Taco John
09-11-2006, 12:07 AM
Broncos defense stays in the zone against Rams
Limiting St. Louis to field goals inside the 20 'a good sign'
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News
September 11, 2006
ST. LOUIS - One of the major goals the Broncos defense professed during the offseason was to improve its red-zone performance.
Little did the group know it would get so much work this early.
The St. Louis Rams basically camped out inside the 20-yard line, particularly in the first half Sunday. But time after time, the Broncos held.
First-and-goal at the 8: field goal.
First-and-goal at the 3: field goal.
First-and-10 at the 17: three points.
And that doesn't include another Rams possession that started at the Broncos 34 after one of five Denver turnovers. That possession stalled at the Broncos 24 and ended with another Jeff Wilkins kick.
A busted play that allowed backup running back Tony Fisher to ramble 49 yards with a screen play in the fourth quarter set up St. Louis at the Broncos 8, but the Broncos held, completing an 0-for-4 effort allowing touchdowns in close.
So while the opening 18-10 loss overall might have been a disaster, the defense at least had something to build for the remaining 15 games.
"It's a good sign," Broncos safety John Lynch said. "A mark of any good defense is doing that. But we have to stay strong where we were strong last year, too. And last year, we were at the top of the league in terms of taking the ball away, and we didn't do that at all.
"We did a good job of keeping ourselves in the game, but don't confuse this with a great effort. We didn't play to our standard."
Running back Steven Jackson rushed for 121 yards, lifting the Rams to 39-0 when a player reaches triple figures in rushing since moving to St. Louis in 1995.
But most of his damage came on the final possession with carries of 13 and 37 yards, after the fifth Broncos turnover all but ended their chances of a tying touchdown and two-point conversion.
"You've got a game like this, you just have to go out and keep playing," said Broncos defensive tackle Michael Myers, who had six tackles.
That notion seemed unfathomable in the first half. A remarkable 25 of of the Rams' 32 first-half plays came in Broncos territory, including 22 in a row during one stretch.
Wilkins kicked a team-record six field goals, and four came after drives of 38 yards or fewer.
It was like déjà vu for the Broncos defenders, who ran off the field, paused momentarily, and were sent out again with their backs near their goal line.
"It did seem like every time we went to the sideline in the first half that we were right back on the field, but, hey, sometimes it goes like that," Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams said. "And we had to make sure we stayed in the game. Anything can happen, and it did. We were in the game in the end."
One big reason was the Broncos' ability to stifle the Rams on third down.
St. Louis converted 3-of-15 such plays, another big emphasis in the Broncos' preseason preparation.
"It could have been ugly, but defensively, we continued to fight," Broncos linebacker Al Wilson said.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_4983896,00.html
Limiting St. Louis to field goals inside the 20 'a good sign'
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News
September 11, 2006
ST. LOUIS - One of the major goals the Broncos defense professed during the offseason was to improve its red-zone performance.
Little did the group know it would get so much work this early.
The St. Louis Rams basically camped out inside the 20-yard line, particularly in the first half Sunday. But time after time, the Broncos held.
First-and-goal at the 8: field goal.
First-and-goal at the 3: field goal.
First-and-10 at the 17: three points.
And that doesn't include another Rams possession that started at the Broncos 34 after one of five Denver turnovers. That possession stalled at the Broncos 24 and ended with another Jeff Wilkins kick.
A busted play that allowed backup running back Tony Fisher to ramble 49 yards with a screen play in the fourth quarter set up St. Louis at the Broncos 8, but the Broncos held, completing an 0-for-4 effort allowing touchdowns in close.
So while the opening 18-10 loss overall might have been a disaster, the defense at least had something to build for the remaining 15 games.
"It's a good sign," Broncos safety John Lynch said. "A mark of any good defense is doing that. But we have to stay strong where we were strong last year, too. And last year, we were at the top of the league in terms of taking the ball away, and we didn't do that at all.
"We did a good job of keeping ourselves in the game, but don't confuse this with a great effort. We didn't play to our standard."
Running back Steven Jackson rushed for 121 yards, lifting the Rams to 39-0 when a player reaches triple figures in rushing since moving to St. Louis in 1995.
But most of his damage came on the final possession with carries of 13 and 37 yards, after the fifth Broncos turnover all but ended their chances of a tying touchdown and two-point conversion.
"You've got a game like this, you just have to go out and keep playing," said Broncos defensive tackle Michael Myers, who had six tackles.
That notion seemed unfathomable in the first half. A remarkable 25 of of the Rams' 32 first-half plays came in Broncos territory, including 22 in a row during one stretch.
Wilkins kicked a team-record six field goals, and four came after drives of 38 yards or fewer.
It was like déjà vu for the Broncos defenders, who ran off the field, paused momentarily, and were sent out again with their backs near their goal line.
"It did seem like every time we went to the sideline in the first half that we were right back on the field, but, hey, sometimes it goes like that," Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams said. "And we had to make sure we stayed in the game. Anything can happen, and it did. We were in the game in the end."
One big reason was the Broncos' ability to stifle the Rams on third down.
St. Louis converted 3-of-15 such plays, another big emphasis in the Broncos' preseason preparation.
"It could have been ugly, but defensively, we continued to fight," Broncos linebacker Al Wilson said.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_4983896,00.html