Andrew Mason: New Broncos' defensive coaches talk philosophy - The Orange Mane

ro_50 · 03-07-2007, 12:46 AM

Interesting read. Seems they are changing the way they play up front. I bold-ed what I thought were interesting quotes by new defensive coaches.

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...4&storyID=6617

A period of Adjustment
By Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Outwardly, Denver's defense will look the same this fall as it did in 2006. There might be alterations in the composition of the starting 11, but it will still line up in the base 4-3 formation that it has used for over a decade under three different defensive coordinators.

Beneath that, changes lurk -- particularly for the front seven.

"We won't change some of the things that were so successful last year, especially in the coverage scheme in the way Champ (Bailey) plays," assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates said. "But we will change some things coverage-wise, and definitely up front."

There, the Broncos plan to exercise a simpler approach.

"With the're going to we're probably going to line up and play more technique, fundamental football -- not quite as much moving the front," Bill Johnson said. "Just anchor-down football. That's something we had to look at in there."

Utilizing that means getting bigger at the two inside slots along the defensive front. To that end, the Broncos traded Saturday for Dan Wilkinson, who played for Bates with the Miami Dolphins. Wilkinson becomes the Broncos' heftiest defensive lineman at 340 pounds -- 15 pounds more than Gerard Warren.

"If you profile other defenses that are playing this type defense of stopping the run ... the common denominator is they have big people in there," Johnson said.

Added Bates: "We see in Dan what we're looking for. He will be a big plus for us."

And Wilkinson fits the mold Bates has for his tackles, a philosophy borne out in his years with the Miami Dolphins.

"We were able to manage with 290, 285-pound defensive tackles (at times), but it makes the defense work a lot better if we have big guys up the middle," Bates said.

Size, however, isn't everything.

"Does that mean you've got to have the biggest guys? No. You're looking for football players," Johnson said. "That just means there's a premium there."

As important as bulk is the interior linemen's collective ability to absorb and apply the techniques that Bates and Johnson plan to impart upon their new charges -- including Warren.

"We will change his technique totally," Bates said. "It will be a total change for him. But he has the athleticism that we look forward to. We've visited with him, and he's excited about our defense, and we'll have a totally different look for him and preparing him for the season.

"We're excited about it, and the expectations and he's excited about it. It's going to be a daily process and a lot of work before the opener."

The result for Warren and the Broncos' other linemen, Bates hopes, will be a more consistent pass rush.

"We'll play with more power," Bates said. "There won't be as much movement up and down the line of scrimmage. We will play with much more power up front, taking on blocks and being much squarer than (Warren) was in the past."

TERMINOLOGY

An influx of new coaches doesn't yield a complete dissolution of the playbook from the previous year -- or the terminology utilized within.

"We're going to try to keep some of the things the same just to try to help ease the transition as much as possible," linebackers coach Joe Baker said. "In terms of how we identify an opponent's offense, we're going to leave that the same.

"We'll just do it the way they've done it, so we'll take that burden off the players and put it on the coaches. Some of the defensive terminology will stay the same -- as much as it can -- but because it's a different defense, some of it will have to change."

But not everything.

"There actually will be a lot of carryover," Baker explains." A lot of things will be the same. But one thing that Jim is known for is that we will only have a couple of calls that we'll play most of the time and our defense, to the average person -- and really to a lot of our opponents -- will look the same down in and down out.

"There are small little intricacies that we'll game-plan every week that will give us some advantages, but the basic fundamentals won't change a whole lot from week to week, so that's kind of the strength of the system."

Requiem · 03-07-2007, 12:56 AM

Jim Bates also told me he is drafting 9 lineman.

watermock · 03-07-2007, 01:00 AM

I heard he was going to equip Ted Washington with a minature stun gun.

Barry Ramey · 03-07-2007, 08:05 AM

With this philosophy of big DT, I have to wonder if Veal is the next guy to go since he's listed at 6'2, 288lbs. That doesn't seem to fit, so maybe they can get a low draft pick for him or something. Burton will have a chance though since he's pretty big.

Odysseus · 03-07-2007, 08:12 AM

Wilkinson's retirement threat might put a hink in any philosophy right now.

Mediator12 · 03-07-2007, 08:20 AM

I can not wait for this board to meltdown when they keep seeing the exact same presnap looks with no blitzing as the other team drives down the field to score late in the fourth quarter. DO SOMETHING!!

Odysseus · 03-07-2007, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mediator12

I can not wait for this board to meltdown when they keep seeing the exact same presnap looks with no blitzing as the other team drives down the field to score late in the fourth quarter. DO SOMETHING!!

I guess that is why everyone we bring in on defense retires, quits, or wants to be traded?

