A major change is in the offing as the offseason dawns, as Larry Coyer is no longer the Broncos’ defensive coordinator after four years in the position that saw the Broncos reach significant peaks and valleys on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage.
During this past season, the Broncos began the year by becoming the first team in 64 years to go through the first 11 quarters of the season without allowing a touchdown, and then closed the year by allowing at least 20 points in five straight games beginning with Seattle’s 23-point output on Dec. 3 and ending with San Francisco’s 26-point tally on New Year’s Eve. That marked the first time since Weeks 10-16 of the 2000 season that the Broncos had allowed at least 20 points in five or more consecutive games.
So how do you feel about the move, and what do you feel might be next? Discuss below …
Tags: Defense, Larry Coyer
About time the change was made perhaps now we can get away from the LB heavily influenced defense and hopefully the new guy can talk Mikey into drafting/acquiring some legit DE’s and another BIG DT how nice it would be to have a couple of DT like JAX has. Nothing happens against these hogs.
It has been almost a decade since Mikey got a legit DE/DT in the draft on day one. At least one he liked enough to resign.
While it is nice having good/great LB’s the real work is supposed to be done in the trenches.
Coyers seemed inability to make counter defensive adjustments to the oppositions offensive adjustments is what IMHO doomed him. Had a real good initial plan and by games end they would run /pass all over us.
Lets hope Mikey will hire a real DC this time and not some lackey that will be another yes man.
From everything I have read and heard it seemed like Coyer was a good enough guy, but in a results oriented business that just doesn’t matter.
It seemed Coyer just wasn’t a very good game-planner, and was always too late to make adjustments. His vanilla style of defense actually did more to wear the defense down this season than the all-out-blitz tactic emplyed last season.
4-4 at home for the Denver Broncos is unacceptable, and when you lead every one of those losses by at least 8 points it’s doubly unacceptable…
Hopefully the Broncos will look outside the organization for a replacement. Dom Capors, Jim Mora, perhaps Dick LaBeau might be good replacements, guys that have prior head coaching experience and would allow Shanny to focus strictly on the offense which has it’s own issues….
TSG
http://www.milehighreport.com
I’m really happy that this decision is finaly made. We have really talented guys on the defense, especially the LBs and DBs, but with the weak DL and the bad play calling, we are below our strength. The plays he called on 3rd downs were awful, we lost about 4 games on those, and it was the worst against SF in the second half, where they started with (I think) 9/9 on those situations, and thex went 14-0, that cost us the PO.
So, I really hope we get someone in his place, who will be braver on calling blitzes and can adjust to the changes in the half.
Larry’s a great guy – but I agree…time to move on.
But with all the 4th quarter let downs this year – do you think the strength and conditioning coach is next?
It is about time the Broncos made this move because our defense is a joke when it counts and everyone in the league knows it. Every offensive coordinator in the NFL figures out the Broncos scheme in the 2nd half and Coyer is not saive enough to be able to make the proper adjustments. That statement is no more evident than the fact on a 3rd and 8 in the 4th quarter of game that determines your playoff fate you do not blitz a young qb who has struggled his entire career and has no dependable WR’s. This move should have happened a year ago when Coyer could not adjust to the Steelers passing game in the AFC Championship game. Hopefully we will land a solid d-coordinator who is not afraid to take chances and can scheme with the best of them. Jim Mora would be a good fit, even a Jim Hasslet would be nice. Anyone would be better than Coyer who’s idea of blitzing is sending Al Wilson who always seems to run into someone and might be the worst blitzer in the NFL instead of sending someone who might be able to make a play on the QB like Gold, D.J. Williams, or maybe even a CB like Bailey. Anyways the day has come where the Broncos finally have might a serious step towards becoming a super bowl team again by getting rid of a coach who was in way over his head, but now we need to go get one that can get the most out of this defense.
