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omac
12-13-2007, 11:25 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_7705133


Broncos no longer big on beef
Denver going with leaner defensive line after struggling up front
By Mike Klis The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 12/13/2007 12:50:57 AM MST


At 6-feet-2 and 275 pounds, Josh Mallard (98) is part of sleeker Denver defensive line that is faring much better against the run. (John Leyba, The Denver Post )

When this defensive line was herded together during the hot summer months of training camp, it was all about cheeseburgers.

Cheeseburgers and steaks, brisket, tenderloin, meat loaf and bologna. It was about beef.

"When I got here, all I was hearing was beef," said Alvin McKinley, a free-agent acquisition and rare defensive tackle who has stayed on the Broncos' roster from the start. "All these guys are 320, 330 (pounds). But maybe in the end they weren't looking for beef. They were looking for consistency. They could tell you they wanted beef. But what they really wanted was guys who could get the job done."

At first, the Broncos' front lined up belly to belly. Sam Adams. Jimmy Kennedy. Gerard Warren. Antwon Burton. Amon Gordon.

The idea was to pile up so much beef, a butcher's blade couldn't slice through it.

Then came the preseason and all these backup tailbacks would slice, slash and pound their way by. The trampling of the Broncos' run defense continued through the first five games of the regular season. The Broncos not only ranked last in the NFL against the run, they were last by a first down or two.

Tonight it will be a far sleeker, and noticeably improved, collection of Broncos who visit Reliant Stadium to play the Houston Texans in a game Denver (6-7) must win to keep its faint playoff hopes alive.

Where's the beef? It's all gone. Every single 300-pound defensive lineman, as listed on the Broncos' preseason roster, has been put out to pasture. Or in the case of Burton, transferred to the practice squad.

"I think that's because we changed the system and focus because it wasn't working," Broncos safety John Lynch said.

Recipe needed work

Warren and his 325 pounds was the first to go. He was traded to the only bidder, the Oakland Raiders, after barely breaking his first summer sweat. Adams, the largest of the lot at 350-something pounds, was the latest to leave. A starter in 11 of the first 12 games, he was cut before Game 13.

Kennedy was acquired for a draft choice during the offseason, but didn't make it out of training camp. Gordon went from surprise starter to street clothes quicker than a man can change his mind.

"At the time of (offseason) camps, some of those guys were just a little ahead of the others," said Bill Johnson, the Broncos' defensive line coach. "You had to pick somebody. The rookies weren't quite ready. It's just taken a little time to get it all sorted out. But I think with every move we've made we had some improvement. It's not as easy, especially when you have young guys and a lot of things are new, to go in and say, 'Boys, make it right.' It takes a little of this and a little of that to get the recipe right."

The only defensive tackles who have been around since summer, McKinley and rookie Marcus Thomas, had to put rocks in their pockets before their scale readings reached 300.

In what has been the most wildly inconsistent Broncos season in memory — a season of blowout losses and a blowout victory, of exhilarating, last-tick wins and demoralizing, final-play defeats — the defensive line shifts from foot to foot as its flag bearer. No unit was more unsettled.

The revisions weren't restricted to the trimming of the interior fat, either. The large swinging door at Dove Valley also welcomed, and exited, such proven defensive ends as Simeon Rice, Kenard Lang, John Browning — anyone remember John Browning? — and Kenny Peterson.

There have been so many defensive linemen coming and going, Peterson was able to sneak back into a meaningful role. He's played well, too, especially at Chicago where he had five solo tackles, a stuff and a pass deflection.

"I've seen changes but not like this," said Champ Bailey, the Broncos' star left cornerback. "Some of those guys had great careers. It was a little surprising they didn't pan out here because of what they've accomplished throughout their career. Maybe we caught them at the end of the road or something. I don't know."

Switch in system

Looking back, the most significant change to the defensive line wasn't in personnel. It was the system. When an old system was put into action in midseason, altering personnel became the reaction.

Jim Bates was hired in January to take over a Denver defense that wore down precipitously in the second half last season. He brought along a unique defensive philosophy with proven success. The Green Bay Packers are 11-2 using Bates' system. Here, the system worked about as well as dividing odd by even. The seven-man "box" didn't take, gouged for chunks of rushing yardage.

Among the residual effects from failing to stop the run is that the offense didn't get the ball as much. When the head coach is the offensive-minded Mike Shanahan, Bates' system had a real problem.

