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View Full Version : Strong bond of Broncos DBs Goodman, Hill good for team



Denver Native (Carol)
10-01-2009, 09:02 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13458088

They might be newcomers to Denver, but the DBs are close friends and playing big roles for a team off to a 3-0 start.

n the hectic, noisy seconds before the opposing quarterback gets the snap, all Renaldo Hill and Andre Goodman need is a split second to communicate with each other from the right side of the Broncos' secondary.

Hill, a safety, will lock eyes with Goodman, lined up at right cornerback, and somehow they instantaneously communicate to each other what they're thinking.

Too often it is said in NFL locker rooms that teammates become like brothers, but the description might be true when it comes to Hill and Goodman, who started 30 games together for the Miami Dolphins before signing with the Broncos this past offseason. They eat breakfast together on weekends, frequently go out to dinner together during the week, arrive together at Dove Valley before daylight for extra film study and spend so much time together that people frequently call one by the other's name.

"I don't think I've ever trusted another player as much as I trust him," Goodman said of Hill.

Of course, they also bicker like brothers too, working out their disagreements on the practice field so that their communication is clear by game day.

"You almost have to separate them sometimes," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. "It's funny, they're always getting after each other as far as things they see or different techniques. I'm always joking with them as having to come in the back seat and separate them."

Playing in the secondary with heralded players such as Dawkins and cornerback Champ Bailey, it's only natural that Hill and Goodman might be known as the "other guys." But with Hill and Goodman intercepting passes on back-to-back defensive series against the Oakland Raiders last Sunday, maybe it won't be that way for long.

"Those guys are going to go under the radar a little bit. But I know, and we know, what they bring to the table," Dawkins said. "We know how Renaldo gets us lined up so many times.

"The guy is so smart, so many things he sees during the week that allows us to be able to anticipate things. . . . The communication back there is ridiculous, the amount that we are anticipating routes and anticipating things with these guys."

Goodman and Hill became free agents last offseason and the Dolphins let Hill go, believing they were getting a significant upgrade at his safety position when they signed Gibril Wilson to a five-year contract. Hill signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the Broncos on the first day of free agency. A day later, Goodman followed his friend to Denver.

Goodman was scheduled to visit the Broncos first, then fly to Cleveland to meet with the Browns. Goodman postponed the trip to Cleveland and signed a five-year contract worth $20.4 million to play for the Broncos, the biggest contract of any of the more than a dozen Denver free-agent additions.

"They asked me what number I wanted and I told Goody I was saving him (jersey) No. 21, I wasn't going to mess with it," Hill said. "I was hoping and wishing he would be a Bronco with me."

And just like that, half of the Dolphins' secondary was reunited — much to the delight of Denver coach Josh McDaniels, who no longer has to coach against either player as he did when he was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

"They play sound, fundamental football," McDaniels said Wednesday. "They were both here at 5:15 this morning. I didn't know that when I was coaching against them, but I love it now that I'm coaching both of them. That's just the way they are, the way they work."

Goodman, frequently the target of opposing quarterbacks because he plays opposite Bailey, has made four tackles, broken up one pass and made one interception.

Hill, though listed as a strong safety, is often the deepest player in the Broncos' defense, which has been outstanding in preventing big plays. He intercepted a deep pass by Oakland's JaMarcus Russell early in last Sunday's game.

Meanwhile, in Miami, the secondary has been a major issue for the 0-3 Dolphins. The South Florida media have begun to question whether the Dolphins should have tried harder to keep Hill and Goodman.

"They don't have the chemistry back there that they had," said defensive end Vonnie Holliday, a teammate of Hill's and Goodman's for three years with Miami. "I'm not sure who that guy is back there right now, who the guy is that is quarterbacking that defense in the secondary now that Renaldo is gone, and Goody, he's just hard to replace."

Goodman and Hill said they enjoyed their time with the Dolphins but are content in Denver.

"I don't think it could have worked out any better than it did," Goodman said.

OldschoolFreak
10-01-2009, 11:38 AM
Talk about a pleasant surprise. I sure hope this holds up for a long time. If this FA tandem ends up working out in the long run we're talking about the potential for an absolute coup value-wise in terms of putting together half of a solid secondary for $6ish mil a year total!