NFL.com: Broncos Achilles' Heel (Defensive Line)

[Bronco Rob]

4. Denver Broncos defensive line: How do you beat the Broncos? Keep Peyton Manning off the field. Tall order, but teams have to grind out yardage and chew up the clock. That's made easier thanks to Denver's suspect defensive line. The Broncos allowed 155 rushing yards per game in 2010 and 126.3 last season (22nd in the league). Switching to the 4-3 could help against the run, but outside of Elvis Dumervil , Denver's front four -- especially on the inside -- lacks consistency. Teams will key on this all day long.




http://m.nfl.com/news/09000d5d82a6d22c/achilles-heels/

[Beantown Bronco]

"Switching" to the 4-3? Nice research by that writer.

[Bronco Rob]

Originally Posted by Beantown Bronco

"Switching" to the 4-3? Nice research by that writer.

http://twitter.com/marcsesslernfl

[Rabb]

Originally Posted by Beantown Bronco

"Switching" to the 4-3? Nice research by that writer.

Yeah I stopped reading there myself

[TheElusiveKyleOrton]

Naming Elvis "consistent" when it comes to the run game is laughable as well.

[SoCalBronco]

Let the defensive line loose

[orinjkrush]

not like the mane hasn't been calling for round 1 DT picks, like forever.

[R-Mac]

The biggest weakness of the Broncos is the inside triangle. Two DTs and the MLB. I believe the projected starters are Warren, Bannan and Mays.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/1...n-success-on-d

[DENVERDUI55]

The key is pile enough trash and retreads in the middle to stop the run. LB is suspect too.

[jutang]

Denver's Achilles heel is the middle o line. D Line has fewer question marks entering training camp this year than last year.

[Bronco Rob]

Originally Posted by Rod-BR

The biggest weakness of the Broncos is the inside triangle. Two DTs and the MLB. I believe the projected starters are Warren, Bannan and Mays.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/1...n-success-on-d

Thanks for the link. I see don't see why the staff is so enamored with Mays. I read somewhere that if we didn't re-sign him the Colts and Saints were going to offer him similar money to start.


Might as well throw the entire middle unless Carter/Harris can play at a serviceable level to help Adams out.

[sgbfan]

I read the title and I thought that D Thomas was hurt again!

[Stagger Lee]

Denvers front four lacks consistency? Shocking.

[MagicHef]

Originally Posted by Bronco Rob

Thanks for the link. I see don't see why the staff is so enamored with Mays. I read somewhere that if we didn't re-sign him the Colts and Saints were going to offer him similar money to start.


Might as well throw the entire middle unless Carter/Harris can play at a serviceable level to help Adams out.

Mays is pretty solid against the run. He was PFF's 12th best ILB against the run last year. Unfortunately, our best (by FAR) run defender last year will be wearing black and gold this year.

[barryr]

That is going to be the game plan against the Broncos. Run the ball, short passes to try to keep the ball and make a series of 1st downs, win the field position battle, and limit Manning and the offense from possessions. That was pretty much the plan against the Colts when Manning was there, so we'll see if the Broncos have the defense to counter that plan.

[Mountain Bronco]

The defensive line is a question mark, no doubt about it. We don't know how Warren will be after years off, we don't know how much Bannan has in the tank, we don't know how Wolfe will perform. That said, I wish these writers did a little work, because damn, switching to 4-3 Dumervile as consistent in run game

Dude knew that Denver's Dline is a question (um yeah the whole world does) and did no research as to why it is a question and tossed in the one name he remembered on the line.

[maher_tyler]

Originally Posted by barryr

That is going to be the game plan against the Broncos. Run the ball, short passes to try to keep the ball and make a series of 1st downs, win the field position battle, and limit Manning and the offense from possessions. That was pretty much the plan against the Colts when Manning was there, so we'll see if the Broncos have the defense to counter that plan.

Hopefully JDR can coach these guys up a little better...Week 1 can't come fast enough! And hope Wolfe can have an impact...

[Smiling Assassin27]

I really hope Ayers can justify his draft position this year.

[Drek]

Originally Posted by Smiling Assassin27

I really hope Ayers can justify his draft position this year.

He didn't last year when he was our best front seven run defender and a key part to letting Miller play unmolested?

Ayers has spent one season as a 4-3 DE and was already at "solid starter" level there last year. That's better than most first rounders ever become.

