The Broncos defensive players walked into the locker room trailing 14-3. They had allowed two LaDainian Tomlinson touchdown runs and 172 total yards. They needed a lift. They needed emotion. Encouragement.
It came from an unlikely source.
Larry Coyer stormed in and told his defense it was going to win this game against the Chargers. He told them to stick together. He told them to be ready to play a more aggressive second half.
Take some chances.
Take the ball.
“We had our minds made up as a defense once we walked back out there for the second half,” safety John Lynch said.
Cornerback Lenny Walls added: “Everybody came together. We have never seen him quite like that.”
Coyer entered this game with many of his defensive players uncertain of his leadership, style and substance as their defensive coordinator. He obviously listened. He found a different way to reach out to them. To help produce maximum performance.
And though it is not the complete answer in this uneven relationship, it is a start. There were defensive calls during the game linebacker Al Wilson changed. There was confusion on the sideline among the defenders and miscommunication that led to spats.
But the results – a home-opening, division victory, only 41 total yards and three points allowed in the second half – were rousing.
Coyer connecting with his players was essential.
Champ Bailey watched and listened to Coyer at halftime.
“That was golden, coming from him,” Bailey said. “That is what we needed from him. He showed us how much he really cares.”
Coaches coach. Players play.
Sometimes the lines cross.
Bailey is the golden one. He is a player’s player and a coach on the field. He inspired the Broncos’ defense, the entire team, against the Chargers.
The Broncos took the opening kickoff and had the ball for nearly half the first quarter. They moved from their 17 to the San Diego 5 in 13 plays before Mike Anderson fumbled at the San Diego 2.
When that happens in a game, an offense sometimes never recuperates. When that happens, a team can spend the final three quarters trying to compensate. It can be a hiccup that builds into horror.
Somewhere in the game, a team needs to flip that setback.
That is what Bailey did in the third quarter. He did it on San Diego’s first play. He said Drew Brees knew the coverage. Brees did not know that Bailey baited him, lurked low, stepped high in front of an out pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.
San Diego’s lead was cut to 14-10, but that play turned the game the Broncos’ way. There was a feeling the Broncos would win this game. It turned the game upside down.
Last Sunday in Miami, Bailey dislocated his left shoulder, walked off the field disgusted, slammed his helmet to the ground and never re-entered the game. Few thought he could play against San Diego.
By Thursday, he said, he knew he would play. Some of the Broncos knew it sooner.
“That is why he is who he is,” Broncos receiver Charlie Adams said. “He was catching the ball 40 yards downfield with one hand in practice. I was not surprised to see him catch it with two today.”
Rookie cornerback Domonique Foxworth said: “Champ at 80 percent is better than 90 percent of the corners in the league. Nobody around here is surprised. He is very calm. He is very detailed. He found a way to play and not put more stress on the shoulder. If everyone on the team had the same attitude he has, we could go very far.”
Foxworth said it, just what I was thinking watching Bailey roam and perform at such a high level while still injured. He has a hunger and passion in his play that shows. It has been there from the beginning, with Washington, and it is evident with the Broncos.
He should be the nucleus of this defense and the Broncos should feature him, ride him. let him take the lead and take it as far as it can go. The players should follow suit.
“Part of being a leader is knowing other guys are watching you, looking to you,” Bailey said. “I am not the guy who talks a lot in the locker room. I’m not the one to use talk to hype you up for the game. I try to let my play speak.”
He is a wonderful player who made wonderful plays on Sunday.
He is the player Coyer should seek insight from every single day. He is Coyer’s most valuable asset to unite him and his group in distinctive ways.
Use it.
Staff writer Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