I don’t think you can blame the four loses at home on Coyer. Against the chargers our offense scored 3 points at home in the second have and turned the ball over at the end of the game. When Denver was leading against the Colts once again the offense turn the ball over at the 20 and the Colts scored to go up 7 or 3. Then in the 49er’s game I can’t beleive people blame the defense once again, when our offense can’t score a touch down in the Red Zone three time. And the offense gave up a touch down in the 49er’s game and the lose to the Seahawks. The offense lost four games for us that we needed not Coyer, his just the scape goat. And I didn’t even talk about all the fumbles we gave up on our side of the field. It’s sad that they blamed all on him and the “D”.
It’s about time this change was made. It was clearly evident (even early in the season when the defense was off to a great start) that the front four could not generate enought pass rush. Teams figured out how to beat our defense and Coyer didn’t make any changes. The unit played the same scheme loss after loss. He might have been a great guy, but we need someone in here that can get results. Put Jim Mora Jr. at the top of my wishlist. It be helpful to have someone with a defensive background and a previous head coaching experience to alleviate some of the pressure on Shanahan.
Hey Andrew. . . has the team given any indication whether they intend to promote from within or look outside the organization for his replacement?
If you exclude our defensive linemen, I truly believe we have the best defense in the league. Our linebackers and cornerbacks are great. We have the best corner in the league in Champ, and John Lynch is still a great safety. Al Wilson is always consistent, and Ian and DJ are solid too. Despite our strengths, our poor pass rush consistently hurts us. Sending a 3 or 4 man rush against a mediocre team may work even if we do not get a lot of pressure. However, when we do the same thing against good teams with above average quarterbacks, we get schooled. I think we have a defensive line that does a good job against the run, but that is it. We need to get pass rushers if our defense is ever going to be able to compete against Indy, SanDiego, and some of the other better offenses. The Indy game is the best example. The defense dominated the first 6 games because we played OK offenses (Remember, KC had Trent Green out for the first game). The minute we played well balanced offenses, we fell apart. The defensive scheme stayed the same, but our poor pass rush finally caught up with us. The only we to pressure the opposing team’s quarterback was to send a 7 man blitz. I think teams started understanding this weakness and took advantage of it. I can’t tell you how many times I yelled at the TV because I knew exactly what was coming. We faked more blitzes than we actually attempted this year. The Indy game makes my point. We gave Peyton all day to throw by sending only 3 or 4 rushers. Our secondary covered well, but no team can cover all day long. Despite this, Coyer never made any adjustments. He seemed scared to blitz Peyton. Why? Getting pressure on Peyton and the other solid QBs in this league is the only way to slow them down. That is why Coyer needed to go. There were no adjustments in the game. There were also no adjustments in the second half of the season. We kept doing the same thing and even the bad teams understood how to manipulate our sceme. I’m sorry Coyer lost his job, but the NFL is a tough business. The next defensive coordinator will fail too if something isn’t done about the defensive line. We need to either draft or trade to get some premier rushers. This is a Super Bowl caliber team if we can get some better pass rushers. Look at our offense. Cutler looks solid, Javon is terrific, and Brandon Marshal should become great. We also have a good back in Mike Bell. I hope Shannahan gives him a chance next year to be the primary back because he has the talent to do it. We forget that he was a rookie this year and he outplayed Tatum all year. Mike had 1 bad game, but that was really it. His numbers were not a good as Tatum, but he had fewer carrries. Scheffler is going to be great as well. So, why don’t we forget the offense this offseason, and get some defensive tackles and ends. I would love to see the organization draft all defense for atleast the first four rounds. We need DT, DE, and a safety. Go Broncos.
I’ve said it many times, Coyer was fired because he lacked the imagination to change the game plan during a game. Football is all about making adjustments during the game and he just didn’t deliver. Our talent is only as good as the scheme we use and when weaknesses in the scheme were exposed Coyer made limited to no adjustments from where I was watching.
In my opinion we have all the tools we need with the LB and DB end of it, and the guys we have on the DL are decent enough at stuffing the run. My main concern is PRESSURING THE OPPOSING QB!!!!!! You just can’t allow a QB to sit back there all day and throw to whoever gets open first. That is why I was so pissed we never went back to blitzing, the whole point was to do away with the blitz and let our “talent” do the job. Well we don’t have any talent on the DLine so why didn’t we go back to blitzing??
