Broncos report: No changes on special teams
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published September 18, 2008 at 6:15 p.m.
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There will be no scheme or personnel changes on the Broncos' kickoff coverage team in light of a slow start, special teams coach Scott O'Brien said Thursday.
Instead, O'Brien is seeking better gap control and leverage from both sides attacking ball carriers, who have squirted free for one touchdown and nearly two others during the Broncos' 2-0 start.
"We've had three bad plays where it wasn't sound and synchronized by everybody on the field, and that's what happens," O'Brien explained. "I like their energy. But hey, you can't let returners in this league get into stride and if you do, you're going to pay a price. And we've paid enough already."
Darren Sproles tied a Chargers record with a 103-yard touchdown Sunday and added a 41-yard runback. That performance came after Oakland's Johnnie Lee Higgins raced 58 yards up the middle in the season opener after Denver's first score.
Kicker Matt Prater laid some of the blame on himself, given he's produced only three touchbacks on 15 chances and is 10th in average distance kicking off. Those results have prompted him to put extra work in that area this week.
But O'Brien said Prater has been consistent enough. It's the coverage team, which is getting a feel for one another after a preseason mixing and matching bodies and features several young players, that has to learn from its mistakes.
"I love the guys," O'Brien said. "They're giving me everything they've got and once they get experience doing it, they should be OK."
Remember me?
Saints quarterback Drew Brees has some familiarity with the Broncos from his days with San Diego. But this actually will be Brees' first game against any AFC West opponent since leaving the division in 2005.
"He still has some history in that computer upstairs of his where he can kind of draw from," Broncos defensive coordinator Bob Slowik said. "But I'm not sure it matters who he plays. As long as he gets a comfort level with the coverages and so on, he's awesome."
Since joining New Orleans, Brees has passed for a league-best 9,400 yards and 58 touchdowns, second in the NFC.
"He's been around and seen everything you can throw at a quarterback, so he's not really thrown off by anything," Broncos safety Marlon McCree said. "You can't really surprise him. You can try to disguise but he knows where to find the holes. You've got to put pressure on him and make him earn everything."
Looking ahead
Brandon Marshall, fresh off his 18-catch performance in Week 2, won't back down from his preseason goal of 140 receptions.
But he said Thursday the team's success will ultimately decide how he's judged as a player, even if he does hit the heights he has set for himself.
He pointed to his 102-catch season last year within the context of Denver's 7-9 record.
"I want to be a guy not only in the record book but somebody with a Super Bowl ring, like Rod Smith or Jerry Rice," he said. "If I want to be compared to those type of guys, then I've got to win."
Marshall needs nine catches Sunday against New Orleans to have the fastest start in the first two games of a season by a receiver in NFL history. Andre Rison had 26 catches to open the 1994 campaign.
Marshall, though, is expecting extra attention from the New Orleans secondary in that quest.
"I would hope that they would double and triple me, roll coverage to me, whatever they can do," he said. "It just means there's bigger plays on the other side with Tony Scheffler and Eddie Royal. And if they stop our passing game we have a great running game."
Injury report
* Center Tom Nalen had been practicing since last week following an arthroscopic clean-out of his left knee.
But coach Mike Shanahan didn't like what he had been seeing from Nalen and opted to back off Thursday, holding the veteran player out of practice.
"You could see the last couple days he wasn't ready to go and I just felt like practicing him would set him back," Shanahan said.
* Receiver Darrell Jackson (calf) and defensive tackle Josh Shaw (left leg) missed a second straight full workout.
Etc.
* The Saints returned 200 tickets for Sunday's game. They are available through all Ticketmaster outlets.
* The Broncos are looking for their first 3-0 start since 2003.
He said it
"They're completely different guys. Both are great players. But Reggie Bush is Reggie Bush. . . . He's a great athlete. He has balance in what he does and they know different ways to get him the ball. And when he does, he makes things happen."
Manuel, on 6-foot, 203-pound Reggie Bush vs. 5-foot-6, 181-pound Sproles, who had 317 all-purpose yards vs. the Broncos on Sunday.
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September 18, 2008
11:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
Milehigh_7 writes:
I love that Scott O'Brien has the onions to say that he is not going to change anything... What needs to change is what I have been saying since the beginning of last season, him.
We need to get a Junior High coach to come in and make our guys stay in their lanes and make the outside guys keep contain.
Since O'Brien has been our "short-bus special" teams coach we have been very near the bottom in every category. How long is he going to be allowed to say the guys are not doing their assignments correctly?
September 19, 2008
7:33 a.m.
Suggest removal
DeimosJB writes:
Mile high, you'd have a good point if O'Brien didn't already have a proven track record of success with multiple teams over multiple years. He's proven that he's a good coach. What then is the problem? Well, if you watched the Broncos last year, you would know that our "kickoff specialist" didn't do too well on kickoffs, putting the whole return unit at a disadvantage. What's the problem this year? Number 1, we still need more touchbacks from our kicker. Number 2, our special teams guys, like the rest of the team, are young, and there are going to be some growing pains. The thing is, time marches on, young players grow older, and the experience they've gained even during just a couple weeks is going to translate into some improvement. Watch the next couple weeks and see if they get better.
If our special teams is still playing like special ed. when the year is over, then resurrect the hate mail for O'Brien.
September 19, 2008
8:06 a.m.
Suggest removal
Rutabaga writes:
Why do thet call them special teams? They should call them the not so special teams, if you ask me. Every time we kick the ball I close my eyes and plug my ears. Last time I did this I forgot to open them and unplug for a half hour. I missed the whole 3rd quarter of the game against the Chargers. Good thing to. Special teams... I say hah to that....
Go Broncos... To The Championship and Beyond...
September 19, 2008
8:59 a.m.
Suggest removal
Milehigh_7 writes:
DeimosJB writes,
I did watch last year and I can point you to links from last year when I said the same thing.
Not only did I notice these mistakes but I also noticed as early as preseason that Bates had the defense in alignments that would never work. I said we needed to get rid of him in preseason and I was right then and I am right now.
Bates was supposed to be a hotshot as well and look where that got us...
Even in a classroom if the students continually flunk, it is the teacher who is failing and not the students. If O'Brien's "schemes" are to complicated, I wold settle for any one of the 30 that are performing better.
You can make excuses for him all day long but I am not buying.
The faces on special teams have changed but the results are the same. What then is the constant? O'Brien.
September 19, 2008
3:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
kerrdawg writes:
The special teams look better than they did last year. They had a couple of bad plays, but taking their production as a whole they haven't been that bad. My guess is by midway through the season this will be one of our strengths.
September 19, 2008
6:52 p.m.
Suggest removal
Pigskin writes:
Have to go with Milehigh_7 on this one.
But this isn't the first special teams coach of Shanny's who's been unable to field event an average unit.
What is the deal? You put these same coverage players on another team and you won't see this level of ineptitude. At some point, this is going to result in a loss.