It’s been nearly three years since the trade that brought Champ Bailey to Denver as part of a deal that shipped Clinton Portis to the Washington Redskins in what was the NFL’s first trade of current Pro Bowlers in three decades, and for the Broncos, the verdict couldn’t be much better.
While Portis was prolific in orange and blue, the Broncos got a player that has become the league’s best at his position. Three seasons in Denver … three Pro Bowl bids … three first-team All-Pro selections … and more interceptions than anyone else in the sport in those years, with 21, some three better than the second-best on the list (Jacksonville’s Rashean Mathis).
Twenty-one interceptions in a league increasingly geared towards low-risk, precision passing is an impressive total under any circumstance. But when factoring teams’ general resistance to throwing in his direction, it becomes downright remarkable.
“Everyone tries to never allow him to have an impact on the game,” safety John Lynch said. “Then he finds a way each and every day to have an impact on the game.”
“Sooner or later they’re going to quit throwing in his direction,” Head Coach Mike Shanahan said. “I wouldn’t advise throwing over there, but it’s really amazing when you look at the percentage of balls that have been thrown in his direction how many he has come up with. It’s a credit to his preparation and obviously the type of athlete he is.”
Bailey’s athleticism caused the Broncos to take a look at him on offense during his first Denver training camp and again early in the regular season that followed. And while he still speaks of a desire to try his skills on offense, he still managed to get his hands on the football more than any other defensive back in the game this season.
It wasn’t enough to earn him plaudits as the league’s defensive player of the year. It was enough for his teammates to sternly advocate his selection for the award — with none doing so more passionately than offensive captain Rod Smith.
“Definitely. No doubt,” Smith said when asked whether Bailey should have won the award that eventually went to Miami’s Jason Taylor. “Just look at what he does on the football field — he can shut a whole side down. When you have a team that doesn’t even look at throwing the football over there — and then when they do it, (it’s) by mistake — he ends up taking it back the other way.
“I mean, I’ve never played with a better football player, I don’t believe. I played with John Elway, and he’s a legend, he’s great, (so) I’ll exclude him. But everybody else I’ve ever played with, I’ve never seen anybody else like him. I call him ‘The Jedi,’ actually. I think he’s Yoda’s son because he knows where the hell the ball’s going before they even throw it, and he just runs over there and I’m like, ‘Dude, that’s not your guy.’
“Honestly, I really appreciate the opportunity to get to play with that kind of greatness. He’s not good, by no means; he passed good a long time ago, before he ever came to the Broncos. The people who vote on that (defensive player of the year) — I don’t know who votes.
“I don’t know if you have a vote (I don’t, sadly), but you’ve got to look at all the things he does for our football team and how he can take another team and make them change everything they do. That, to me, is the defensive player of the year, and at the same time, he’s turned games around and helped us win games very quickly. Like I say, he’s an amazing athlete, and he’s a great person, just the character of Champ is probably more impressive than his athletic ability, and he’s probably got more athletic ability than pretty much anybody on this planet. I just hope he gets what’s due to him, because he’s worked his butt off and he deserves it.”
FINAL ANALYSIS: Tied for the league’s lead in interceptions (10) … Played in all 16 games for the seventh time in eight NFL seasons; a nagging hamstring injury was the culprit in the only two games he ever sat out, both of which came in 2005 … Credited with 98 total tackles, 14 better than his previous career standard of 84 established in 2002 with the Redskins and matched two years later … His fumble recovery against Cincinnati on Dec. 24 was his first since joining the Broncos … Broke up a career-high 30 passes.
NEXT: Tailback Mike Bell.
Tags: 2006 Season Review, Champ Bailey, Cornerbacks, Defense
I don’t know if you can call a player of his caliber underrated, but for some reason I feel that he is underappreciated around the league. The guy is just as good as Deion Sanders ever was and I still feel like Champ doesn’t get that type of credit. Champ is just as good at what he does at his position as anyone else in the NFL is at their position. I not only think he deserved the defensive MVP, I would have considered him 3rd in the league in the overall MVP (only behind LT and Drew Brees, who both had amazing seasons). It’s a privelege to be able to watch this guy play cornerback and living in San Diego and watching their CB’s play makes me appreciate Champ even that much more!!
