dragondawg
11-08-2007, 06:18 AM
ENGLEWOOD — Jim Bates was donning thick, black sunglasses that would have made Bono proud as he addressed the media after Wednesday's walk- through.
Maybe the future's so bright he had to wear those shades.
Certainly, the past eight games have shed light on a variety of problems for the head of the Broncos' erratic, 26th-rated defense.
But there are eight games left in an AFC West division race that still is up for grabs. And Bates insisted he hasn't abandoned hope of escaping the darkness during the next 1 1/2 months.
"We have to just put practices together and games together," Bates said.
That sounds fine, if coordination hadn't been such a big issue in the season's opening half in the first place.
Ask about the defense's problems and inevitably the answer will include some version of players not executing their responsibilities or a couple defenders being out of place, throwing off the entire scheme.
But after a 44-7 loss Sunday, Broncos cornerback Dré Bly suggested it's time to name names; if not publicly, within the framework of the defensive meeting room to get to the heart of the matter and hasten the improvement before the season slips away.
"At this point, it's what we need to start doing — singling guys out," Bly said. "And singling them out in front of the team so the rest of the team can see who's doing what and who's not."
That process might already have begun as the Broncos (3-5) prepare for their trip to Kansas City to play the Chiefs (4-4).
Defensive end Elvis Dumervil said the practice of tough love already is "definitely changing," and had to, given the stakes.
"It should have always been like that," Dumervil said. "It's just being accountable to your teammates and manning-up to your responsibilities. If that's been put more in the light, that's good. But it should have been that way since Day One."
On the field, there are items that have been on the to-do list right from the jump, even with the personnel turnover that has only four defenders in the same starting spots as last year.
And there has been only sporadic achievement in many areas. The failures of the NFL's bottom- ranked run defense, rising third- down percentages (47 percent) and creating stops inside the 20-yard line currently are relevant.
But it's the simple things, such as getting substitution packages on the field in the proper manner, that still are occurring that have made this particular defense so maddening to coaches and fans and given pause about the group's ability to institute a quick turnaround.
The Broncos were penalized twice for having 12 men on the field, had 10 on defense for another play and had a player sprinting on the field while the ball was snapped in the loss to Green Bay.
And Sunday at Detroit, defensive tackle Sam Adams was jogging off the field as the Lions opted to pull the field-goal unit and go for it on fourth down, although cornerback Champ Bailey was the one called for offsides. The mistake kept a scoring drive alive.
"It's inexcusable and we take total blame," Bates said. "We have to clean that up. That's absolutely uncalled for. . . . It shouldn't be happening at the beginning of the season, let alone the seventh or eighth game."
Getting the personnel onto the field in cleaner fashion has been an emphasis this week.
Another has been eliminating big pass plays. Green Bay two weeks ago got both its touchdowns on passes longer than 78 yards. Detroit had four 20-yard throws, including consecutive 46- and 49-yarders for a two-play, 95-yard drive.
"You can't do that in this league and win football games," Bates said.
Nor can the Broncos continue to give quarterbacks in strong passing offenses the kind of time they have been giving them.
The Broncos have had one sack in each of the past two games. Bates singled out Dumervil's effort against the Lions, but with the rest of the group unable to provide a consistent push, the team added three defensive linemen to the roster Tuesday and hopes to hit on at least one for the stretch.
If the message about individual accountability doesn't get the point across, those roster moves, which pared one-time defensive regulars Amon Gordon and Curome Cox from the team, might get the point across in more direct fashion that the bottom 10 in the NFL rankings in 11 categories won't be tolerated.
"There's responsibility on every one of us. And if we feel we can upgrade, we're always going to (try)," Bates said.
The Broncos have attempted to tweak the defensive system to fix the various weaknesses. The past few weeks have brought more eight-man defensive fronts in an attempt to slow the run.
Safety Hamza Abdullah was added to the backfield on passing downs to add range in coverage. There has been more man-free and three-deep coverages.
There also are signs the team is being less rigid about employing a lock-and-occupy approach up front, opting for a more attack-oriented mode.
"That's a great thing because I feel we have a lot of playmakers, and if guys just go out there and play ball, I think it's going to be beneficial to us," Dumervil said.
The Chiefs have had nearly as many struggles on offense as the Broncos on defense this season, so this is a litmus-test game for both clubs.
Kansas City ranks 30th in total yards, 30th in rushing yards per game and 29th in third-down efficiency and likely won't have running back Larry Johnson available Sunday.
"We've played well at times — the Buffalo game, the Oakland game, the Pittsburgh game. We dominated. We forced turnovers. We got sacks," Bly said.
"So you look at what we've done in the games we've won, that should be a motivator to the defense to try to get things ironed out and as consistent as we can. And if we play like we played in those games, we're one of the best defenses. When we're doing what we're supposed to do and executing the defense, this team is very good."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5741862,00.html
Maybe the future's so bright he had to wear those shades.