I like Elvis Dumervil though, and I don’t think he is just a “specialist”. I think he is a rookie and can eventually become more than just a “specialist”. Don’t write him off just yet. I’m happy to see Coyer move on…we need someone who thinks proactively and who refuses to beat a dead horse game after game after game.
Oh an fire the Browncos, I don’t know their combined statistics but I am sure it’s not much more than Dumervil’s sack total of 8 this year. lol Also trade Plummer and Tatum Bell. I don’t want to see anymore of Tatum Bell’s classic one tap and hit the ground plays.
Draft priorities:
1. Dline…Whose idea was it to bring in these jokers from the Browns? Elvis is the King baby!
2. RB…Keep Mike Bell, dump Tatum
3. DB (We need to find an adequate replacement for Lynch BEFORE he retires so he can mold the young player into a Great) And add some depth now that our beloved Williams is gone…not that we will ever find anyone as good or with as much heart as he had.
4. Oline…I do not really trust some of the guys we have right now.
I just hope we have a great draft this year…cause we need it badly. My concern is that because we had such a great draft class come out last year that this years draft class is going to be weak and highly overrated.
I agree with TLynch…at the end of the day it was a lack of imagination in the defensive play calling that was Coyer’s downfall.
Any receiver will tell you that if you do not pressure the QB they will find a way to get open…no matter how good your secondary may be.
It is unfortunate because he really DID do some good things with the defense over the last few seasons AND his conservative play calling down the stretch of tight games was reflective of the offense doing something similar but…defense has to make a stop when the game is on the line and the play caller has to put them in a position to do that. Best of luck to Coach Coyer.
thegluv has a point…and CLeveland’s Strength and Conditioning coach is availiable too. We’ve all seen him work the combine. Maybe he can whoop his old D-line back into shape. What a high to begin the season and what a low to finish it. I cant remember a season quite like this one. Given everything that has happened to this Defense this year I sure hope Shanny finds the right guy for the job.
I believe the move is good for the Broncos. I think the responses are for the most part in line with what needs to happen. Jim Mora Jr. would be a good fit, but I believe his eyes are to move on to a head coaching job…we wouldn’t have him for long. Thesportsguru made three great suggestions. One of which is Mora. The other two Capers and LeBeau. Either would be fabulous and both are fairly content being coordinators. My choice would be LeBeau, given the success of his defenses with the Steelers over the years. I really get the sense Shanahan has someone in mind.
I like Larry Coyer. He’s a great guy, however a change is needed. Now hopefully we can get some defensive player to apply more pressure on the quarterback. The defense did its job in the first have, but that loss to San Diego on Nov. 19 was the beginning of the downslide. They weren’t able to hold any lead late in the game and to be a championship team that is unacceptale.
I think the type of D-Cord we hire will determine the players we need. If it is a 3-4 type (which I think it will be) another DT would be good (Big like Warren, plenty of them in the draft this year). Our personel would work well in a 3-4. Dummerville and Chukwurah would be great on the outside as well as Gold. Williams and Wilson would do well on the inside.
Weve had a real problem with our dline – who;s to blame the coach calling the schemes or the coach drafting the talent – IMO – I think its time for a change – we need more aggression on our D but I feel it may be a bit getting Jay used to playing – i see this may be a couple of years until we can contend- Jay needes some time to get to know his plkayers and they need time getting used to his velocity of the ball -plus esp after DWill – hopefully time will heal the wounds but I can imagine what its like for people who knew him intimately and were close to him like the players – I hope the offseason helps a lot – I know Pat is giving everything he can tohelp – KUDOS to him and the Broncos Org
I am a big fan of this move. As bad as it sounds, Coyer was over his head. I agree with much of what others have posted that he either has a lack of ability to make adjustments in game or his mindset is too conservative to do so. Good luck to you Coyer…I’m sure this is a stepping stone for you to grow as a defensive coach and find your place in the business.
I really love our linebackers and defensive back situation. It will be interesting to see how Foxworth and Paymah step up next season.
