For Drayton Florence, signing with Denver was all about timing.
In other words, it was the perfect time to become a Bronco.
“Denver’s defense played great last year,” Florence said. “Then obviously the offseason additions with Peyton Manning coming in are huge — you don’t really see franchise quarterbacks on the free agent market. Peyton chose to come here. I just think it’ll be a good fit for me, coming in, playing with one of the best corners to ever play the game in Champ Bailey and a very aggressive and young defensive front. I just thought it would be a great fit for me. I can possibly end my career here with a Super Bowl ring. I felt Denver would be a great place for me.”
Another factor for the 10th-year veteran? Familiarity.
Florence played in the AFC West for five seasons with the San Diego Chargers, so he knows what all four teams in the division are about.
He also knows plenty about the Broncos team he’s joining, having faced Denver twice last season with Buffalo — once in the preseason and once in the regular season.
The thought of suiting up alongside the pass-rushing tandem of Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller — and joining a secondary with the likes of Bailey and Tracy Porter — was too much to pass up.
“I just thought as a unit, as a whole on defense, guys were solid,” he said. “They were competing back in the secondary. You’ve got to have three corners in this league to match up with those receivers. I just thought it was overall a good fit for me. I’m excited to get out there and start working with the guys.”
Florence called the Broncos an organization with “great football minds, from (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) John Elway to (Head) Coach (John) Fox all the way down.”
So what will he add to the club?
“Just physicality and toughness each and every week, coming out and playing hard, just trying to make plays and help my team win,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. Once we get into the playoffs, let the chips fall where they may.”
-Gray Caldwell
Tags: Drayton Florence
Welcome to the club Dray! Congrats on joining the movement!
Another very solid signing by our Front Office. Seems like we’re not missing a beat w/o Xanders wandering around Dove Valley, although it still remains uncertain who will change the water cooler in his absence…
Great article for those who may have missed it. Not only is DThomas featured, OFranklin also made the list.. Get excited y’all….
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/19007850/breakout-stars-broncos-thomas-at-top-of-list-of-guys-ready-to-shine
I’m actually pretty excited about this signing, hopefully we have a beastly secondary now haha
I like this. All of these defensive moves have made me extremely happy. We had so many weaknesses in the secondary last season and you always love to see your team trying to get better… It’s all positive. Peyton’s presence use helps! You all know how I feel about that! LOL
I like that he makes it a point to mention the TEs that every team seems to be stocking up on.
Competition at CB is gonna be fierce during training camp, wonder how it’ll all shake out..
OT as long as Harris makes a spot I’m good with competition haha
I think they plan on giving Champ a few more down off this year and then move him to safety next year, but who knows, that’s just what I would do with a solid guy like Florence.
He can also be used more in games with big TE receivers. Champ on the sidelines – now that’s new! But think about it…. It gives real depth and helps prevent injury to those smaller CB’s.
SWB – I think Harris should make the team, he showed a ton of upside last year!
DB – I like the idea of CB by committee, and maybe adding a year to Champ’s career! Florence has shown to be durable throughout his career, and I think it’ll come down to Vaughn and Thompson, since they are both coming off injuries.
LOOKING GOOD FOR OUR BOYZ TO MAKE A RUN! DANG I AM EXCITED! We really only needed to get the KING OF COMEBACKS back in the locker room, LOL thanks John you have been doing a fine job with the club, I’m starting to feel IT Again and IT feels good. Go Broncos!!! win one for CHAMP!!
Sounds better and better as i read all these articles. CB by committee? Why not? It’s RB by committee.
Crush, I’m with you. That’s what I tell one of my students when he complains about Manning… I just say “Do you want Champ to win a Super Bowl? Or even have a chance to play in one?” his answer is always yes, so I just say… Peyton gives us the best chance.
Cat – are you a teacher? You keep calling yourself a girl and that gives me the picture of someone very young. But then you know about the Broncos from 10 years ago. Are you married? Do you have children?
I am hoping for those rings for Champ!!! Would have loved to get Dawk one as well!!! (Too bad they can’t cut the guy in for the game if and when they get there.)
glad to see us pulling in cornerbacks, cuz the way the league is going you need 2 studs and 2 really good ones with some depth behind them. i bet we keep all of them, or maybe lose one at the most. remember at one time florence was a stud at cb, one of the better ones in the league. then he got a big deal with the chargers and never really lived up to it in their defense. but when he was stellar guess who his coach was? JDR of course. he will know how to use him and florence will be a great asset this season and beyond. another reason this is great is omar bolden needs some time to get well and get used to playing football again, especially at an nfl level. it’ll be one or two years possibly before bolden breaks out and guess what? florence will be a great fill in in the mean time and about ready to end his career when boldens ready (or at least be near the end). on top of that, florence will have helped bring bolden up along with champ. what a great pickup at a perfect time. shows again elway knows what he’s doing for now and the future. what a concept… things are making sense here in broncos country again!
Lol @ cat! Way to put him in his place!
blog killer time…..
i’m baacckkk!!!
there u are……. was waiting……
The blog never dies, it just takes a nap.. Lol
OT…goes into hibernation is more like haha
I love this signing and even think he may start opposite Champ with Porter in the slot… Either outcome strengthens our DBfield… and It’s even possible for Champ to move to Safety now with Him and Mike Adams starting with Porter Florence Harris Vaughn Squid and Bolden at CB… Love the depth now!
