Denver Broncos Defense Making A Name With No Name Players

We spent a full season slobbering over the other worldly exploits of the Manning they call Peyton

When Manning is long gone..I'll be stuck on the Broncos

, but remain curious as to whether he will shake the label that keeps his little brother (and dad) in the debate as the greatest Manning quarterback of all time.  So long as that debate rages on, this Bronco fan is focusing on the team that I will love and support long after Peyton decides to poop or get off the pot. That being said, it is time that we share some of the same adoration saliva that we spilled on Manning and lather it all over our defense.

Ready for some drooling?

The Denver defense is proving to me that they are the best in the league.  Yeah, I said it!  The best in the league.

You need proof?  Well, I don't have the actual film review that play graders use when evaluating performance, but trust me when I tell you that I watch the game VERY closely.  My expertise may be in basketball, but my passion is the Broncos from as far back as I can remember.  In my own football humility, I sat quietly in the background over the years that the great "shut down" cornerbacks like Deion Sanders and Darrell Green ruled the roost. There became a great debate over who dictates QB pressure, the pass rush or the cover corners who buy time for the rush?  By the time the debate came to an exhausted conclusion, it became clear that no one had a definitive answer for why great pass rushers can create pressure or why great cover guys force QB's to only see half of the field.

Bradley Roby made the grade...and Kayvon Webster into a forgotten backup

This fly on that proverbial wall did not leave that conversation without taking notes about football, and for years I have been imagining the team that could do both.  Yeah, I know you think Seattle has that team, but they don't.  These guys are stout up front and mean in the secondary, but they can be burned in one-on-one coverage, and the film has forced every team towards that approach when playing the Seahawks (who fell to the Dallas Cowboys yesterday).

Do you remember a Bronco named Kayvon Webster?
 If you forgot about this guy, who played well for the Broncos in the Superbowl last year, it is because of another cat that we are getting to know, despite rarely getting to hear his name.  Bradley Roby could be exactly what we thought we drafted, and it might have already clicked in for this dominant, starting rookie.  If Roby is good than Chris Harris Jr. is great, and his stature among DB's in the league says that Denver already has a top 5 cornerback.  Aqib Talib and TJ Ward are footnotes in this paragraph because of the dominance of my first two examples, but I guarantee you that both New England  and Cleveland are sad when they witness what their former players are now doing in Denver.

Who is Quanterus Smith, and is he the reason Vonn Miller is back already?

The secondary will only get better, but they are not nearly as dominant as the front four is right now, so forget about those guys for now.

Demarcus Ware and Vonn Miller?!  Nuff said.  Terrance Knighton will go to the Pro Bowl because NO ONE can run against the Broncos.  He might take Derek Wolfe with him after yesterday because there was a definite Wolfe sighting in New York.

But forget about those guys too.

Who is this Smith dude that had to come into the game when Vonn Miller got his bell rung?  When I witnessed Vonn falling a try to stay up, I was curious about who would fill that spot, and if the Jets would instantly attack the Broncos with Miller missing.  The very next play after Vonn went  out resulted in a Demarcus Ware sack.  Ware got credit for the sack, but Mr. Smith created the pressure that forced it to happen.

By the time I Googled to find the name Quanterus Smith connected to #93 of the Broncos, I started to shake my head at the embarrassment of riches.  Quanterus Smith is the easiest explanation to why Vonn Miller got his game back so quickly, and why he tried to stay in the game when he got his bell rung.  This unknown dude can play and seems more powerful than Miller, which allows him to create pressure without compromising his lane assignment.  The New York Jets defense was rather impressive as well, but they seemed emboldened by the exploits of the best defensive coach in the game with Rex Ryan.  Any time you make it tough to score, you  indirectly make it easier for your offense to score by giving the ball back to them over and over again.  Sometimes good defenses will stifle scoring, other times it forces frenetic scoring patterns like it did in New York against the Jets.

What separates the good defenses from the great ones is the ability to take the ball away, and that has yet to become a trademark of Denver's D.  In New England, they teach this skill to a level that nearly neutralizes their defensive weaknesses, but gamblers always crap out eventually. If Denver never improves in this area, it will only matter if we continue to put the ball on the ground while trying to develop a solid run game.  The turnover battle does not really have to be won, it simply cannot be lost.

After 6 weeks of football, it might be a bit early to determine who the best defense in the league really is, but thus far, I will take the Denver defense over any of them for both current performance and immense upside.    The better your defense performs, the more likely any coach is to honor their efforts with a solid run game.  Since the Broncos finally got a 100+ yard rushing performance, Fox will have to finally honor to the new MVP of Denver and give them the respect, and consistent run support that great defenses demand.

Denver Broncos Selection Of Ohio States' Bradley Roby Brings Hope For Future And Vision's Of Past.

