Great Group (LBs article)

[SoCalBronco]

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_3002148

Great group
Broncos have LBs with the talent to be the NFL's best set
By Mike Klis,
Denver Post Staff Writer




Forming the strength of the Broncos' defense are, from left, linebackers Al Wilson, Ian Gold and D.J. Williams. "I think they have the best three" in the league at the position, former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt says. (Post / Steve Dykes)


There is no sense wasting paper proclaiming Broncos linebackers Al Wilson, D.J. Williams and Ian Gold as really good, or even excellent, or among the best.

American's sporting public is most fascinated with whether a player, group or team is No. 1. Everybody agrees the Broncos' linebackers are good. Can they become the best?

"It's really hard to compare linebacker groups, but I think they have the best three," said Gil Brandt, who for 30 years was the Dallas Cowboys' roster architect and now serves as the NFL's senior analyst. "There's teams like the (Chicago) Bears, who have Brian Urlacher, who was hurt and didn't play well last year, and Lance Briggs. There's a number of teams who had two pretty good guys, but I don't think anybody has three across the board like Denver has."

The notion that Wilson, Williams and Gold make up the NFL's best set of linebackers likely would incite debates in Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Calling the trio the strength of the Broncos' defense, however, is indisputable.

The best of the linebacker group plays the middle, where the 6-foot, 240-pound Wilson is both swift in the leg and vicious with the shoulder pads. The flanks burst with athleticism and even more speed in Williams, a former highly recruited prep running back star who has grown large, even by linebacker standards, and Gold, an undersized overachiever the Broncos believe is the ideal complement to the other two as they approach Sunday's opener at Miami.

"If they study and prepare, they'll play great," Broncos defensive coordinator Larry Coyer said. "Because they have great talent. You know what I'm saying? Some guys can study and prepare and just play good."

So it has been established the Broncos are capable of playing great. Can they be the best? To a man, they defer.

"I'm apprehensive and hesitant to comment about it," Gold said. "I don't like talking about it, because you start reading your own clippings, you start talking about yourself and how great your potential is, you tend to forget you have to come out and work every day and every week."

Peyton Manning is widely considered the NFL's best quarterback, providing no one brings up Tom Brady and the merits of three Super Bowl championship rings. There is LaDainian Tomlinson or Shaun Alexander for No. 1 tailback, Urlacher or Ray Lewis at linebacker.

Or maybe not just Urlacher and Lewis.

"Al Wilson is not as publicized as Urlacher and Lewis, but I believe Al Wilson

Broncos linebacker Ian Gold, right, isn't one to start reading his press clippings and rest on his laurels. (Post / Hyoung Chang)

is just as good as those two guys," Brandt said.

Different sets, tasks

Comparisons are at the root of nearly every sporting debate. Which can be a problem with linebacker units, the apples and oranges of football comparisons. NFL teams primarily use two sets of linebacker formations: the 3-4, which is used by the Patriots, Steelers and last year, the Ravens; and the 4-3, which the Broncos run and the Ravens are utilizing again this year.

By definition, it's impossible to give the NFL's best linebacker group to the Broncos, because their 4-3 defense limits the sack opportunities inherent with the 3-4 packages. The Patriots' Willie McGinest really is a disguised defensive end. In fact, the Ravens' Terrell Suggs, who led all linebackers with 10 1/2 sacks last year, is a defensive end after his team switched from the 3-4 alignment to the 4-3.

"It's a matter of philosophy," Denver linebackers coach Kirk Doll said. "In the 3-4, you'll have at least one linebacker pass rushing or moving in to the D-line 70 plays a game. In the 4-3, your linebackers typically have more zone (coverage) responsibility."

The downside to the 3-4 is it's virtually impossible for one team to horde four exceptional linebackers. As for the 4-3, if




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the Broncos are going to surpass the standard set in recent years by Lewis and the Ravens, the key may be Williams.
Wilson and the 6-foot, 223- pound Gold are veterans playing near the peak of their careers. Williams was voted the NFL's third-best defensive rookie last year, but the league has accumulated a long list of second- year linebackers who have gone either way.