Certainly, the past eight games have shed light on a variety of problems for the head of the Broncos' erratic, 26th-rated defense.
But there are eight games left in an AFC West division race that still is up for grabs. And Bates insisted he hasn't abandoned hope of escaping the darkness during the next 1 1/2 months.
"We have to just put practices together and games together," Bates said.
That sounds fine, if coordination hadn't been such a big issue in the season's opening half in the first place.
Ask about the defense's problems and inevitably the answer will include some version of players not executing their responsibilities or a couple defenders being out of place, throwing off the entire scheme.
But after a 44-7 loss Sunday, Broncos cornerback Dré Bly suggested it's time to name names; if not publicly, within the framework of the defensive meeting room to get to the heart of the matter and hasten the improvement before the season slips away.
"At this point, it's what we need to start doing — singling guys out," Bly said. "And singling them out in front of the team so the rest of the team can see who's doing what and who's not."
That process might already have begun as the Broncos (3-5) prepare for their trip to Kansas City to play the Chiefs (4-4).
Defensive end Elvis Dumervil said the practice of tough love already is "definitely changing," and had to, given the stakes.
"It should have always been like that," Dumervil said. "It's just being accountable to your teammates and manning-up to your responsibilities. If that's been put more in the light, that's good. But it should have been that way since Day One."
On the field, there are items that have been on the to-do list right from the jump, even with the personnel turnover that has only four defenders in the same starting spots as last year.
And there has been only sporadic achievement in many areas. The failures of the NFL's bottom- ranked run defense, rising third- down percentages (47 percent) and creating stops inside the 20-yard line currently are relevant.
But it's the simple things, such as getting substitution packages on the field in the proper manner, that still are occurring that have made this particular defense so maddening to coaches and fans and given pause about the group's ability to institute a quick turnaround.
The Broncos were penalized twice for having 12 men on the field, had 10 on defense for another play and had a player sprinting on the field while the ball was snapped in the loss to Green Bay.
And Sunday at Detroit, defensive tackle Sam Adams was jogging off the field as the Lions opted to pull the field-goal unit and go for it on fourth down, although cornerback Champ Bailey was the one called for offsides. The mistake kept a scoring drive alive.
"It's inexcusable and we take total blame," Bates said. "We have to clean that up. That's absolutely uncalled for. . . . It shouldn't be happening at the beginning of the season, let alone the seventh or eighth game."
Getting the personnel onto the field in cleaner fashion has been an emphasis this week.
Another has been eliminating big pass plays. Green Bay two weeks ago got both its touchdowns on passes longer than 78 yards. Detroit had four 20-yard throws, including consecutive 46- and 49-yarders for a two-play, 95-yard drive.
"You can't do that in this league and win football games," Bates said.
Nor can the Broncos continue to give quarterbacks in strong passing offenses the kind of time they have been giving them.
The Broncos have had one sack in each of the past two games. Bates singled out Dumervil's effort against the Lions, but with the rest of the group unable to provide a consistent push, the team added three defensive linemen to the roster Tuesday and hopes to hit on at least one for the stretch.
If the message about individual accountability doesn't get the point across, those roster moves, which pared one-time defensive regulars Amon Gordon and Curome Cox from the team, might get the point across in more direct fashion that the bottom 10 in the NFL rankings in 11 categories won't be tolerated.
"There's responsibility on every one of us. And if we feel we can upgrade, we're always going to (try)," Bates said.
The Broncos have attempted to tweak the defensive system to fix the various weaknesses. The past few weeks have brought more eight-man defensive fronts in an attempt to slow the run.
Safety Hamza Abdullah was added to the backfield on passing downs to add range in coverage. There has been more man-free and three-deep coverages.
There also are signs the team is being less rigid about employing a lock-and-occupy approach up front, opting for a more attack-oriented mode.
"That's a great thing because I feel we have a lot of playmakers, and if guys just go out there and play ball, I think it's going to be beneficial to us," Dumervil said.
The Chiefs have had nearly as many struggles on offense as the Broncos on defense this season, so this is a litmus-test game for both clubs.
Kansas City ranks 30th in total yards, 30th in rushing yards per game and 29th in third-down efficiency and likely won't have running back Larry Johnson available Sunday.
"We've played well at times — the Buffalo game, the Oakland game, the Pittsburgh game. We dominated. We forced turnovers. We got sacks," Bly said.
"So you look at what we've done in the games we've won, that should be a motivator to the defense to try to get things ironed out and as consistent as we can. And if we play like we played in those games, we're one of the best defenses. When we're doing what we're supposed to do and executing the defense, this team is very good."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5741862,00.html