During the Broncos' bye week, which came in Week 6 after three consecutive defeats, a decision was made. The Broncos would put an eighth man in the defensive box. It was the beginning of the end for the beefier, push-and-hold defensive tackles such as Adams and Gordon, and simply the beginning for the more athletic linemen such as Peterson, Josh Mallard and Steven Harris, who recently was promoted from the practice squad.

"It's real simple for me," Johnson said of the changes. "The youth we had at the first of the year is not where it is right now. It has developed."

Allowing 187.6 rushing yards per game in the five games before the bye, the Broncos' defense has surrendered 108.4 per game in the eight games since. The defense consummated its improvement Sunday in Denver's 41-7 victory against Kansas City, which rushed for only 16 yards on 17 carries.

More proof, please

The performance was so impressive Sunday it provoked curiosity. Would Bates be coaching the eight-man box next season? Or will he be given another chance to implement his personal philosophy?

"What you do is at the end of year, you evaluate what you were doing well and what you were doing bad and work to improve it," Shanahan said.

Veterans such as Lynch and Bailey are encouraged by the progress, but want to see the run stopped in the final three games before they're convinced the defense has completed its transformation. After all, a week before their Kansas City masterpiece, the Broncos surrendered 175 yards rushing to Justin Fargas and the then 3-8 Raiders.

The defensive coaches and younger linemen such as Tim Crowder, Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss and Thomas, whose futures are wedded, believe the corner is near, if not quite turned.

"We just played one of our best games, so it shows the coaching staff and the front office knew what it was doing," Dumervil said. "It showed all the moves they made were better for the team."

The moves exchanged past achievement in hopes of a better tomorrow.

"You make the decision to bring guys in like Sam and Simeon based on their past record, and unfortunately they didn't live up to expectations," said defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, whose preseason Achilles tendon tear was another factor in the Broncos' continuous search for a workable front. "It has to be a tough decision letting them go. Because I know as a coach you never want to be looked at as being wrong or not making the right decision. But Coach Shanahan doesn't care about any of that. He got rid of Daryl Gardner, Maurice Clarett. He's not afraid to say, 'Things didn't work out, you've got to go.' "
Meat of the matter

Since training camp, 13 defensive linemen have come off the Broncos' roster through cuts, injuries or trades. Some have been brought back.

Sam Adams: 3-time Pro Bowler cut last week.

John Browning: Former Chiefs mainstay signed final week of training camp. Cut a week later.

Antwon Burton: Cut, signed to practice squad.

Ebenezer Ekuban: Injured Achilles tendon in second preseason game. Put on injured reserve.

Amon Gordon: Started four of first five games. Then inactive. Then cut.

Steven Harris: Undrafted rookie cut from camp, re-signed to practice squad. Signed to roster last week.

Jimmy Kennedy: Rams' first-round pick in 2003, cut in camp. Signed Tuesday with Bears.

Kenard Lang: Cut in camp. Out of football.

Jarvis Moss: Broke fibula and injured ankle during midseason practice. Injured reserve.

Kenny Peterson: Suspended, waived, then re-signed. Playing regularly.

Simeon Rice: Signed with 121 career sacks, cut eight games later with 121 career sacks.

Demetrin Veal: Cut in camp. Picked up by Tennessee.

Gerard Warren: Traded to Oakland during preseason.

Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com

omac
12-13-2007, 11:29 AM
I guess that opens up a whole lot of questions for next season. Bates' system has been ineffective, as was his choice of players for that system. The leaner, more athletic players have been getting it done, but they've had to gamble with 8 in the box.

Will Bates be here next season? Will he still try to implement his system, or go in a different direction? Have they found out why the Broncos could not mimick the success that GB has? Have they found out why they need to add an extra player just to try to contain the run? Will they be able to implement a good system before preseason?

broncofanatic1987
12-13-2007, 12:16 PM
The Broncos are going to have to do something in the offseason. If they try staying with the smaller line next year, they will probably fade at the end of the season like they've done in the past.

It will be interesting to see if they will continue to show improvement this year against the run, but they still have to solve their problem of not getting enough pressure on quarterbacks that don't play for the Kansas City Chiefs. This is why Bates was brought in. Even if he doesn't implement his system, he's still going to have to find a way to put players on the field that will consistently get to the quarterback.

Fan in Exile
12-13-2007, 12:33 PM
The Broncos are going to have to do something in the offseason. If they try staying with the smaller line next year, they will probably fade at the end of the season like they've done in the past.


