a sense of selfishness have plagued the team. Not so with the revamped defense.:salute:

"That's my guy, that's my dog," said Dawkins, when asked about Dumervil's four sacks Sunday. "That's when you have a defense that excels, when everybody isn't playing a selfish brand of ball. It's all about celebrating somebody else. Anybody has his chance, and when your chance comes and you make that play, we're going to celebrate."

Dortoh
09-23-2009, 11:04 AM
Good stuff I love the way the Defense is playing right now.

I must admit when I saw the thread title I was hopeful it was a cheerleader thread.

Day1BroncoFan
09-23-2009, 11:05 AM
Another great article from the Denver Post about our D.

Change in Broncos' defense instills a brash attitude (http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13398201)

The Broncos' defense thrives with new players and finds its own identity.
By Jim Armstrong
The Denver Post

Her is the link.

EDIT:

When I try to go from the link it doesn't work. I get to a login page. Hmm...

T.K.O.
09-23-2009, 11:21 AM
Change in Broncos' defense instills a brash attitude
The Broncos' defense thrives with new players and finds its own identity.
By Jim Armstrong
The Denver Post
Posted: 09/23/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT



If there is one word to describe the Broncos' offseason, it is change. Not just any kind of change. We're talking dramatic change, fundamental change, earthshaking change. And that was before Josh McDaniels decided that the nation's 18th-largest media market didn't provide enough breathing room for him to coexist with Jay Cutler.

The Broncos' most dramatic change has come on defense, where switching base alignments was the easy part. The heavy lifting came when McDaniels and new coordinator Mike Nolan had to change a culture of futility, one that, more than any other factor, cost coach Mike Shanahan his job.

How best to change such a culture? Simple. Change players and ask questions later.

"A lot of that had to do with who you kept and who you got rid of," Nolan said. "Sometimes when you change a culture, a lot of that takes place when you just change players."

The Broncos' new 3-4 defensive scheme includes seven new starters in the base package and six new starters in the nickel. Gone are two starting linemen, two starting linebackers and three members of the secondary.

In the aftermath of all the change is a unit yearning for independence from the defense's recent past, one that saw three coordinators — Larry Coyer, Jim Bates and Bob Slowik — fail in the span of three seasons from 2006-08.

"We don't want to be compared with any other defense except this one," outside linebacker Mario Haggan said.

Good thing. No defense in its right mind would want to be compared with some of those recent Broncos defenses.

Take 2006, for instance, when Coyer's group allowed just 36 points in their first six games, only to implode down the stretch. Or last season, when Slowik's defense forced 13 turnovers, the second-fewest in the NFL since the league adopted a 16-game schedule.

Which brings us to yet another change within the Broncos' defense: results. Nolan's new-look group has seven sacks in two games and has allowed single-digit points in each, something the Denver defense did once in the previous two seasons — combined.

Times are different, all right, but it's too early to call it a dramatic difference. In today's NFL, September is a time for jotting trends in pencil. And the Broncos know it.

"We have some work to do," safety Brian Dawkins said. "There's a lot of football yet to be played, but I love the progress we're making. We're moving in the right direction."

Said Nolan: "It's only two games, so it's hard to tell. But in two games, I think we've started to build some confidence in everything we're doing as a football team."

What has made the difference in the defense's limited body of work? It isn't just new personnel. Attitude has played a major role. Most of these defensive players weren't involved in the ugly play the past two seasons.

"Honestly, it didn't matter," said Dawkins, when asked about the preseason public perception of the team. "It doesn't matter what, outside this locker room, they're saying about this team. We make our own reality in work, the way we practice, the way we prepare, and the way we play on game day. So people can continue to talk about us in the negative. That's fine. We don't believe in that."

Talk to the players and they single out Dawkins and another newcomer, inside linebacker Andra Davis, for their leadership, a commodity that has been lacking around the locker room since the days of middle linebacker Al Wilson.

"It's a totally different atmosphere," said outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil, whose four sacks vs. Cleveland left him second in the league behind Cincinnati's Antwan Odom. "Brian Dawkins is our emotional leader. He's the guy who brings the noise day in and day out. And to me, the sleeper has been Andra Davis. He's the quarterback of the defense. We were blessed to get him on board."

Dawkins' presence can't be discounted. When a likely future Hall of Famer talks, teammates tend to listen, and he has laid down the law. Several Broncos insiders, including owner Pat Bowlen and wide receiver Rod Smith, have acknowledged in recent years that a poor attitude and a sense of selfishness have plagued the team. Not so with the revamped defense.

"That's my guy, that's my dog," said Dawkins, when asked about Dumervil's four sacks Sunday. "That's when you have a defense that excels, when everybody isn't playing a selfish brand of ball. It's all about celebrating somebody else. Anybody has his chance, and when your chance comes and you make that play, we're going to celebrate."

Only time will tell if this group, unlike some of its predecessors, can sustain its early success. But there are signs that suggest it could be much better than forecast. Maturity, for one. Six starters are 30-something, and another, Haggan, is 29. Let the record show that each is having a high old time in the Mile High City, thanks to Nolan's scheming ways.

Dumervil got the sacks Sunday, but it could be another pass rusher the next time around. Two different defensive players have interceptions through two games, and four have at least one sack.

"Football is more fun when more guys are tuned in," Nolan said. "It's kind of like offense. Everybody wants the ball on offense, so you've got to spread it around. On defense, it's a little bit the same way. When you play a 3-4, guys want their number called where they get to blitz and do fun things. So guys are very much in tune with the defense because they're thinking: 'Hey, look at this. This game plan's got my number called three or four times. I can't wait till he calls me.' It creates an excitement to get to the ball."

Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com