SB Nation - Kirk Morrison

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. Oakland Raiders Pass Defense

John B — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:00:30 -0000

by Kathy Willens - AP

After Mark Sanchez's meltdown last week, the Jets are going to try and run it a lot on the 28th ranked run defense. When they do throw it, though, somebody who has been quiet this year is going to need to step up. Jerricho Cotchery's status is up in the air. If he can't go, Braylon Edwards will have to deal all day with Nnamdi Asomugha. Aside from Darrelle Revis, there is no better corner in football. (Some might argue Asomugha is better than Revis, but you won't find any of those people residing on this site). There's a good chance the Raiders are going to be able to totally take Edwards away. Asomugha literally takes away half the field. Nobody ever throws the football near him.

That means Dustin Keller needs to step up and finally deliver a big game. Arguably no Jet has been more disappointing this season. He's got an edge in athleticism on Thomas Howard, Kirk Morrison, and Jon Alston, Oakland's linebackers (Alston may start for injured Ricky Brown).

David Clowney needs stretch the field. You can bet your life the Raiders are going to move safeties Tyvon Branch and Hiram Eugene down into the box and force a struggling rookie quarterback to beat them. He's fast enough to win one on one matchups with Chris Johnson if he can beat the physical corner's jams. It's time for him to pick up where he left off in Miami.

Also expect Leon Washington to play a major role in the passing game. Sanchez might be a bit gun shy after last week, and the coaching staff will probably want to give him safe calls, like getting the most explosive playmaker the ball in space.

Damien Woody's status is a concern. Oakland's defensive end rotation of Richard Seymour, Greg Ellis, Jay Richardson, and Trevor Scott have combined for 10 sacks this year. Is Woody healthy enough to play? Can he handle the rush? Can Robert Turner if Woody can't go? Can D'Brickashaw Ferguson handle Richard Seymour's finesse? The good news is the starting tackles for Oakland, Tommy Kelly and Gerard Warren, are easier to handle, which could allow the Jets to give Turner help. Lord knows the Jets don't want Sanchez pressured into bad decisions.

Denver Broncos Thoughts and Musings - Cowboys Week

Emmett Smith — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers, left, brings down Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Browse more photos »

Welcome to 3-0, Denver! The team that destroyed the raiders on the road will still not get as much respect until they beat a few of the teams in the upcoming stretch. I'm not worried about that happening. We have had a series of things in our favor over the other squads that we've taken been able to use. Those advantages have involved personnel matchups, coaching matchups, scheme, attitude and execution. In today's effort, I'm going to start with the biggest among them.

Carving Them Up

The Broncos had a 12th man on the field all game against the raiders, and it was perfectly legal. It was Josh McDaniels. Last year, he laid 49 points on the raiders when he was with New England. This year, he destroyed both their offense and defense. Credit Mike Nolan on defense, but the offensive side was all Josh McDaniels.

One of the tricks was simple - the raiders don't make accommodations, and in today's NFL, that's not going to get you very far. They play the defense that they always play, essentially with 4 rushers, man-to-man coverage on the receivers and 5 players in support of whatever they see, pass or rush. They are, in this respect, the antithesis of the Amoeba-based Broncos. The Broncos made adjustments and conquered. If this was a contest between the old and the new, it was the horse and buggy against the modern hybrid. Their horse didn't make it out of the stable. The Broncos, however, did.

One of the simple techniques was to run underneath and to use crossing routes to defeat the coverage. Time after time, Denver's receivers came open. Brandon Marshall consistently got a matchup underneath Kirk Morrison, which is going to go in Denver's favor 9 of 10 times. Ryan Clady and Company frustrated the defensive line of the raiders, not giving up a sack and opening huge lanes for the running game. Rumors that Kyle Orton was back there with time to make espresso are in error - it was actually cappuccino, and he shared it with the receiving corps. As I'll discuss later, the O-line was nearly faultless.

This is a simple example of a more far-reaching principle. The Broncos are headed by one of the finest minds in offensive strategy - again. This time, it's the modern offensive strategy. Even Mike Shanahan has commented on all the great things that he finally has time to study now that he's 'retired'. The game is constantly changing. Coach McDaniels is at the tip of the spear, so to speak - an innovator as well as a student of the history of the game. This is the man who was the coordinator and called the plays for the most prolific offense in NFL history. That's not a small thing.

But this is also a man who got his start in the NFL on the defensive side. He was successful on offense in great part because he understood defenses and designed strategies to defeat them. He now has Mike Nolan, designing and carrying out the best defense he can and Brian Xanders, constantly looking for players to make the team stronger and managing the contractual side. Xanders is an often-missed piece of this puzzle. Those members who are currently concerned with how the team will pay for its players in a possibly uncapped year aren't aware of how Xanders is already constantly working on the puzzle. I'm looking forward to watching his efforts play out.

I'll talk more about this later, but those who question if our offense is up to the Cowboys aren't really thinking of how much Josh McDaniels is aware of the team's strengths and weaknesses. At 6:00 of the third quarter Monday night, the Cowboys had scored exactly 3 points against a Carolina team that in no way reflects the performances of last season. Dallas got their final touchdown on a pick-6 INT, or they would have been vulnerable to losing over a single score - while at home and playing against a team that is now 0-3 and seems to be self-destructing. This isn't a juggernaut bearing down on Denver. McDaniels was watching the game and he was seeing the coaches' film the next day. I'm not concerned.

When I was watching the preseason, I listened to a lot of folks who were deeply concerned when we didn't click immediately on offense. After a single half of the first game, there was a resurgence of the 'Fire Orton' contingent. McDaniels wasn't as smart as he thought he was, right? Was he? But after three games in which we've scored 62 points and given up 16, fans should know that this is a team that, for a change, you can trust. The pieces are there, the coaching is there, and the level of play is something that is currently new to this fair city. It's been a long time. Perhaps that's why it's hard to see at times. We still see through the eyes of the last few years.

Cincinnati is better by far than folks thought. We held them scoreless for how long, and in their home stadium? Our offense hadn't started to click; but since then, each week we get better with 27 and 23 points in the past two games, respectively. In fairness to this team, I think that you have to look at both where the defense is and where the offense is going. That's normal, with a new scheme and many new players. We do better each week. Last week, our rushing attack fully came of age. The week before, we gained a total of 449 yards and took apart a team that wasn't close to as good as us. This week we embarrassed a division rival who had defeated Kansas City in KC. I'm starting to look at each new game like it's Christmas, wondering what will be our present this week. I look forward to seeing what we'll open up on the Cowboys.

Hanging Them Out to Dry

During Week 1 of this season, Kyle Orton had a couple of passes that the fans wanted him to take back. Coming across the middle against Cincinnati, two pass plays resulted in receivers - first Eddie Royal and then Brandon Marshall - getting clocked by Rey Maualuga. There were groans and cries that he stank, that he would get our receivers killed. Was that the case, or was Orton doing his job and the receivers living with theirs? There isn't a clear answer, but here are some perspectives that may help you understand what happened.

After that game, I went to Professor Hoosierteacher to ask him about the issue. Was Orton misguided in throwing those passes? Did he really hang those players out to dry? Here is the response he was kind enough to tender:

"You raise a good point about the QB making the call on a completed pass versus laying out the receiver. Here's my view...

The QB's only job is to get the ball downfield. Sure, if he can protect his receivers, that's a bonus. But I think that a QB has enough to deal with, and probably can't see everything.

In the case of floating a lob pass (when a bullet might have been better), it is probably fair to blame the QB. But in the case where a LB is charging the WR from the side, it is just too hard to second guess the QB. Orton may have led a receiver or two into a LB, but like I write in an earlier e-mail, no QB will do that on purpose, so it is fair to assume he didn't see the threat. And even if he did, he's paid to move the ball down the field, and the receiver is being paid to sacrifice his body to an extent.

I may be biased as a coach (I was never a receiver or a QB), and may be ignorant since I never coached an offense or an entire team. But that's how I imagine the thinking goes."

That put things is a slightly different light for me. If you watch both plays that most folks objected to, in each Maualuga is on the weakside, screened from Orton's view by the scrum at the O-line. Rey moves perfectly and hits like a grizzly, but that's the nature of the beast, so to speak. Going over the middle in the short zone takes a certain mentality. You've potentially got safeties, LBs and corners available to hit you, and frequently, it's a group-slam situation. Some players never master what it takes. Others take a certain fierce joy in it, reveling in the competition and anxious to prove that they can take the hits and bounce up.

In both of these cases, the pass was just high enough to get over the LOS, fast, fairly well thrown. Rey seems to have an innate sense of timing about this play and a lot of receivers will rue that fact, but it isn't necessarily Orton's fault. He has a half second, no more, to see the receiver, chose his read and get the ball moving. Football is, by its nature, a very tough sport and this is a great example of that fact.

Could Orton do better? Sure, and from the past two games, he already does. I wouldn't suggest that he did the right thing. I'm suggesting only that he is paid to complete passes and that's what he did. They weren't lobs. It wasn't a high pass that exposed the receivers' kidneys to the pile-driver of the safety. It was two passes, thrown fairly well, that resulted in a couple of massive hits by a player who may well be exceeding most folks' expectations at his position.

I always liked Rey and I thought that he'd do well in the NFL. I didn't think that the Broncos would like him only because of his style of play. He can be undisciplined at times and it was and is my impression that Josh McDaniels would not be interested in him for that reason. That's been true, and Andra Davis and Mario Haggan have let me be happy about it. Davis and Haggan are big guys who can hit very hard, but they both are playing tight, disciplined football. That's one of the hallmarks of our defense - everyone does his job and everyone trusts the guys next to him to do theirs. In a different system, a player might have more opportunities to freelance, to make decisions that might not fit the Broncos but might work well for another team. That's among the reasons that I didn't see Rey in predominantly orange, but as a Bengal, he's doing a very good job. Sometimes, that means he's able to make other players pay for doing theirs. More power to him.

By the way, I'd be remiss in talking about Orton today without giving a few more points on his work. Orton is averaging 7.5 yards per pass play and has a very respectable 91.2 QB rating with a 55.7% completion percentage. That probably won't get much higher, overall - Orton is a smart player who takes care of the ball. He'll throw it away to save the play and avoid the sacks and he knows that stats don't win ballgames. The Marshall TD in the first quarter was the 110th consecutive pass for Orton w/o an INT. By the end of the game, it was 128 passes for Kyle since throwing an INT (he threw two last December versus Green Bay). He also hasn't had a repeat of those throws that Rey defended so well. Whatever the wrinkle was, it's ironed out now.

