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Sources: Broncos go with Bates

Ex-Green Bay, Miami coordinator will direct the defense

Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 11, 2007 at midnight

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With other teams circling, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan moved quickly to find Larry Coyer's replacement to run the defense.

Former Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates is expected to be named assistant head coach/ defense in the coming days, possibly as soon as today, according to sources.

Broncos secondary coach Bob Slowik, also a candidate to fill the position, is expected to be given the title of defensive coordinator. The Broncos have a similar arrangement on offense, with Mike Heimerdinger as assistant head coach and Rick Dennison as offensive coordinator.

Contacted earlier Wednesday, Bates said he did not want to discuss the job with the Broncos specifically, offering, "We'll see what happens . . . but I'm pretty busy trying to see what's out there and might be right."

Bates' son, Jeremy, is an offensive assistant with the Broncos.

Coyer was fired Tuesday with one year remaining on his contract after four years as the Broncos' defensive chief. Defensive line coach Andre Patterson also was let go after two seasons with the team.

Bates, in town Wednesday, took this season off when Mike McCarthy was named Green Bay coach after Bates interviewed for the job.

Bates went 3-4 as Dolphins interim coach when Dave Wannstedt resigned nine games into the 2004 season and Miami was 1-8.

Bates, who often publicly has expressed his desire to be a head coach, was hoping to be considered for the Dolphins job to replace Nick Saban, and had the public backing of some Dolphins players. But he was not among the 12 candidates the team has interviewed. Bates preaches sound fundamentals defensively and traditionally has favored a 4-3 approach, with cornerbacks locked up in coverage and a safety near the line to fill the lanes in run defense at times.

When Bates does take chances, it usually is on third down.

Bates usually prefers to rush four and create pressure with defensive linemen, the way the Broncos had hoped to play this season.

In his last stint as a coordinator, Bates blitzed at least one player 30.9 percent of the passing snaps with the Packers in 2005 and rushed at least six players on 12.5 percent of the snaps that season.

Those figures are higher than what Bates routinely did as Dolphins defensive coordinator, according to several pro personnel executives contacted Wednesday.

San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan also is searching for a defensive coordinator and was known to be interested in Bates.

The Broncos led the league in scoring defense after six games this season, going 5-1 and having surrendered 272 yards a game.

By the end of the season, they had fallen to 14th in total defense, allowing 326.4 yards a game, including 359.2 yards a game during the last 10.

They finished with 35 sacks.

The Broncos also surrendered leads of at least eight points in home losses against Indianapolis, San Diego, Seattle and San Francisco during their last five games at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Pete Rodriguez, whom Shanahan previously has tried to hire as defensive coordinator, still is a consideration to be added to the staff as a special-teams coach.

Rodriguez is considered one of the best special-teams coaches in the league and is available after being fired by the Jaguars.

Rodriguez has coached five Pro Bowl punters and his units traditionally have been ranked among the league's best. He is a former assistant of the Denver Gold in the defunct United States Football League and is a graduate of Western State College in Gunnison.

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