This is something that has been driving me crazy from the time I first started posting on Broncos message boards. The Broncos do not have a history of fading at the end of the season. It just isn't true, take a look at the teams win loss record and you will see that we just as well in the last half as we do in the first.

omac
12-13-2007, 12:44 PM
This is something that has been driving me crazy from the time I first started posting on Broncos message boards. The Broncos do not have a history of fading at the end of the season. It just isn't true, take a look at the teams win loss record and you will see that we just as well in the last half as we do in the first.

Well, think of it this way. Our last game last season against the 49ers, Alex Smith looked like Joe Montana (exagerated, ofcourse). He had all the time to pick apart the defense. Frank Gore was tearing it up in the 2nd half. And the 49ers weren't a good team last season, just like they aren't a good team this season, yet our defense made them look like playoff contenders.

There actually is more pressure on the quarterback now, specially with Elvis; that's readily apparent. Our run defense has to put 8 in the box, though, to be effective, and that hurts us against teams that know how to pass.

Fan in Exile
12-13-2007, 01:00 PM
Well, think of it this way. Our last game last season against the 49ers, Alex Smith looked like Joe Montana (exagerated, ofcourse). He had all the time to pick apart the defense. Frank Gore was tearing it up in the 2nd half. And the 49ers weren't a good team last season, just like they aren't a good team this season, yet our defense made them look like playoff contenders.

There actually is more pressure on the quarterback now, specially with Elvis; that's readily apparent. Our run defense has to put 8 in the box, though, to be effective, and that hurts us against teams that know how to pass.

I remember that game well and Alex Smith didn't look like Joe Montana, not even close. Our problem was Frank Gore and Larry Coyer's inability to change when everybody could see what the problem was. It's why he got fired.

The worst thing about wanting big guys because little guys get tired by the end of the season, is that big guys get tired to. Sure it's hard to play a season against the o-line when you are only 285, but it's also hard to play a season when you have to haul around 320.

omac
12-13-2007, 01:28 PM
I remember that game well and Alex Smith didn't look like Joe Montana, not even close. Our problem was Frank Gore and Larry Coyer's inability to change when everybody could see what the problem was. It's why he got fired.

The worst thing about wanting big guys because little guys get tired by the end of the season, is that big guys get tired to. Sure it's hard to play a season against the o-line when you are only 285, but it's also hard to play a season when you have to haul around 320.

You remember that game, but you don't recall Alex Smith passing pretty well, specially in the 2nd half? No matter, like you said, Frank Gore was having a great 2nd half, and they were moving the ball at will.

I could understand if they were the Pats or the Colts, but this was the 49ers we're talking about.

320 or 285 is not the point. The point is, late in the season, the defense could not stop one of the weaker teams in the league, when earlier in the season, they were pretty good at limiting their opponents. So, yes, in the case of the defense, they did fade late in the season.

Fan in Exile
12-13-2007, 01:40 PM
You remember that game, but you don't recall Alex Smith passing pretty well, specially in the 2nd half? No matter, like you said, Frank Gore was having a great 2nd half, and they were moving the ball at will.

I could understand if they were the Pats or the Colts, but this was the 49ers we're talking about.

320 or 285 is not the point. The point is, late in the season, the defense could not stop one of the weaker teams in the league, when earlier in the season, they were pretty good at limiting their opponents. So, yes, in the case of the defense, they did fade late in the season.

Alex Smith in that game was 17/32 1td 1int, and he was sacked four times. That isn't pretty well. While Frank Gore was averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The problem wasn't that the defense was fading they got to Smith four times after all. The problem was they weren't stopping the run. They should have made adjustments but they didn't.

To me an end of season fade isn't that you had a bad plan in place, but that you were tired/injured so you couldn't execute.

One game where you can't stop the run does not qualify as fading at the end of the season. If you think it does, then there isn't really any point is us talking about this.

topscribe
12-13-2007, 01:45 PM
Not a bad article, although I think Klis forgot to check the roster on Thomas.
He said Thomas would have to put "rocks in his pocket" to weigh 300, yet
Thomas is listed on the Broncos site at 315 and Coach Scout at 314.

However, didn't the line look sharper and crisper this last week? (I think I
remember something about that. I was pretty light-headed with the flu.)
A few pounds of lard will not make up for quickness and speed. The QB didn't
seem to have as much of a pocket to step up into, did he?

-----

omac
12-13-2007, 02:40 PM
Alex Smith in that game was 17/32 1td 1int, and he was sacked four times. That isn't pretty well. While Frank Gore was averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The problem wasn't that the defense was fading they got to Smith four times after all. The problem was they weren't stopping the run. They should have made adjustments but they didn't.