I also enjoyed Josh McDaniels taking head-on this business of Orton as a 'game-manager' when talking to the press. That's a criticism that usually comes from those who don't know quite as much about football as they think they do - they talk about stats and completions as if those are the keys to a QB, and that's just not true. What else is there? Listen to McD, who gave some examples of the 'more' that a QB must have:

"We don't ever talk abut our quarterbacks as game managers, but you want a quarterback to be efficient, you want them to run the line of scrimmage and the huddle. He got us out of a bunch of plays (by calling audibles) yesterday at the line of scrimmage and in the running game which - you know, nobody ever talks about the quarterback when you run for 215 yards, but when he gets you out of a play that's going to go nowhere and you gain, you know, 26 on the play, he plays a part in good running, you know? So, not turning the ball over, you know, finding the open man when players are open and just being effective. Kyle certain could have done better yesterday but played well. And we're going to work to fix the things that he didn't do well. Once the game declares itself and you have a 17 point lead in the third quarter, you're not going to do things that could put the game in jeopardy.

"The quarterback has 12-15 things he has to go once the play is called (emphasis is mine). There's a lot of responsibility on his plate from the time he claps his hands to break the huddle to the moment that the ball is snapped. He has to call the cadence, to the identification of protection to 'Which running play should we go to', to reading the blitz, to figuring out if he has to get rid of it, to reading the overage to determine where he's going to throw it to reading our receivers to determining who's open. There's a lot of things that he has to do and Kyle does a lot of them well."

Coach McDaniels never claims that the team couldn't have done better and he probably never will. But the intelligence of Orton, his knowledge of the game and his abilities in the huddle and at the line have been underestimated since he came out of college, as have his arm strength and accuracy. Hopefully, that will diminish over time as people see more of him and learn more about the game from the head coach.

Fitting into the System

It's a principle that has been exposed this season - sometimes, it's more a matter of the fit between the player and the coach/system than it is a matter of how 'good' the player is. Almost all of the NFL's players are fairly 'good.' The big question tends to be - how well do you use the players that you have?

That fact is a major reason why most folks missed the boat on the Broncos' revival. It doesn't fit well into the quick, short, rote preconceptions that tend to pass for analysis and commentary, but it's an essential part of putting a competitive team on the field. In the first year of Josh McDaniels' head coaching career, McD has identified his needs and scouted his players to a 'T'. If you carefully ascertain the qualities that you need in a player and analyze the skill set of the player in a thorough and rational way, you can get a good fit and a good team relatively quickly.

There are limits, of course. Ray Lewis might be good in any system, but even then, a lot of folks questioned his desire to move to a 3-4. Would he fit? There are, as we can see, a lot of different 3-4 systems. Coverage LBs or not? Zone blitz? Bigger players, Bullough-type scheme? 5-2? Hybrid? As always, I recommend reading HT's classic, the Modern 3-4 Defenses. It never gets old. HT talked about what qualities (even though it's a fairly general article) are needed in players from different types of 3-4 schemes. He also talked to me more than once in emails about the smaller, lighter 'coverage' linebackers and how they might be used, even though that's not the approach that our team has taken. McDaniels and Nolan decided to go in a very specific direction. They found and molded a series of linebackers who have shown themselves to be excellent as individuals and adroit and effectual as players within the system. Intelligent, tough and physical was the yardstick. It's working.

The linebackers are very much of a type. Each of them is big and most are bigger than average, with the exceptions of D.J. Williams and Wes Woodyard. Darrell Reid's precise weight is a mystery, but it's above 260, probably about 270. Robert Ayers clocks in at 274. Doom is only 248 and you can see why he's beginning to flourish as his skill set and his position converge; he doesn't have the size to fight the tackles at the line and stop a ball carrier, but his leverage is unusually effective. With his 'running start', that's changing. Jarvis Moss is up to 257 and needs every pound; Andra Davis is comparatively light at 251. We only have one LB under 242, and Wesley Woodyard (who is ostensibly 222) hits like he's 265. Even so - he's a nickel LB and perfect for the position he plays. He is showing skills in coverage, a nose for the ball, and his special teams work is admirable. By the way, did you notice that Andra Davis and Mario Haggan asked to stay on special teams? Another consistency is that our players don't want to get off the field. They are versatile, able to handle multiple responsibilities, are generally more intelligent than average (and have a high Information Processing Speed, or IPS) as well as leadership qualities that stand out.

One of the things that has created such a remarkable performance on the Broncos' side of the ball has been the fact that McDaniels understands exactly what he wants from each player on the field. That sounds awfully rudimentary, doesn't it? Every head coach should know that about every player. The fact is (from all the reading I've done), that it's not as common as you would think. I tend to use Mario Haggan as a defensive example, so if you've read this before from me, I apologize.

Mario Haggan was a classic 'tweener'. Back when he was drafted, relatively few teams were using the 3-4, but he fit the bill as a 3-4 strongside LB perfectly. The only thing is, he was drafted as a middle linebacker in a 3-4 system, and was then asked mostly to play Sam. Not a problem, really - when he was on the field, his production was good. His special teams work was excellent, too. But in the Broncos' 'Oklahoma' variation 5-2/3-4 defense, he's become a mainstay on the field and his leadership has brought him a Captaincy and the admiration and respect of the entire team. What's the difference? Scheme, and taking advantage of the skills of the player..

At Mississippi State, Haggan showed that he's all about the team. Talking about the 1999 season, he once said in an interview, "That year was special because we played together as a team." Even then, Mario understood what it really takes to win. This is perhaps the first year he's had a chance to put all of his skills into effect on the field. He doesn't always get credit for what he accomplishes - he's already got a sack, of course, but when scoring they only give tackles and assists to so many players. When I'm watching film, I'm finding a swarm of Broncos piling into and onto the ball carrier. Haggan is usually one of them - along with Brian Dawkins, Andra Davis and several other Broncos. Give the right man the right role, make him believe that he's a part of something greater than himself and stay back. If you get too close, you'll end up in the scrum. Haggan did a great job in ripping the ball out when the raiders threatened at 7:38 in the second quarter, getting a fumble from Darren McFadden. Ryan McBean was holding McFadden's legs and Haggan just grabbed the ball and tore it away. Heads-up play, and typical of him this year. It took them from an advantageous position to 3rd and 16, holding them to their only field goal.

They also did what coaches everywhere tell their defensive players - there are three points of contact: the hands, elbow and ribcage. If you attack those, you can create fumbles. the Broncos are doing it, they study and practice the basics, and it matters.

By the way, Andra Davis is another great example. He was used in a 3-4 in Cleveland, but without the kind of scheming that Nolan uses in our '5-2' variation. Davis' weaknesses were more exposed in that scheme. He wasn't the right player for that system, but he's apparently nearly perfect for ours. A year ago, I mentioned that I hoped that Bob Slowik would develop a different approach to the defense, using the personnel to maximum benefit. It didn't happen then, but it has now. It's easy the see the difference. Davis is all over the film, play after play. D.J. Williams and he are a fierce pair at ILB.

You can also look at the transitions made by Elvis Dumervil and Darrell Reid. Both have adapted quickly to becoming productive in their new positions. You can see that as a merging of player effort, coaching expertise and the vision of the coaches to see where they could become more effective. Of Dumervil, Champ Bailey said,

"I think he's made the best transition from one position to completely another position that I've ever seen. He's showing his versatility. The guy wants to win and he does everything that we ask him to do."

It's one thing that has turned the Broncos' program around so quickly. The level of organization that Josh McDaniels learned - first from his father, next from his own training in mathematics and then from Bill Belichick, as well as his intellect and innate sense of logic and order - has permitted him to make far fewer mistakes than most first-time head coaches. The functions of the organization have been carefully planned and painstakingly executed. Given the offseason distractions, I won't say that McD 'makes it look easy'. I will say this - he's doing exactly what this organization needed.

For what it's worth, those who claimed that McDaniels would fail because other Belichick disciples have have committed a common logical fallacy. Every situation is unique. Many things have never happened - until they do. You have to judge on an individual basis.

Coaching Corner

McDaniels blew everyone away this week in his post-game remarks. His comments on coaching, teaching, tackling and communicating were a thing of sheer beauty. They also got me thinking. McDaniels, unlike many coaches, isn't intimidated by having the best around him. In fact, from Day 1, that's what he's worked to bring into the organization. I decided to look over the areas that our new coaches are responsible for, the teams that some of our coaches came from and how those teams are doing in the area that our new coaches left vacant. The results were impressive.

These are just a few of the results, but to me they are representative of the pattern. Josh McDaniels himself left the New England offensive coordinator's job. The Pats are struggling on offense. Part of this is natural - Tom Brady had a tough surgery last year and the adhesions still haven't broken down. They also are dealing with turnover on a large scale. Brady's not stepping into his throws the same way, a common post-surgical issue. Would Josh's coaching help? Perhaps. Is the Pats offense struggling a little more? Yes. No conclusion, here - just a fact.

Mike McCoy came to us from Carolina. I don't know what's gone on in Carolina, but this isn't the same team that played so well last season. Their offense is terrible. Could McCoy have been a factor in their success? Quite possibly. Has the offense diminished? Yes.

Mike Nolan came to us after being fired from a head coaching job in San Francisco. Mike Singletary is doing a heck of a job with them and starting to see results. I love Singletary and have since his playing days in Chicago as 'Samurai'. Nolan has changed the Broncos' ideas about defense and if there was a 'Coordinator of the Year' award, he should have gotten it already. No conclusion here, either, but Nolan deserves a lot of admiration right about now.

Wayne Nunnely vacated the defensive line coaching job in San Diego. He says that he wanted something new and we were lucky enough to get him. At the beginning of training camp, he was interviewed and in his terse, simple style he pointed out that it wasn't his job to pick the players - it was his job to tech them the techniques that would make them successful. He has. Our D-line is shocking people. I'm not at all surprised. I picked up a copy of Nunnely's teaching video on stunts and was instantly entranced. That man can teach. SD has suffered some injuries, but their D-line hasn't looked good, even before losing Jamal Williams.

Scott Priefer comes to us from Kansas City. They are struggling on special teams, but they are struggling everywhere. Still - he's been a godsend for the Broncos, who needed special teams help like a dying man in the desert needs water. Welcome, coach. Has the change, from where we were to where we are, been anything but a tribute to this man?

Don Martindale came to us from the depths of Oakland and is our linebackers coach. Hey, how are our linebackers doing this year? Anyone changed positions and found success? On the other side, how did the Oakland linebackers play on Sunday? Not so well...

Okay, their whole team melted down, but the point is still relevant. There is a pattern here - we are finding great success and the teams that lost out on our coaches are consistently not doing well in the areas that they vacated. Is it due to the coaches? I can't swear to it, but there is one heck of a coincidence going on if that's not the case.

Congratulations to Josh McDaniels for putting this team together, driving the changes to the Broncos and teaching them how to be winners. My hat is off to the man. He's only 33? Amazing....

I'll Trade You

Congratulations also to Renaldo Hill on his INT against OAK. It couldn't happen to a more deserving player.

Okay, what do you think? That the Miami Dolphins are happy that they refused to pay up some guaranteed money on Renaldo Hill to keep him around? Or do you think that they regret giving the cash to Gibril Wilson? Renaldo Hill has been part of one of the best secondaries in the NFL, with cornerbacks Champ Bailey, Andre' Goodman and Alphonso Smith and Hill joining the still-young Brian Dawkins at safety in front of newcomers Darcel McBath and David Bruton, while Wilson has become a target for opposing quarterbacks. Wilson's weaknesses were displayed for the nation on the Week 2 Monday Night Football contest between MIA and IND.

