Bronco Rob
04-06-2012, 04:12 AM
Attention for Broncos turns to defense
Friday April 06, 2012 - 12:03 AM The Sports Xchange
In the wake of the Peyton Manning tsunami that engulfed the Broncos, reshaped their offense and began a radical retransformation of their offensive identity, the needs and future of the Broncos' defense went relatively unnoticed.
But after nearly a month of free agency, the Broncos' defense, which improved from dead last in 2010 to 20th in 2011, remains a restorative work in progress with myriad question marks beyond Pro Bowlers Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil and Champ Bailey.
Those start with defensive tackle, where Marcus Thomas, who started 11 games last year, remains unsigned. Thomas tested the market and has expressed a desire to return, but the open market has been cool to his services -- including the Broncos.
The fact that Thomas is their only remaining defensive lineman from the Mike Shanahan years does not appear to help his cause. Nor does Thomas' skill set; he doesn't appear quick enough to play the three-technique tackle spot in new coordinator Jack Del Rio's defense but isn't massive enough to be the immovable type of one-technique tackle that Del Rio favors.
"Man, I love Denver. If only it was up to me," Thomas tweeted last week. In recent days, Thomas has repeatedly retweeted the opinions of fans who want him to return to his 7,700-plus followers.
Two issues hurt Thomas's cause to return. One is the expected presence of defensive tackles Kevin Vickerson and Ty Warren, both of whom were projected as starters but finished the season on injured reserve with ankle and triceps injuries, respectively. Thomas didn't make his first 2011 start until after Vickerson was lost for the season.
The other is the draft class, which is deep in defensive tackles who appear to be good value picks at No. 25, where the Broncos select in the first round. One or more of a list that includes Penn State's Devon Still, Michigan State's Jerel Worthy, Mississippi State's Fletcher Cox, Connecticut's Kendall Reyes and Clemson's Brandon Thompson should be available at the 25th slot; all appear to have higher ceilings as interior pass rushers than Thomas or Brodrick Bunkley, who signed a five-year, $25 million contract (including $9 million guaranteed) with the Saints on March 20, in spite of playing less than half the Broncos' 2011 defensive plays.
Denver hasn't picked a defensive tackle in the first round since selecting Trevor Pryce in 1997. That drought appears poised to end this month.
The questions on the next line of defense revolve around weak-side linebacker D.J. Williams and the six-game suspension he faces for violation of the league's performance enhancing drugs policy. In the 48 hours before signing Manning, the Broncos quietly agreed to terms to bring back linebackers Joe Mays and Wesley Woodyard on three- and two-year contracts, respectively.
Both had sizable roles last year; Mays was a middle linebacker in the Broncos' base package, while Woodyard was one of two linebackers (along with Williams) in Denver's nickel defense. More important for Woodyard, he started early in the 2011 season while Williams recovered from a dislocated right elbow.
Woodyard ended the season with 87 tackles, the team's second-highest total, but has never had a better chance to be a permanent starter than what he would receive if Williams' suspension is upheld.
"We didn't want to have multiple holes there and we have a potential suspension of D.J., so it was important to get Joe and Wes back," general manager Brian Xanders said.
The issues were less pressing at cornerback, where Del Rio helped attract ex-Saints cornerback Tracy Porter to the Broncos on a one-year, $4 million deal.
"He asked me (what I wanted)," Porter recalled. "I told him, 'I want to win and I want to get back to the Super Bowl. I wanted to just overall be a better player. He told me, 'You can definitely help with that but you have to be willing to put in the time and the work to get to that point.'
"I told him, 'That's no problem.'"
Porter affords the Broncos the luxury of cornerback depth, with three veteran starters (Champ Bailey, Andre Goodman and Porter) and Chris Harris, an undrafted rookie and former college safety who by the end of last season was the nickel back -- and arguably the secondary's most consistent tackler.
Safety isn't a large question mark, even with Brian Dawkins' status still undecided after neck problems ended his season three weeks early.
The Broncos appear prepared for life without the 16-year veteran; they signed ex-Broncos free safety Mike Adams and can move 2011 fourth-round pick Quinton Carter from free safety, where he started 11 games as a rookie, to Dawkins' old strong safety position. Carter played strong safety at Oklahoma and has acknowledged it is a more natural position and better fit.
