Lead article on Elvis on ESPN

[Hulamau]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/index

"Orange Rush"

If its no longer on the front page here is the article its an 'insider' though. Will give the highlight shortly for those without insider

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2512015

The following is the free 'lead-in' teaser part.

Its by Len Pasquerelli

Despite notching 30 sacks in the final two seasons of his career at the University of Louisville, and establishing a Division I-A record with 11 forced fumbles in 2005, Elvis Dumervil spiraled into the fourth round of this year's draft before the Denver Broncos tossed the defensive end a life preserver after 125 names had been called.

The primary reasons for the tumble: Dumervil's size -- or, more aptly, the lack thereof (5 feet 11 3/8, 257 pounds) -- and a pedestrian 40-yard time nearly into the 4.6s.

But rushing the passer, for some players, is a knack, one that supersedes "measurables." And that is why one of the more notable items elicited from the Broncos' three-day minicamp this week was that Dumervil was aligned inside at tackle, not end, in some of the nickel pass-rush combinations with which defensive coordinator Larry Coyer experimented.

Elvis Dumervil
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Elvis Dumervil leads the nation with 20 sacks in 2005.


Never mind that Dumervil, despite a thick physique, wasn't even considered big enough to play end, let alone tackle, by a lot of scouts who assessed him in the months before the draft. Increasingly, it seems, as teams seek new ways to create pressure strictly from the front four, speed is the premium, even at the tackle spots. And although Dumervil's stopwatch times might not be great, he possesses competitive closing speed when chasing down quarterbacks. For any defense, especially one that struggled to put quarterbacks on the ground the way the Denver unit did in 2005, that's a skill set that can't be ignored ...

(closing paragraph to much longer article but you've got to pony up to ESPN to read it all)

...The aim, especially for the Broncos, is to ramp up pressure without having to bring extra rushers.

In the AFC Championship Game loss to Pittsburgh six months ago, the Denver rush scheme was badly exposed when the Steelers consistently brought a tight end or wide receiver back in motion toward the formation, then kept that player in as an extra blocker against the blitz. Because the Broncos really had no big-time pass-rush threat -- all those former Cleveland Browns defensive line rejects, lauded for their solid play against the run in 2005, totaled 10 sacks -- they were forced to manufacture pressure. Even then, the Broncos finished with a mere 28 sacks, the NFL's fourth-lowest total.

Like the staffs of all the other franchises that didn't garner a Super Bowl ring in 2005, the Denver coaches went back to the drawing board in the offseason. Whatever changes were considered, none is probably rock-solid yet, but it's a good bet we'll see fewer blitzes in 2006 from Denver, less size up front in most nickel situations and more of pure pass-rushers like Dumervil.

Photo on front page ESPN

[BroncoBuff]

Nice find, Hula ... rep

[BroncoBuff]

Damn. This is all you get if you're not an "Insider":
Despite notching 30 sacks in the final two seasons of his career at the University of Louisville, and establishing a Division I-A record with 11 forced fumbles in 2005, Elvis Dumervil (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7875) spiraled into the fourth round of this year's draft before the Denver Broncos (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=den) tossed the defensive end a life preserver after 125 names had been called.


The primary reasons for the tumble: Dumervil's size -- or, more aptly, the lack thereof (5 feet 11 3/8, 257 pounds) -- and a pedestrian 40-yard time nearly into the 4.6s.<!-- end free preview text -->

[Hulamau]

Damn. This is all you get if you're not an "Insider":

The middle part looks at how its a copy-cat leaque and more teams are using speed rushing ends as D-tackles on nickel downs to get that much closer to the QB and try to slip through past guard and center. Said Reggie White got the bulk of his 198 sacks when he was moved fro mend to D-tackle at GB.

Dumervil is one of the hot guys to watch!

[Kaylore]

The middle part looks at how its a copy-cat leaque and more teams are using speed rushing ends as D-tackles on nickel downs to get that much closer to the QB and try to slip through past guard and center. Said Reggie White got the bulk of his 198 sacks when he was moved fro mend to D-tackle at GB.