Darrent Demarcus Williams
(September 27, 1982 – January 1, 2007)

Check the NFL pay scale and you would realize that the trend has changed relative to who gets the big coin.  Running backs used to be hot items but are seen as a dime a dozen and highly replaceable in a league in which throwing is a major commodity. The age of the every down running back is a misnomer because no every down back ever makes it to mid-season without injury.  Teams are following the blueprint of the champion and shoring up their secondary as a means of addressing a pass happy league.  Consequently, defensive backs (and great pass catchers) are expensive items in today's NFL.

I  refuse to do any draft analysis because the truth about these guys is lost in the sweat and tears of some future locker room that promises rookie players a dynamic much more demanding than simply lining up to play the game they grew to love as kids.  If you survive to remain in the professional ranks of any sport, you have to be cut from a cloth different than the average athlete.  Millions play sports, but few reach and remain professionals.

Though prospective athletes are as numerous as the stars in the sky,  special players seem to shine brighter than the rest.  Sometimes before they even step onto the field of play they begin to display their wares.  In a league that has the microscope focused on the quarterback and his targets, defensive backs and receivers are now the diva's they've seen themselves as all along. The fact that Roby is called cocky and considers himself an elite diva is not inherently dangerous.  Denver's draft (and free agent signings) give's me hope for a future gem, but it also make me dream of jewels from the past.

Dreaming of  another Demarcus.

Speaking of displaying wares, (Denver free agent signee) Demarcus Ware is an exceptional athlete who has shined brightly over the years even if he is losing luster fast.  Before Demarcus came to Denver,  there was another before him. When the Broncos took a chance on Bradley Roby,  a high caliber talent with a low caliber reputation, I couldn't help but wonder if Denver will be a great place for someone already straddled with a short leash? Drafted at #31 in the first round out of Ohio State, defensive back Roby is a world class talent with immense potential.  He fell to Denver because several teams prior decided that he wasn't worth the risk. ESPN analyst and former NFL player Tedi Brusci repeatedly used the description "knucklehead" when discussing Denver's selection of Roby.  In other words, Darrent Demarcus Williams he is not.

What those teams who passed on Roby believed is that he might be more like Brandon Marshall. Denver drafted Marshall and proceeded to watch his amazing talents wage war with his immaturity at the time.  Though Marshall has sought counseling over the years to capture some semblance of a respectable career for himself, he will always be known as the loud mouth knuckle head that got Darrent Williams murdered.


In Roby, the Broncos look to finally replace their fallen comrade, except we are taking our chances on another Brandon Marshall type hoping to replace what we already had in the fold; a top notch, playmaking cornerback with a great work ethic, leadership and understanding of TEAM. The only thing the Broncos can assure you about Roby is that he is a playmaker.  Suddenly vision's of Deltha O'Neal are flashing through my head as I envision the team that Roby will eventually thrive under. O'Neal could play, but Denver (the team and the city) grew tired of his act. The only thing carrying Von Miller through his weed smoking dilemna is the state he did it in and the immense talent that demands a second chance.  Lesser athletes would have been crucified by the wholesome image that the mile high city (go figure) demands in its athletes.

This whole draft has me lost in a dream because it begs the hope out of a hopeless hoper like me.  We hope that all of these draft picks turn out to be diamonds and not thrown onto the scrap heap of past draft day failures (Tommy Maddox, George Foster, Maurice Clarett, Dan Williams, Marcus Nash, Willie Middlebrooks, Jarvis Moss, etc, etc, etc.). Over at cornerback, I am dreaming of another Demarcus.

Darrent Demarcus Williams would be a 32 year old veteran staring at the waning moments of his career were he alive today.  He would have been the Dominique Rodgers Cromardie that we are hoping Bradley Roby can replace. Without question, Williams would have been a valuable leader for a defense that saw its captain benched for a journeyman backup last year. This season that captain (Wesley Woodyard) is no longer with the team, and the de facto captain, Champ Bailey,will finish his waning years in New Orleans and not Denver

Can Roby live up to his talent and overcome the trappings of success?  Darrent Williams lived up to his talent, but still got caught in the cross fire of gun play.

In the rattling noise of an evil spraying of bullets, Darrent Williams ascended from football player into Colorado legend, revered for his amazing spirit and infectious smile. For years it was easy to lament the fallen man while forbidden to talk about the loss of a football player because what the gunman stole from us made football pale in comparison. Although greatness always makes a way for itself, football was the reason we came to know Williams. 7 years after his death, it might be time to remember Williams the person and the player.

He was a special human being on a special journey for a special purpose.  Who know's what happens to Marshall absent the impact of the death of Williams? What I do know for certain is that great people often leave a mark, and leave this earth, sooner than later.  Darrent Demarcus Williams did both.

Bradley Roby does not have to be the second coming of Darrent Williams to fulfill his promise even if his talents suggest that he can. Bradley Roby will have to avoid Brandon Marshall comparison's so that we (and he) can truly enjoy his time in Denver.