LB Boss will join brother Champ on defense
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Photo by Elsa
Getty Images
Boss Bailey now will have played with his brother Champ in high school, college and the NFL.
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Turns out, Champ Bailey is going to have to wear two 'C's' on his jersey.
The Pro Bowl cornerback, already sporting the logo of team captain on his chest, will have to add another letter in front of his name on the back of his Broncos uniform to distinguish him from younger brother Boss, who signed with the team Thursday after a two-day visit.
Boss Bailey's deal is for five years and will pay him $17.5 million, which could increase to as much as $20.5 million based on playing time and team success. The first $8 million of the deal is guaranteed.
Jack Reale, Bailey's agent, said the linebacker's visit didn't serve to merely rubber stamp a deal.
"He came out there with an open mind, but there were other visits planned," Reale said. "The way things evolved it made sense and was a good fit but it wasn't a foregone conclusion."
The five-year pro is the second free-agent linebacker in a week to join the Broncos, following Niko Koutouvides.
The move affords Bailey the opportunity to start on the strong side of what figures to be a revamped Broncos trio.
The Broncos figure to give Koutouvides a shot to start in the middle, but D.J. Williams played the position last season and could remain there instead of switching to the weak side if the newcomer falters, with Jamie Winborn the other possible starter.
Regardless, the Broncos have made it clear in the early stages of the open market what they view as one of their primary weaknesses. The Broncos finished 30th against the run last season.
Boss Bailey, 28, has appeared in 58 career games, starting 51. He has 258 tackles (188 solo), seven sacks and two interceptions as well as 13 pass breakups. He had a career-best 31/2 sacks last season, starting 12 games on the strong side for Detroit.
He's known as an athletic if somewhat undersized talent who can play nickel because he matches up well in pass coverage with running backs and tight ends.
"I'm excited to have the chance to play with my brother, and I know that Boss' speed and versatility will have a great impact on our defense," Champ Bailey said in a statement through the team. "I can't wait to get on the field with him."
The Baileys become the ninth set of brothers to become teammates in the 21st century, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Other sibling teammates: Darnell and Marquis Walker (Detroit, 2000); Darren/Troy Hambrick (Dallas, 2001); Aaron/Jason Glenn (New York Jets, 2001); Andre/Kevin Dyson (Tennessee, 2001, 2002); Dale Carter/Jake Reed (Minnesota, 2001, 2002); Brandon/Obafemi Ayenbadejo (Miami, 2003); Chris/Nic Clemons (Washington, 2005); and Akin/Remi Ayodele (Dallas, 2007).
"One thing about it is I got to play with my older brother (Ronald) as well, and he didn't. Neither one of them played with each other. So I was the fortunate one," Champ Bailey said earlier this week. "And I know what he's capable of, and what to expect from him. That's always good because you try to build some kind of chemistry with your teammates and it's already there with me and him."
Three pairs of brothers previously have played with the Broncos, two at the same time: Albert (1960, 1961) and Paul (1965) Carmichael; Eldon (1960 to 1965) and William (1960) Danenhauer; and Dave (1990 to 1994) and Doug (1989 to 1992) Widell.
Meanwhile, Marlon McCree doesn't have an NFL sibling but soon will have his next pro destination, which could be Denver.
The safety wrapped up his visit to the city and is likely to decide among the Broncos, Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills, perhaps as soon as today.
McCree, 30, would provide an experienced hand to the back end of the Broncos defense and buttress what also was a thin position for the team last season.
The Broncos re-signed John Lynch for one more season at age 36 and are hoping Hamza Abdullah develops after a late-season trial as a starter in 2007, but McCree would provide a hedge on both counts, especially with Nick Ferguson (free agent) not expected back.
McCree had 67 tackles and three interceptions last season with the San Diego Chargers, but he was about to lose his starting job to Eric Weddle and requested a fresh start.
"Being a veteran, you kind of see when the writing's on the wall, so I'm excited about having a fresh opportunity," McCree said.