I agree that we need to make some upgrades in our defensive line. The lack of pass rush this season was really bad. I do think a good chunk of that is due to the play calling and lack of ingenuity for the line. As I’ve stated before, we need more of a mix up front…blitzing some, more stunts, etc. You can’t keep doing the same thing 85% of the time and not expect the opposing line to figure you out.
That being said, here’s my wishlist for our Broncos this offseason:
1. Big-time Defensive coordinator – don’t skimp here guys…LeBbeau would be fantastic – I’m not a Steelers fan, but I sure loved how their defense played and worked under him… Any of the others mentioned would be good choices as well…just make sure to give them the tools they need for personnel, etc.
2. Defensive line upgrade – too much mediocrity. We need two dominant linemen up there to really make it work well or we need to go to a 3-4 scheme and utilize our linebackers more.
3. People may call me crazy here, but I’d love to see us get a big time RB. Mike Bell looks decent, but he’s not going to knock it out of the park. Just think what we can do as an offense with Jay, Javon, Brandon, and Tony AND an LT or LJ. I know our zone blocking is the bomb and can be productive without a dominant back, but think back to our seasons with Terrel Davis and Clinton Portis! One guy who rocks the house, and pick a Bell to be the back up.
a. Tatum Bell – I LOVE his speed, but HATE how easy he goes down sometimes…I don’t care what anyone says about him toughining up and running bigger. He isn’t cutting it with the way our line works. You have to be able to break one tackle to really get those extra few yards in this offense.
b. Mike Bell – I saw nothing spectacular here, but he showed great consistency. If he grows to be more dominant, great. But he needs to make some strides AND get a bit faster.
I seen this coming!!! I knew we needed to make a change at the defensive coordinators job and I seen Coach Coyer was going to be let go. How do you keep loosing games in the 4th quarter. Our defense is GREAT, but no Superman. I kept yelling at the TV where’s the BLITZ we have to put pressure on the QBs. Lang, Ekuban and Elvis were good, but didn’t see much of them. Then we kept saying we are going to stop the run. Why was everyone putting 100 yards on us. I saw Steve McNair fall apart when we put the pressure on. Pass after pass was wild. Same with New England and Tom Brady. Both WINS. Lets mix it up a little on D and the offense will respond. GO BRONCOS!! Play for D Will and bring home the brass!!
Well, what more might I say that my Bronco brethren haven’t already adequately stated? I am truly and pleasantly surprised that Shanahan really let Coyer go considering his loyalty factor with players and coaches. I think it was well said about Coyer’s inability to scheme beyond “everyone drop back in coverage and make a play.” Too, I might add that it was Larry Coyer himself who told (I forget her name) a sideline reporter that he thought schemes were overrated. Well Larry, I guess they’re more important than you thought. I also agree that I would like to see a high profile guy come in to coach the D. But I don’t think those guys mentioned above are willing or available. I just hope Shanahan makes a better choice than his last one. And, yes, I said it all season on the Mason’s Blog: I think the Broncos have all the proof they need to understand why the ex-Brown defensive line was available at a bargain. It will be interesting to see how they handle that situation; Shanahan’s loyalty factor is almost unbearable sometimes. As for the remarks about Cutler, that kid has no where to go but up. What he showed in the last 5 games can only concern other defensive coordinators, not give them relief as Pope Plummer did. Speaking of Jake, maybe they could trade him for some defensive talent. Then again, maybe not. He’s used all of his Get-Out-of-Jail-Free cards I think. In the end, I have to say I am actually excited about what might happen for the Broncos this offseason. Really, really excited.
Oh, by the way, I keep reading this thing about wanting to switch to a 3-4. Who is supposed to be that 4th LB? Yeah, we have the outside guys, but who will strap up and play next to Al Wilson? Plus, you have to have a different type of D-Line to play a 3-4. We don’t have that and I would rather not see another bunch of hopeful castoffs come in to try and make that one work. Or worse, try to physically change to fit that scheme (i.e. Like Nate Jackson attempted to do to play TE or Kenard Lang did in Cleveland to convert to LB only to come to Denver to return to DE and then be lighter than average). No, let’s stick to the 4-3 and get some legitimate D-Linemen please.
