The Broncos got back to the grindstone Wednesday, preparing for their next opponent, and it’s one that will provide some unique challenges.
The Miami Dolphins come to INVESCO Field at Mile High this week, and coming off of two losses before the bye week, the Broncos are getting ready for a battle to get back on the winning track.
There are several interesting storylines leading up to the game, not the least of which involves two prominent figures from the 2009 NFL Draft.
ROOKIES LIVING UP TO BILLING
Sunday’s game features a first-round 2009 NFL Draft pick at left tackle for both teams’ offensive line, and both rookies have started every game for their team this season.
Miami’s Jake Long was the number one overall pick in this year’s draft, and Ryan Clady went off the board at No. 12 to Denver. Both have lived up to expectations — Clady is the only rookie tackle not to have allowed a sack, according to STATS, Inc., and Long’s coach said he has continued to improve every week.
“I think the guy’s been getting better and better,” Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano said. “When we got Jake here, one of the things we found is that he’s so much more mature than this young 21-, 22-year old guy. He plays like he’s a much older player out there, and plays like he’s seen a bunch of different looks.”
Long said he and Clady have some similarities, and he’s very impressed with Clady’s athleticism and skills as a pass blocker.
“I definitely like to watch Ryan play, because I got to meet him throughout the last couple years in college, at banquets and all that stuff,” Long said. “I really grew a friendship with him. He’s a great player, having a great year and he’s going to do really good things for Denver.”
Jay Cutler said he hasn’t thought twice about the left side of the line since Clady stepped in.
“He is there every day,” Cutler said. “You couldn’t ask much more out of a rookie, especially playing left tackle right now. We don’t have to worry about him because he locks down the left side and does a great job.”
Sparano said he was enamored with Clady, even as he was eyeing Long with the No. 1 pick.
“I thought he was an outstanding player, and I’m not just saying that because we’re playing him this week,” Sparano said. “He’s so athletic, and really was an outstanding pass blocker, which is something that in our league is a premium. You need to find those kind of guys. Smart kid, good background, so he had all the things that you look for in a top pick.”
Sunday will be a test of both rookies’ mettle.
Elvis Dumervil — tied for the team lead in sacks — lines up at right defensive end for the Broncos.
Vonnie Holliday typically lines up on the right side of the Dolphins’ 3-4 defense, with linebacker Joey Porter playing the far right linebacker position just behind him. Porter leads the league in sacks.
In other words, the battle in the trenches — and specifically Clady and Long’s side of the line — could help decide the game when all is said and done.
PAYMAH STEPPING IN
With Champ Bailey out for, according to Head Coach Mike Shanahan, at least a month, the Broncos secondary as a whole will have to step up its game.
Some of that responsibility starts with Karl Paymah, who will step in to the starting lineup in Bailey’s absence. But the responsibility certainly doesn’t end there. And Paymah said he doesn’t feel overwhelmed by pressure, since the secondary acts as a team.
“You have a guy that is a Hall of Famer, the best cornerback in the game right now — you can’t expect to just come in and fill that void,” Paymah said. “Rome wasn’t built in a night. I am looking at it as a unit. There are 11 guys out there and 11 guys have to do their jobs, and when you come in you need to come in, fill in for that guy and keep it going.”
So far this season Paymah has six tackles, including five solo, and a pass defensed.
Daniel Graham said he has faith that Paymah and other newcomers to the starting lineup — Champ’s brother Boss Bailey is out for the season on the defensive side of the ball as well — can get it done and help the team get back on the winning track.
“It is a concern with those guys gone, but young guys need to step up,” Graham said. “They have the opportunity to come in and make a name for themselves and help this team out. We are looking forward to guys stepping up and making plays, and we will be good.”
Paymah said he’s ready to accept the challenge.
“You just have to worry about what you can control — in this game you can be a starter and the next day you don’t know when you are going to see the field,” he said. “You can’t worry about what is going on upstairs -– when you get the opportunity you have to rise to the occasion.”
A SENSE OF URGENCY
Even though the team sits at 4-3 atop the AFC West, some players said there is a palpable sense of urgency in the locker room.
“I think there is,” Graham said. “The last few weeks we haven’t played well, and I think it is those little things when you go back that cost us the games. There is a sense of urgency around here to get better in all aspects of the game.”
The Broncos are on a two-game losing streak, but all it takes is one convincing victory to turn it all around and get back on track. Michael Pittman said the offense in particular is ready to fix some recent mistakes.
“The last couple weeks we really didn’t perform the way we know how to as an offense,” Pittman said. “First couple games of the season we were putting up a lot of points and scoring at will, but right now we’re struggling a little bit. A big cause of that has been turnovers. You can see we’re driving the ball on people, just once we get down in the red zone toward their endzone, we find a way to turn over the ball. If we eliminate that and go out and perform, we’ll start putting up points again.”