SHEPHERD SIGNS: The Broncos signed receiver Edell Shepherd, who has played for four previous teams and perhaps could help on special teams.
Shepherd has only 13 career catches since 2002 but has 37 kickoff returns (21.9 average) and three punt returns (8.0) on his resume.
Comments
Posted by Squatch on March 6, 2008 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nice. I hope h is the answer in the middle now I still wished we could have got Vilma.
Posted by harrydoors on March 6, 2008 at 4:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
SPIKES IS AVAILABLE, GET SPIKES!!!........on the cheap though
Posted by BroncoRick69 on March 6, 2008 at 4:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is going to be really interesting on several levels. If he is anything like champ, we will have made a good choice in bringing him here.
Posted by Squatch on March 6, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Friends don't let Freinds sign Tikeo.
Posted by PajamaPulitzer on March 6, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The terrible team effect at the loss of Al Wilson tells us we need leadership at least as much as we need talent. Can Boss bring it???
Posted by Broncos4Life on March 6, 2008 at 6:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Is signing Boss Bailey going to allow DJ Williams go back to his more natural position of weak side linebacker? If it does, this is a great signing, if not, what was the point??
Posted by foreveraBroncofan on March 6, 2008 at 6:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The point is fill a hole left by Gold and keep Champ around his whole career. I wanted them to get Boss when I first heard he was a free agent just for that reason.
Posted by foreveraBroncofan on March 6, 2008 at 7:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is bigger than when The Boss(Bruce Springstein)came to Mile High in I think it was about 1984.
Posted by Hollywood on March 6, 2008 at 7:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The point is it gives you a strong player, Boss being with Denver doesn't have anything to do with DJ Williams playing middle or Weak. If Koutouvides shows he can handle the middle in training camp then DJ will play weak side, if not and we don't draft a middle guy to challenge for it, then DJ will stay in the middle.
Posted by princess on March 6, 2008 at 7:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ESPN reported with Boss coming to Denver D.J will go back to his natural position. This was a good signing.
Posted by Bear on March 6, 2008 at 7:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Now we should draft Sean Bailey for WR depth. Bailey trifecta now in play
Posted by aragornzxl on March 6, 2008 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They should now sign Spikes. Either that or get a good middle linebacker from the draft.
Posted by gylizard1 on March 6, 2008 at 8:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I liked the signing of Boss Bailey..he played tough against us last year..and it allows DJ Williams to go back to the outside where he was much more effective. Now we just have to hope that Gholsten...Ellis..or Dorsey drop to the 12 pick..not likely..but sure would be nice to get a stud Defensive lineman.
Posted by crushon77 on March 6, 2008 at 10:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
the broncos are signing players with unrealized potential for reasonable money. they are building a core of young players. spikes does not fit into that philosophy.
in the past few years, the broncos have signed guys they believed could help them win a championship immediately. shanahan believed that tweaking the roster was enough. the new approach signals that shanahan believes that window of opportunity has closed, and now it's time to rebuild.
hate to say it, but he's right.
it's not a bad thing. even during rebuilding, i still expect the broncos to win more games than they lose.
Posted by boydy2669 on March 7, 2008 at 5:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
All you guys that are saying draft Spikes or another MLB, do some research on Niko. Even check some of the articles in the last couple of days in our local papers....this guy is going to be a stud. Hes smart, athletcially gifted and a HUGE hitter and a BIG line backer....he is going to be really good. We dont need a washed up old guy like Spikes coming in. Our LB corps looks great. I would like to see us go afetr Dizon from CU in the 4th round but we do not need to go LB in the 1st round nor do we another FA. We look set. No more talk on Spikes...he wont be coming to Denver and nor do we need him or any other LB for that matter!
Posted by Brent on March 7, 2008 at 6:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ANY change that means that 2 of the 3 starters from last year (not including Williams) won't be on the field is a good thing. Even average play from the new group will be a substantial improvement compared to last year.
Posted by T1anda on March 7, 2008 at 6:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Boss Bailey has a history of chronic knee problems. I hope he can play a full season for Denver.