Actually, Alex Smith did have a much better 2nd half. It was in the 1st half that he was sacked 3x; in the 2nd half, he was sacked once. It was also in the 1st half that he had his interception. In the 2nd half, he was 11/18, with 1 TD, and he was helping to keep drives alive. And yes, Gore was having a pretty good 2nd half.


To me an end of season fade isn't that you had a bad plan in place, but that you were tired/injured so you couldn't execute.

One game where you can't stop the run does not qualify as fading at the end of the season. If you think it does, then there isn't really any point is us talking about this.

One game? Hardly. In the final 6 games of the Broncos, they've given up 223, 108, 143, 100, 149, and 189 rushing yards. That averages 152 yards for their last 6 games. Based on last season's league wide stats, that would put them at #31 in rushing yards allowed per game.

Compare that with their 1st 10 games, where they gave up 125, 145, 50, 103, 85, 34, 92, 96, 46, and 125 for an average of 90 yards; that would put them at #4 in rushing yards allowed per game.

I'd say that is a significant drop off, and more than just one game where the Broncos couldn't stop the run.

Requiem / The Dagda
12-13-2007, 02:42 PM
Most people have been confused on all the forums thinking that Bates needs those 330 pound guys. They're just a premium, but not a necessity. It should help, but it necessarily doesn't. For anyone looking at defensive tackles in the draft, they don't have to be 300+ to get the job done, it theory it should help - but it all comes down to the player and their abilities. Don't discount the smaller ones.

I'm still not sure what Thomas ideal weight is or what's right, he was 314 at his Pro Day, but I'm very confident that Mason said he was at 296 or 297 when he weighed in for camp and did he backflip. He certainly doesn't look 315 pounds.

omac
12-13-2007, 02:50 PM
Not a bad article, although I think Klis forgot to check the roster on Thomas.
He said Thomas would have to put "rocks in his pocket" to weigh 300, yet
Thomas is listed on the Broncos site at 315 and Coach Scout at 314.

However, didn't the line look sharper and crisper this last week? (I think I
remember something about that. I was pretty light-headed with the flu.)
A few pounds of lard will not make up for quickness and speed. The QB didn't
seem to have as much of a pocket to step up into, did he?

-----

I think some posters have mentioned that the stats listed aren't necessarily the true stats, so that's probably what he was thinking.

The line looked pretty good, but that was with 8 in the box, and a non-effective Chiefs passing game. As the season has shown, we can get torched on some big plays as well as small ones when we face teams that have a very good passing game.

omac
12-13-2007, 02:55 PM
Most people have been confused on all the forums thinking that Bates needs those 330 pound guys. They're just a premium, but not a necessity. It should help, but it necessarily doesn't. For anyone looking at defensive tackles in the draft, they don't have to be 300+ to get the job done, it theory it should help - but it all comes down to the player and their abilities. Don't discount the smaller ones.

I'm still not sure what Thomas ideal weight is or what's right, he was 314 at his Pro Day, but I'm very confident that Mason said he was at 296 or 297 when he weighed in for camp and did he backflip. He certainly doesn't look 315 pounds.

Thomas looks like a keeper, no matter what his weight. He makes plays. We just need to pair him up with another very good DT. Jaworski did make a comment during the Tennessee game that the weakness of the Broncos' run defense is at the edges with the ends; he didn't mention the DTs. Hopefully, adding a DT to complement Thomas will fix the run defense, but it might not be that simple.

Requiem / The Dagda
12-13-2007, 03:15 PM
Yeah, Thomas' play wasn't as good as early on, but he's already played a full season essentially, with the camps, pre-season and now we're on week 14. He's probably gassed, I'd expect it after being out of football for a while.

Fan in Exile
12-13-2007, 03:19 PM
Actually, Alex Smith did have a much better 2nd half. It was in the 1st half that he was sacked 3x; in the 2nd half, he was sacked once. It was also in the 1st half that he had his interception. In the 2nd half, he was 11/18, with 1 TD, and he was helping to keep drives alive. And yes, Gore was having a pretty good 2nd half.

Sure, Smith looked better in the second half of the game. But you compared him to Joe Montana(even if exaggerated). Again one bad half of one game doesn't make a late season fade. But here the numbers are fooling you. Alex Smith didn't look that good, SF just did a better job calling the short passes that he could make. SF adjusted much better than we. We didn't change the plan, I don't call that a fade. To me saying that we faded means we got worse. Here SF just took advantage of what our scheme always gave them.