But Carter is a microcosm of the Broncos' defense beyond the Miller-Dumervil-Bailey trinity: a part with potential, but still a work in progress.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/18334041/attention-for-broncos-turns-to-defense
Friday April 06, 2012 - 12:03 AM The Sports Xchange
In the wake of the Peyton Manning tsunami that engulfed the Broncos, reshaped their offense and began a radical retransformation of their offensive identity, the needs and future of the Broncos' defense went relatively unnoticed.
But after nearly a month of free agency, the Broncos' defense, which improved from dead last in 2010 to 20th in 2011, remains a restorative work in progress with myriad question marks beyond Pro Bowlers Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil and Champ Bailey.
Those start with defensive tackle, where Marcus Thomas, who started 11 games last year, remains unsigned. Thomas tested the market and has expressed a desire to return, but the open market has been cool to his services -- including the Broncos.
The fact that Thomas is their only remaining defensive lineman from the Mike Shanahan years does not appear to help his cause. Nor does Thomas' skill set; he doesn't appear quick enough to play the three-technique tackle spot in new coordinator Jack Del Rio's defense but isn't massive enough to be the immovable type of one-technique tackle that Del Rio favors.
"Man, I love Denver. If only it was up to me," Thomas tweeted last week. In recent days, Thomas has repeatedly retweeted the opinions of fans who want him to return to his 7,700-plus followers.
Two issues hurt Thomas's cause to return. One is the expected presence of defensive tackles Kevin Vickerson and Ty Warren, both of whom were projected as starters but finished the season on injured reserve with ankle and triceps injuries, respectively. Thomas didn't make his first 2011 start until after Vickerson was lost for the season.
The other is the draft class, which is deep in defensive tackles who appear to be good value picks at No. 25, where the Broncos select in the first round. One or more of a list that includes Penn State's Devon Still, Michigan State's Jerel Worthy, Mississippi State's Fletcher Cox, Connecticut's Kendall Reyes and Clemson's Brandon Thompson should be available at the 25th slot; all appear to have higher ceilings as interior pass rushers than Thomas or Brodrick Bunkley, who signed a five-year, $25 million contract (including $9 million guaranteed) with the Saints on March 20, in spite of playing less than half the Broncos' 2011 defensive plays.
Denver hasn't picked a defensive tackle in the first round since selecting Trevor Pryce in 1997. That drought appears poised to end this month.
The questions on the next line of defense revolve around weak-side linebacker D.J. Williams and the six-game suspension he faces for violation of the league's performance enhancing drugs policy. In the 48 hours before signing Manning, the Broncos quietly agreed to terms to bring back linebackers Joe Mays and Wesley Woodyard on three- and two-year contracts, respectively.
Both had sizable roles last year; Mays was a middle linebacker in the Broncos' base package, while Woodyard was one of two linebackers (along with Williams) in Denver's nickel defense. More important for Woodyard, he started early in the 2011 season while Williams recovered from a dislocated right elbow.
Woodyard ended the season with 87 tackles, the team's second-highest total, but has never had a better chance to be a permanent starter than what he would receive if Williams' suspension is upheld.
"We didn't want to have multiple holes there and we have a potential suspension of D.J., so it was important to get Joe and Wes back," general manager Brian Xanders said.
The issues were less pressing at cornerback, where Del Rio helped attract ex-Saints cornerback Tracy Porter to the Broncos on a one-year, $4 million deal.
"He asked me (what I wanted)," Porter recalled. "I told him, 'I want to win and I want to get back to the Super Bowl. I wanted to just overall be a better player. He told me, 'You can definitely help with that but you have to be willing to put in the time and the work to get to that point.'
"I told him, 'That's no problem.'"
Porter affords the Broncos the luxury of cornerback depth, with three veteran starters (Champ Bailey, Andre Goodman and Porter) and Chris Harris, an undrafted rookie and former college safety who by the end of last season was the nickel back -- and arguably the secondary's most consistent tackler.
Safety isn't a large question mark, even with Brian Dawkins' status still undecided after neck problems ended his season three weeks early.
The Broncos appear prepared for life without the 16-year veteran; they signed ex-Broncos free safety Mike Adams and can move 2011 fourth-round pick Quinton Carter from free safety, where he started 11 games as a rookie, to Dawkins' old strong safety position. Carter played strong safety at Oklahoma and has acknowledged it is a more natural position and better fit.
But Carter is a microcosm of the Broncos' defense beyond the Miller-Dumervil-Bailey trinity: a part with potential, but still a work in progress.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/18334041/attention-for-broncos-turns-to-defense