Dumervil is one of the hot guys to watch!
-Slap- likes him. I never saw him play but you don't set Division I-A records if you aren't doing somthing right. to have that kind of production two years in a row is crazy because offenses quickly learn to plan around you to slow you down. Esentially it means he played better than he did his junior year.

[BroncoBuff]

The middle part looks at how its a copy-cat leaque and more teams are using speed rushing ends as D-tackles on nickel downs to get that much closer to the QB and try to slip through past guard and center. Said Reggie White got the bulk of his 198 sacks when he was moved fro mend to D-tackle at GB.

Dumervil is one of the hot guys to watch!
Post the whole thing, rock star!

[SureShot]

Despite notching 30 sacks in the final two seasons of his career at the University of Louisville, and establishing a Division I-A record with 11 forced fumbles in 2005, Elvis Dumervil spiraled into the fourth round of this year's draft before the Denver Broncos tossed the defensive end a life preserver after 125 names had been called.

The primary reasons for the tumble: Dumervil's size -- or, more aptly, the lack thereof (5 feet 11 3/8, 257 pounds) -- and a pedestrian 40-yard time nearly into the 4.6s.

But rushing the passer, for some players, is a knack, one that supersedes "measurables." And that is why one of the more notable items elicited from the Broncos' three-day minicamp this week was that Dumervil was aligned inside at tackle, not end, in some of the nickel pass-rush combinations with which defensive coordinator Larry Coyer experimented.

Elvis Dumervil
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Elvis Dumervil leads the nation with 20 sacks in 2005.


Never mind that Dumervil, despite a thick physique, wasn't even considered big enough to play end, let alone tackle, by a lot of scouts who assessed him in the months before the draft. Increasingly, it seems, as teams seek new ways to create pressure strictly from the front four, speed is the premium, even at the tackle spots. And although Dumervil's stopwatch times might not be great, he possesses competitive closing speed when chasing down quarterbacks. For any defense, especially one that struggled to put quarterbacks on the ground the way the Denver unit did in 2005, that's a skill set that can't be ignored.

More teams around the league are moving ends inside on nickel downs, turning the pass rush into a track meet, one in which defenders who get out of the blocks quickly are highly valued. If the trend continues to evolve, teams might field nickel front fours that are more like relay teams.

It's not a new gimmick, of course, because almost nothing ever is in the NFL. A considerable portion of Reggie White's 198 career sacks came when he moved inside to tackle and was able to go against an overmatched guard. The New York Giants used to slide Michael Strahan inside on occasion earlier in his career. But White and Strahan (at least a few years ago, before he dropped some weight) were big men. Dumervil, by comparison, is pretty much a Munchkin.

It doesn't matter, though, if you can rush the passer.

The past several years, the Indianapolis Colts have nudged starting left end Raheem Brock to tackle in nickel situations even though he weighed just 270 pounds. This season, Brock will start at tackle even in the "base" defense, on what is one of the least bulky front four units in the league. Signed in free agency to play left end, Tony Weaver will move to tackle for the Houston Texans, in part because of the selection of Mario Williams with the top pick in the draft but also because the coaching staff seems to like the matchup possibilities that can be created inside. When he was the New Orleans head coach, Jim Haslett regularly dropped right end Darren Howard inside on nickel downs and frequently played four ends in his pass-rush front four. Expect similar alignments from the St. Louis Rams this year now that Haslett is the coordinator there. The Giants have worked this offseason on a nickel package that features four ends, in an effort to get quicker players such as Justin Tuck and rookie Mathias Kiwanuka onto the field.

The aim, especially for the Broncos, is to ramp up pressure without having to bring extra rushers.

In the AFC Championship Game loss to Pittsburgh six months ago, the Denver rush scheme was badly exposed when the Steelers consistently brought a tight end or wide receiver back in motion toward the formation, then kept that player in as an extra blocker against the blitz. Because the Broncos really had no big-time pass-rush threat -- all those former Cleveland Browns defensive line rejects, lauded for their solid play against the run in 2005, totaled 10 sacks -- they were forced to manufacture pressure. Even then, the Broncos finished with a mere 28 sacks, the NFL's fourth-lowest total.

