Lined up behind those tall, beefy linemen are the pulse, the personality, the identification of the Broncos’ defense.
If the linebackers are briefly hidden, they are soon exposed in their own maniacal, sideline-to-sideline pursuit of the ball.
D.J. Williams swarms. Al Wilson explodes. Ian Gold accelerates. All three are fast. They are emotional. They shift, jump, attack until they vomit. That’s what former linebacker Patrick Chukwurah did Sunday night against New England. Now a defensive end, Chukwurah lost it during the fourth quarter, just before rushing Patriots star Tom Brady. Has it been mentioned the Broncos’ linebackers are fast?
“They’ve got some good coverage plays, good guys at secondary, fast linebackers,” Brady said.
There are a couple of truths regarding the NFL. One, defense wins championships. Two, speed kills. The speed on the Broncos’ defense continuously flashed across the screens of a national television audience Sunday, when Denver smothered Brady and the Patriots 17-7.
During the game, the Broncos extended their streak without allowing a touchdown to 11 quarters, the longest in team history and the most impressive season-opening stretch since the 1942 Chicago Cardinals.
“I wasn’t even born then,” cracked John Lynch, the Denver safety who turned 35 on Monday.
How does this Broncos defense compare to others in franchise history? Put it this way: Karl Mecklenburg, one of the best to ever wear orange and blue, would have a tough time keeping up with this unit. Bill Romanowski, the tenacious linebacker during the Broncos’ Super Bowl title seasons of 1997 and 1998, probably wouldn’t be a good fit.
The 2006 Broncos are all about speed. Against the Patriots, Gold, who at 223 pounds is one of the NFL’s lightest linebackers, had a team-high 13 tackles.
“I don’t care why you play this game, what the reason or the inspiration is why you play it, you need to have pride in what you’re doing,” Gold said. “I take pride in what I’m doing.”
Williams was next with 10 tackles, along with cornerback Darrent Williams, whose 40-yard dash of 4.30 seconds is the seventh-fastest time recorded at the NFL scouting combine of the past seven years. The Broncos’ other starting cornerback, Champ Bailey, has the second- fastest combine time of the past seven years at 4.28 seconds.
“I would say we’ve become more cognizant of speed as we evaluate defensive players,” said Ted Sundquist, the Broncos’ general manager. “Where maybe in the Romo years, not as much, although we did have guys who could move.”
If the Broncos are to reach the Super Bowl again, it likely will be the defense that carries them. The offense has been OK, but not great. Yes, it appears the Broncos have a great playmaker in receiver Javon Walker. Running back Tatum Bell is the NFL’s second-leading rusher. The men up front are a collection of blocking efficiency. Quarterback Jake Plummer was good last year and good again Sunday.
But the offense doesn’t appear to be John Elway-Terrell Davis- Gary Zimmerman special.
It’s the defense that has a chance to be special.
“I think this defense has a chance to be the best in the league, and I’ve never felt that way before,” said Wilson, in his eighth year as a Denver starting linebacker.
The defenses in Chicago, San Diego and Baltimore will have their say, too. But look at the heart of each defense and it’s difficult to see a better collection of linebackers than what Denver has in Wilson, Gold and D.J. Williams.
It all makes sense. The brains of the Broncos’ defense is Larry Coyer. He’s their defensive coordinator, but he’s a former linebacker and linebackers coach. When a linebacker is running the defense, better believe the linebackers will be active.
It’s hard to believe that at this time last year, some players were grumbling about Coyer’s aggressive, full-out pressure style. What happened to those complaints? Oh, yeah, Trevor Pryce moved on to Baltimore. Call it a win-win. Pryce has helped the Ravens go 3-0. And the Broncos’ defense just matched history without him.
The Broncos are off this weekend, then meet Pryce and the Ravens upon their return Oct. 9 at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Having reached historical heights with its opening streak of quarters without a touchdown allowed, the next test for this defense is determining whether it should be ranked among the best of today.
“It’s nice to be part of history,” Lynch said. “Any time you do that, it’s great, but life in the NFL – it’s on to the next challenge. What I like is when we came into this locker room, we were ticked off because we allowed that (fourth-quarter) touchdown. It’s nice when you have those kind of standards.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