I hope Shanahan brings in someone who will beef up the D-line. We need a couple of space eaters in the middle. We also need at least one legitimate every down DE, especially if Courtney Brown can’t come back healthy. I think Shanahan made the right decision if he already has a replacement in mind. If he just got rid of Coyer out of frustration with the results, then he just may have made things worse. A lot of the problems can be attributed to injuries and poor tackling. Injuries are a risk the goes with the game. Poor tackling can be blamed on the players. Coaches can teach tackling techniques but the players have to execute. I certainly hope they don’t try to switch to a 3-4 defense. That would take a huge overhaul of the defense and would likely inhibit their ability to make improvements on offense. If they stick with the 4-3, then all they need is some improvements on the D-line and a safety to eventually replace either Lynch or Ferguson. They also need someone who will bring a better scheme that will confuse opposing offenses.
It’s humorous to me that poeple jsut say, “hey, let’s play a 3-4″. It doesn’t work that way. You need the personnel to run it, and it takes years to successfully make the switch.
We might, and I stress might, have a 3-4 caliber NT in Warren. That is questionable becuase Romeo Crennel didn’t think he was good enough to do it for Cleveland. Our other tackles are geared more for gap penetration than taking double-teams and protecting linebackers which is the heart f a 3-4 scheme.
Our linebackers have the talent, but I don;t consider rushing the passer a strong suit of any of them, and Gold/Williams are too small to take on blockers for extended period, which is key becuase one of your OLB’s becomes the fourth rusher.
If we decide to go to the 3-4, we’ll need to overhaul our personnel, starting with our D-Line. Just take a look at teams running the 3-4 now with success and compare rosters…
I read the calls here for a 3-4 defense and I am wondering if you people understand how much change that would cause. Our players would have to spend ALL next year getting comfortable with the new scheme and design. It wouldn’t be good for our playoof prospects next year to drastically change our whole scheme. It’ll all depend on who we hire to replace Coyer. If we hire a 3-4 specialist then we should change and sacrifice our Super Bowl aspirations for next season, but when I think about it and look at many of the previous Super Bowl Champions…well many of them employ a 3-4 scheme. I’m on the fence with this issue…basically whatever brings the Trohpy home to Denver I am for.
I think firing Larry Coyer as D-Coordinator was a good move….lack of in game adjustments and conservative approach to play calling were his biggest downfalls. I think we should have kept him in house at least going back to LB coach. To answer someones question from above, Nate Webster would step in as the 4th LB (inside with Wilson) if we decided to go to 3-4. Also switching to a prevalent 3-4 def would take time for everyone to adjust to and I’m def not a fan of starting over. I mean really the main difference between a 3-4 and 4-3 def is one man on the line playin up instead of down in a 3 pt stance. Maybe we could incorportate more 3-4 defensive plays especially on 3rd down plays where we need to mix it up. Either way Im excited for next year, just hope that the passing of D-Wills has more of a driving team bondin effect than downcasting one. I really want to see how Foxy will hold up next year since he might have been the closest to D-Wills than any other Bronco player. RIP D. Wills
Switching to a 3-4 is not necessary and it will take to long. All we really need to do is to upgrade our defensive linemen. We need dominant pass rushers who are eager to play and are in good shape. A lot of teams began running hurry up style offenses against us, which makes a lot of sense. This prevents the defense from substituting, so we need defensive linemen with stamina. Our D-line could hardly pressure the QB when they were fresh, so this really needs addressed. I can’t tell you how many times I saw our linemen hardly get a push when the hurry up offense was executed. Warren and others are out of shape. We need speed at DE and strength at DT, but we don’t need just weight. There is no excuse for a professional athlete to be this out of shape.
We just hired Bates as Defensive Coordinator, and I think he will be a good fit. He should mix things up more, which we really need. Get him a line (or atleast 2 upgrades) and we will be a legitimate top 3 defense.