A simple, clear stat, courtesy of the Denver Post:

The Dolphins were 11-5 with Hill last year; 0-3 without him this year. The Broncos were 8-8 without Hill last year; 3-0 with him this year. It's simplistic, sure, but there's a kernel of truth. You could also look at the fact that the Broncos now have 8 defensive turnovers in 3 games. At this rate, they'll have exceeded last year's total before the bye. Again, is it Hill? No, not entirely. Has he been a force on the field? You bet. Watching film, Hill is consistently around the ball.

This one looks to me like a 'cut-off-your-nose-to-spite-your face' kind of situation in Miami. Do you think that the Fins would be willing to trade back right about now? Wilson was terrible in the loss to Indianapolis and didn't play well against San Diego, either. While Peyton Manning has made a lot of good players look bad over his career, that game was more than an off day for Wilson and he didn't bounce back this week against Philip Rivers, who is no slouch either. I don't think that it's unfair to note that with Wilson, when Al Davis isn't willing to throw money at a player, they usually often aren't much good to anyone else, either. Another free agency coup for the Broncos.

There has been some conversation in the media recently about a fact that has appeared in multiple sources including the BT&M from last week: Many teams in the NFL are now going to roughly the kind of offense that the Broncos are using, with an emphasis on the short passing game. It is based in an important change in the league - more and more safeties have sub-4.40 speed. With the swiftness and coverage skills that many of them have, you can't go deep as easily as in years past. That has two ramifications for Denver: First, it means a lot of playing time for 2nd-round draft pick Alphonso Smith at nickelback (hurry back, Alphonso).

Second, it explains something about Renaldo Hill of which many Broncos fans seem unaware. Renaldo was drafted in the 7th round (#202 overall) of the 2001 Draft by the Arizona Cardinals as a cornerback. He played left cornerback for them for 4 years and then spent a season in OAK at the same position on a one-year contract. After that, he took a three-year deal with MIA where he was moved to free safety to take advantage of his speed, size and cover skills. He has made improvement at that position each year, and has really just begun to play at what may be his best level. The Broncos are using his intelligence and skill set to best advantage, too - depending on the down, either he or Brian Dawkins may be playing a 'centerfield' role. Usually they divide the field and each is responsible for quarterbacking their side of the defense. The two veterans have no problem in communicating with each other, either, and this is a big reason that the secondary is playing so well.

Gibril Wilson didn't come to OAK until 2008. He'd been a strong safety and (in 2007) a free safety for the Giants since 2004. Still, it's odd how things work out, isn't it? The raiders missed out on Hill's best use and let him go; the Dolphins found it but they, too, let him go and the Broncos smiled broadly and said, "Thank you very much!", giving him a 4-year, $10 million contract to be paired with Brian Dawkins in a great tandem. Knowing exactly what you are looking for - in this case, a safety with speed and cornerback skills, seeing clearly why you want X players and giving them the best position to be successful are all keys to creating a team that wins consistently.

Despite our best wishes as fans, you can't force interceptions. You can only put yourself in the best position to snag them when the opportunity arises. The Broncos went up another plus-two in turnovers this week by doing just that. Congratulations to Andre' Goodman as well on his own INT, a man who is also missed by MIA - he's also playing at a very high level. Goodman is about $5 million per year that is very well spent.

Block and Tackle

I just re-watched the tape of Correll Buckhalter from Week 2, running for daylight to the tune of 45 yards and a TD, and compared that to some of the similar runs he made against Oakland. You know what really stood out? Beyond his skill and his ability to cut back at angles that confused and defeated defender after defender, that play (and several others) started with a hole formed by zone-blocking from Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris that you could have sailed the Queen Mary through, with room to spare. On the same drive at the 6-minute mark, Tony Scheffler took the Will LB out of the play with a great stand-up block. It's happening all over the field. This week, both Russ Hochstein and Tyler Polumbus also blocked well when they came in. At the opening drive of the second half (I couldn't see the number), the RB did a textbook job of picking up the blitz and taking his man out of the play. Daniel Graham had time to go underneath, over the middle and picked up yet another first down because of that block (with a nice throw by Kyle Orton).

As I looked through the tape of the games so far, one of the things that stood out was the improvement in fundamentals and physicality on both sides of the ball: blocking by the offense and tackling by the defense. Our blocking was usually good in 2008 but even with some of the goal-line breakdowns, it's been more physical than last year. It's true that the Broncos O-line was fairly brilliant in pass-blocking last season and by the latter part of the season, they were run-blocking almost equally well. But non-line individuals - and Tony Scheffler is a standout among them - have continued to improve. Brandon Marshall, of course is another fine example of a non-line player making the blocks for us, and he did it last season, too. The blocking has opened the road for Buckhalter, who is currently third in the league at 7.2 yards per gain. Buck also picked up the blitz at 4 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter - no one was open, but there was no sack, either. Solid, solid play.

After the game, Josh McDaniels commented, "I think a part of good tackling is angles. We do a lot of angle tackling drills in practice; most of the time we don't go all the way to the ground, now. We did in training camp. But when you're taking the proper angle, that's kind of half the battle to me...I think our guys understand leverage and angles..." Apparently so. "Draft picks? We always want to make sure that we're getting real good tacklers." Alphonso Smith was singled out - and for good reason. Tackling is being taught properly. There is a constant emphasis on fundamentals that seems 'new'. I loved learning Josh's thoughts on the technique of tackling and apparently, from the articles, a lot of us did. He's a heck of a communicator.

By the way, another draft pick, Darcel McBath has a team-high six special-teams tackles through three games. Another draft choice, another excellent tackler. He's going to fit right in. We're also co-leading the league, tied for first, with 10 sacks.

Tackling and blocking have a lot in common - physicality, a basis in attitude and the importance of technique being among those similarities. The improvement in defensive personnel certainly stands out, but the level of tackling by our team has shot up by tenfold this season. Whether it's Nolan, McDaniels, personnel, attitude, all of the above or something else, Denver is looking like a different team, and playing like one as well. What a great season!

SquashMaster Award

I've decided to give a little extra love each week to the player(s) who lead the team in tackles by establishing the weekly SquashMaster Award. This week, D.J. Williams took top honors with 7 tackles and a forced fumble that was recovered by Brian Dawkins. Congratulations, D.J.! In second place was Elvis 'Doom' Dumervil, who raised his season sack total to 6 and added 5 solo tackles for the team. Can Elvis extend his streak of sacks against the Dallas front five? Don't bet against him. By the way, Doom did just what was predicted in attacking the strong side and right tackle Cornell Green. He also moved around on both sides.

Many fans wondered at the beginning of the season how D.J. would react to moving into yet another position and whether he could bounce back after the less-than-stellar performance of 2008. Not to worry - D.J. is tearing up the league right now. It's also gratifying to see that a different player leads the team in tackles each week so far and all three have been among our veterans and leaders. Veteran leadership - what a concept!

Some may have missed a small thing that made a big difference - when Doom went after the fumble in the 2nd quarter, he couldn't pick the ball up but he did manage to tip it backwards. OAK recovered, but they were farther back and had lost more ground due to Elvis' heads-up play. Another play that reflects the principle of tipping the ball to control the game - we've had at least one each week.

Sack Stats

After 3 games, the theoretically immobile Kyle Orton has taken 3 sacks. Another perfectly good snarky theory bites the dust...Considering that both Cincinnati and Oakland's defensive fronts have been good at getting after the QB in their other games, that says a lot about our line. This isn't hot news, but it's nice to see, especially with the number of plays that our starters have sat out with one injury and another. Congrats, by the way, to Tyler Polumbus who played well in reserve, spelling Ryan Harris and to Russ Hochstein who spelled Ben Hamilton. The solid play of the line is an old Broncos tradition, by the way. Look at the stats since 2003:

Fewest sacks allowed in the NFL since 2003:

Team ... Sacks ... Yards

Indianapolis ... 107 ... 643
Denver ... 141 ... 854
Green Bay ... 147 ... 1,019
San Diego ... 163 ... 1,095
New Orleans ... 172 ... 1,034

Iron Clady Redux

For perspective on Ryan Clady's streak at left tackle, there were 1,036 sacks in the NFL last year, or about 6.5 for every starting offensive lineman in the league. An average NFL offensive lineman gives up one sack about every 10 quarters. Clady has played every snap this season and last for the Broncos, who have passed 708 times over the past 80 quarters. He has given up only a half-sack, to then-Patriots end Richard Seymour whom he blanked in this week's contest, frustrating him in a way that lead to the 1st ever NFL Hair-Pulling Award. Stay classy, Richard. Asked about his actions, Seymour replied: "It was not a mistake, brother. Next question." Funny - I'm pretty sure that on the Broncos, costing the team 15 yards is considered a heck of a mistake. But that's the difference in the two teams.

Far more importantly, though, it's been 80 quarters since Clady's first regular season start and Ryan has given up 1/2 a sack? That's quite a stat. He has also tied the record for games without a full sack at 19. What a player he is!

It goes beyond his quick feet, size and long arms - Clady is both a brilliant technician and a brilliant tactician. Head Coach Josh McDaniels offered some unique insight on his intelligence. He said what impressed him about Clady was how he changes his approach from play-to-play; attacking the end on one play, then sits back and rides him away from the quarterback on the next.

"He's a smart player," McDaniels said. "He understands what the guy has seen from him already and what he hasn't and he mixes it up pretty well. A lot of people might ask, how much can a left tackle mix up his protection? You can and it's effective."

Clady commented (see below) that he didn't think that he played that well against Oakland. I don't even know what to say to that. The offensive line didn't give up a sack, didn't commit a penalty and blew open huge holes in the line for the running backs while giving Kyle Orton lots of time to throw. I guess that other than that, they probably didn't do that much. They didn't invent a perpetual motion machine on the sidelines during the game, or anything. Come to think of it, they didn't need to - the Broncos already have Dawkins.

By the way, on Buckhalter's huge run of 34 yards at 6:13 in the 2nd quarter, Hamilton and Clady sealed off their men perfectly, but the run was freed up with Harris, pulling all the way over to take out the weakside linebacker that freed Buckhalter on the play. Our run blocking is becoming a thing of great beauty. If you can, go back and watch the play. Wow.

Humility and Honor

There is a pattern to these Broncos that stands out when you look for it: Every player on the team gives the credit for their performances to others. Last week it was Dumervil and Andra Davis, each of whom was asked about their own performance and each of whom wanted to talk about the accomplishments of the other. When you talk to Alphonso Smith, he tells you about Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. Whether it's Kyle Orton giving credit for the offense to his line, backs and receivers, or Eddie Royal deflecting questions about his production by pointing to the plays it's opening up for the other receivers, this team seems to be the anti-ego. It's the antithesis of the me-driven locker room, the group that looks to their own stats before they look at their team's wins. It's a big reason that they have three wins to count. After the game, Darrell Reid was talking about the things that the defense didn't do well and how they need to improve. This is after holding Oakland to 3 points and 137 total yards. Perfection may not be attainable, but these men are going to try.

