Mike Shanahan revealed his game plan for newly acquired defensive tackle Sam Adams.
Don’t try to be Superman.
Even though Adams appeared big enough to play every minute in his first appearance in a Broncos uniform, Shanahan explained after Tuesday’s practice session at Dove Valley that Adams would join the other defensive linemen in a rotation.
“We usually dress seven, eight defensive linemen,” Shanahan said. “We rotate them quite a bit and try to keep them fresh and healthy.”
Shanahan didn’t have a number of plays in mind for the Broncos’ newest member but said the opponent might determine the playing time.
“It would depend on the type of offense you’re going against,” Shanahan said. “A lot of times, offenses can dictate the personnel in the game. He should help us in a lot of different areas. We’ll wait and see.”
Adams, who said he is down to 345 pounds, is known as a run stuffer. But he has 44 sacks in a 13-year career that began in 1994.
“You can see that he has great quickness for a player that size,” Shanahan said after seeing Adams up close. “He did a couple of things today in practice that were very impressive. Hopefully he can do it when it counts.”
Adams had his own ideas about playing time.
“You play as long and as much as you need to in order to win that football game,” he said.
He said he noted a difference after his first workout in Denver’s mile-high air, but didn’t make it an issue.
“I didn’t get a lot of reps today and it wasn’t that bad,” Adams said of the altitude. “I’m sure it could be worse if I had to play 80 snaps.”
Adams said he has lost weight since last season, when he played for Cincinnati.
“I’ve played in Super Bowls and Pro Bowls at 355,” he said. “I plan to play lighter this year. I was 355 at the beginning of the season last year.”
When asked about any lingering knee problems, Adams said, “I was 100 percent today.”
Force up front
Broncos safety John Lynch coupled the acquisition of Adams in importance with the addition of cornerback Dré Bly.
“With Dré, you’re looking at 50 to 55 plays a game,” Lynch said. “With Sam, hopefully you’re looking at 25 to 30 plays. There’s a difference in terms of that, but within those 30 plays, (Adams’) impact could be enormous. People sometimes don’t see the dirty work done up front. But we certainly see it, and you win football games up front.
“The more we keep adding good football players, the better. Sam’s a proven player in this league.
“All you have to do is talk to our offensive linemen who have played against him. They talk about an immovable object. In this defense, that’s important.”
Brandon update
Shanahan said safety Sam Brandon is close to returning to the practice field after undergoing knee surgery. Brandon missed the last eight games of the 2006 season.
“We were thinking about practicing him this week, but decided not to,” Shanahan said. “He’s doing football-related drills. But by the minicamp July 9-10, he should be ready to go.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