One game? Hardly. In the final 6 games of the Broncos, they've given up 223, 108, 143, 100, 149, and 189 rushing yards. That averages 152 yards for their last 6 games. Based on last season's league wide stats, that would put them at #31 in rushing yards allowed per game.

Compare that with their 1st 10 games, where they gave up 125, 145, 50, 103, 85, 34, 92, 96, 46, and 125 for an average of 90 yards; that would put them at #4 in rushing yards allowed per game.

I'd say that is a significant drop off, and more than just one game where the Broncos couldn't stop the run.

There are two problems with this post. One you've cherry picked the stats so that they seem to prove your argument. Why go with the last six games, there isn't anything magical about that number but it lets you include the 223 yard game and exclude the 46 yard game, from a more natural comparison of the first half of the season and the second.

The other problem is that you are using averages here when clearly there are a few outliers that are skewing the numbers.

Even back in the 2005 season we were giving up an above average number of yards per carry. We still had that problem in the 2006 season the only problem was there it got exploited, and no changes were made.

It isn't that we faded last year, a flaw that was always there just got exploited.

I don't see this as a good thing it's why I wanted us to pick up Ngata in that draft. We need people on the D-line who can execute.

omac
12-13-2007, 04:04 PM
Sure, Smith looked better in the second half of the game. But you compared him to Joe Montana(even if exaggerated). Again one bad half of one game doesn't make a late season fade. But here the numbers are fooling you. Alex Smith didn't look that good, SF just did a better job calling the short passes that he could make. SF adjusted much better than we. We didn't change the plan, I don't call that a fade. To me saying that we faded means we got worse. Here SF just took advantage of what our scheme always gave them.

LOL at the Montana comment; I did say I exagerated. No matter, like I originally said, Alex Smith did play much better in the 2nd half. And the 49ers did pick up 189 yards rushing, and that is a lot.

The Broncos defense played much better in the 1st half of that game than the 2nd half. You don't want to call that fading down the stretch of a game? Fine, they still gave up 189 yards.


There are two problems with this post. One you've cherry picked the stats so that they seem to prove your argument. Why go with the last six games, there isn't anything magical about that number but it lets you include the 223 yard game and exclude the 46 yard game, from a more natural comparison of the first half of the season and the second.

I layed out the facts; throughout the 1st 10 games, the Broncos have given up more than 125 yards only ONCE. 4 of the last 6 games, they gave up 143 yards or more. In the stretch of games 5 to 9, they've only given up double digit rushing yardage. In the first 4 games, they've given up more than 125 yards rushing once. No matter how you look at it, the last part of the season, we gave up the most rushing yardage. and it's that dramatic dip that drops us from #4 to #12. People can look at the final stats of our rush defense last season and say it was pretty good, but the truth is 4 out of the last 6 games, it was pretty bad.


The other problem is that you are using averages here when clearly there are a few outliers that are skewing the numbers.

Even back in the 2005 season we were giving up an above average number of yards per carry. We still had that problem in the 2006 season the only problem was there it got exploited, and no changes were made.

It isn't that we faded last year, a flaw that was always there just got exploited.

I don't see this as a good thing it's why I wanted us to pick up Ngata in that draft. We need people on the D-line who can execute.

What's skewing the numbers is the poor performance in the last few games of the season, no matter what the reason. With respect to rushing defense, the Broncos started good, then got really good, then got pretty bad.

Faded, exploited, adjusted ... whatever. Any term you want to use, the bottom line is our defense gave away the most yardage during the last part of the season. To me, for whatever reason that caused it, it constitutes a breakdown that needs to be fixed.

To Shanny, his attempt at a solution to the problem on defense was to fire Coyer and get Bates. That hasn't worked out well for most of the season, so we'll have to see how it does next season.

omac
12-13-2007, 04:06 PM
Yeah, Thomas' play wasn't as good as early on, but he's already played a full season essentially, with the camps, pre-season and now we're on week 14. He's probably gassed, I'd expect it after being out of football for a while.

Yeah, it took him a while just to get in football shape, and now they're using him a lot. Hopefully, he has enough in the tank for this stretch run. He'll be even better next season. :cheers:

omac
12-13-2007, 04:16 PM
BTW, Fan in Exile, there's a big weakness in my argument that you can attack ... but I ain't saying, hehehehe. :D

Anyway, I think it's pretty safe to say that overall, this season's defense has become, at least in the short term, worse than last season's defense.