The Broncos are confident the 6-1, 242-pound Williams will become a perennial all-pro, unlike 1991 first-round pick Mike Croel.

"I should be a step faster this year," said Williams, a former University of Miami star. "Last year, the game didn't surprise me as far as individual speed, but what surprised me was how fast the offensive team moved together. I won't say the game has slowed down. I just sped up. Now I can anticipate a little bit more. Last year, I would be going through the plays in my head when the ball was snapped. Now I'm a little bit more relaxed."

Timing crucial

Wilson, the Denver defensive captain whose words are heard and intensity is contagious, echoes Coyer's theory on the difference between good and great.

For linebackers to work at optimum efficiency, a group of three Hall of Famers chasing glory could be counterproductive. The most effective linebacker units have one attacking the ball, another covering the weak side and the third playing off the other two.

Precision harmony, maybe more than talent, is what separates the best from a pack of greats.

"It's a feeling you get," Wilson said. "When you're on the field, it's just a feeling. It's something you can't coach. It's something you can't prepare for. It's something that just happens. Once we all get on that same page, and understand how each other plays, it's going to be hard to stop us. Teams are going to have to account for us."

By season's end, perhaps accounts about the Broncos' linebackers will go even further.

The ball stops here
Five of the NFL's top linebacker units:

1. Ravens - Ray Lewis, below; Adalius Thomas, Tommy Polley: So stacked, sack man Terrell Suggs moved to defensive end.

2. Steelers - Joey Porter, Larry Foote, James Farrior, Clark Haggans: Colorado State alum Porter is big weapon in 3-4 set.

3. Broncos - Al Wilson, D.J. Williams, Ian Gold: Superb run stuffers with pass-rush speed, although 4-3 scheme limits sacks.

4. Bills - London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Posey: Spikes was a rare triple threat last year with 96 tackles, three sacks, five interceptions.

5. Patriots - Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, Chad Brown, Monty Beisel: Former Buff Brown and Beisel replace former Buff Ted Johnson and Tedy Bruschi.

Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.

[SoCalBronco]

Coyer's Destroyers, baby.

[watermock]

Well, he at least tried.

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by SoCalBronco

Coyer's Destroyers, baby.

The way our D-line will command blocking respect? You bet.

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by watermock

Well, he at least tried.

Huh?

[watermock]

Well, here is the rub...

First, the media has been all over our DL moves. Anyone with half a brain knows that if your DL doesn't keep the trash out of the LB's, the run D is going to suck. All of a sudden our LB's are great? Also, Gold has shown promise, but Williams was forced to move to a position he's never played, and whispers that Wilson has peaked are not far off.

Second, I'm tired of the ECM sucking Ray Ray's balls. Terrell Suggs has played DE since he came into the league from what I know...I might be wrong... It was shown clearly that if Ray Ray doesn't have protection, he can get caught in the trash. This is more ECM. This isn't bad analysis, but it isn't very good. Ray Ray is a killer, Denver's LB's are fast.

[maven]

Originally Posted by SoCalBronco

[The ball stops here
Five of the NFL's top linebacker units:

1. Ravens - Ray Lewis, below; Adalius Thomas, Tommy Polley: So stacked, sack man Terrell Suggs moved to defensive end.

2. Steelers - Joey Porter, Larry Foote, James Farrior, Clark Haggans: Colorado State alum Porter is big weapon in 3-4 set.

3. Broncos - Al Wilson, D.J. Williams, Ian Gold: Superb run stuffers with pass-rush speed, although 4-3 scheme limits sacks.

4. Bills - London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Posey: Spikes was a rare triple threat last year with 96 tackles, three sacks, five interceptions.

5. Patriots - Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, Chad Brown, Monty Beisel: Former Buff Brown and Beisel replace former Buff Ted Johnson and Tedy Bruschi.

32. Chiefs - Derrick Johnson, Kawika Mitchell, Kendrell Bell: You cannot churn turd into gold. This area will be a problem for the Chiefs.