As far as our running back situation is concerned, I really like Mike Bell. The kid is very consistent, and he will only improve the more chances he gets. I hope the Broncos do not waste another high draft pick at RB because Mike CAN carry this team. Tatum danced too much and he was injury prone. In addition, Mike Bell did a terrific job as a receiver. He was OK as a blocker, but still way better than Tatum. Mike was a ROOKIE this year, and he still did a great job. The one thing you usually see with rookies is inconsistency. You may see a spark, but it quickly burns out. Mike Bell was consistent. AND, he held onto the ball. He only fumbled a few times all year. What else could we want from a back. He is consistent, durable, strong, a good receiver, a decent blocker (which will improve), and he secures the ball. The big plays will come too. He broke a few plays this year with limited chances. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have a RB consistently get 4-5 yards than a back that dances around and usually gets 1 or 2 yards with the occasional 10 yard scamper. One last point. This kid really wants to be a Bronco. A lot of guys play for the paycheck or their own glory. He isn’t selfish. He is a team player, and I hope he stays that way.
I was worried earlier with our receivers, but Brandon Marshall really stepped up. Javon is great. Enough said. However, Marshall should be given a chance at the #2 spot. He reminds me of TO because of his size, strength, and speed. He is obviously not TO because he doesn’t seem to be selfish and overrated, but he could really good. Javon and Brandon could really scare opposing teams next year. Scheffler is maturing too. I really like our offense. Jay played about as good as you can expect from a rookie. Let’s not forget the teams he played. He wasn’t playing against the lowly Browns. He played some OK defenses and looked good. Plummer is a ten year vet, and Jay played better in every one of his starts (except the first one against SanDiego) than Jake. He has a lot of room to improve, but he gives our offense what we need- a pocket passer. He can bootleg too, but he can stand in the pocket and deliver a strike. Teams knew that Jake was one dimensional. He couldn’t hurt them in the pocket. So, they just tried to prevent the boot. If you noticed, we didn’t do a lot of bootlegs compared to previous seasons because teams picked up on it. I also think this is the same reason our outside running game was subpar this year. Teams watched the outside because that was the only way we ever hurt anyone with Jake. Jay is going to help remedy this problem. Hopefully, Mike Bell will be given the chance to be the RB too. There are a lot of haters out there, but mark my words. Mike Bell is capable of being a 1500 yard back. He needs most of the carries. Our offense sputtered with Jake. With Jay, Mike, Javon, Brandon, and Tony, we will soon explode again. Go Broncos.
Good bye Larry I have wanted Coker fired for several years now I am sure from what I have read and what players say that he is a nice guy but as a defensive Corn. He just was not good. For example our playoff history for the past 3 years now. Two embarrassing moments at Indianapolis and one right at home against the Steelers. The one at home is the one I hated the most. Let me ask you something how the hell do you run the same exact blizes from the same exact sides two weeks in a row? The week before against the Patriots it seemed like it work right. So why the hell would you run the same defense against the Steelers that had a whole week to figure it out and block against it. It’s really sad that Big Ben could pump fake the ball twice on an all out blizes…you would freaking think Coyer would make an adjustment , of course not. I’m glad he’s gone there been plenty of games he lost for us because he’s just been flat out coached. It just seemed like he was set on something and he would not change. Bill Belichick re-does his defense every week to make adjustments for each team. Our own Mike Shanahan gives defense a new look week to week. This is the NFL buddy everyone knows what you’re doing they got tape on you HELLO!!!!!!! Great Move Mike bringing in a coach like Jim Bates are defense is going to be really good next year.
-AC OUT
R.I.P DWILL much love!!!!!
Should have happened after the AFC championship the year before this one.
Personally I think the guy had one problem. Rush defense. The reason the Broncos had that 11 quarter no touchdown streak is because they were playing teams that used the pass. The real pain started kickin in when they came up to teams that had a decent half back like Larry Johnson, L.T.,Sean Alexander, Frank Gore. All these guys ran over them like there was nothing in their way. This is because on run plays they were always in a zone rather than man coverage. So I think the new defensive coordinator needs to look at all the angles of the opposing offense.
Adjustable king size bed – How and why you should choose one!
The reason a person gets an adjustable king size bed is because they usually are smooth and has a habit of quiet operation utilizing the finest German motor technology.
draught excluders…
[...]Change on the Defense « DenverBroncos.com[...]…