This week it was Dumervil again, this time giving credit to Ryan Clady for his own performance and sack totals. This is what he said:

"You know one of the reasons I get sacks on Sundays is (Ryan Clady). Going against him every day is hell," Dumervil said. "There's no other way to say it. He's athletic, long arms - pretty much the toughest tackle I've ever gone against. He's just special. He's going to be on that side for 20 years. He's athletic, he's smart, he has poise - he doesn't get rattled. There's not much you can beat him with."

Ryan's replay? "The way we practice, that's what I do (in games)." He then said, "I don't think I played that well." Well, only good enough to have another zero-sack day and to open huge holes for the running game. But, Dumervil got the last word:

"Both those guys - Harris and Clady - are tough, tough guys, but Clady is the guy I see every day, and if you break even sometimes, you think you won," said Doom. "I come into game days thinking the guy I'm playing isn't going to surprise me with something I haven't seen before because I was banging against Ryan Clady all week. We always go against each other; he doesn't go against anyone else and I don't go against anyone else. He gets me better, and I hope I get him better."

This is the kind of thing that defines a successful team. We know from various sources - mostly players, speaking later on condition of anonymity - that the locker room the past few years had been cursed with a kind of me-first attitude, with players showing a preference for their own individual stats over the outcome of the games. That has gone away. What you see now is a tendency to recognize the benefits of the team over the individual accords. Ironically, it leads to more and more individual as well as team accords. The way this team was designed and built constantly amazes me. It's also interesting to note that one of the best qualities of Kyle Orton - that he stays calm and doesn't rattle - is equally reflected in his left tackle. Those two aren't alone in that, which speaks very well for the team's ultimate potential.

Following the game, Josh McDaniels was asked how the Broncos could improve. On how to motivate his players this week, he said, "Just show them the film. We've got a 50 play cut-up that we'll watch during the squad meeting." He then gave a wry smile. "It's not all ribbons and bows...They saw it every week we played so far. 'Boy, if we'd only done these five or six things better, it could have been an even a better performance.' You don't have to convince them that they need to improve. They know they need to get better." That's the kind of thing that keeps a team grounded in reality, striving to get even better and ready for any opponent.

Ayers and Perception

Robert Ayers hasn't burned up the field in this, his rookie season. Coming late into training camp, as so many 1st-round rookies do, he quickly found himself behind the curve. He didn't play all that well at first and looked tentative. Following up on a comment to the effect that he 'hasn't shown up', I spent some time watching film from last Sunday. I had started to notice Ayers during the Week 2 game against Cleveland - he helped collapse the pocket, was in on some tackles, and seemed to be starting to find the ball. It's true that he only has one tackle, but there's more to playing than stats. Sunday, my initial impression had been that his play was even better. I went back to find a few examples. It didn't take long...

On the third play from scrimmage, 3rd and 13, it was Ayers who collapsed the pocket, hurrying Russell who completed the throw to his outlet for 8 yards when he needed 13. Nice play. Ayers had been contained by Cornell Green on the play before, but not this time. Interestingly, on this occasion he was lined up as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 set, going up against the double team of the center and Cooper Carlisle. He defeated it to pressure Russell, which is asking a lot of a 274-lb. rookie. By the way, I love the way we're using the 4-3 in long-yardage situations.

He came back in the second quarter, running across the field in a heads-up play to help tackle Zach Miller for a 12-yard gain on 3rd and 16. Without Ayers it could have been a first down. Ayers did have help on the tackle and wasn't credited it, but he hit Miller high while someone else (bad camera angle) held his legs.

But that was it for Ayers in the first quarter. Is that a problem? Not at all. Davis, Haggan, D.J., Reid and Doom are playing like champs. Ayers will only get time in rotation - we're playing so well that if he gets in, great. If not, great. I don't think that it's a knock on Ayers. He's behind a lot of guys in the depth chart who are just playing at a very high level. That's not a bad thing. It means that we're deep and strong.

He also came in for the last series in the half when we were in the nickel - both Ayers and Wesley Woodyard were in. Woodyard stuffed Michael Bush for a loss on the final play of the half - Ayers stayed at home, held his gap and did what he was supposed to. The play just didn't go at him. He also made a nice stop (see picture above) on Bush. Give the man a little time.

Final Notes

Orton, McDaniels and the Goal Line Stand. While I was watching the replays of the game on NFL Rewind, I noted something: Orton is becoming deadly over the middle. It brought up an interesting point that sent me back to the film and statistics from last season: Chicago didn't believe that and wouldn't call much in the way of passes over the middle when Orton was there. Out of 455 passes he threw last season, only 54 were thrown over the middle, which might have, in part, been a personnel issue. I've mentioned before that Orton at times throws a flat pass, but look at these numbers. Go figure. In one way, you can understand why they thought that - Orton was only at a 53.7% completion rate over the middle and had a 5.56 INT rate there - but there must have been a scheme and/or personnel issue that influenced this. Orton has been excellent over the middle all season, and seems to be getting even better each game. His passing has always been strongest to the left side/weak side, by the way. It will be interesting to watch his distribution as the season progresses.

Some folks have questioned Josh McDaniels' call for four rushing plays down on the goal line on the first drive and I wanted to touch on that quickly. I liked his response and wanted to include it here:

"We were all disappointed," McDaniels said about the series. "When you're down there that tight, you want to give your football team an opportunity to get it in. And if we have that same opportunity come up next week, we'd do it again, and we'll get it in. We'll work hard to fix the things we didn't get right there and push that thing in."

That covers it. Hochstein, by the way, was the lead blocker and never got to the goal line, so the RB could not, either. We'll need to fix that. Statistically, by the way, you score on such a series about 50% of the time, although you strive for more, and therefore you can get 7-14 points instead of the 6 if you kick both field gals. There's another reason, though, that you go for it - this team doesn't believe that anyone can stop it twice. They were right and got the next one with a passing route underneath by Marshall in that same mismatch with Morrison. I like that attitude.

Home against Dallas - In the upcoming contest, Dallas will be a good test for the Broncos, but I'm taking the home team. Dallas isn't strong enough on both sides of the ball to convince me otherwise and it's my impression that we match up well with them. Consider this:

While they have a good offense, they can get rattled. Tony Romo still needs to prove that he has the calm that Kyle Orton is known for. While I have a lot of respect for the Dallas offensive front line, I have just as much or more for Doom and the Devastators. Felix Jones is a great running back but apparently won't play, We've played the run quite well overall so far. I'm not as impressed with their pass blocking. Our secondary is playing well, despite the fact that other teams are constantly throwing the ball and playing catch-up; they're tackling well, covering well and starting to see the inevitable INTs. The Dallas secondary has weaknesses that can be exploited. Our offense is doing well in the passing and rushing attacks, and special teams have been very special. We could get more long run-backs if we don't seal the edges, but other than that, I've got very few criticisms.

They have a good D-line that isn't producing - we have Mt. Clady and Friends. DeMarcus Ware has continued to disappear, even against Carolina. The 'Boys finally got a few sacks against a woeful O-line of the Panthers but they haven't shown me that they can dominate even a weaker team. Rookie linebacker Victor Butler broke out with 2 sacks and a forced fumble and the Broncos will need to account for him but he was only on the field for 5 plays. I'm comfortable with this Rick Dennison-coached group. They are on the road and Orton is what - 16-2 at home? This is a new Broncos squad that can take on the best and at least be competitive.

Romo can be deadly in a single game. Against Carolina, he was efficient but not showy and he didn't get a single TD throw. The Cowboys only put up 13 points on offense. Ronald Fields has been clogging the middle effectively against the run. Marcus Thomas has been a more than serviceable second-string NT - he has been in for rushing as well as passing downs now. They will be game-planning for Doom, but seriously - that gets you Davis, Dawkins, Reid, D.J. and Haggan with less obstacles.

On the other side - the holes that Kuper and Harris are opening have been enormous and Russ Hochstein and Tyler Polumbus played just fine in relief. Right now, we expect Harris to play. If Harris is not in, they will game-plan to put pressure on Polumbus/Hochstein and to be honest - I'm looking forward to see how they handle it. Polumbus in particular has looked great in the small amounts I've seen him. I've love to see him in a test game. The Dallas D-line and front seven are noticeably smaller than our squad. Dallas committed 9 penalties against Carolina and gave up 3 TDs to Tampa Bay. These numbers don't scare me.

I see it as a potentially tough game, but very winnable. McD is famous for making great adjustments during gametime, and that's a big advantage. I don't think that Wade Phillips is in Josh's ballpark as a head coach. We now have an advantage in McD and Nolan that just doesn't quit.

Prediction: I'm calling for a win, but it could still be a close game, perhaps about 27-20. IIf they put their team together on the road they can give us a run for the money, but I expect them to fall short. If our defense plays as well as it can, we'll win going away.

Go Denver!

My Thoughts on What the Raiders Need to Do

KA1Z3R — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:41:14 -0000

It's no secret the Raiders are in a complete tailspin right now. Don't argue otherwise, after a great game against SD, the Raiders have given up over 140 yards rushing to the Chiefs and over 200 to the Broncos. Which shows Marshall's offseason plan of working on discipline has fallen apart and that it's not just discipline but the personnel. Basically what ever Raiders fan has been saying since 2003.

The passing game, I can't really say anything since Schilens is a big difference maker in the passing game because he's a comfort zone on the scale of Miller for Russell. But in all honesty, Russell should be comfortable with guys like Murphy and DHB after a whole offseason working with them.

Running game? Not enough of it and misuse of the backs' respective talents. Also, the lack of a passing game is ruining what should be a top-5 rushing attack.

Pass D, this falls on run D. When you're first and second instincts are to rush to the line to tackle a back, of course you're going to slip in coverage. In no way is this a personnel problem, other than that there should be some better nickel and dime corners, but I won't dwell on that.

So how do I think the Raiders can remedy their ailments, read on to find out.

Passing Game

Like I said, we'll wait to see how this looks when Russell gets Schilens back this week. Until then, this can still be worked on. All it comes down to is Russell, if he really cared about winning then he'd have taken time from his apparently busy day to work with the receivers after practice and on off-days.

After all, this is what successful QB's do. You think Rodgers magically got amazing with his receivers overnight? He had to work on it, he had to get his timing down.

Now let's stop right there, what exactly do people mean when they say timing? It simply means learning where the receiver will be at what point on every single play. Sticking with the Green Bay example, Jennings is clearly a faster receiver at this point than Driver. So he'll be farther in his route than Driver will be at, say, 5 seconds into the play. Learning the speed, agility, and acceleration abilities of your receivers is a big factor.

Another part of timing is knowing where to throw it to each receiver. Unless it's a curl or screen, you always throw the ball in front of where the receiver is, aka where he's going to be instead of where he is. However, you have to know how fast the receiver will be running to know how far ahead of them to throw. Throw it to far ahead and they won't catch up to it, throw it behind and they'll have to somehow stop and go back to it.