Like the staffs of all the other franchises that didn't garner a Super Bowl ring in 2005, the Denver coaches went back to the drawing board in the offseason. Whatever changes were considered, none is probably rock-solid yet, but it's a good bet we'll see fewer blitzes in 2006 from Denver, less size up front in most nickel situations and more of pure pass-rushers like Dumervil.

[BroncoBuff]

Damn good article.

[TheChamp247]

I really hope this guy does well, we always seem to find late round gems with running backs, and as of last years draft corners too but to just pluck this guy out of nowhere and have him contribute like our rookies did last year would be great!

[Hulamau]

Bronco Buff, go to this link below and to the right of Dumervils name in the list of our draft picks there is a little video icon. Click that and it gives you a taste of the kid in action.

There are also great video highlights of Cutler, MArshall and Tony Scheffler (who should be a beast). Tony has great hands and leaps well, he just needs to tuck that ball away a bit better but the coaches will have that fixed soon enough.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/den

[Kaylore]

Bronco Buff, go to this link below and to the right of Dumervils name in the list of our draft picks there is a little video icon. Click that and it gives you a taste of the kid in action.

There are also great video highlights of Cutler, MArshall and Tony Scheffler (who should be a beast). Tony has great hands and leaps well, he just needs to tuck that ball away a bit better but the coaches will have that fixed soon enough.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/den Hulamau, thanks so much for posting that link! These are great!

Thoughts...

Dumervil just plays smart. He has a nose both for the ball and the qB. He doesn't get so into beating his guy that he loses track of where the QB is. High motor and is strong. He tackles the run better than I thought too.

Scheffler is huge! I didn't realize how big he was. He could fit our system very well since he's big enough to line up at fullback and has good enough hands to split out into the slot. good body control.

Brandon Marshall is like the anti-Lelie. He is big, physical, beats a jam really well, very hard to tackle and kinda slow. Total opposite of Lelie. I could see why we'd want to move him to tight end. A guy like that could be helpful blocking down field too.:)

Greg Elsinger's video was my favorite. He kinda reminds me of Nalen in a lot of ways. He's good a sealing gaps using leverage and angling. What really impressed me was how he always finished his blocks every play, which you don't see a great deal at the college level. He sticks when he gets past the D-line, too. He sure throws a nice cut block:devil:. I wish I could see Chris Kuper's film.

[Rausch]

Despite notching 30 sacks in the final two seasons of his career at the University of Louisville, and establishing a Division I-A record with 11 forced fumbles in 2005, Elvis Dumervil spiraled into the fourth round of this year's draft before the Denver Broncos tossed the defensive end a life preserver after 125 names had been called.


0h n0es!1!

[DrFate]

I liked this pick on draft day (I'm not sure why some were so down on the move). He played at a high level against high competition. Is he Lawrence Taylor? No. But he's got a motor.

As opposed to the MoC move, which I bashed then, and now that he is trying out for an amateur league, I'll bash again.

[Hulamau]

Hes got Gorilla arms as well and is a strong dude witha thick trunk and lower body

Looks good in run support too.

And Scheffler is a lot bigger than I expected and did you see the great hands the guy showed in teh Video Kaylore?

Eslinger video was an eye-opener too. The guy is lightening quick off the snap and plays like a demon blocking way down field.

[Kaylore]

Hes got Gorilla arms as well and is a strong dude witha thick trunk and lower body

Looks good in run support too. At some point physics will win out over technique. When they other guy is just as skilled, it comes down to who weighs more and is stronger.

And Scheffler is a lot bigger than I expected and did you see the great hands the guy showed in teh Video Kaylore?

Eslinger video was an eye-opener too. The guy is lightening quick off the snap and plays like a demon blocking way down field. Yeah Eslinger was explosive. I think he could be really awesome. And yes, Scheffler is a total man-beast. He's 6'5" and 250, and it looked like if he wanted to, he could put on a few more pounds. It'll be nice to have some receivers who can get physical and not fall on their faces.