Champ dont get the Deion Sanders type of recognition because hes not as flashy as Primetime was. Champ does everything while maintaing a team first approach. He is by far the leagues best Corner Back, and should have been the Defensive MVP. Taylor played a heck of a season, but lets be real, Champ outshined him in every category. I hated the trade at first. But after this first 3 years…THANK GOD!!!
-tha jOKER
Post Script:
Hey Andrew, do you by chance know if Champ will participate in the Pro Bowl given the teams loss of D-Will? Or any of our Pro Bowlers for that fact?
I know Deion Sanders is considered by many to be the untouchable god of cornerbacks, but his attitude towards tackling at the line and playing the run in my book deducts a lot from his value on the field. Champ Bailey on the other hand plays the run as well as a linebacker, try looking at runs to the Denver defensive left side and count how often Bailey is right there at the line of scrimmage and how many tackles he misses, you will find the first number is very high and the second number is very close to 0 if not actualy 0.
I haven’t heard that Champ will bypass the game, so as far as I know, he’s a-go. Ditto for John Lynch. With Al Wilson, though, he had the back problems late in the year, so we’ll have to wait and see on his status.
Champ Bailey is the best player in the NFL, and the second guy is way back there.
Why? Because there is no one even close to his level at his position. Who do you want at QB? Manning? Brady? Palmer? Tons of choices. Defensive Line? Jason Taylor? Dwight Freeney? Richard Seymour? Again, tons of choices there. Who do you want at Cornerback?
CHAMP BAILEY!
There’s no second choice that’s even close. This guy shuts the elite receivers in the league down. What a season! 10 INTs is insane when you think of how seldom he gets challenged! That’s like another CB having 15 or 20. He blocks passes. He tackles. He stops the run. He handles the media. He’s great with teammates. The guy does it all. A complete player who is far and away better than everyone else at his position.
Everyone knows that football is a team sport. The defensive line rushes the passer at the same time; when the running back is running his team is blocking, etc. When the QB throws the ball, its the cornerback who has to stop it. If there is one position in football that’s an island, that’s the one. So when someone excels at that position the way Champ Bailey does, (espcially when his team doesn’t generate much of a pass rush), its even more impressive to me.
With respect to the rest of the Broncos, and indeed the rest of the league, Champ Bailey is why I watch football.
I don’t think Champ Bailey was personally underrated by this Defensive MVP vote. It comes down to the classic scorn the Bronco organization recieves from the rest of the league. I watched the 20 best Super Bowl teams of all time and that 1998 Bronco team wasn’t even there, unless I missed it. In any case, Miami sucks butt and Jason Taylor has what I would call a “Comeback Player of the Year” season and Champ goes on to post another monster year for the Broncos. I’d sure like to know what Ed Reed did to become the Defensive MVP that Champ Bailey didn’t do better than this year. That’s my overrated opinion on an underrated organization. How many other teams have been to 6 or more Super Bowls? Dallas 8, Denver 6, Pittsburg 6. Looks to me like that list includes three of the most elite organizations in the NFL…why is it then that Denver only has ONE Hall of Famer and the other two have dozens? So what if we are 2-4 in the SB…look at Denvers overall record since 1975 and you’ll see it in the top 5 easily. Damn NFL/media, always ignoring the Broncos or discrediting us. Much like when we stomped the Patriots last year in the playoffs, giving Brady his ONLY playoff loss. He is not 12-1. Go figure. But hey, they say we got “lucky” and the game was much “closer” than the score showed. What do the Broncos have to do to get the respect they deserve?
Ok, I’m done whining and moaning for the day…I think it’s appropriate to rant about these feelings I have at least once a year. Only because I think it is totally true and it makes absolutely no sense.
Champ deserves all the credit he can get. Personally I like that he is not flashy like Deion Sanders with his “prime time.” Champ is a classy person that has his mind on the game and not on what people think about him. And people that really love the game for the game and not the fame and the flashy people truly appreciate people like Champ Bailey because he is playing the game the way it is supposed to be played.