I've read plenty of articles about guys like Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, etc who's receivers have talked of how those QB's have pulled them and the other receivers aside to work on extra passing practice and to watch film on how each guy runs and moves.

If Russell wants to be successful, he has to be willing to work at it. His mechanics and footwork are problems, but timing to me is the one thing he should be good at by now.

If he isn't willing to work at it, then he clearly needs to be off this team. To anybody who says that's too harsh or I'm Russell bashing, I have to restrain myself from buying a plane ticket, going to where you live, and screaming in your face.

Plain and simple, if Russell isn't motivated enough to work on his craft, to work with receivers, and basically do some work for once, then bench him for the year and draft a QB next year. This is the plan I'd like. He's gotten much worse this year despite having much better receivers and pass protection. So it's not anybody at WR or on the O-Line (not even Green who is actually a great blocker this year) it's just Russell.

Cable (cough I mean Davis) clearly doesn't want to admit that Russell is quite plainly, a lazy pouty kid and therefore refuses to bench him. Gradkowski is actually motivated and has his mechanics figured out. Timing will come when he actually starts.

I've defended Russell for too long, but until he gets his act together, if he ever does, I'm hoping for Gradkowski to start and for this guy to be our first round pick next year:

via media.collegepublisher.com

Running Game

I'd like to see how the running game plays out when, which means if, the passing game gets put together. Till then, this facet of the offense can be worked on.

For one thing, don't just mix up your running backs, mix up your running plays. Instead of changing it every drive, change it with each couple plays. Then again, a couple plays is usually the extent of a Raiders drive.

What I mean though is, pound it up the middle, then go off tackle to the left side, try to pound it between the left guard and center, then go for a sweep to the right when the D is focused on that left side, maybe even misdirection it to the left on that sweep play. Just because you've dumbed the passing game down for Russell, doesn't mean he isn't capable of handing it off on a misdirection or throwing a pitch.

After all, Russell isn't this man:

via www.judiciaryreport.com

Just because you're unable to mix up the passing game, doesn't mean this should simplify the running game. If you watch the great running teams in this league like the Ravens or the Giants, they're constantly diversifying their running attacks. The O-Line is blocking very well and the backs can run very well. Just a simple matter of fixing up your playcalling.

Speaking of those backs, let's talk about how to properly use McFadden and Bush since it makes Cable cry to actually have to think.

via assets.espn.go.com

McFadden is a speed guy, and though he should definitely be developed to be able to do so, he's not a guy you should be using to pound it up the middle every play. We'll get to that runner in a minute.

Use McFadden's speed to execute plays you couldn't execute with Bush. Hand it off to him in the shotgun; the defense will be spread out and McFadden has the speed to get out of the backfield before the defense gets there. Run stretch plays with him. You have athletic O-Linemen who can move to wherever the run is going to create a path for Mcfadden to blast it outside and turn the corner. Same goes for sweep plays, especially since O'Neal is your lead blocker.

The only time I'd use Mcfadden to go up the middle is if you have three or four WR's on the field to spread the defense out and leave room in the middle for Mcfadden to burst through. Actually, if you've been running all these stretches and pitches, the defense should already be spread out to watch the sides, thus allowing you to keep a lead blocker for the middle runs.

Mcfadden needs to work on tough running and holding onto the ball, but he's a hard working guy so I'm not worried about that.

via imgs.sfgate.com

First of all, you should actually run this guy. More so than McFadden. Bush is a much tougher runner, can pound it up the middle like Cable likes to do, and he's actually pretty fast.

And like I said, he can pound it up the middle. If Cable is so in love with running up the middle, at least use the guy who's 245 pounds and stronger than most linebackers not named Ray Lewis. Plus he can do a lot of the off-tackle running I mentioned earlier. Give him some chances on those runs in between the guard and tackle because Bush is capable of getting out of the backfield decently quickly. Bush can easily find the holes, fire through them, and keep pushing forward.

In a league where it's all about the fight for every inch, you should the put the guy in who fight for every foot.

An interesting theory I've come up with when looking over a lot of film of teams running the ball, I came about something rather interesting. The Giants run Brandon Jacobs from the shotgun frequently.

Why are we not doing this with Bush? He's a tough runner much like Jacobs, and he's actually quite a bit faster. If Jacobs can get out of the shotgun backfield before the defense gets there, what's stopping Bush from doing it even better?

Play to the strengths of your backs, and experiment with stuff like Bush from the shotgun or McFadden in short-yardage when it's during a reasonable point in the game.

Running Defense

I love defense, I love it so much that people have told me that I would be a great defensive coordinator, and this is at age 14 close to 15. And if there's one thing I focus on more than anything else, it's the run defense.

Kinda makes you wonder why I root for a team that does so horribly at what I love most.

And though I probably could be a good D-coordinator, even I couldn't make this team a top-20 run defense in the state it's in.

Two reasons why:

Personnel
Lack of an offense to offer a break for the defense

But we're here to focus on #1 more than #2. Kirk Morrison is not a good middle linebacker by any means. He's not strong enough, he doesn't fill the gaps well enough, he doesn't see the field well enough. Put him outside where he only has to watch half the field and where is speed is better suited for outside runs, after all it work for Oakland's very own Thomas Howard. aka the only linebacker I'd keep at his current role on this team if I coached it.

Kelly and Warren have definitely gotten better thanks to Ellis and Seymour, but neither is the nose tackle this team sorely lacks. Look at Minnesota, 3-0 and they have two of the best nose tackles in the league starting.

Brown, I honestly don't know why he's not more successful. He's fast, the same size as Morrison (actually a little heavier I believe), so it must be the same problem Morrison has. He doesn't fill gaps and doesn't do a good job seeing the field.

Ellis and Seymour are perfectly fine, as are the safeties and corners. Especially since Asomugha and Chris Johnson who are two of the finest tacklers at the cornerback position that I've seen all year.

So what to do? Get a nose tackle, hopefully via the draft, and change Warren to a pass rush specialist. Why not Kelly? Kelly's actually been pretty okay for me. He's better than Warren's been and I wouldn't risk taking him off the field if the defense decides to pull a fast one and throw the ball.

Now what exactly do I mean by nose tackle?

Take a good long look at the following pictures:

via blogs.suntimes.com

via i123.photobucket.com

via i.cdn.turner.com

What you just saw are three of the finest examples of nose tackles in the league, Pat Williams of the Vikings, Casey Hampton of the Steelers, and Haloti Ngata of the Ravens. What stands out other than that these guys are incredibly great players?

They're big yes. But if you look at the size of the shoulders, arms, thighs, and though none of the pictures shows it, the legs, you have to be a muscle man. It's not as simple as getting a 350 pound guy, you need a DT who is strong and capable of throwing the athletic freaks that are the guards and centers of the NFL, to the ground. Nose tackles are guys that can clog the holes, and move O-Linemen so that other holes disappear.

Another thing, and this is Cable's most tired excuse, pad level. He's said it a thousand times, but it's true. You have to be low. DT's have to be low enough that when the ball is snapped they can get under the pads of the O-Linemen and make it harder for them to not only block you, but to push forward. It's easier to push when you're bent down, than it is to be standing upright.

How low are we talking? Take it away my man Ngata.

via masnsports.com

Though admittedly, even he could get a lower if he used a four-point stance. But for DT's that like to get some extra burst on the snap, that's the perfect stance.

In regards to the linebackers, Morrison must be moved to the outside after this season or do some serious bulking up and work on his ability to scan the field and react accordingly. But if the latter doesn't happen, it's time to draft a middle linebacker. if the latter happens but the former doesn't, draft a better outside linebacker than Brown. if you have that much trouble reading and reacting to only half the field then you're not going to get better any time soon.

The proper middle linebacker has to be big (about 250 or 240 if the linebacker can react and tackle quickly), have the strength of a defensive end in a 3-4 (meaning a 265 to 275 pound man), and be able to play the middle zone. Morrison fits the last part of that perfectly and is great in man coverage, but his reaction skills and strength are the issue. So what's the ideal middle linebacker look like?

via www.everyjoe.com

via i.cdn.turner.com

via www.getsportsinfo.com

EJ Henderson of the Vikings, James Farrior of the Steelers, and Antonio Pierce of the Giants. All are guys who can get through the holes on the O-Line to make the tackles, won't get held up for very long; if at all; by fullbacks, and are fast enough to play the middle zone and even play some man. Notice here, big shoulders, well built abdominals, and bulky legs.

All I can suggest for the linebackers is simply wait till next year and hope you can draft someone like Brandon Spikes or a guy that fits the mold of these three players.

So in all reality, the run defense is so broken this year, that it can't really be fixed until next year.

Pass Defense

Really, there's nothing wrong here. The run defense just makes these guys so hesitant to move away from the line of scrimmage that it makes them slow to react to the pass. The pass defense will return to its proper top-10 position once the run defense can stop giving up nearly 200 yards to the likes of Correl Buckhalter.

Now then, I beg and plead to you, the readers of this post, to ask Tyvon Branch to read this article, print out two or three copies, and give one to each of Tom Cable, Al Davis, and JaMarcus Russell. I can guarantee that all of these will translate to success, because it's worked for teams like Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Giants, Jets, etc. Plain and simple, these things work and have worked for just about every team in the league.

If these things don't happen, at least we'll be assured a chance at Brandon Spikes or Colt McCoy. At this point, I feel confident in saying that 3-13 is an incredibly likely record for this year.

Final Note: I ask that anybody that reads and agrees with this rec's this post. The more recs that it gets, maybe the more Tyvon Branch will see how mad we fans are and be more convinced to print this for Cable and Davis.

Wishful thinking I know, but at this point, wishing is all I can do for this team.

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders Friday Injury Report

Tim Lynch — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:35:29 -0000

Come on Knowshon! We need you man!