LAX how you doing bro?
no i’m pretty sure the blog killer has special blog killing abilities. he strikes when he feels like it and we’re all but victims of his ruthless blog killing schemes. we suffer blogless while the infamous blog killer just laughs at us and his handiwork. tough character that blog killer.
Exhausted every thing aches lol and spending a bunch of money for once haha! But excited for this signing I think bringing back Thomas and another DT maybe solidifies the Defense now
LAX I agree
by Andrew Mason, CBSSports.com
Newly signed CB Drayton Florence played for DC Jack Del Rio for one season (2008) when he was the Jaguars’ head coach, so there’s not much he has to learn. “The system, the language is going to be familiar,” Florence said. Del Rio isn’t the only Buffalo coach he knows. RBs coach Eric Studesville and WRs coach Tyke Tolbert were on Buffalo’s staff in 2009, Florence’s first season there.
I think with Bannan on board, Thomas is not needed. Though, if he wants to re-sign, I won’t complain.
Love the Drayton transaction. We are deep at corner. And Safety. Perfect mix of youth and veterans.
As far as Champ…he deserves the right to play wherever he wants. For as long as he wants!
Broncos Country Strong 2012!
ya ot i screweed that up pretty good. remembered that wrong! chargers had him and he signed a big deal with the jaguars. no idea why i was backwards on that. oh and he sucked with the jags oops. oh well he was good with buffalo. so theres that.
Everything is being set up so this team can defend the pass. The draft was set up like this and so has been free agency. The team is planning on having big leads and they want to rush the passer and defend the back half of the field. I just hope our D can stop the run.
chalk that one up to a good ol brain fart…
LAX, thats alot of depth at CB! In todays football, you can`t have enough CB`s, thats for sure.
yep bones. i’m with ya on that. i too hope we do a good job against the run. we shoulda kept bunkley dangit. we traded a good run stopper and drafted a penetrator. so we’re geared to get after the qb and also giving him no one to throw to. but they may run for a mile on us if we dont shore that up. whats the latest on marcus thomas? i hope we still get him signed..
Strand it has been quite some time hows it going bud?
Really well LAX.
Good to hear cant wait for football again personally and the draft and offseason is exciting me! Cabt wait to get out to dove Valley for Training camp!
ya strand whats up? your handle is different whats up with the caps?
Dont know the situation, its ugly.
hey strand thinkin i might get tickets to dream theatre in grand prarie tx on july 9th. dont know though gotta make sure i can afford it and have time for it and that means letting it get close to time to go and risking it selling out. delimma.
ya i’ve heard you complain about it but never caught the story behind it.
Awesome!
i’ve been to the verizon theattre there before. very nice views. i saw motley crue there and a few other 80′s hair bands (rat, tesla), were really cool shows and all the seats are good.
Oh man Tesla! Heck ya!
at least i think it was the same place. i think its changed names once or twice. but anyway it all happened in that area and it was cool and thats what matters!!
tesla does rule. i actually almost got into a fight with jeff keith about 12 years ago. he played in a small bar here in shreveport downtown and when the show was over i was talking to his girlfriend (innocent i swear, just talking) and he came up and jumped a barrier and started cussin me and tried to push me but i was twice his size so couldnt budge me. he jumped back over the barrier, grabbed his girlfriend and told her to follow him or else and let his bodyguard know i needed to be kicked out. but his bodyguard told me i was fine and he can be an a%$ but i should leave to keep the peace. ya know i have been to over 100 concerts in my days. good times.
wow
Bro, in the early 90`s I was in a mall here in Colorado Springs, and some dude came up to me and said, Dude, I swear, you look just like the lead singer of Tesla. the gut repeated himself a few times. Kinda bazarre, I said, oh, ok. Tripped me out.
The guy, I meant.
dang i tried to post and my message just disapeared. i guess i used a banned word. crap. anyway i was trying to continue that story- a few days later tesla played again but this time in a big venue with i think ratt and maybe faster pusiecat (think that was banned word) and others, and i saw jeff keiths girlfriend there again and tried to talk to her and she just took off running before i could get a word out. kinda funny. but those were the days, just traveling along and watching shows. and i havent been to denver to watch a bronco game. THATS NEXT THO!!
i hope this posts….
yep that was the word. i guess i shoulda known that!
sndvl I got the prize today. Thanks again. They’re really cool and go with my small bronco collection.
Im ok with the signing. We havnt had success with older CBs in the past and most likely a younger CB wont make the roster and that bothers me some. Age over youth I guess? I hope an older CB actually works out for us for once.
Thomas I dont think will be back since Beal is now wearing 79. If we do go sign a DT i think it will be Franklin.
Anyways was out at Walmart and ran into a flock of Faider fans. Here I am in a Elway jersey and Bronco cap. They decided to follow e around the store yelling Broncos suck even followed me out to my car. They tried starting a fight. I avoided it and shut them up. All I had to say is Peyton Manning LMAO Scared Faider fans!!!!!! LMAO