Graham said eliminating those turnovers — one of the “little things” to which he was referring — will be a tough task against a relatively stingy Dolphins defense that is tied for third in the league with 14 forced fumbles. He expects them to try to strip the ball on every play.
“They are going to be doing that from the first snap of the game — we know that,” Graham said. “We have to go out here in practice and work on holding onto the ball –- no turnovers. What we do on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will show on Sunday.”
Nate Jackson said nothing has changed in the urgency department — the team feels the need to win every game, and the group will feel the same way going into Sunday’s matchup with Miami.
“Every week there is a sense of urgency,” he said. “That doesn’t really change in this line of work. We know we don’t need to be reminded. We know how important it is go out there and perform well.”
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Champ Bailey, Daniel Graham, Gray Caldwell, Jay Cutler, Karl Paymah, Michael Pittman, Nate Jackson, Ryan Clady
OMG not paymah…i’d rather have jack williams….or foxy if we still had him…not paymah…he gave up too many touchdowns in one game…he gave up more touchdowns in the sd game than champ bailey in his whole career…..that guy is trash hopefully he can prove me wrong sunday….
Can we just get a win PLEASE?!?!
oh yea and one love to ryan clady man you doing your thang and we praise you for that man…clearly one of the best….keep lockin em down dude…GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!
thursday night jack williams is gonna start paymah doesnt have it in him i like him at 4th not 3rd especially not 2nd. i say put jack at no 1 and bly at no 2 with paymah at 3 and bell at 4 and i hope bell plays like he did in college im a nebraska fan he went to baylor i saw him play abt 3 times hes got it in him
I’ve payed attention to Jack. He gets good position and actually plays the ball. He tries to stop the completion rather than just wait for the receiver to catch and then TRY to tackle him. Jack should defenetly play instead of Karl. He does get beat every once in a while but who doesn’t. He seems like he could make more plays than he would give up.I’ve heard great things about Barrett our defense could use all the talent we could get. Get the best guy on the field we can’t do much worse let’s give them a try. Get Macre and Barret at safety Macre has struggled in coverage but at least he could tackle.
Have fan bronco-nation… there’s no need to throw in the panic towel yet. Just sit back and enjoy the show.
No need for anymore “nay saying”… Paymah will “pay up”. I have faith.
I WILL be there this weekend to witness the turn around and revert back to the winning ways. Not to mention the debut of my fellow ASU Sun Devil RYAN TORAIN!
GET EM RYAN!
Clady, you’re the man. Keep holding down the fort, you are a KEY asset to this teams success.
GO BRONCOS!
i like all the ryans on our team im excited to see torain too but he probably wont get many carries. clady is dominating hes a big strong fast guy very good first round pick. ryan harris right tackle dude is strong and plays with intensity, maybe has to calm down a bit so they call unneseccary ruffness on offensive linemen anymore buddy.
What is the status of Andre Hall this week? If Ryan Torrain gets the start is it going to be Selvin Young and Torrain by committee. If Hall doesn’t fumble and Jay doesn’t hurt his finger I think Denver wins in New England. They looked so good before that. I agree they really need to look at things on the defensive side of the ball. It was almost like they gave up. They had 3rd and 4th string guys in there running wild against our D. I think our Offense will be able to move the ball and score points if they don’t turn the ball over but as far as going to the playoffs and stopping anybody, it is not going to happen. I would love to see it turn around but I don’t think it will with the injuries.
I remember in a couple of games what Paymah did to help us out defensively this season and what he did was impressive. It’s not all vividly stuck in my mind but I do know we could have bigger problems. To me, Champ being out makes me nervous, sick to my stomach, makes me question how well our D will step up but I still got faith in these guys no matter how young they are or if they’re rookies. I would say if Foxy were here he should take Champ’s place but he’s not (bad decision) so alot of pressure is going to be put on Paymah. He knows he has an golden opportunity sitting in the palm of his hand and if he wants any shot of staying on this team let alone staying in the NFL as a starter no matter where he goes… he’s going to have to step up to the plate and not strike out. The same goes for all the youngins that are coming in to deal the loss of Champ for a month and the loss of Boss for the rest of the season.
Those are some BIG shoes to fill.