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by watermock

Well, here is the rub...

First, the media has been all over our DL moves. Anyone with half a brain knows that if your DL doesn't keep the trash out of the LB's, the run D is going to suck. All of a sudden our LB's are great? Also, Gold has shown promise, but Williams was forced to move to a position he's never played, and whispers that Wilson has peaked are not far off.

Second, I'm tired of the ECM sucking Ray Ray's balls. Terrell Suggs has played DE since he came into the league from what I know...I might be wrong... It was shown clearly that if Ray Ray doesn't have protection, he can get caught in the trash. This is more ECM. This isn't bad analysis, but it isn't very good. Ray Ray is a killer, Denver's LB's are fast.

Let me see if I understand. You are saying it started out as piece on the Broncos Linebacker potential, but are upset it was really a disguised excuse to masterbate Ray-ray's ego?

[watermock]

32. Chiefs - Derrick Johnson, Kawika Mitchell, Kendrell Bell: You cannot turn turd into gold. This area will be a problem for the Chiefs.

As I said, regurgitation.

It's too early to tell about KC's LB's, but Kendrell Bell, if he can get finally healthy, can be a force. Derrick Johnson is a rookie but might of been the best player in the draft. At 13, he was a steal. I agree that Mitchell isn't known, so I can't comment, I assume he sucks. Still, it's a start for KC. The problem is, it will be too little, too late as the window slams shut.

[watermock]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Let me see if I understand. You are saying it started out as piece on the Broncos Linebacker potential, but are upset it was really a disguised excuse to masterbate Ray-ray's ego?

No, The ARTICLE was about the top 5 top LB crews. The thread wasn't about Bronco linebacker potential Khan. And yes, you like your ego massaged, now don't you. I laugh at your intelligence. You see, Old Friend, it's not the Announcement, it's the message.

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by watermock

No, The ARTICLE was about the top 5 top LB crews. The thread wasn't about Bronco linebacker potential Khan. And yes, you like your ego massaged, now don't you. I laugh at your intelligence. You see, Old Friend, it's not the Announcement, it's the message.

Mock, you're getting worked up and all I'm trying to do is understand what you wrote. Calm down.

[watermock]

I'm saying Ray Ray's murderers have to prove something before the ECM annoints them.

I'm also saying that our LB unit has to prove anything before they are considered a top 5 considered the changes. Gold knows the system, Williams will adjust. Wilson knows the calls. We might be the best this year. That isn't the point. The analysis was flawed. I hate brainless homerism. This disturbs me greatly.

[watermock]

I'm not worked up Oh Great One Who Has Embarrassed Himself With Funny Hair...

All I am saying is that this is just more typical crap out of ECM. Yes, I hate Ray Lewis. Write it down. I guess I think that it's premature to predict LB crews, I'm actually amazed how our LB crew is alway given cred while the rest of the team is dismissed. BTW, where are all the Bronco bashing articles that have been regurgitated for the past 5 months? The Shanahan on the hot seat articles. Maybe that's the point.

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by watermock

I'm saying Ray Ray's murderers have to prove something before the ECM annoints them.

I'm also saying that our LB unit has to prove anything before they are considered a top 5 considered the changes. Gold knows the system, Williams will adjust. Wilson knows the calls. We might be the best this year. That isn't the point. The analysis was flawed. I hate brainless homerism. This disturbs me greatly.

Ok I think I get you. Ray Lewis stabs people but his playmaking ability immunizes him from moral criticism, and calling this LB corps one of the top 5 is premature.

Well on paper it looks good. I'm a little peeved that we didn't pick up a solid Sam linebacker and just let DJ run wild at Will, but Gold is an upgrade and Dj is big and fast enough to handle Will. My only concern is he had some camps where he seemed to really struggle over there. I know he has the work ethic to develop over there, I just hope he does.

[Odysseus]

Maybe we should have the LB just line up and race to decide games since the rest of the defense obviously is second rate.

[Ratboy]

Originally Posted by DJ Williams

I won't say the game has slowed down. I just sped up.

I loved that part.