03-07-2007, 12:46 AM	#1
ro_50 Ring of Famer Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Somewhere in Jersey Posts: 3,782	Andrew Mason: New Broncos' defensive coaches talk philosophy Interesting read. Seems they are changing the way they play up front. I bold-ed what I thought were interesting quotes by new defensive coaches. http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...4&storyID=6617 A period of Adjustment By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Outwardly, Denver's defense will look the same this fall as it did in 2006. There might be alterations in the composition of the starting 11, but it will still line up in the base 4-3 formation that it has used for over a decade under three different defensive coordinators. Beneath that, changes lurk -- particularly for the front seven. "We won't change some of the things that were so successful last year, especially in the coverage scheme in the way Champ (Bailey) plays," assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates said. "But we will change some things coverage-wise, and definitely up front." There, the Broncos plan to exercise a simpler approach. "With the're going to we're probably going to line up and play more technique, fundamental football -- not quite as much moving the front," Bill Johnson said. "Just anchor-down football. That's something we had to look at in there." Utilizing that means getting bigger at the two inside slots along the defensive front. To that end, the Broncos traded Saturday for Dan Wilkinson, who played for Bates with the Miami Dolphins. Wilkinson becomes the Broncos' heftiest defensive lineman at 340 pounds -- 15 pounds more than Gerard Warren. "If you profile other defenses that are playing this type defense of stopping the run ... the common denominator is they have big people in there," Johnson said. Added Bates: "We see in Dan what we're looking for. He will be a big plus for us." And Wilkinson fits the mold Bates has for his tackles, a philosophy borne out in his years with the Miami Dolphins. "We were able to manage with 290, 285-pound defensive tackles (at times), but it makes the defense work a lot better if we have big guys up the middle," Bates said. Size, however, isn't everything. "Does that mean you've got to have the biggest guys? No. You're looking for football players," Johnson said. "That just means there's a premium there." As important as bulk is the interior linemen's collective ability to absorb and apply the techniques that Bates and Johnson plan to impart upon their new charges -- including Warren. "We will change his technique totally," Bates said. "It will be a total change for him. But he has the athleticism that we look forward to. We've visited with him, and he's excited about our defense, and we'll have a totally different look for him and preparing him for the season. "We're excited about it, and the expectations and he's excited about it. It's going to be a daily process and a lot of work before the opener." The result for Warren and the Broncos' other linemen, Bates hopes, will be a more consistent pass rush. "We'll play with more power," Bates said. "There won't be as much movement up and down the line of scrimmage. We will play with much more power up front, taking on blocks and being much squarer than (Warren) was in the past." TERMINOLOGY An influx of new coaches doesn't yield a complete dissolution of the playbook from the previous year -- or the terminology utilized within. "We're going to try to keep some of the things the same just to try to help ease the transition as much as possible," linebackers coach Joe Baker said. "In terms of how we identify an opponent's offense, we're going to leave that the same. "We'll just do it the way they've done it, so we'll take that burden off the players and put it on the coaches. Some of the defensive terminology will stay the same -- as much as it can -- but because it's a different defense, some of it will have to change." But not everything. "There actually will be a lot of carryover," Baker explains." A lot of things will be the same. But one thing that Jim is known for is that we will only have a couple of calls that we'll play most of the time and our defense, to the average person -- and really to a lot of our opponents -- will look the same down in and down out. "There are small little intricacies that we'll game-plan every week that will give us some advantages, but the basic fundamentals won't change a whole lot from week to week, so that's kind of the strength of the system." Last edited by ro_50; 03-07-2007 at 12:51 AM..

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03-07-2007, 12:56 AM	#2
Requiem ~~~ ~ ~ ~ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Earth Division Posts: 19,546 Adopt-a-Bronco: Gilgamesh	Jim Bates also told me he is drafting 9 lineman.

03-07-2007, 01:00 AM	#3
watermock "Hoodie Jr" "Hug me!" Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Hot Springs, Ouachitah Posts: 77,090	I heard he was going to equip Ted Washington with a minature stun gun.

03-07-2007, 08:05 AM	#4
Barry Ramey Ring of Famer Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,700	With this philosophy of big DT, I have to wonder if Veal is the next guy to go since he's listed at 6'2, 288lbs. That doesn't seem to fit, so maybe they can get a low draft pick for him or something. Burton will have a chance though since he's pretty big.

03-07-2007, 08:12 AM	#5
Odysseus Fan of the home team Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Durango, Colorado Posts: 12,107 Adopt-a-Bronco: Mark Schlereth	Wilkinson's retirement threat might put a hink in any philosophy right now.

03-07-2007, 08:20 AM	#6
Mediator12 OM analyst REAL Front Seven Bandwagon !!! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: INDY Posts: 9,701 Adopt-a-Bronco: Malik Jackson	I can not wait for this board to meltdown when they keep seeing the exact same presnap looks with no blitzing as the other team drives down the field to score late in the fourth quarter. DO SOMETHING!!