And what Graham said couldn’t be more true. These guys have the opportunity to make a name for themselves, to do something with this chance of a lifetime. I mean at first I thought this was a huge disadvantage to us because our D without Champ… scares me to death… BUT I’m hoping and praying these young guys take that disadvantage and turn it into an Advantage for us. We can still be a strong D with or without Champ but they have to want it and work at it. And to repeat what Paymah said “Rome wasn’t built in a day” or “night”… whatever… this is going to take time and we’re all going to have to have some patience around here. It’s never easy and I don’t want to have to do it anymore than the man in the moon but it is what it is. If we want this team to be perfect season and Superbowl worthy – only time will tell if we’re good enough and I’d rather have us work out these rough patches NOW and not have problems like this during a season where we could be a 16-0 and win a Superbowl. Let them get these silly mistakes out of the way so we can have a much brighter future for this team in the years to come.
Have faith Broncos Country… This team is worth it!!!!!!
GO BRONCOS!!!!
I hate to say it, but if our defense is going to succeed, then the offense is going to have to make it a game that they can play in. It’s just that simple. That means:
1. No turnovers.
2. Run the ball, and control time of possession.
3. We must be able to run the ball inside the red-zone. That’s the difference between 3 and 7 points. We’re going to have to out-score our opponents, and that means TD’s, not field goals.
4. The Broncos have to get ahead and stay ahead. If the Broncos can play with a lead, that can influence how the opposing teams play offense, and give our defense a little bit more of a chance.
5. No giving up big plays on special teams.
Any team that plays us is going to have the goal of keeping our offense off the field, and you can bet that Chad Pennington and the Dolphins are going to be attempting to do just that. If we get behind, then our offense is going to have little chance of getting into a rythm if our defense can’t get off the field. And then our smaller defense gets tired, and then they push us around, and then our secondary has to start tackling the run game, and then our db’s get beat, etc….
Our victories are very contingent upon us dictating the flow of the game on the offensive side of the ball.
I can’t lie, I was an enthusiast for Chris Williams over Ryan Clady in the draft. Boy am I glad that I don’t run the personel decisions, because picking Ryan Clady at #12 was the right move, and this guy looks like he’ll be one of the best if not the best Left Tackle in the National Football League. Great job Clady and let’s keep it going.
The team has some bright spots, but this season is over… The only way we will win any of the remaining games is if the offense plays like it did against the Oakland. Perfect! They will have to score 30 or more points to have a chance.
Paymah and Bly, both these guys can’t cover and they can’t tackle. Especially since there is no help from the safeties. This is going to be a very rough stretch for the boys. Hopefully the coaching staff will give some of the up and coming guys some chances. If you are still support the Broncos after this season you can officially call yourself a Bronco’s fan.
GOD PLEASE NOT KARL PLEASE….JACK WILLIAMS…………..RYAN YOUR A BEAST KEEP DOING YOUR THING
I’m either drunk or high. Did i read this right? Karl Paymah is starting? Well here comes loss number 3 in a row. It’s like this team is hell bent on seeing how many ways they can screw things up. What happend to Hamza Abdulla? I know he’s a saftey but hes got more talent than Paymah. AND WHAT WERE YOU THINKING SIGNING DRE BLY? When was the last time Bly defended a pass or even made a tackle for that matter. It seems to me this team is in transition. A transition into the Lions or the Cardinals(pre Whisenhunt) and if thats true and change in the head coach must be done. Gear up boys, it’s going to be another along season.
we will get the w
ok tell me something y isnt John Lynch a bronco right now we need him thats what he wanted. a team to need him. ok well maybe we can pick up our old safety (Lynch) who just happens to make pro bowls regardless.
Ok im not crazy just looking at what were doing right now on “D” as useless but think bout this. People dont throw champs way so to even out the playing field lets start jack williams and dre bly at corners start Champ at safety since hes the best tackler on our team and he can do a zone coverage better than n e 1 ive ever seen. and pick back up lynch and start him back at free safety
I thought Paymah made strides last year and has taken a step back this year. Lets be very honest no team has a worst safety combo then Denver. I will say this too, the broncos had a chance to draft REGGIE NELSON and instead picked MOSS. That DRAFT was horrible except for HARRIS which is a surprise because he has played really well, Nobody talks about him but Thomas has been a mayor disappointed too. Crowder and Moss stink.
I know this is the wrong place but George Karl is the worst.
How are we going to control the “Wildcat” formation the Dolphins use? i’m a little worried about that with our (gulp) struggling defense so far this year
Wheres all the true Bronco Fans? Seasons over? Yeah Right… Go punch them in the mouth broncs and then come back here and punch all these fake fan. GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the Broncos will step up and play. I hope the team realizes that they don’t have a lot of chances left to prove that they are a playoff caliber team. As far as the injuries… no one can replace Champ on the field. Paymah has to play better than he has in the past, not only the pass but the run as well. Champ provides such good run support that I’m kind of worried about our run defense on the outside. With Champ there he can at least make a play, I’m not so sure about Paymah..we will find out Sunday. The sense of urgency is correct. If we aren’t careful and play better football, SD will take 1st place in the AFC West and send us home with no post season play. I hope we can take care of the Dolphins and shut them down. Go team, go team go.
