It’s just an opinion, of course, but here goes: If the Broncos don’t go deep into the playoffs, it won’t be because they didn’t have the best defensive coaching staff of the Mike Shanahan era.
No offense to Larry Coyer & Co., but Coyer’s résumé is no match for Jim Bates’. And it’s not like Bates, the Broncos’ assistant head coach/defense, is the only big name on the staff. How many other teams have a secondary coach who has been a coordinator for three NFL teams? The Broncos do.
That would be Bob Slowik, the defensive coordinator who doubles as the secondary coach. Then there’s defensive line coach Bill Johnson. The Falcons wanted to keep him, but deferred to new coach Bobby Petrino, who wanted to bring his line coach from Louisville with him to the NFL.
So, John Lynch was asked Wednesday, got one word to describe Bates?
“Passionate,” Lynch said. “He loves football, and it shows out there. He’s got a high energy level. He reminds me a lot of the guy I played for in Tampa, Monte Kiffin. We know this defense works, and we feel like we’ve got the tools to really make it special.”
Jim Armstrong issues regular reports from training camp throughout the day along with video takes from the sidelines and snippets where fans get to do the talking. Visit .
