Broncos' Moss isn't lonely

Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 6, 2007 at midnight

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ENGLEWOOD - They can all look out for No. 1, it seems.

Because when rookie defensive end Jarvis Moss and the rest of the Broncos defensive line gather in a meeting room at the team's Dove Valley complex, he certainly is not alone as a first-round draft pick trying to make his way.

He is surrounded, after all, by those who have been there and lived that.

"And I can go to any of those guys if I need something," Moss said. "They've already been through it all, they know what I'm going to see."

That, they do. For the Broncos have six defensive linemen, including Moss, who were first-round picks in the draft. None of the team's other position groups is close to that total, with two former first- round picks on the roster at quarterback, cornerback and wide receiver.

But when a first-round pick comes into the league, expectations, scrutiny and the day-to-day struggles of getting into, and staying in, the lineup can combine to make that rookie year difficult.

Especially at a position like defensive lineman where, beyond sacks, it might be difficult for some to see the progress at times.

"I think no matter where you play, there is an added pressure to live up to your billing," said defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, a first-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1999 draft. "And I know when I was a rookie, the thing I still regret the most was I put too much pressure on myself. Because you're a first-rounder, everyone's expecting 10 sacks.

"Everybody has expectations, the fans, the media, the coaches, but it's the player's will that determines everything. If he wants to work at it, no matter what anybody else says, he'll be good at it."

The Broncos had made their defensive front a priority in the draft and Moss, selected with the 17th pick, became their target when the defensive linemen started to cascade off the board.

In fact, the Broncos wanted him badly enough to have moved up two spots to get him.

"So you do know they wanted you," Moss said. "And right now I feel like I'm a long ways away but that I'm taking a step every single day and I think I'll continue to get better. Your play speaks for itself, regardless of where you're drafted or what people say. I've got a lot of confidence in what I can do, about what I can go out on the field and do."

"The thing of it is, he knows right now a lot of us in there with him have walked in his shoes," said defensive end Kenard Lang, a first-round pick by Washington in 1997. "I think the message has been, there is no such thing as pressure unless you let there be pressure. Just go out there and play. Do all of the things you're supposed to do and go out there and play. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. You can't worry about what Monday morning quarterbacks say or you can't force things to turn out a certain way. What you can do is work hard, study and play hard. Do that and the rest comes."

Tough to make mark

It can be a daunting task for any rookie, especially at quarterback, as the Broncos' Jay Cutler was last season; but for a defensive lineman, the public eye is often only on sacks. For a rookie, sacks can be especially hard to make.

Since sacks became an official league statistic in 1982, only four rookies have topped 12 in their rookie season.

For the most part, speed and quickness off the snap were enough to consistently get to the quarterback in college. The same push to an offensive tackle's outside shoulder would work, more often than not.

Broncos coaches already have told Moss he'll need more than that, given that NFL offensive tackles simply will be patiently waiting in the right spot for Moss' best move until he develops something else.

"At the beginning, he was kind of in college mode," Broncos left tackle Matt Lepsis said. "He was going to be a guy that was a better athlete. It's different here, where you have to work on moves and countermoves."

"You kind of have that bull's-eye on you on every play," Ekuban said. "Every opposing offensive tackle knows Jarvis Moss was the Broncos' first-round pick, so they aren't going to let Jarvis make a play - that's going to be their mind-set. You're going to get the best effort, because no one wants a rookie showing them up."

Ekuban, Moss said, has been of particular help in adjusting to the league but that the message from all his older, more experienced teammates has been talent is nice to have, but it isn't enough.

And Moss has tried to show that he understands.

"The guys who really succeed at it are the ones who are mentally tough, play hard, work hard," Ekuban said. "That's all that matters."

"I never like to look at it as pressure. Just get better and notice when you get better . . . ," Moss said. "That just makes it a lot more fun, when you fix things that you would normally mess up on and your game starts to get more complete. You start to notice it and you start to feel better about yourself. So that's what I do, fix what I mess up, get better and move on."

They're No. 1

The Broncos have six first-round picks on their roster along the defensive line.

Pos. Player Year Team Pick in the first round

DT Gerard Warren 2001 Cleveland 3rd overall

DT Sam Adams 1994 Seattle 8th overall

DE Ebenezer Ekuban 1999 Dallas 11th overall

DT Jimmy Kennedy 2003 St. Louis 12th overall

DE Kenard Lang 1997 Washington 17th overall

DE Jarvis Moss 2007 Denver 17th overall

Record pace

Since a sack became an official league statistic in 1982, only four rookies have topped 12 sacks in a season.

Player Year Sacks

Jevon Kearse 1999 14 1/2

Dwight Freeney 2002 13

Leslie O'Neal 1986 12 1/2

Simeon Rice 1996 12 1/2

Camping out

If you go

Today

The Broncos will conduct two full- team practices. Morning practice starts at 8:30; gates open at 7:30. Afternoon practice starts at 3:50; gates open at 2:50.

Tuesday

The Broncos will conduct two workouts. Morning practice starts at 8:30; gates open at 7:30. The afternoon practice is scheduled to start at 3:40 and is special teams only, so it doesn't include the entire roster. Gates open at 2:40.

Injury report

Guard Ben Hamilton (concussion) was held out of practice Friday and Saturday, but Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said he expected Hamilton could be ready to return to practice today.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall (left thigh), who has yet to practice in camp, won't return, Shanahan said, "until he is ready to practice twice a day without any problems." Marshall appears close to getting back on the field, but Shanahan said he has told Marshall the team isn't going to "take away reps from other guys if he's not ready to go."

Wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who was held out of practice Saturday because of a left thigh injury, is expected to be able to practice at some point this week.

legwoldj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2359

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