With four starters in the secondary with at least nine years of NFL experience, there’s not much the veteran unit hasn’t seen on the football field.
That’s good news for safety Kyle McCarthy and the three other rookies who have emerged in supporting roles throughout the season.
“It’s huge,” said McCarthy, who has played all six games since being promoted from the practice squad on Oct. 16. “It gives you a sense of calm knowing they’re out there with you and if you have a question they can help you out.”
McCarthy along with rookie cornerbacks Perrish Cox, Cassius Vaughn and Syd’Quan Thompson have all seen time on defense this season, showcasing an ability to adapt to the pro game quickly. They all are playing roles on special teams with many practicing at multiple defensive positions, putting an added emphasis on being prepared each Sunday.
With Brian Dawkins and Andre’ Goodman each missing time this season, including Sunday’s game against Kansas City, the group has been forced into greater roles at times this season, but Head Coach Josh McDaniels said the young players wouldn’t be given the responsibility if they didn’t earn it.
McDaniels said the defensive backs wouldn’t be in a position to contribute so much so soon if they weren’t mentally strong — a trait he attributed to the fact that they each started at least 24 games in their college careers in BCS programs.
That experience helped give the group many of the tools they needed to compete right away in the NFL, but they’ve found success through hard work.
McCarthy said the rookies have honed their approach to fitting in with the unit by watching second-year safeties Darcel McBath and David Bruton, learning the best path to succes from from being able to contribute in as many ways as possible.
“These guys listen,” Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale said. “They respect what the others have done in this league and it’s really helped their progress.”
That attitude has turned into production on Sundays.
With Goodman out, Cox, a fifth-round pick in April’s draft, could start his eighth game of the season on Sunday. He’s tied for the team lead with 10 passes defensed. Thompson has worked in at a variety of spots in the secondary, including safety, and made his first career interception in Week 6. Vaughn and McCarthy have each contributed on special teams and worked in on defense when needed.
The influx of new talent at the back end of the Broncos’ defense may make for an interesting dynamic in position meetings with such a mix of experience and youth, but it’s a situation that the head coach believes has benefitted everyone involved.
“It’s like fathers and sons playing out there and they get a kick out of that,” McDaniels said. “I think that’s great for the young guys, in terms of learning how to be a pro, learning how to study, learning how to prepare and then also being able to get the communication from some of those older guys when they’re on the field with them.”
SANTA ORTON
Kyle Orton will appear as a celebrity Santa Claus on Monday at the JW Marriott Denver at Cherry Creek (150 Clayton Lane, Denver, CO 80206). The quarterback will don the red suit to benefit the Champa House/Denver Rescue Mission. The event lasts from 6-7:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at https://www.denvermagazine.com/celebritysanta for $10 each with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the Champa House, which is a program of the Denver Rescue Mission. Limited VIP packages are available for $100.
Earlier this week, Head Coach Josh McDaniels said Darcel McBath (quadricep) could be available for Sunday’s game in Kansas City. The second-year safety practiced on a limited basis on Thursday working towards that goal.
Brian Dawkins (knee), André Goodman (hip) and Demaryius Thomas (ankle) remained out of action for a second straight practice and will miss Sunday’s game, according to McDaniels.
For the Chiefs, cornerback Jackie Bates (knee) did not practice. Cornerback Brandon Flowers (hamstring), safety Kendrick Lewis and guard Ryan Lilja (foot) were limited in practice. Safety Jon McGraw (head) fully participated in the workout.
- Eric Detweiler, DenverBroncos.com
Below are some photos from Thursday’s workout:
Tags: Defensive Coordinator Don Martindale, Denver Broncos, Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Kyle McCarthy, Week 13
It`s good to see our rookies in the backfield all getting some playing time. Next year there only going to perform better getting some experience in.
I’m just sad we lost Alphonso Smith he seems to be making his mark in Detroit. I think our rookies show big potention with Cox and Thompson. They are playing solid, but it seems they have lost some of that flash & swagger from the preseason they seemed to show. It’s a long year in the pro game and I hope they each get a pick-6 before the year is done! It would go a long way to making them great next year.
And seriously folks: If there is a tuffer job in the NFL than covering an elite reciever – (every team has there big play reciever)- I’m not sure what it would be! Good job “ROOKIES” – keep up the good work and the good work ethic. Remeber you only become great one play at a time!
Best of luck to all of you and I promise if Dummerville comes back strong next season you’ll have a lot more chance to turn a big play with a solid pass rush – which we seem to miss fairly bad this season!!!
GO BRONCO – own those chiefs and win your respect!!!
BAY Im pickn KC 51-Den 27. Haley is lickn his chops for this rematch.
LMAO at the score, got it buddy.
And if the Bronco`s can get a Top- Flight Pass Rusher in the first round that will only make Elvis all the more dangerous, Especially with Ayers coming along strong.
Bay, That score is funnier than mine huh? LOL. Thats a gnarly one.
Next year Gaff is gone I bet.
Yeah, if we win he could be a shoe-in for the Wall of Shame, haha, but so far since1972 has the better odds for that Vegas wise with a 38-27 Bronco win…
Oldouthstander has a 48-28 KC win so it’s not like tnalen66 is out of his marbles, I can see where they are coming from. So far we have 6 picking us winning and 10 picking us losing, so that pretty much tells the story…
Wouldn`t that be something.