We’ve had some outstanding guys on our defense over the years that Ive ben able to watch play. Mecklenburg, Atwater, D Smith, Lynch, Wilson, Romo, Pryce, N Smith (im sure im forgetting some), but Champ surpasses them all by a long shot. Hes a complete player, teams stay away from him and he still makes plays. Hes a great tackler. I cant say enough about how amazing he is.
Personally, I think that the Broncos and Champ never got the recognition they deserve and never will. It’s just a fact of life that the rest of the NFL will never embrace the Broncos as one of the elite as the Steelers, Cowboys, 49ers, and most recently the Patriots have become. People know who Tom Brady is. I can name one common name from the Broncos that a non-football fan would know- That’s John Elway. In the entire HISTORY of our team, John Elway is the only one, and nowadays, not even that many people know him. It’s really kind of sad how people overlook such a great franchise with such a low belief about them. I guess we are the only ones who will ever really know how great they are.
i and im sure every bronco fan knows that champ bailey surpass’s every conerback in the league and this year every defensive player some people might coment that asnte samuals equaled champ in intercepts but champ not only generates a huge amount of turnovers but excels in every aspect of being a defensive player he will never miss a tackle he will shut down the best wide receivers in the leaguge and that alone changes the whole game i favour of the broncos. For even one of thease reasons the defensive MVP should have been given to him. He is the best player to have played for the broncos after john elway
His first name says it perfectly, “CHAMP” , Talk about dedication I see very few players with this much dedication and motivation to win and actually ‘go for it’ in a game than this man. We love you Mr. Baily!!!! Way to play with your heart!
personally that was a ‘jew’ moment. bailey or taylor come on now. no reason to go any further. the stats, and performance speak for itself.
TLynch - thanks! My feelings exactly. It makes no sense why they get no respect.
Now this guy was a great move for us. Before we traded for him we were struggling with deep coverage and this guy is a total package. Just look at what clinton has done for washington and what Champ has done for us. Wow what a weapon…
Now when it comes to being an athlete many names may pop up. But to be the total package, leadership, fear from opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators, team player, and above all character. Champ Bailey is the man. No disrespect to Deion Sanders, but he cannot stand next to the Champ. At first I was upset at the loss of Clinton but once I seen Champ play for US, I was at the store buying my Jersey, Bobble Head, Autographed Photo because I knew he is the man when it comes to cornerbacks. Past or present I truly believe with the whole country that he is the MAN!!! I don’t know if he will participate in the Pro Bowl because of the painful loss of a fine young talented and more important a outstanding young man that Darrent was, but whatever decision he makes I will support it in my heart. Coach Shanahan made the steal of the Century with the trade and for that I am thankful. He is my Defensive Player of the Year and I feel he got ripped off because they don’t give it to cornerbacks oftened. Champ best thing he brings to the game is Character because we all know his athletic ability. Unlike Deion he lets his play do his talking. Thanks Champ.
HEY,
DAWG! KEEP IT UP BUT GET MADDER CAUSE YOU WILL NEED TO GET IN THE OTHER PLAYER FACES WE WANT THAT RING YOU WANT THAT RING LET DO IT FOR DWILL I BEEN A BRONCOS FAN WHEN OLD MAN CRAIG AT THE QUARTERBACK IN THE 70″S I ALWAYS FEEL THAT WE HAVE THE BEST “D” IN THE NFL IT JUST OF STAYING HEALTHLY.
GET MADDER CHAMP THAT IT WHAT YOUR NAME IS KNOCK THEM ON THEIRS TAIL DAWG!
Like you Champ! You have done a hell of a lot for our bronco team. AlthoughI think you make up the interceptions every time you get bruned. But I also think you get burned more than you pick off QB’s. So just thiink if it was the other way around- 4 sure a hall a famer then.
I would just like to say that “Champ” is! the best!..I play corner in highschool and admire him. If anything i love playing corner b’cuz of him. he migh not seem as the fastes corner in the league but his catch up speed is wat i love and allows all those interceptions.When im playing in a game and happened to get a lil burned i think of how champ makes the plays and catch up. Like i said he has an increadable catch up speed which i practice on to try to play like him.Camp is my idol and why i look forward everyday to cover receivers and learn from watching him..
GO CHAMP!