Yeah one more thing, Clady is a beast.
The Broncos are going all the way. I think their going step it up this week and play with alot of intensity, and that will carry over through the whole season. After we win the championship this year we should pick up Macho Harris in the draft. He plays corner for Virginia Tech, but I think he would be a good safety. Then we should trade for Albert Haynsworth. Go Broncos!!!!!!!!!
I am willing to bet any nay sayer we walk away with the win this week! I am also a friend of Chad P. so I know how to beat this kid. Can the D-coord. give me a call please?
Rodsmithforprez are you blind or just plain stupid? Championship? I like your enthusiasm kid but it is a little missed placed. Our D couldnt stop a high school team much less a pro team. Now how do you expect us to even make the playoffs with this (sigh) “defense”.
I think he need a new head coach to move into the playoff’s. Shanahan’s gas tank is on empty and is now destroying this team. Want proof…….Look where we were two years ago. Our D is in the top 5 in the NFL and even with Plummer at the helm made it through half the season with a record of 6-2. Then Mr. Shanahan made the AWSOME move of putting Jay Cutler in for the rest of the season and we go 9-7 that year. We havnt even got close to the playoffs with Jay and his inexpreince is matched only by his empty head. When the game is doesnt go his way the 1st two quaters he chokes and he chokes bad, not to mention he can’t hold on to the ball. I like Jay but his coaches are coaching him in the wrong direction.
the defense better play the ball this week and not worrying about staying deep. penningotn is very accurate but has a weak arm so bring up the db’s and stop that wildcat crap. paymah nickanme is toast and has no business playing corner in the nfl. we need corners who are trying to make plays and not just trying to stay with a guy. you have to have that dog in you and have that mentality that the ball is yours not the wr’s. boss going down might help us because he is not a run stopper and wilborn is a better tackler. if only nate can stay home and fill his gaps and the safties can take the right angles and grow a pair we could be decent. i looked at the free agents for next year and its going to be hard to get a great defensive player without offering a ton of money we better make some great moves in the draft to move up and get a d tackle and a saftey in the first 2 rounds that can come in and start right away.
Any truth to the rumor that we are bringing in Eddie Royal’s brother Chris Royal for a workout?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DSR8M4S2RA&feature=related
hotsizzle maybe you dont know this but just like champ dre bly is a shoe in for the hall of fame, i’m not worried about bly just paymah bly is a solid corner a “coverage corner” so dont say bly cant cover, there is no randy moss on the dolphins roster
raider hater seems more like a raiders fan he keeps talking bad about shanahan. raider hater let me say just one thing about that……… your a dumbass!!!!!!! shanahan is the best offensive coach in the league, he turns any runner into a nfl star. i think raiderhater need to go read a book cause he knows nothing about football the clown.
Sorry baileythebronco but when you only have 1 playoff win in 10 years it doesnt matter whos the star. And when was the last time we had a solid runner? Mike Anderson? and dont give that Selvin Young crap, the dude hasnt shown up yet this year nor any bronco for that matter except Pittman. Shanahan does got a great mind but im sorry, his great mind has been on vaction the last 3 years. I guess im just having trouble with ecxcepting only 1 playoff win since in 10 years, maybe your content with losing but im not.
I have to say I thought for sure that they would be starting Jack Williams alongside bly. So that through me a little bit and I don’t have much to say for that other than I really hope we have some ideas up our sleeves to disguise our defense because we are going to need to make them think twice about every play they want to run before they snap the ball. I just hope that Karl comes out as hungry as he should, DON’T EAT YOUR CHUNKY SOUP!
I started a new franchise on madden and foxxy is still there, so to get some draft picks I traded Karl for a 5th 6th and 7th rounder, that being said I don’t see how all we got out of Foxworth was a 6th rounder. That is the biggest dissappointment in that whole trade for me. I have no doubt we can fill his void, but I believe we drafted him in the 4th round, and we invested a couple years into him and we lose 2 rounds from what we paid for him in the trade? Geez Atlanta got a steal!
But keep the faith guys, our offense should hold onto the ball this week and we will come out on top if they do. I have given up on ever watching Cutler’s Sunday Sitdown video with anyone but myself…..
Hold onto the ball offense, maintain your gaps defense, and keep the faith fans!
Please do not bring up Foxworth anymore people…did you not see the highlights of the Falcons game where he was being run by over and over and over again by Westbrook and I think one time an Eagle cheerleader