DENVER BRONCOS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
FB/LB Spencer Larsen	Shoulder	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	OUT
WR Brandon Marshall	Illness	Did Not Participate	Full Participation	Not Listed	Not Listed
WR Brandon Stokley	Thigh	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation	Did Not Participate	Questionable
DL Le Kevin Smith	Knee	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Questionable
S Josh Barrett	Shoulder	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
ILB Mario Haggan	Knee	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
G Ben Hamilton	Hamstring	Full Participation	Did Not Participate	Full Participation	Probable
WR Jabar Gaffney	Finger	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
QB Kyle Orton	Finger	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
G Chris Kuper	Ankle	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
RB Knowshon Moreno	Groin	Not Listed	Not Listed	Did Not Participate	Questionable
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
G Robert Gallery	Fibula	OUT	OUT	OUT	OUT
WR Nick Miller	Shin	OUT	OUT	OUT	OUT
S Hiram Eugene	Calf	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
WR Chaz Schilens	Foot	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	OUT
WR Johnnie Lee Higgins	Shoulder	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Full Participation	Probable
CB Nnamdi Asomugha	Wrist	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
LB Kirk Morrison	Elbow	Full Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
DE Richard Seymour	Legs	Not Listed	Not Listed	Did Not Participate	Probable

STATUS DEFINITIONS:

Did Not Participate
Limited Participation - less than 100% of normal repetitions
Full Participation - 100% of normal reptitions
OUT - player definiately will not play

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders Thursday Injury Report

Tim Lynch — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:37:37 -0000

DENVER BRONCOS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
FB/LB Spencer Larsen	Shoulder	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
WR Brandon Marshall	Illness	Did Not Participate	Full Participation
WR Brandon Stokley	Thigh	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation
DL Le Kevin Smith	Knee	Limited Participation	Limited Participation
S Josh Barrett	Shoulder	Limited Participation	Limited Participation
ILB Mario Haggan	Knee	Full Participation	Full Participation
G Ben Hamilton	Hamstring	Full Participation	Did Not Participate
WR Jabar Gaffney	Finger	Full Participation	Full Participation
QB Kyle Orton	Finger	Full Participation	Full Participation
G Chris Kuper	Ankle	Full Participation	Full Participation
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
G Robert Gallery	Fibula	OUT	OUT
WR Nick Miller	Shin	OUT	OUT
S Hiram Eugene	Calf	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
WR Chaz Schilens	Foot	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
WR Johnnie Lee Higgins	Shoulder	Limited Participation	Limited Participation
CB Nnamdi Asomugha	Wrist	Full Participation	Full Participation
LB Kirk Morrison	Elbow	Full Participation	Full Participation

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders Wednesday Injury Report

Tim Lynch — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:38:33 -0000

Are the Denver Broncos getting....healthy!?

DENVER BRONCOS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
WR Brandon Marshall	Illness	Did Not Participate
WR Brandon Stokely	Thigh	Did Not Participate
DL Le Kevin Smith	Knee	Limited Participation
S Josh Barrett	Shoulder	Limited Participation
ILB Mario Haggan	Knee	Full Participation
G Ben Hamilton	Hamstring	Full Participation
WR Jabar Gaffney	Finger	Full Participation
QB Kyle Orton	Finger	Full Participation
G Chris Kuper	Ankle	Full Participation
OAKLAND RAIDERS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
G Robert Gallery	Fibula	OUT
WR Nick Miller	Shin	OUT
S Hiram Eugene	Calf	Did Not Participate
WR Chaz Schilens	Foot	Did Not Participate
WR Johnnie Lee Higgins	Shoulder	Limited Participation
CB Nnamdi Asomugha	Wrist	Full Participation
LB Kirk Morrison	Elbow	Full Participation

Grading the Raiders: Week 1

KA1Z3R — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:31:25 -0000

After a heart breaking loss against SD on Monday, a lot has been learned of what kind of team the raiders will be this year. And I must say, the future looks bright. In a game that put as at 8th. in the league in rushing, 8th. in total offense, and 19th in total defense and a truly amazing 12th. in rushing yards allowed with only 77, a lot of players played truly outstanding football.

After the jump, I'll grade aspects of the team and players themselves. And I'll even give out a couple awards.

Raiders rushing offense: As previously stated, the Raiders are currently the 8th. best rushing offense in the league, even with the Raiders straying from the run in the second half. Interestingly, there was a nearly dead even split in carries between Bush and Mcfadden. It really gave our rushing attack a personality. 17 carries and 68 yards for McFadden, 12 carries, 55 yards and 1 touchdown for Bush. Even Higgins went for 19 yards on a perfectly executed reverse.

The key thing though, the Chargers were the 11th. ranked rush D last year and still have nearly all the same personnel and even got Burnett and Merriman, even when this team put 8 in the box the Raiders would run and get good yardage. I think it's safe to say that this team, with a physical run blocking O-Line and two dynamic running backs, is a top-5 rushing attack, if would only run the ball more. Mcfadden should have 20 touches, even Bush should have. The pass game was stagnant and even though it was starting to stall in the second half, the run game was still getting positive yardage consistently. Something that rarely happened with Fargas starting.

Grade: A+

Raiders passing offense: This pass offense, instead of picking up where it left off last year, has went back to playing like it did around the time of last year's Jets game. It picked up first downs in the first half, got a couple big plays every now and then, but wasn't consistent. Consistency starts with Russell who seems to think that he'll be sacked any second, though the O-Line was blocking very well for a pass rush as highly touted as the Chargers'.

Russell needs to slow down, get his feet set right, and make nice and calm throws. However, 5 targets to Higgins for no receptions is pretty ghastly on his part. San Diego's secondary is healthy this year unlike it was last year and is good, but those receivers need to get better separation. Luckily, they'll be able to work on that with teams like Denver and KC, who weren't exactly stunning keeping receivers from separating.

How insanely awesome is Zach Miller? 6 receptions for 96 yards and no drops that I can recall. Even in a game where the passing game struggled quite a bit, Miller nearly pulls off a 100 yard game. This not only speaks of his receiving skills, but the O-Line's blocking. I barely ever recall Miller staying in to block very often. The line kept Russell's jersey clean except for 1 sack by Nwagbuo.

Murphy's great rookie debut and Miller's ever impressive play keeps the passing game from being a total failure.

Grade: B-

Raiders rushing D: What can be said of the run D other than that it was phenomenal. And against the highly touted Tomlinson-Sproles tandem. 12th. best in the league against what was supposedly one of the better ground attacks in the league. Reason why, inspired play by a young D which was just out there having fun.

Seymour and Scott's high levels of enthusiasm, Branch's intensity and ability to burst right up to the line, Howard's speed finally being put to use properly, there was just so much right with this group. Marshall's talk of working on proper gap management and being in the right place is really paying dividends. The Raiders played extremely physical football and were flat out violent in the run game.

Grade: A+

Raiders pass D: Other than the last couple drives in the fourth and that one TD pass to Gates for a TD, I was very impressed by the pass D. Jackson and Chambers especially were shut down for the most part, thouh Nnamdi gave up a TD. Don't worry though, Nnamdi is still the best. But when you go and play your heart out for 3 minutes or so and then only get about two minutes worth of rest, you can't really be expected to keep playing at the same level all game long.

Chris Johnson, though he had a couple miscues against Naanee, I think is going to be a good corner this year. He made some good plays and held up very well in coverage. And even Huff was impressive. Good tackling, a fumble recovery, and an interception. Huff basically played the best game of his career. Might we see him make a couple starts at FS if this continues?

Pass rush was phenomenal, and with only a four man rush. Though that four man rush was the equivalent of a six man rush. Seymour, Kelly, Warren, Ellis, Scott, Shauguhnessy, Bryant, they all did tremendous in both run situations and pass downs. If they can keep playing like this, games against Pittsburgh, Washington, and Houston just got a whole lot easier.

Grade: A-

Special Teams: Not much to say here other than our return game needs some more umph to it, and we're going to have to pray every time we kick the ball off.

Grade: C

Overall team grade: B+

Player Awards:

Offensive standout player: Mario Henderson. Though we expected him to play good ball this year, 0 sacks given up and barely gave up any pressure against people like Phillips, Merriman, and even Castillo on occasion. This was game that would rest on his and Gallery's shoulders. Gallery was impressive as well, but Henderson was absolutely dominating. He's as good as it gets at left tackle.

Defensive standout player: Tyvon Branch. I could've easily picked Huff, Seymour, Ellis, or Chris Johnson, but Branch made me feel a whole lot better about the safety position this year. Great in coverage against arguably one of the best tight ends in the league, very solid tackling both in the secondary and even at the line of scrimmage. Branch is the strong safety we've been craving for a long time. Faster and more dynamic than what Gibril Wilson was in the running game, and better in coverage than Huff ever was. If he can continue this throughout the course of the year, he can expect more of these awards to come his way.

Most disappointing player: Kirk Morrison. I could have said Russell, or Green, or Heyward-Bey. But really they met my low expectations. Morrison however was not showing up at all. Only two tackles for a middle linebacker, the guy who's supposed to be all over the field on defense? i know his elbow is still injured, but that doesn't stop him from moving around to get in guy's ways. He wasn't playing at full speed, and for a defense that was so electric, he seemed fairly lax. I'm going to pin it as an off-night and look for more from him next week.

Role Model: Thomas Howard. He set the tone for the defense on Monday. Howard was all over the field and had a monster game with 7 tackles, 2 assists, and a pass defense. He was jazzed up and you could just feel his positive energy being spread throughout the defense. He was jumping around, smiling, celebrating with teammates; if anybody came away from that game happy it had to be him. I really hope to see much of the same from him next week.

Rookie of the Game award: Matt Shaughnessy. Two times he flushed Rivers from the pocket, two times he forced bad passes, and he wasn't too shabby against the run either. I know you all expected this to go to Louis Murphy, but Shaughnessy to me was just going to be a backup guy who wouldn't even be part of the rotation. Now, I want him to see the field frequently. Great pass rush, especially for the #4 DE, and unlike previous Raider D-Line rotations, was not a pushover against the run. He actually filled his gaps rather well. Maybe instead of Richardson and Scott as the DE's of the future, we might see Shaughnessy and Scott.

MVP: Richard Seymour. Only here two days and he gets two sacks, plays the run very well, was always forcing pressure non-stop, and really played like a leader on the defense. Imagine how he'll play when he really gets to know the team and gets fully immersed in the scheme and playbook. I expect to be putting his name by the MVP award a lot this year.

Well that wraps things up here. Look for another edition of Grading the Raiders next week after the KC game.

Raiders Q&A with Silver and Black Pride

John (obviousman) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:22:00 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

4 months ago: Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden runs during NFL football training camp in Napa, Calif., Thursday, July 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Browse more photos »

The day is finally here and tonight the San Diego Chargers' season begins. I've been counting down the days to this game for 8 months now, and I'm happy the Bolts are getting the season started by playing a team that they've beaten easily in years past. However, with the Broncos getting an unlikely win yesterday and the Chiefs playing tight with Baltimore, we can't be too confident heading into this AFC West matchup.

I talked with TheRaiderWay from Silver and Black Pride, SB Nation's Oakland Raiders community, about all of the issues the team is dealing with currently and what to expect from the team in 2009:

Last year, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would've rated the Raiders offensive line as a 1 at best. Robert Gallery needs help. Do you think this year's group is improved over last year's?
At a minimum, it is addition by subtraction by getting rid of Kwame Harris. We are very satisfied with LT Mario Henderson and are excited with his continual progress. Left tackle has been a problem for years and if Mario can continue his solid play from last season, then a major part of the line's problems will be settled. Our concern is over at right tackle. Cornell Green is at best an average backup and in no way should be starting.

As the prototypical 3-4 Defensive End, where does Richard Seymour fit into the Raiders' defense?
Well, the Raiders say they are going to play him at RDE to maximize and then have him part of the rotation where in passing downs he can then slide down to DT. Stopping the run is the Raiders problem and having Seymour anywhere along the line can only improve that problem.

The rest of his insightful answers lay after the jump.

