Traveler
03-28-2005, 10:02 AM
Monday, March 28, 2005
State of the 'D'
Coyer: 3-4 Alignment 'A Small Part' of 2005 Preparations
EDITOR'S NOTE: This week, defensive coordinator Larry Coyer will answer your questions. Read on to learn more about Coyer's offseason work, and click here to send him a question. We'll post his responses right here on DenverBroncos.com this Friday, April 1 -- no fooling.
By Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos.com
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- For much of the year, defensive coordinator Larry Coyer is a teacher. For now, he is a craftsman.
A television, a laptop computer and a notepad are his tools. Images flicker in his corner office for hour after hour even during the placid exposition of the offseason, when the locker room and training room sit relatively dormant, awaiting the eventual arrival of the bulk of the players to commence offseason workouts.
Coyer clicks, he watches, he studies, he takes notes. He looks back at the Broncos' games of 2004. He breaks down the work of other teams, looking for ideas which he can incorporate.
And, yes, Coyer examines the much-discussed 3-4 defense. Coyer invested days in study of the schemes utilized by the New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers.
"Obviously you study the New England Patriots. You study the San Diego Chargers. (These are) two teams that have been winning," Coyer explains. "They're versatile. They use a lot of linebackers. It's interesting to watch them play because they maximize their talent. So does that have value? Absolutely."
What Coyer notices is not so much the way they align their defensive linemen and linebackers. For instance, New England linebacker Willie McGinest is as apt to line up in a down position as he is standing up, Coyer notes.
"They're really a four down(-lineman) team," Coyer said. "But their guys are so versatile that they can stand up and play as well as put their hand down and play."
Shuffling players and alignments isn't all the Patriots do to shake up opposing offenses.
"I've watched almost every game they've played and tried to categorize everything about coverages and such," Coyer said. "They're remarkably consistent, and yet they're remarkably versatile. You never quite know what you're going to get. Week to week to week, they vary. That's their edge.
"It's the same players, just little tweaks from week to week."
Doing so requires the players' willingness to absorb said tweaks.
"The players have to have great versatility and professionalism because they change a lot," Coyer said. "They're very professional because they perform very well in a lot of different tasks. They multi-task. They do a nice job. I think it's a learning (tool) for both coaches and players."
And something that can be applied to the Broncos.
"We have some versatility here," Coyer said. "I think what we have to is utilize it. That's what New England has done -- utilize their players."
San Diego's defensive improvements -- particularly in the addition of speedy linebackers like Steve Foley and rookie Shawn Phillips -- also bear noting.
"The main thing (the Chargers) did was get really fast. They went from really average to really fast," Coyer said. "They played with intensity and it changed the whole way they played. We have some potential for that."
As for the notion of the Broncos going to a base 3-4 defense -- not so fast.
"Does it have value, yes. How does it fit our scheme? We're not quite sure yet," Coyer said. "Does it have a place here? Yes. A major place? No, but a place, yes. It will be a small part of what we're trying to do.
"(The 3-4) has value. Is it major to us? No. But I wouldn't say we're not going to play it some. But as a major deal, no."
And after a recent respite to answer questions about defensive schemes, Coyer goes back to breaking down the video, secure in the knowledge that the comings and goings of free agency and the draft will give him the pieces with which he can construct another top-five defense, just as he did in his first two seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator.
When the Broncos chose not to match Seattle's offer for Kelly Herndon, he became the fourth member of last year's starting defensive 11 to depart in free agency. But change is the norm, and Coyer has adapted well in the past two years.
In 2003 -- Coyer's first year as coordinator -- the starting lineup he fielded from November onward included seven players who'd never started for the Broncos prior to that year, including four who'd never started anywhere in the league and two who joined the team in training camp.
A year later, the starting lineup turned over again, with a rookie weakside linebacker, three new starters on the defensive line and John Lynch and Champ Bailey making their Broncos debuts in the secondary. Only one defender has started every game of Coyer's tenure at coordinator -- linebacker Al Wilson.
Amidst all the change, there was one other constant besides Wilson -- the team's defensive ranking, No. 4. So the comings and goings of free agency fail to faze the grizzled Coyer.
"I've never worried about it. We've always had good players here. You don't ever judge it until it all sorts out," Coyer said. "You just go about doing your job. Our coach has a plan and the plan will come to fruition. We just need to sit back and do our job and he'll do his job. We've always had good players. We've never had an excuse with players. The ins and outs -- I don't even worry about them. It all has a tendency to balance out.
"I think we have to trust the fact that (Head Coach Mike Shanahan) is going to do it, because he's always done it," Coyer added. "We just need to trust him. I do."