My only beef with these kinds of videos is they never really show pass protection for linemen, and they don't show any kind of blocking for the tight ends. Blocking is what makes a tight end a tight end.

[Hulamau]

At some point physics will win out over technique. When they other guy is just as skilled, it comes down to who weighs more and is stronger.

Yeah Eslinger was explosive. I think he could be really awesome. And yes, Scheffler is a total man-beast. He's 6'5" and 250, and it looked like if he wanted to, he could put on a few more pounds. It'll be nice to have some receivers who can get physical and not fall on their faces.

My only beef with these kinds of videos is they never really show pass protection for linemen, and they don't show any kind of blocking for the tight ends. Blocking is what makes a tight end a tight end.


Scheffler said in an interveiw he was 257lb then on his way to 260 before camp. A guy that big that was faster than Vernon Davis in both the 20yrd and 30 yrd shuffle and ran the second fastest straight 40 for TEs aint bad!

The fact that he also seems to have WR hands equals a lot of potential.

No doubt it'll take him a while to adjust from Western Michigan to the NFL and learn how to block from Alexander, but he's got 'major upside' written all over him.

[footstepsfrom#27]

The primary reasons for the tumble: Dumervil's size -- or, more aptly, the lack thereof (5 feet 11 3/8, 257 pounds) -- and a pedestrian 40-yard time nearly into the 4.6s.
Eh...right...why pay to read an opinion that doesn't realize 4.6 is a great 40 time for a defensive end? Ignorance like that's usually available for free.

[2KBack]

One thing I noticed in the Brandon Marshall video is that he was never tackled by the first defender. If he didn't make the defenders miss entirely he was fighting them all the way to the endzone. Kinda made me think of Eddie Mac a bit, I think he is faster than he appears, and a fighter when he does get caught. I think he needs to stay at WR.

[Hulamau]

Eh...right...why pay to read an opinion that doesn't realize 4.6 is a great 40 time for a defensive end? Ignorance like that's usually available for free.

4.6 is not bad for a linebacker, much less a DE or DT.

It wil be real interesting to see how we use him. I doubt he'll settle in at DT, but be moved around alot, ala Trevor Pryce, to keep the opposing O-line guessing and off balance.

In the video Elvis showed a real burst on the QB and appears to have very quick exceleration, which at his position more than makes up for pure straight ahead top line speed.

[Hulamau]

One thing I noticed in the Brandon Marshall video is that he was never tackled by the first defender. If he didn't make the defenders miss entirely he was fighting them all the way to the endzone. Kinda made me think of Eddie Mac a bit, I think he is faster than he appears, and a fighter when he does get caught. I think he needs to stay at WR.


And we should send all our skill position to Velocity Training in the offseason where Eddie Mac went to add that extra step or two of speed. Those guys are supposedly able to cut one to two tenths off 40 times and greatly improve the initial few steps which is what separation is all about.

Marshall would likely get a step or two faster and be very hard to deal within year 2. He seems plenty fast enough once he is at full motor, but that first couple steps could use a little work.

He's got tons of upside without question, but will likely take some adjustment time to move from Central Florida to NFL primetime.

[-Slap-]

http://www.orangemane.com/BB/attachment.php?attachmentid=16470&stc=1&d=1152428472
I love the top strength he shows, splitting the double team in this picture. He destroyed North Carolina in that game, despite the extra attention, registering three sacks and two forced fumbles.

[ZachKC]

He seems like a gamer, it will be interesting seeing him over the years.

[Gcver2ver3]

http://www.orangemane.com/BB/attachment.php?attachmentid=16470&stc=1&d=1152428472

if he commands double teams like this on nickle downs....that'll free up jackson and lang on the edges....


good things......

[Garcia Bronco]

I still feel like he's been stepped on

[broncosteven]

http://www.orangemane.com/BB/attachment.php?attachmentid=16470&stc=1&d=1152428472

if he commands double teams like this on nickle downs....that'll free up jackson and lang on the edges....


good things......