Do you think Darrius Heyward-Bey is a better WR prospect than Michael Crabtree?
For the Raiders system, definitely. It may take him a couple of years to master his position, but when he does, I believe he will be an elite receiver.

Is this JaMarcus Russell's breakout season? Why?
We sure hope so, it has to be and it better be. The Raiders have made every effort to surround JaMarcus with all the tools and weapons to be a success. The first major factor was bringing in QB coach Paul Hackett to properly teach Russell the pro game and the necessary fundamentals, both physical and mental. Next, the Raiders designed the offense to fit his skill set. The Raiders will be primarily a running team and that should help Russell's game. Having upgraded the wide receiver position and with improved line play, Russell should be an efficient QB this season. He will not need to be a superstar this season, he just needs to be able to manage the game and be as mistake free as possible, kind of in the way Joe Flacco has done for the Ravens.

The Raiders seem to have talent everywhere. The CBs are great, the LBs might be better (SDSU fans miss Kirk Morrison) and the defensive line just added a Pro Bowler. Also, nobody doubts that Russell has a cannon for an arm, nor that he has some talented receivers to throw to, nor that Oakland's trio of running backs are formidable. What's missing with this team? What's the weakness keeping them from being more consistent?
The short answer is the experience of winning, which has been lacking for most of the players on the current team. The team will win a game one week and then be a completely different team the next week because they just don't have enough experience of winning to know how to handle it on a consistent basis. Bringing in Greg Ellis and Seymour, veterans that know how to win, will be a major boon to the team on the field and in the locker room. As far as positions go, the safety position is talented but lacking experience and depth at linebacker is a serious concern.

Do the Raiders' fans still like and trust in Al Davis?
That's always a subject for much debate with opinions that are polar opposites. Al Davis is the Raiders as much as the Raiders are Al Davis and nothing is going to change that as long as he is alive. I will say, that I know of no other owner that has the desire to win as much as Al Davis does and while currently the results are not there, it's not from lack of trying.

Should Tom Cable be suspended by the league for breaking the jaw of one of his assistant coaches?
All the facts are not in yet so it's hard to just speculate, but if he did commit a crime then yes, he should be suspended.

Horse Tracks 8/25/09 - Transactions all across the AFC West; Broncos waive WR Travis Shelton and claim DB Antwain Spann

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:47:47 -0000

DB - Broncos Claim Spann Off Waivers - Gray Caldwell

DB - Mile High Debut - Patrick Smyth
Fun facts about this week's matchup versus the Bears.

DB - Steps Forward - Mike Rice
Rice offers his even-keeled thoughts on the Broncos and their progress through two preseason games.

DP - Coaching breaks Nalen's silence - Terry Frei
Tom Nalen is thrilled to be coaching the O-Line at Denver South High. Obviously, he wanted to retire with zero fanfare, but hopefully there will be some sort of ceremony at the Big IF for Nalen. How fast can they put him into the Ring?

DP - Turnover margin troubling for Broncos - Lindsay Jones
It's the same story, every year. Hopefully 2009 is when it changes?

DP - Mailbag: Who's the real Kyle Orton? - Mike Klis

DB - The Marathon Hasn’t Even Begun - Jim Saccomano

CSG - Cutler's return brings an edge to Bears-Broncos preseason game - Frank Schwab
Jay Cutler is coming to town this week? Wow, who knew?!?!

DP - Broncos' starters busy with plenty of preseason work
The first teamers have logged plenty of minutes thus far. Meanwhile, Robert Ayers is still catching up in learning his assignments within the defense.

DP - Teammates' praise enough for Wright - Irv Moss
Moss profiles Broncos legend Louis Wright.

CSG - Broncos nose tackle offers life lessons to Liberty football squad - Justin Pederson
Chris Baker visited Liberty High in CO Springs.

AP - Broncos Have Troubles As They Prepare For Cutler - Arnie Stapleton

KDVR - Denver Broncos vs. Chicago Bears Preview: Jay Cutler Week - Chris Tanaka

ESPN - Broncos in tough spot with Marshall - John Clayton
Although he was impressed by the Broncos' offense on Saturday, Clayton apparently didn't think much of the defense. Oh, and he thinks the Broncos should trade BMarsh.

ESPN - Breaking down the Broncos' game - Bill Williamson
This is rich...Pork Chop says Matt Prater's FG on Saturday "could go a long way in helping him make the team." As the only PK on the team, I'd say Prater's chances were already pretty good...

AFC West News

SDUT - Rivers happy to get long-term deal done - Kevin Acee
Phil Rivers will receive $38.5 million in guarantees as part of a six-year, $92 million deal which extends his contract through 2015. Just remember, folks - guy's started three seasons and won three division titles. Oh, and he led the NFL in passing last year.

SDUT - Chargers' window of opportunity just got clearer - Tim Sullivan

SDUT - Cornerback Cletis Gordon released - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Quotes from Rivers press conference - Kevin Acee

NFL - Chargers lock up Rivers with six-year, $92 million extension

KCS - Haley says nobody has officially made the Chiefs team yet - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chiefs make trade to bolster offensive line - Kent Babb
The Chefs acquired OGs Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe from the Dolphins for an undisclosed 2010 draft choice; to make room, they released OT Brian de la Puente and LB Vince Redd.

SFC - Walker tests his knee - David White

CCT - Raiders notebook: New linebacker long ago gathered the Moss - Steve Corkran
Jokeland brought back LB Napoleon Harris after Kirk Morrison dislocated his elbow. To make room, they released recently-signed CB RIcky Manning, Jr.

NFL Results

NFL - New York Jets 23 at Baltimore Ravens 24
Mark Sanchez tosses one TD and one INT while struggling in his starting debut.

NFL News

NFL - 49ers will go with Hill as starting QB to open season

NFL - Seahawks add Edgerrin James, part ways with T.J. Duckett

NFL - Shawn Andrews says he'll be ready to play opener

NFL - Godfrey has surgery for broken hand; Beason sits out practice

NFL - Vikings' Favre expected to see more playing time vs. Texans

NFL - Bengals, Palmer cautious with ankle injury in preparation for opener

NFL - Rams DE Little hurts knee, but injury not considered serious

Y! - Unemployed Marvin Harrison generating little interest - Jason Cole

ESPN - Plaxico Burress says club security knew he had a gun the night he shot himself in the leg

NFL Opinion

NFP - NFL Notebook: time for Bucs to pick a QB - Matt Bowen
Bowen was impressed by Kyle Orton's performance on Saturday.

NFP - Diner morning news: A look at odds - Mike Lombardi
Lombardi thinks Vegas is a little too down on the Broncos

Y! - Freeman impresses as Bucs start new era - Jason Cole

NFL - Hasselbeck, Romo impress, but Browns' QB situation harder to clear up - Pat Kirwan

NFL - Health, age could prevent storybook ending for Favre - Jason La Canfora

Y! - Steven Jackson not ready for extinction - Charles Robinson

NFP - Tavern talk: almost blue list - Mike Lombardi

FOX - Mailbag: Glazer on Warner, Favre, Romo and more - Jay Glazer

PFW - Harvin adds versatility, excitement to Vikings

FOX - CAMP SIGHTS: Could Peterson catch Emmitt? - Alex Marvez
Seriously? Isn't it at least 5 years too early to even think about this?

NYT - Lab Results, Atlanta Falcons - KC Joyner

CBS - 49ers camp report: Counting on Gore to end running joke - Clark Judge

ESPN - Bengals mired in mediocrity - Elizabeth Merrill

NFP - First-rounders are cashing in - Andrew Brandt
Tell me you can look at the picture of B.J. Raji without laughing...

CBS - Hey governor, right this wrong: Please pardon Plaxico - Mike Freeman

SI - Cris Collinsworth ready for comparisons to John Madden - Richard Deitsch

NFP - 2009 NFP scouting series: Georgia Tech - Wes Bunting

NFC West Position-by-Position: Inside Linebackers

Hawkwind — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:28:48 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Arizona Cardinals' Karlos Dansby (front) warms up with teammate Ali Highsmith (left)before practice. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Browse more photos »

Our weekly breakdown of the NFC West moves to the inside linebackers today where the Arizona Cardinals boast two of their most experience and accomplished defenders. Karlos Dansby and Gerald Hayes have combined to start 124 games for the Cardinals in the past three seasons and they will be a huge key to this defense being an improved unit in 2009. With the loss of Monty Beisel to the Chiefs in the off season, the Red Birds are left without a veteran backup but there is some youth in the pipeline, but how do they compare to the rest of the NFC West?

Arizona Cardinals

For at least one more season the Arizona Cardinals should boast an inside linebacking crew that well above average, at least as far as the starters are concerned. I say for at least one more season because it's pretty clear that Karlos Dansby is ready and waiting to jump into what he hopes is a very lucrative free agent pool in next year's uncapped NFL. He's quietly become one of the better inside linebackers in the league and there's no reason to think that this season couldn't be his best yet. As you'd expect from an inside backer, Dansby is capable of making plays from sideline to sideline and he can deliver a significant blow once he reaches the ball carrier. What sets him apart from many backers though is his ability to rush the pass just as well as he plays the run or drops into coverage. There are a certain faction of fans that even champion moving him to the OLB spot in the Cardinals new 3-4 defense since he'd likely be the pass rusher on the team from the outside. Despite the backwoods campaign though Dansby isn't moving and the Cardinals are expecting big things out of the 27 year old backer, especially considering that they're paying him almost ten million dollars this season.

The unsung hero of the Cardinals defense for the past several years is Gerald Hayes. Since missing the entire 2005 season with in injury, he's played in 46 of 48 games and averaged 93 tackles per season. He isn't flashy or dynamic but he's the proverbial 'thumper' in the middle of the Cards defense and he'll jar a couple of fumbles loose every season with his punishing hits. He's at his best when he can diagnose a play in front of him and move downhill towards the ball and along the same lines he's a decent pass rusher, although he'll prefer to run over a defender as opposed to running around or spinning around them. He's not necessarily a 'two down' backer but the Cardinals use Adrian Wilson like a linebacker on passing downs so Hayes will come off field at times in those situations. You won't find Hayes on Sportscenter but he's one of the 'glue' guys that hold this defense together.

The Cardinals lost their top backup LB, Monty Beisel, to the Chiefs in free agency so their depth is a bit thin. Ali Highsmith and/or Victor Hobson should get the first shot at backing up Dansby and Hayes. Highsmith, an undrafted rookie last year, showed promise during the preseason last year and was making a name for himself on special teams before a torn ACL ended his season prematurely. The biggest question for him will be his health and how much size he's put on during his first season of professional ball. Hobson is a veteran of the 3-4 defense and had a 100 tackle, six sack season in 2006, but since then he's been cut by the Jets, Patriots and Bengals. He played on the outside in 2006 but the Cardinals think that with his size (6-0, 254) he'll be better utilized on the inside. Also on the radar is Pago Togafua but his lack of size (5-10, 240) suggests that he's nothing more than a special team's contributor. Two undrafted free agents are also in the picture, Reggie Walker and Chase Bullock, but it's hard to tell how much of an impact they will make. With the lack of quality depth anything is possible though.

