Denver Native (Carol)
09-25-2009, 12:52 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13415916
In Ryan Clady's 18-game professional career, only one player is credited with getting past Clady to take down the Broncos' quarterback for a sack. That player was Richard Seymour, who was a New England Patriot last Oct. 20 when he beat the combined blocking of Clady, the left tackle, and Ben Hamilton, the left guard.
Clady would only nod his head when asked this week about facing Seymour one-on-one.
"I enjoyed it," Clady said as he walked to the training room.
The normally quiet offensive linemen have been particularly mum this week as they prepare to once again face Seymour, who was traded earlier this month to the Oakland Raiders.
Without Seymour, the Raiders had a formidable front, with two hearty tackles in Gerard Warren at 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds and Tommy Kelly at 6-6 and 300 pounds, and veteran defensive end Greg Ellis, who was a Pro Bowl player in Dallas.
With Seymour, who played in five Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowl rings in his eight years in New England, the Raiders have one of the better defensive lines in the NFL, and will give the Broncos' offensive line its biggest challenge so far this season.
"Oh, man. You're bringing in a Pro Bowl, Hall of Fame-potential player," Warren said. "He can complement any defense in the NFL in this point in his career."
Consider Sunday's game, at least when the Broncos have the ball, a classic case of strength versus strength.
The Broncos' offensive line has allowed only three sacks, none of which have been charged to Clady. Quarterback Kyle Orton consistently has ample time to pass, while the offensive line has blocked for a running game that is averaging 130 rushing yards per game.
Meanwhile, Seymour and Ellis have combined for five sacks through two games. Though the Raiders gave up significant yards (409) to Kansas City last week, the Oakland defense has allowed an average of only 17 points per game, ninth-best in the NFL.
"They can rush around the edge. They can power you to the quarterback. The toughest challenge is to know who you're blocking on every play, because it will change," coach Josh McDaniels said. "Seymour is not always going to be on the left, he's not always going to be outside, he may be inside, so the guards are going to have to deal with him, the center may have to deal with him, and certainly the tackles will have to deal with him."
McDaniels is familiar with Seymour, having watched his Patriots offense practice against him while both McDaniels and Seymour were in New England. The difference with Seymour in Oakland is he is moving from a three-technique position he played in Bill Belichick's 3-4 defense to the traditional defensive end spot in the Raiders' 4-3 scheme. Oakland coach Tom Cable said he thinks Seymour has enjoyed the change.
"We tend to play him in a number of spots," Cable said. "I think this probably gives him a little more freedom."
The Raiders likely won't throw many complicated blitzing schemes at the Broncos. They'll try to use a good old-fashioned pass rush to try to get to Orton and brute force to try to bottle up Denver's running game.
"It's a big challenge. Myself and (right tackle) Ryan Harris have already joked around that we've got to strap it up this week, 'cause it's not just Richard Seymour," tight end Daniel Graham said.
"We're going to have to do some creative things. We'll have to see what the coaches plan for, but we're going to have to account for them on every snap."
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
Big bodies up front
Oakland's defensive front will be a stiff challenge for the Broncos' offensive line, with big bodies in the middle and large, speedy pass rushers on the outside. Oakland's starting front four averages 300 pounds per player, with each man at least 6-foot-4:
Pos. Player Ht. Wt.
DE Richard Seymour 6-6 310
DE Greg Ellis 6-6 265
DT Gerard Warren 6-4 325
DT Tommy Kelly 6-6 300
The Broncos' offensive line averages 300.6 pounds per player, though the team lacks bulk on the interior of the line compared to Oakland:
Pos. Player Ht. Wt.
LT Ryan Clady 6-6 325
LG Ben Hamilton 6-4 290
C Casey Wiegmann 6-2 285
RG Chris Kuper 6-4 303
RT Ryan Harris 6-5 300
In Ryan Clady's 18-game professional career, only one player is credited with getting past Clady to take down the Broncos' quarterback for a sack. That player was Richard Seymour, who was a New England Patriot last Oct. 20 when he beat the combined blocking of Clady, the left tackle, and Ben Hamilton, the left guard.
Clady would only nod his head when asked this week about facing Seymour one-on-one.
"I enjoyed it," Clady said as he walked to the training room.
The normally quiet offensive linemen have been particularly mum this week as they prepare to once again face Seymour, who was traded earlier this month to the Oakland Raiders.
Without Seymour, the Raiders had a formidable front, with two hearty tackles in Gerard Warren at 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds and Tommy Kelly at 6-6 and 300 pounds, and veteran defensive end Greg Ellis, who was a Pro Bowl player in Dallas.
With Seymour, who played in five Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowl rings in his eight years in New England, the Raiders have one of the better defensive lines in the NFL, and will give the Broncos' offensive line its biggest challenge so far this season.
"Oh, man. You're bringing in a Pro Bowl, Hall of Fame-potential player," Warren said. "He can complement any defense in the NFL in this point in his career."
Consider Sunday's game, at least when the Broncos have the ball, a classic case of strength versus strength.
The Broncos' offensive line has allowed only three sacks, none of which have been charged to Clady. Quarterback Kyle Orton consistently has ample time to pass, while the offensive line has blocked for a running game that is averaging 130 rushing yards per game.
Meanwhile, Seymour and Ellis have combined for five sacks through two games. Though the Raiders gave up significant yards (409) to Kansas City last week, the Oakland defense has allowed an average of only 17 points per game, ninth-best in the NFL.
"They can rush around the edge. They can power you to the quarterback. The toughest challenge is to know who you're blocking on every play, because it will change," coach Josh McDaniels said. "Seymour is not always going to be on the left, he's not always going to be outside, he may be inside, so the guards are going to have to deal with him, the center may have to deal with him, and certainly the tackles will have to deal with him."
McDaniels is familiar with Seymour, having watched his Patriots offense practice against him while both McDaniels and Seymour were in New England. The difference with Seymour in Oakland is he is moving from a three-technique position he played in Bill Belichick's 3-4 defense to the traditional defensive end spot in the Raiders' 4-3 scheme. Oakland coach Tom Cable said he thinks Seymour has enjoyed the change.
"We tend to play him in a number of spots," Cable said. "I think this probably gives him a little more freedom."
The Raiders likely won't throw many complicated blitzing schemes at the Broncos. They'll try to use a good old-fashioned pass rush to try to get to Orton and brute force to try to bottle up Denver's running game.
"It's a big challenge. Myself and (right tackle) Ryan Harris have already joked around that we've got to strap it up this week, 'cause it's not just Richard Seymour," tight end Daniel Graham said.
"We're going to have to do some creative things. We'll have to see what the coaches plan for, but we're going to have to account for them on every snap."
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
Big bodies up front
Oakland's defensive front will be a stiff challenge for the Broncos' offensive line, with big bodies in the middle and large, speedy pass rushers on the outside. Oakland's starting front four averages 300 pounds per player, with each man at least 6-foot-4:
Pos. Player Ht. Wt.
DE Richard Seymour 6-6 310
DE Greg Ellis 6-6 265
DT Gerard Warren 6-4 325
DT Tommy Kelly 6-6 300
The Broncos' offensive line averages 300.6 pounds per player, though the team lacks bulk on the interior of the line compared to Oakland:
Pos. Player Ht. Wt.
LT Ryan Clady 6-6 325
LG Ben Hamilton 6-4 290
C Casey Wiegmann 6-2 285
RG Chris Kuper 6-4 303
RT Ryan Harris 6-5 300