[Bronco Rob]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Mays is pretty solid against the run. He was PFF's 12th best ILB against the run last year. Unfortunately, our best (by FAR) run defender last year will be wearing black and gold this year.

The Saints overpaid to get Bunkley with good reason (bountygate) along with Hawthorne and Chamberlain. He is a great one gap run defender along with the drafting of Miller and Dumervil's return from a torn pec were the biggest reason for the defensive turnaround in 2011.

[Smiling Assassin27]

Originally Posted by Drek

He didn't last year when he was our best front seven run defender and a key part to letting Miller play unmolested?

Ayers has spent one season as a 4-3 DE and was already at "solid starter" level there last year. That's better than most first rounders ever become.

18th overall. No, he did not, IMO. Particularly when you read some of the press/hype coming out of the draft. I'm not in the 'Ayers=bust' camp, but don't consider his production on par with 18th overall.

[MagicHef]

Originally Posted by Drek

He didn't last year when he was our best front seven run defender and a key part to letting Miller play unmolested?

Ayers has spent one season as a 4-3 DE and was already at "solid starter" level there last year. That's better than most first rounders ever become.

Do you really think he was a better run defender than Bunkley?

[Drek]

Originally Posted by Smiling Assassin27

18th overall. No, he did not, IMO. Particularly when you read some of the press/hype coming out of the draft. I'm not in the 'Ayers=bust' camp, but don't consider his production on par with 18th overall.

If you want to ignore reality and come up with an out of your ass "what is on par with the 18th overall pick" scale then sure.

Fact is that about half of all first rounders are outright busts and only a handful are any kind of long term impact player. Ayers has already been more productive than about 10 of the 17 guys taken above him and at least 3 of the remaining 7 are at best "tied" with Ayers (talking about Mark Sanchez, Crabtree, and our own Knowshon here). Clay Matthews and Alex Mack are the only guys to go in the 14 spots behind him in the first round who have been definitively better players.

I don't know how much more you can realistically ask for. Expecting every first rounder to be an all-pro makes about as much sense as thinking that every lottery ticket you buy should pay out.

[Drek]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Do you really think he was a better run defender than Bunkley?

Yes. I think Bunkley was very overrated last season. I believe a lot of his productivity in the running game was built on a very simplified role for him that put more onus on Mays. I think this for two reasons:

1. our run defense would have very bad days with RBs basically coasting through a massive gap between Bunkley and Thomas, yet Bunkley somehow didn't miss an assignment according to the staff and our "football outsiders" types. To me that says Bunkley wasn't asked to do a lot of read and react run defense and instead was just given a lane to crush, expecting Joe Mays to pick up his left overs, which leads us to #2.

2. Joe Mays got a $4M/yr. deal to stay here. Bunkley left because clearly the Broncos weren't willing to beat $5M/yr. on a younger player at a more valuable and greater need position. To me that says the FO didn't really believe Bunkley was anything irreplaceable, while also believing that if given better DT play Mays can improve significantly from last year.

I'm just going by what I saw in games (Bunkley rarely blowing up plays behind the line, our run game still being weak as hell up the middle) and the FO's implicit statements with their signings/non-signings.

[Smiling Assassin27]

Originally Posted by Drek

If you want to ignore reality and come up with an out of your ass "what is on par with the 18th overall pick" scale then sure.

Fact is that about half of all first rounders are outright busts and only a handful are any kind of long term impact player. Ayers has already been more productive than about 10 of the 17 guys taken above him and at least 3 of the remaining 7 are at best "tied" with Ayers (talking about Mark Sanchez, Crabtree, and our own Knowshon here). Clay Matthews and Alex Mack are the only guys to go in the 14 spots behind him in the first round who have been definitively better players.

I don't know how much more you can realistically ask for. Expecting every first rounder to be an all-pro makes about as much sense as thinking that every lottery ticket you buy should pay out.

Out of curiosity, what measure of 'production' are you using? The only ones picked before him that you can even make a case he's been better than in terms of starts and/or stats are Heyward bey, knowshon, maybin and curry. sanchez has FAR outperformed ayers, which is why i'm asking about your definition of 'production'. as far as those picked after him, oher, maclin, harvin, matthew, nicks, and britt are definitively more productive at their rspective positions in this league.

if you say that half of all first rounders are busts, take a look at the 2009 draft and tell me who are the 15-16 definitive busts. i don't see it. call me stupid again if you want but i'm just asking the question.

as for ayers, given his college production, where he was picked, and those who came after him in the draft, i still don't see #18 production.