If the Broncos make a tackle here, stay healthy back there, fall on a fumble here and there, maybe Larry Coyer keeps his job as defensive coordinator.
But while there were several plays Broncos defenders could have made to save Coyer, there might have been one task that cost him: the halftime speech.
In four games this season, all losses, the Broncos’ defense withered after halftime. Against the Indianapolis Colts, the Broncos allowed only six points in the first half, 28 in the second. The Broncos held the San Diego Chargers to seven points entering the intermission, only to allow 28 more.
Seattle had scored seven points through three quarters – and those on an interception return – only to score 16 points on four consecutive scoring drives in the fourth quarter. And in the playoff-eliminating, season finale, the San Francisco 49ers scored 23 of their 26 points after halftime.
Those four losses came out to an average of six points in the first half, 26 in the second. No team equipped with Champ Bailey should be suffering those kind of meltdowns.
“I guess when things don’t finish up like you think they should someone’s got to take the blame,” Broncos rookie defensive end Elvis Dumervil said. “Coach (Mike) Shanahan did say he was going to have to make some hard decisions to make the team better, and I guess this was one of them. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, and we’ve just got to get ready for whoever they bring in next and get ready for next year.”
When a defense fades in the second half, blame is usually directed at the players for wearing down, or the coaches for not countering the opponents’ offensive adjustments.
“Coach Coyer believed in blitzing a lot,” Broncos defensive tackle Michael Myers said. “There were some games where I thought we got away from our base defense in the second half, and started blitzing more. And I think we had key injuries, especially at safety, where it took a lot away with what we liked to do as a whole.”
Through six games this season, the Broncos’ defense was among the best in the league. The Broncos allowed only two touchdowns in those six games while defeating the likes of the 13-3 Baltimore Ravens and 12-4 New England Patriots, both of whom have advanced to the Elite Eight in the NFL playoffs. The Broncos, with their 9-7 record, did not.
Their defense, which suffered season-ending injuries to strong safeties Nick Ferguson and Sam Brandon, subsequently became exposed against the likes of Peyton Manning, LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and Frank Gore down the stretch.
“We definitely had the talent,” Dumervil said. “For whatever reason … I don’t know if it was coaching or the players, but we didn’t continue what we were doing.”
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