Fan in Exile
12-13-2007, 04:27 PM
LOL at the Montana comment; I did say I exagerated. No matter, like I originally said, Alex Smith did play much better in the 2nd half. And the 49ers did pick up 189 yards rushing, and that is a lot.

The Broncos defense played much better in the 1st half of that game than the 2nd half. You don't want to call that fading down the stretch of a game? Fine, they still gave up 189 yards.



I layed out the facts; throughout the 1st 10 games, the Broncos have given up more than 125 yards only ONCE. 4 of the last 6 games, they gave up 143 yards or more. In the stretch of games 5 to 9, they've only given up double digit rushing yardage. In the first 4 games, they've given up more than 125 yards rushing once. No matter how you look at it, the last part of the season, we gave up the most rushing yardage. and it's that dramatic dip that drops us from #4 to #12. People can look at the final stats of our rush defense last season and say it was pretty good, but the truth is 4 out of the last 6 games, it was pretty bad.



What's skewing the numbers is the poor performance in the last few games of the season, no matter what the reason. With respect to rushing defense, the Broncos started good, then got really good, then got pretty bad.

Faded, exploited, adjusted ... whatever. Any term you want to use, the bottom line is our defense gave away the most yardage during the last part of the season. To me, for whatever reason that caused it, it constitutes a breakdown that needs to be fixed.

To Shanny, his attempt at a solution to the problem on defense was to fire Coyer and get Bates. That hasn't worked out well for most of the season, so we'll have to see how it does next season.

Look I like having a good discussion and exchanging ideas, but when you just sit back and say "no matter what the reason." That's pretty boring. If you don't really want to analyze okay, I'll move on.

Lonestar
12-13-2007, 04:29 PM
I guess that opens up a whole lot of questions for next season. Bates' system has been ineffective, as was his choice of players for that system. The leaner, more athletic players have been getting it done, but they've had to gamble with 8 in the box.

Will Bates be here next season? Will he still try to implement his system, or go in a different direction? Have they found out why the Broncos could not mimick the success that GB has? Have they found out why they need to add an extra player just to try to contain the run? Will they be able to implement a good system before preseason?

I think he will try to get another BIGGIE 320+ DT in the draft or via FA to free up that SS from having to be a LB all game..

It is the Defense he knows and it has worked every where he has been except here and that is only because he did not have the right bodies to do it... Sam Adams a few years ago would have been but as big and old as he is Playing at Altitude he just did not have any gas left..

Once you have that BDT clogging blockers the rest of the team can do their jobs and this will become a great Defense like he had in MIA..

Lonestar
12-13-2007, 04:40 PM
Thomas looks like a keeper, no matter what his weight. He makes plays. We just need to pair him up with another very good DT. Jaworski did make a comment during the Tennessee game that the weakness of the Broncos' run defense is at the edges with the ends; he didn't mention the DTs. Hopefully, adding a DT to complement Thomas will fix the run defense, but it might not be that simple.


I think the DE are indeed at fault, but not because they are bad. It is because they are being double teamed most of the time.. I used to be a OG so I watch the OLINE play alot.. When the DT are being handled one on one that frees up a OG or OT and/or the TE to block down on them in some cases it allows the opposite OG to get into LB space to allow the RB to get farther down field..

We have been forced to keep a 215 pound SS up at the LOS to help clog up the lanes because the BDT's can't do it..

Lonestar
12-13-2007, 04:46 PM
Yeah, it took him a while just to get in football shape, and now they're using him a lot. Hopefully, he has enough in the tank for this stretch run. He'll be even better next season. :cheers:

I really like what I have seen in him and because of that would not have a problem drafting a BDT to put next to him and the other kiddies on the DL.. They have all played better than I thought they would.. Everyone says that DT take to long to get up to speed I think Thomas has pretty much dispelled that old theory.

omac
12-14-2007, 01:17 AM
I think the DE are indeed at fault, but not because they are bad. It is because they are being double teamed most of the time.. I used to be a OG so I watch the OLINE play alot.. When the DT are being handled one on one that frees up a OG or OT and/or the TE to block down on them in some cases it allows the opposite OG to get into LB space to allow the RB to get farther down field..

We have been forced to keep a 215 pound SS up at the LOS to help clog up the lanes because the BDT's can't do it..

Very nice explanation :salute: ; I'll try to watch more of that next time I watch some teams play to see the difference. I'll especially watch that when top run defense teams like Baltimore or Minnesota play.

SBboundBRONCOS
12-14-2007, 02:59 AM
maybe next year instead of deciding big or small we should evaluate

talent vs no talent,