Scott O’Brien sat on a bench just off the practice fields at Dove Valley on Monday afternoon after the first special teams practice of his Broncos coaching career.
After a vigorous 60-minute workout in which the Broncos’ new, no-excuse, high-impact, all-aggression special teams plan was on display, the hot, sweaty O’Brien was a contented man. For a moment.
“If we can work like that every day, I’ll be very pleased,” said O’Brien, a towering man who has worked for some of the most respected and demanding head coaches in the game. “But we have to keep it up.”
There are high expectations in Denver about the special teams after several poor years of performance, culminating in a rough 2006 season in which the special teams struggled throughout the 9-7 year.
Broncos coach Mike Shana- han is pinning his hopes for a turnaround on O’Brien, a 25- season special teams coach who worked for Carolina and Miami the past seven years and has been in the NFL since 1991.
“I think the attitude used to be that let’s not have special teams lose the game,” said punter Todd Sauerbrun, who played for O’Brien with Carolina and who calls the coach “my dad.” “But now, with Scott, his attitude is, ‘No, we’re going to win games for the Broncos. Let’s put it on us.’
“If special teams can win one or two games for us, then we’re definitely in the playoffs. People talk about special teams being one of the three phases of the game (along with offense and defense), but I think it’s just talk some places. Here, this year, we mean it.”
O’Brien, who has worked for head coaches Bill Belichick, Ted Marchibroda, George Seifert and Nick Saban, took over the Broncos’ special teams duties in January, replacing Ronnie Bradford, who is now an assistant defensive backs coach with the club.
Partly because of myriad injuries, the Broncos’ special teams unit was in flux all last season and, except for the punt coverage team that ranked fifth in the NFL, never found a groove in return or coverage units. The Broncos finished 23rd in the NFL in kickoff returns and 12th in punt returns. They were only 31st in kickoff coverage, giving up 26.9 yards per return.
The quest to find consistency began in offseason workouts, O’Brien said. Monday was the Broncos’ first full-legs special teams practice – there will be another today – but the club always dedicates portions of most regular camp practices to special teams.
What has been noticeable is the pace of the special teams workouts. There is little downtime. Players don’t stand around. There is always movement. O’Brien said every practice is a “mini-game.”
Sauerbrun points out that even during regular camp practices, when the special teams are not on the field, O’Brien will cruise the sideline, giving individual instruction.
“The word that always comes to mind about Coach O’Brien is ‘intense,”‘ said the Broncos’ Quincy Morgan, who is vying for a return job. “There is a major teaching element to his coaching.”
Denver’s improvement on special teams ultimately is about on-field execution. The Broncos brought in former St. Louis special teams ace Paul Smith, who is known for being a big-time hitter on special teams. Sauerbrun was brought back to Denver because of his ability to improve field position. Morgan and fellow wide receiver Domenik Hixon will try to ignite the return game. Linebackers D.D. Lewis and Nate Webster also may contribute.
Shanahan said he already has seen improvements.
“That’s why we brought Scott in here,” Shanahan said. “He is an excellent teacher with a great reputation.”
Nothing special in these rankings
The Broncos hired longtime special teams coach Scott O’Brien to take over a unit that struggled during the 2006 season:
(Category | 2006 NFL rank)
Kickoff returns 23rd
Kickoff coverage 31st
Start after kickoff 31st
Opp. start after kickoff 17th
Gross punting 26th
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