HEY LOOK!!! Quinn is still alive ……
Anyway, Im a fan of the rookie back field. Not so much McCarthy however. everytime he has played I haven’t been impressed (mostly preseason). But Cox, Syd, Vaugn…Im a fan. I Still wanna see cox return more.
For draft if theres something we are in Dire need of in the front seven. It would be DEs. Man we need em badly. A NT as well but Jamaal can possibly hold it down for one year. I also think we still NEED a LG. Like Mike Pouncey for example. Only time will tell however. And no matter who we get, I just haven one request….That McDaniels is gone and not the one in charge of drafting. Lord knows he would probably draft another QB to motivate orton. Another RB. 2 more WRs. Another Blocking TE or something ridulous like that…
I think it`s going to be a blowout. Sorry to say but it`s December in K.C.
If McD is gone next year then Gaffney might too, but if he is back those two have a long history together.
correction, Defensive* backfield.
If McD is still coach, he`s most likely going to trade back. I hope not.
Yeah strandoftds you pretty much said it all with your 42-10 KC win pick.
Trade back three times and draft someone for two years down the road? LOL.
Hahaha. And it was by accident. Totally forgot until you bruoght it up. Kind of cool. Ahhhhh the history.
Ahhhh, the madness…
A la 1987 Super Bowl score.
Ya, with those picks we should have gone after more D players. But to tell you the truth I am a Tebow fan. We could have gotten him for less draft picks I`d say.
It was like yesterday. I remember it well.
Man, in that Bowl we were feeling good at halftime.
I’ll put it this way, I’m not so much of a Tebow fan as I would like to see what he’s got now, but nooooo, we are still mathematically able to win the division !?!?! And even after that McD has already said he doesn’t know if he would start him this year even if we are mathematically out of it…. I think he is keeping him as his joker card to buy himself another season, but if we keep losing and Bowlen tightens the screws, he might be forced to use his joker this year, we will have to wait and see, at least there is something to look forward to.
That bomb that Elway threw for a TD, What was it in the first quarter, was a thing of beauty. After that was complete kaos. Dennis Smith got burned one to many times in that game. Great saftey, horrible game for him.
Your absolutely right.
We were feeling good at half time of the Giants superbowl up 10-9, not the Redskins one, where Williams had the best second quarter ever by a QB in the SB (35 points I think) and we were done big time.
Tebow is probably the QB of the future. McD or no McD.
I don’t understand why a team can trade a player and his contract but it cannot trade a coach and his contract?
We need to be able to trade coaches like players….
Then at the end of the season we can trade McD to Cleveland for Payton Hillis.
I’m all in, haha.
Broncos 24
Cheifs 17
And who knows? win out and BOOM the superbowl.
And while we at it let’s trade Xanders for Holmgreen straight up for the GM postion.
Hahhhhhhh, the super bowl….
They would never go for that… Maybe we could trade Xanders for their camera man…lol
I want Hilis back. Waaaaaaaaaah!!!! Sorry guys, it was like breaking up with a long time girlfriend. LOL
But everyone in the division would have to lose multiple times for us to even make the playoffs, oh well good try.
BOOM! tough actin tenactin!
We are going to the SB!
Man bay you forgot to tell us about our SB run we are on! lol
That’s true we have an opening in the video department, why haven’t we heard anything about that, I guess if the video man can’t cheat McD has no use for one, LOL.
well the division could start losing and we play them a cupla more times. with orton playing well and moreno breaking out… ahhh. we suck.
We can hire a video man from Hollywood.
would love it if i could think that way though. miss the good times. ALOT.
Uh, three road games in a row. It`s done. I don`t mind a top 5 pick if we suck this bad. Just saying. I mean it`s going to happen.
Our super bowl run this year goes something like that: At 6 am four days before the game, the whole team will be assembling at Dove Valley with their running shoes on and as punishment for not getting there will have to run all the way to the Dallas Super Stadium and watch the entire thing fron the rafters. McD will be running too, and Xanders, that will teach them.
The difference between a close win and a close loss is character.
The fans on the losing side are often in denial and think that it is luck.
If the team is a good team it recovers from a loss ,but if it is a bad team it tends to continue with a losing streak.
In the game against Indy Orton had a season best 476 passing yards and the Broncos got 13 points.
The clue is in the lack of performance when it matters most.
Nobody said football was an easy game, but if you can’t stand the heat get the hell out of here.
As for Sunday Bay my prediction is KC 47 – Broncos 17
Whats gonna be wild is the two worst D`s going at it in a week in a half. I wonder if the Bronco`s can even win that game. Kinda sad.
With any luck McD will be so knackered from running to Dallas that he will stay there with X.
Back to reality: Even if we win all our remaining games, all KC has to do to beat us for the division is win two of their last 5 games, and SD three of their last 5.
Not gonna happen. We only have 5 games left.
I just hope we beat kc tomorrow and finish the sweep. at least that would feel good. or beat san diego and knock them out of the playoffs in the last game. i’ll take either one or both of those and we can lose the rest of them. hell we’ll probably lose the rest of them anyway, just please broncos give me one of those..
I bet you that Denver-Arizona game won’t be nationally televised, haha.