Overall the Cardinals have a very solid starting duo (dare I say A-range) but the depth leaves quite a bit to be desired. Taking that into consideration I can't go any higher than a grade of B.

San Francisco 49ers - Niners Nation

The 49ers probably don't have a ton of depth at inside linebacker. However, the players they go with put them in a great position to succeed. The 49ers start Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes at the two inside linebacker positions. If you don't know what Patrick Willis brings to the table, you've missed out on some impressive football. Bamm Bamm (labeled by pre-Ocho Cinco Chad Johnson) is a tackling machine. Obviously he's played with some sorry talent at times, but even still, he set the single season record for tackles as a rookie (since tackles have been recorded). He seems to have a nose for the ball combined with great closing ability. There have been countless instances of Willis tracking down a running back just as they're about to turn the corner for a big gain. That closing ability (and never say die attitude) was shown on a national stage his rookie season when he ran down Cardinals WR Sean Morey in overtime to save a touchdown (leading to a missed Rackers FG). The one area he can improve on is his pass coverage, but even that has been improving. I could write for days about the greatness that is Bamm Bamm, but I'll just leave it with that.

Takeo Spikes was signed at the beginning of training camp last season to compete for the Ted position in the 3-4. The previous Ted had been Derek Smith who put up decent tackling numbers, but was clearly running out of gas when the team drafted Willis. Spikes was coming off a season-ending injury in Philadelphia, but you never would have guessed it by the end of 2008. Spikes tied for second on the team in tackles and was tied for the lead in interceptions (probably not a good thing). He's brought an outspoken veteran leadership to the defense that complements the blue collar quiet leader Justin Smith. Spikes will eventually lose a step or two, but at this point, at the age of 32, he's still running strong. It probably helps that he doesn't have to be the key playmaker. Defenses will game-plan around Willis, leaving Spikes to continue making plays.

There is a significant drop-off after the starters, at least for now. The team drafted Scott McKillop in the fifth round out of Pitt to basically be the Ted linebacker of the future, once Spikes is put out to pasture. I'd imagine 2009 will see McKillop get a lot of time on special teams, and the occasional bit of mop-up duty (hopefully the good kind) on defense. He's a tough tackler who would seem to eventually fit in nicely next to Patrick Willis.

Jeff Ulbrich was going to be given a chance to compete for the starting Ted position last season but never really had the chance once Spikes was brought in. Ulbrich is a senior 49er, entering his 10th season with the team. He actually took a pay cut to avoid getting released, which is important because of his special teams prowess. He's a blue collar linebacker who does the little things for the team. He'll never be a flashy stand-out, but the 49ers don't really need that at this point. Aside from Ulbrich, Ahmad Brooks has spent some time as an inside linebacker, but will likely have his best crack of joining the roster as an outside linebacker. Beyond that, the 49ers have some roster fodder in guys like Mark Washington and Justin Roland; guys who might have a chance at the practice squad, but likely not much else.

The 49ers don't have a ton of depth at inside linebacker. If Patrick Willis were to go down, the team would be in a whole heap load of trouble. Nonetheless, Willis is a tough guy who has played through pain in the past. Additionally, guys like Ulbrich and McKillop will be able to spell an older veteran like Takeo Spikes. That helps the grade, but the talent that is starting for the 49ers alone gives me sufficient reason to grade them out as an A unit.

St. Louis Rams - Turf Show Times

In a division trademarked for its linebackers, the St. Louis Rams were embarrassingly substandard last year, thanks to poor decision making that left Will Witherspoon in the middle and arrogantly allowed an emerging Brandon Chillar to flee for greener, more frozen pastures. Addressing the situation at linebacker has been a top off season priority for the defensive-minded new regime led by head coach Steve Spagnuolo and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole.

The Rams made their first big move of the off season when they announced that Will Witherspoon would be moved back to his natural position on the weak side. That move was deemed so important, it happened before the free agent free for all and well ahead of the draft. The move will free up the athletic Witherspoon from having to take on huskier linemen and lead blockers in the middle, where he was long miscast with the Rams. Besides giving the team a more effective LB in coverage and pursuit, Witherspoon's presence on the outside gives them another threat to rush the passer. He won't likely top his career high 7 sacks from 2007, but he'll get plenty of work in the attack-first system. He's also being reunited with Ken Flajole, his linebackers coach with the Panthers.

The Rams have desperately needed a true middle linebacker and snagged their man, James Laurinaitis, with their second round pick. He has the size and ability to read and react well to action in the gaps in front of him, and displayed real talent against the run and in coverage. Most importantly, Little Animal has the intelligence and football acumen to be the "field general" that Spagnuolo has traditionally asked his middle linebackers to play. Laurinaitis won't be known for bone crushing hits like Rey Maualuga, the other top MLB in this year's draft, but he's a solid tackler and a tough player. Lots of draft pundits felt like NFL success early on was a realistic expectation for Laurinaitis. He's currently working out with the second team, but no one expects him to stay there. Early reports have been very positive.

On the strong side, the picture gets muddled after the release of Pisa Tinoisamoa, deemed a less-than-perfect fit for the new defensive scheme. Though Pisa was a contributor, it's easy to forget that he battled consistency from week to week and often had trouble with blown gap assignments and bigger, more physical blockers. Right now, three players are vying for the SLB spot in the starting lineup. Veteran Chris Draft tops the list at the moment, but his ability to play all three positions likely keeps him in the all-important utility role. Larry Grant, a 49ers cast off picked up to bolster special teams last year, is another candidate for the job thanks to an impressive work ethic (a commodity valued immensely by the new coaching staff), a good spring and strong, yet unheralded performances with the team last year. Don't discount the something-to-prove factor at play here as Grant gets the chance to see the 49ers twice a year. He was also a teammate of Laurinaitis at Ohio State. The third entrant in the SLB sweepstakes is last year's Mr. Irrelevant, David Vobora. The former Idaho Vandal saw action on special teams last year and in the LB rotation for 8 games. He ended up starting a game down the stretch - partly for an audition, partly out of need - and racked up 5 tackles, 4 solo, in a tight game against the Dolphins.

Vobora and Grant should both make the roster, regardless of who gets the starting job. After those five, the depth chart is rounded out by Quinton Culberson and Chris Chamberlain. Culberson was tapped to start on the strongside at the beginning of last year, but was promptly replaced. He has talent that needs to be honed into a more consistent product. He'll have the chance to do that in camp this year, but if he can't put it together Culberson will be another casualty of regime change. Chamberlain is another seventh round pick from last year. He may get some work in the rotation given his play in coverage, but he'll be counted on to step up his strong special teams play from last year. There are a couple of other names in the mix from undrafted rookie pool, the most intriguing among them being Mississippi State's Dominic Douglas, who led the SEC in tackles last season.

The Rams are in a much better place with their linebackers than they have been in a long, long time, thanks mostly to the addition of Laurinaitis and Witherspoon's move back to his natural spot. There are still very real concerns about depth here, and it would surprise no one to see the team pluck a roster casualty when teams start making cuts this fall. Spagnuolo and Flajole have reputations for finding diamonds in the rough among defensive players and their success with linebackers is being counted upon here.

Seattle Seahawks - Field Gulls

Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu started his career with three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. His fourth season was shot to s--t to by injuries. Tatupu badly bruised his knee in week three of the preseason. At the time the diagnosis was a relief, but a bone bruise is painful and can linger for months. Tatupu was listed as probable for the first two weeks of the season. He broke his thumb against Buffalo and didn't have surgery to repair it until January. As of April 9, 2009, he was still wearing a cast. In week seven at Tampa Bay, Tatupu suffered a concussion in the second quarter and missed the remainder of the game. He played in week eight against San Francisco, but was again forced out of action in the first half. This time Tatupu suffered a strained groin. Tatupu appeared as "questionable" in week nine and didn't play against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the first missed game of his career.

To some-and most confoundingly so-that validated their belief that Tatupu is overrated. It's a label that started at the 2005 NFL Combine. Tatupu measured an eighth of an inch shorter than six feet and weighed a stocky, but small for a linebacker, 238. His forty time, 4.83, is surpassed by some linemen. That led Tim Ruskell's decision to trade up to acquire Lofa Tatupu in the middle of the second round to be widely criticized by draft pundits and those that ape their opinions. His early success and quick fame fueled the backlash.

Now, Pro Bowls are not a particularly keen measure of talent. Many scouts are dubious that Tatupu is an elite middle linebacker. His range isn't exceptional. Even in his better seasons, his tackle numbers are pedestrian and that's always going to be the money number for linebackers. It shouldn't be.

Some players produce tackles all over the field. Others are just cleaning up. Oakland Raiders Kirk Morrison and Gibril Wilson ranked fifth and sixth in total tackles for 2008. Their team ranked first in opponent rushing attempts and 27th in rushing yards allowed per attempt. Their run defense sucked. Morrison and Wilson converted the tackles others didn't.

Tatupu makes productive tackles. He doesn't get too far outside the tackles box, but the ball carrier doesn't get too far from the line of scrimmage either. In 2007, he was involved in 63 fewer plays, but had the same number of defeats* as Patrick Willis: 30. He stopped 66 runs and those runs averaged just 2.2 yards.

Tatupu also excels against the pass. He has nine interceptions and 29 passes defended over four seasons. He is smart and disciplined in a zone and makes up for his average speed with great decision making and precise angles. Tatupu is mostly a support blitzer: Bating the lead blocker or pressuring and sometimes hitting, but rarely converting the sack.

What makes Tatupu special though is his leadership. I shy from celebrating what is often a media creation, but Tatupu isn't a presence or a legend, he's player that smartly audibles stunts, picks out routes and points out plays before they happen. That is, he isn't the kind of leader that contributes swagger, he's the kind that teaches, directs and maximizes the talent around him. Kind of like Mike Singletary...

Mike Singletary the player, that is.

Seattle's depth is debatable. D.D. Lewis is a serviceable starter at all three linebacker positions that has improved as a run stopper and is capable enough in pass pro. David Hawthorne is a hard hitting run stopper that's not yet ready for Sunday. The wild card is Aaron Curry. A player that probably could play middle linebacker in a pinch, and like almost everything football related, would be damn good at it. But no one expects Tatupu to miss time, and so because Seattle is starting a Hall of Fame-potential middle linebacker in his prime, I'm giving the Seahawks an A+ -- rules be damned.

The rankings were tough, as you could imagine, with several high quality linebackers in the division but in the end it came down a neck and neck top two, a close third and a distant fourth.

Seattle
San Francisco
Arizona
St. Louis

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's a tough competition with Tatupa, Willis and Dansby in the middle but all three are very good linebackers and should have their best days ahead of them. The Cardinals were hurt by a lack up depth but hopefully someone like Highsmith or Hobson can step up and become a dependable third option. How would you have ranked the units? How far would the Cardinals fall without Dansby?