Denver Native (Carol)
10-15-2009, 03:28 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13569279?source=rss
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels addressed a myriad of subjects at his news conference today, including:
* Brandon Marshall. The star and heretofore controversial receiver has gone from pay-me-or-trade-me holdout to preseason suspension to four touchdown receptions in his last three games.
"Without going back into the past, Brandon and I have never really had much of an issue with one another," McDaniels said. "I don't know when it clicked, but I'm happy it's clicking and he is too, and our team is all the better for it."
* The Chargers defense has eight takeaways in four games. Stripping the ball is a trademark of defenses coached by San Diego defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.
"You can tell they practice it because every one of their players try to get the ball out," McDaniels said.
* These are not the Chargers that so frustrated former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. Even with LaDainian Tomlinson for two games and Darren Sproles for four, the Chargers rank 32nd in the NFL with 53.8 yards rushing per game.
"We've talked about, we don't want to be that team that they get it going against," McDaniels said.
* The Broncos held down Joshua Cribbs, one of the games' best punt returners, in week 2. Now they have Sproles in week 6.
"Cribbs is obviously bigger," McDaniels said. "Sproles is quicker. Maybe more explosive. When he gets the ball in his hands as a return man it's like somebody handed it to him in the backfield. He starts to run with it and as soon as he sees the crease, he hits it, just like a tailback. Very tough to tackle. Harder to find. Sproles is harder to find than Cribbs is. Cribbs you can see wherever he is because he's a different type of athlete, more size and all that. Sproles once he gets behind a couple blockers, you've got to do a good job of breaking it down and finding him first. And he's a different challenge in terms of tackling."
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels addressed a myriad of subjects at his news conference today, including:
* Brandon Marshall. The star and heretofore controversial receiver has gone from pay-me-or-trade-me holdout to preseason suspension to four touchdown receptions in his last three games.
"Without going back into the past, Brandon and I have never really had much of an issue with one another," McDaniels said. "I don't know when it clicked, but I'm happy it's clicking and he is too, and our team is all the better for it."
* The Chargers defense has eight takeaways in four games. Stripping the ball is a trademark of defenses coached by San Diego defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.
"You can tell they practice it because every one of their players try to get the ball out," McDaniels said.
* These are not the Chargers that so frustrated former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. Even with LaDainian Tomlinson for two games and Darren Sproles for four, the Chargers rank 32nd in the NFL with 53.8 yards rushing per game.
"We've talked about, we don't want to be that team that they get it going against," McDaniels said.
* The Broncos held down Joshua Cribbs, one of the games' best punt returners, in week 2. Now they have Sproles in week 6.
"Cribbs is obviously bigger," McDaniels said. "Sproles is quicker. Maybe more explosive. When he gets the ball in his hands as a return man it's like somebody handed it to him in the backfield. He starts to run with it and as soon as he sees the crease, he hits it, just like a tailback. Very tough to tackle. Harder to find. Sproles is harder to find than Cribbs is. Cribbs you can see wherever he is because he's a different type of athlete, more size and all that. Sproles once he gets behind a couple blockers, you've got to do a good job of breaking it down and finding him first. And he's a different challenge in terms of tackling."