It would just be nice for someone on our Dline to even get a double team this year!

[Gcver2ver3]

I still feel like he's be stepped on


.........................:kiddingme

[Kaylore]

.........................:kiddingme
Yeah I didn't get it either.

http://www.theplaza.ca/moview/Pics/Films/1985/Goonies/pic4.jpg
"I feel like he's be stepped on! Yayyyy"

[Hulamau]

0h n0es!1!


Cant quite make that one out Rausch?

[Gcver2ver3]

Yeah I didn't get it either.

http://www.theplaza.ca/moview/Pics/Films/1985/Goonies/pic4.jpg
"I feel like he's be stepped on! Yayyyy"



........Hilarious!

[GoHAM]

.........................:kiddingme

Some obscure reference to Marcus Vick stepping on Elvis's leg in their Bowl game?

Still doesn't really make any sense though. ???

[OrangeShadow]

hes the no.1 guy i want to see in pre season

[Cito Pelon]

Some obscure reference to Marcus Vick stepping on Elvis's leg in their Bowl game?

Still doesn't really make any sense though. ???

Well, Elvis is a fireplug. Sort of like a tall guy getting stepped on and squeezed into a shorter thicker guy, I guess.

I tell ya, I like the pick. He just seems like a guy that can be very disruptive in those first 2 seconds after the snap. Reminds me of John Randle. Elvis also seems to be a happy kid that just loves to play football, and guys like that are always a pleasure to have as a teammate.

[Kaylore]

hes the no.1 guy i want to see in pre season
He's up there, but it's hard to guage production. Especially when they're playing against second stringers. Remember Engleberger last year?

I'd personally like to see Cutler more. It's cool when you have a rookie QB because he participates in every snap he plays in some way.

[Cito Pelon]

He's up there, but it's hard to guage production. Especially when they're playing against second stringers. Remember Engleberger last year?

I'd personally like to see Cutler more. It's cool when you have a rookie QB because he participates in every snap he plays in some way.

Yeah, I saw Engleberger last year. Not bad, seeings how he played with a cast up til what game four? Hard to gauge production, since the guy couldn't lift. Hard to gauge Courtney's production also, since he couldn't run and couldn't lift either with the foot and elbow injuries.

John Lynch said in minicamp he thought this could be a #1 D this year. What do you think about that?

[Raider Bill]

He could be another Rod Coleman, I still think he needs to put on some "good weight" to be as effective as Coleman though.


The story with Coleman was that he was originally drafted to play LB. The Raiders had him running with the scout team defense imitating John Randle, in preperation for a game with the Vikings. He looked so good playing the 3 technique that they left him there.

[Mediator12]

He could be another Rod Coleman, I still think he needs to put on some "good weight" to be as effective as Coleman though.


The story with Coleman was that he was originally drafted to play LB. The Raiders had him running with the scout team defense imitating John Randle, in preperation for a game with the Vikings. He looked so good playing the 3 technique that they left him there.

Very Good point as usual Bill. There have been guys all throughout the history of the league that never fit the ESPN mold.

[Raider Bill]

I think he's got Coleman upside, but his build is a lot different. Coleman is all ass and legs. Elvis is all upper body and arms. He's an interesting guy to keep an eye on though.

[Kaylore]

Yeah, I saw Engleberger last year. Not bad, seeings how he played with a cast up til what game four? Hard to gauge production, since the guy couldn't lift. Hard to gauge Courtney's production also, since he couldn't run and couldn't lift either with the foot and elbow injuries.

John Lynch said in minicamp he thought this could be a #1 D this year. What do you think about that?
I hope he's right.

[broncosteven]

I think he's got Coleman upside, but his build is a lot different. Coleman is all ass and legs. Elvis is all upper body and arms. He's an interesting guy to keep an eye on though.


I would rather have a short strong D-lineman with long arms & speed than a tall slow guy with no leverage who cannot reach around guys.

I am glad Courtney had a healty season last year. Along with Warren & Lang we should have some kind of push if they make the pass rush a priority this year.