KRIEGER: Offense carries burdens of faulty defense

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 3, 2008 at 8:40 p.m.

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Kansas City's Larry Johnson rushed for 198 yards against the Broncos.

My colleague Kevin Vaughan is a lifelong Broncos fan and a realist. Based on my mail, I always considered this a contradiction in terms, but apparently it isn't.

This week, he referred me to the 1996 vintage of his team, the one just before the two Super Bowl champions. The Broncos defense that year was ranked first in the NFL against the run, surrendering just 1,331 yards, an average of 83 per game.

In fact, these numbers were a mirage and a cautionary tale about this year's defense, which ranked in the top half of the NFL against the run until Sunday's game in Kansas City.

Turns out the '96 defense faced fewer rushing attempts than any team in football. It allowed 3.9 yards per running play, which ranked 17th, or worse than the NFL average of 3.8.

In short, the aggregate numbers didn't tell the real story. They just showed that the Broncos' top-ranked offense got out in front of so many games, opponents abandoned the run trying to catch up.

Sure enough, when Jacksonville came to town to open the playoffs against that powerful 13-3 team, it took aim at the run defense the way a boxer targets the solar plexus, pounding away even after falling behind 12-0 in the first quarter.

At the end of the day, the Jaguars had 203 yards rushing and a first-round upset.

This is basically the pattern of the first four games this year. The Broncos took big early leads in the first three. San Diego and New Orleans resorted to their potent passing attacks trying to catch up. Each collected fewer than 100 yards on the ground. The Broncos ranked eighth in the league against the run at one point.

When Kansas City's Larry Johnson rolled up 198 yards on the ground Sunday, the Broncos defense looked a lot like last year's leaky unit, notwithstanding personnel changes and a new scheme. That's what I wrote Monday. Later in the day, Mike Shanahan vociferously disagreed.

"People will point to the defense and that is so far from the truth," he said. Shanahan insisted the rightful villain of the piece was his top-ranked offense, which turned the ball over four times and went 1-for-4 in the red zone.

By midweek, he and defensive coordinator Bob Slowik had their talking points down. The Broncos played 24 of Johnson's 28 runs well, both argued. The other four produced 132 yards. Whoops.

"These were just normal runs where we weren't as focused as we normally are," Shanahan said. "If you take the other 24 runs you'd say, hey, that's 2.5 yards per rushing attempt, plays we have been making.

"A lot of times when you get run on, you just get flat beat, you get run over. We missed some tackles in there when we had just a couple technique errors. But we can build on that.

"So from that standpoint, there's encouragement. Sometimes you look at that film and you go, holy cow, we got run over, we just didn't get the job done."

So this is their story. Not a porous defense, like last year, but a good defense making just enough occasional mistakes of technique to rank 30th in the league in yards allowed, 24th against the run.

"Just a matter of seeing if you can play good technique and get better every day," said Slowik, a congenial sort who appears determined to offer nothing but bromides in public.

Talking to him made me a little nostalgic for the publicly passionate Larry Coyer, who was fired after the 2006 season. The four defenses he coordinated all ranked in the top 10 in points allowed.

Since his departure, the Broncos have ranked 28th last year and 29th so far this year.

As it happens, Coyer now runs the Tampa defense that comes to town Sunday. It finished third in the league in points allowed last year. So far, it's ninth this year.

It is always hard to know how much about performance is coaching and how much simple talent on the field. Coyer's defenses included Trevor Pryce and Al Wilson. Pryce was better than any defensive lineman the Broncos have now and Wilson was a fiery leader.

Slowik almost acknowledged that 2007 draft picks Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder and Marcus Thomas have disappointed so far, but not quite.

"Obviously, if you have guys that are high draft picks, you'd like them to be able to come in in two years and be a major part of what you're doing," he said. "The injury thing has set Jarvis back and I'm sure that's part of it. Same with Tim Crowder, he wasn't healthy all last year with the ankle. But we're hoping that they progress a little bit quicker and can help us win."

In the meantime, the '96 team offers an obvious prescription: The Broncos' best defense this season looks like a good offense. Get ahead early and make opponents abandon the run.

Either that, or put in a call to Greg Robinson, the coordinator in '96 whom Syracuse University might make available to the job market any day now. You'll recall that Robinson's unit was good enough the next two years to earn him some jewelry.

• October 4, 2008

  10:41 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dynamicdave writes:

  Sorry Krieger, but I side with Shanahan -vs- your analogy. We turned the ball over when we should have scored. 4 times! That's huge Krieger! You also conveniently forgot to mention how we were without Dewayne who is a huge part of stopping the run. Why is it that sometimes when I read your articles, I find myself scrolling back to the top to make sure the writers name doesn't say "Lincicome"? Writers like you are tabloid writers like the Enquirer, etc.. Just find the dirtiest parts of a story and white-wash the good. Make it more "doom and gloom" then it really is. Make everyone think that Denver is in dire straights when in fact, we are still 3-1. Write ALL of the facts, not just the bad. Don't try to "puff up" your story by being a hack writer.

• October 4, 2008

  2:23 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Dynamicdave writes:

  r_u_shtn_me, yes, I agree. Keep the coaches we have, now. If anyone wants see see the end product of switching coaches too often, look at the Raiders. Davis is always firing coaches and the team never gets a chance to learn new offenses, defenses, etc.. They never get a chance to gel. Shanahan is going to be around for awhile. Not going anywhere. Shanahan is synonymous to the Broncos like peanut butter is to jelly. I feel we will rebound from last week with flying colors. Let the games begin. I'm primed and ready for tomorrows game. Broncos 34, TB 24. Go Broncos!!!!!!!!!

• October 5, 2008

  2:39 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Woody writes:

  Bled B & O before '64. What videos I've seen of this pacifying limp wristed excuse of a D-cood. is enough to grab the first plane out to Greg Robinson should the opportunity present itself. Not only is Coyer going to hand Shanahan his lunch, he's going to shove it down his throat.

• October 5, 2008

  8:30 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Pigskin writes:

  By midweek, (Shanahan) and defensive coordinator Bob Slowik had their talking points down. The Broncos played 24 of Johnson's 28 runs well, both argued. The other four produced 132 yards. Whoops.

  "These were just normal runs where we weren't as focused as we normally are," Shanahan said. "If you take the other 24 runs you'd say, hey, that's 2.5 yards per rushing attempt, plays we have been making."

  Or you'd say, "hey, this BS sounds a lot like the mind-numbing rationale Wade Phillips and, later, Ted Sundquist used to offer up."

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