State of the 'D'
Coyer: 3-4 Alignment 'A Small Part' of 2005 Preparations
EDITOR'S NOTE: This week, defensive coordinator Larry Coyer will answer your questions. Read on to learn more about Coyer's offseason work, and click here to send him a question. We'll post his responses right here on DenverBroncos.com this Friday, April 1 -- no fooling.
By Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos.com
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- For much of the year, defensive coordinator Larry Coyer is a teacher. For now, he is a craftsman.
A television, a laptop computer and a notepad are his tools. Images flicker in his corner office for hour after hour even during the placid exposition of the offseason, when the locker room and training room sit relatively dormant, awaiting the eventual arrival of the bulk of the players to commence offseason workouts.
Coyer clicks, he watches, he studies, he takes notes. He looks back at the Broncos' games of 2004. He breaks down the work of other teams, looking for ideas which he can incorporate.
And, yes, Coyer examines the much-discussed 3-4 defense. Coyer invested days in study of the schemes utilized by the New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers.
"Obviously you study the New England Patriots. You study the San Diego Chargers. (These are) two teams that have been winning," Coyer explains. "They're versatile. They use a lot of linebackers. It's interesting to watch them play because they maximize their talent. So does that have value? Absolutely."
What Coyer notices is not so much the way they align their defensive linemen and linebackers. For instance, New England linebacker Willie McGinest is as apt to line up in a down position as he is standing up, Coyer notes.
"They're really a four down(-lineman) team," Coyer said. "But their guys are so versatile that they can stand up and play as well as put their hand down and play."
Shuffling players and alignments isn't all the Patriots do to shake up opposing offenses.
"I've watched almost every game they've played and tried to categorize everything about coverages and such," Coyer said. "They're remarkably consistent, and yet they're remarkably versatile. You never quite know what you're going to get. Week to week to week, they vary. That's their edge.
"It's the same players, just little tweaks from week to week."
Doing so requires the players' willingness to absorb said tweaks.
"The players have to have great versatility and professionalism because they change a lot," Coyer said. "They're very professional because they perform very well in a lot of different tasks. They multi-task. They do a nice job. I think it's a learning (tool) for both coaches and players."
And something that can be applied to the Broncos.
"We have some versatility here," Coyer said. "I think what we have to is utilize it. That's what New England has done -- utilize their players."
San Diego's defensive improvements -- particularly in the addition of speedy linebackers like Steve Foley and rookie Shawn Phillips -- also bear noting.
"The main thing (the Chargers) did was get really fast. They went from really average to really fast," Coyer said. "They played with intensity and it changed the whole way they played. We have some potential for that."
As for the notion of the Broncos going to a base 3-4 defense -- not so fast.
"Does it have value, yes. How does it fit our scheme? We're not quite sure yet," Coyer said. "Does it have a place here? Yes. A major place? No, but a place, yes. It will be a small part of what we're trying to do.
"(The 3-4) has value. Is it major to us? No. But I wouldn't say we're not going to play it some. But as a major deal, no."
And after a recent respite to answer questions about defensive schemes, Coyer goes back to breaking down the video, secure in the knowledge that the comings and goings of free agency and the draft will give him the pieces with which he can construct another top-five defense, just as he did in his first two seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator.
When the Broncos chose not to match Seattle's offer for Kelly Herndon, he became the fourth member of last year's starting defensive 11 to depart in free agency. But change is the norm, and Coyer has adapted well in the past two years.
In 2003 -- Coyer's first year as coordinator -- the starting lineup he fielded from November onward included seven players who'd never started for the Broncos prior to that year, including four who'd never started anywhere in the league and two who joined the team in training camp.
A year later, the starting lineup turned over again, with a rookie weakside linebacker, three new starters on the defensive line and John Lynch and Champ Bailey making their Broncos debuts in the secondary. Only one defender has started every game of Coyer's tenure at coordinator -- linebacker Al Wilson.
Amidst all the change, there was one other constant besides Wilson -- the team's defensive ranking, No. 4. So the comings and goings of free agency fail to faze the grizzled Coyer.
"I've never worried about it. We've always had good players here. You don't ever judge it until it all sorts out," Coyer said. "You just go about doing your job. Our coach has a plan and the plan will come to fruition. We just need to sit back and do our job and he'll do his job. We've always had good players. We've never had an excuse with players. The ins and outs -- I don't even worry about them. It all has a tendency to balance out.
"I think we have to trust the fact that (Head Coach Mike Shanahan) is going to do it, because he's always done it," Coyer added. "We just need to trust him. I do."