Posted by nmbronco1 on March 7, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I kinda like the signings so far - no huge names but good players with lots of upside and potential. I agree that the linebacking corps looks improved, and with Javon the new Raider traitor gone, maybe a 1st or 2nd round pick on a top notch receiver/returner. That along with a stud tackles on both O and D look like the primary needs, especially if the Broncos can land McCree as security at safety. Any news on Elam?
Posted by TheVentilator on March 7, 2008 at 9:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I bet their parents do well at Christmas time.
Posted by Maderas on March 7, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't understand why everyone seams to want DJ to move back to the outside. They must not pay attention to the fact that after what seamed like a slow start he finished second in the NFL in tackles behind the MLB from the 49ers. Thats not bad at all!
Posted by Squatch on March 7, 2008 at 9:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Niko will be our new MLB. With Boss & Dj outside the broncos should be solid.
Posted by Squatch on March 7, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bring in Dizon no matter what kid has some major heart.
Posted by jibbons on March 7, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have been calling for Williams to stay inside since before the season ended, he did very well there. However, I do wonder about the potential matchups that the LB's will face. How do Niko & DJ compare, speed wise, hitting wise, in coverage??
We watched Ian struggle in coverage all year last year, I would hate to see them put Niko on the outside and fail to keep up with tight ends too. The addition of Boss, should cover one tight end, but we will see two tight end sets, and I would hope to see the fastest LBs on the outside, and the strongest man in the middle, ideally.
That doesn't mean that I want DJ out of the middle because he is bad there, but that I want him where he fits best. So for him to go to the outside would say that either Niko can't handle the outside, or that he is better than DJ in the middle.
So, who has some speed and strength stats on these guys?
Posted by jibbons on March 7, 2008 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Nevermind, I found their forty times:
DJ Williams - 4.55
Niko Koutouvides - 4.71
So, unless Niko is useless in the middle, DJ looks like a weak side backer now. Shoot, it wouldn't surprise me to see Webster get plugged into the middle if Niko is a bust, just to close down the seams.
Posted by filmjay2k on March 7, 2008 at 11:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
DJ played Will his rookie year and was awesome. If I recall correctly he was a close contender for rookie of the year. When they brought Gold back they moved him to Sam and he did fine but lost much of the impact on the game he had on the weakside. As far as leading the league in tackles goes, when u can't stop the run and your DTs suck, they're going to run right up the middle... a lot. Thus your MLB is gonna get a lot of tackles. I think this is a great move. And remember all you guys screaming for a big FA stud, Niko may well become that stud for us now that he has a chance to start. You all really want to spend a fortune AGAIN on free agents? How's that been working out the last couple years?
Posted by Dezmond22 on March 7, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree that DJ's stats were padded playing MLB last season mainly because the defense couldn't get off the field. I mean 30th in run defense pretty well says it all.
I'm cautiously optimistic that Niko could be the answer at MLB but I guess we will see. At this stage he may only be a project and not the real deal yet. Only choice is to give him a chance and see. The old Al Wilson at MLB was definitely missed last year.
Gold had to leave. He was absolutely terrible for tackling and for coverage. Canning him was a no-brainer.
Posted by princess on March 7, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't think its really gonna matter who we sign and what position they go to. No matter what we are going to do a lot better then last year. Did we forget that the biggest problem was Jim Bates and his scheme to have our defense kiss the dirt. Why do you think pretty much everyone but a small handfull are staying with the team. It wasn't our boys it was the coach. We had a few shining moments were we showed we could be a good team and now with Jim gone we can show we will be a great team.
Posted by Spider on March 7, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm down with all of you that think they should somehow get Dizon in the draft. That would be a choice they'll never regret down the road!
Posted by Shaupeen on March 7, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Speaking of parents, they named their two kids Champ and Boss. Interesting.
Posted by Squatch on March 7, 2008 at 2:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I know it doesnt happen much but i would love to see Dizon converted to Safety. I think he could play it and do it well.
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