Dré Bly lost a chess match Tuesday.
Still, Bly considers himself the chess master.
“The 1990s Cowboys lost sometimes, the 1990s Bulls lost sometimes,” Bly reasoned. “I’m still the chess master.”
The Broncos’ new right cornerback is not afraid to lose. Whether it’s a spirited locker room chess match or playing the fourth quarter of a tight game, Bly will have his swagger on.
“That’s what I love most about him,” said Champ Bailey, the Broncos’ left cornerback. “The guy is not afraid. He is fearless. He doesn’t care. He totally believes he’s going to win the battle, and if he doesn’t, he’ll come back right away and win it.”
Bly dripped with confidence at his introductory news conference after being traded by the Detroit Lions and signing a contract extension three weeks later.
“I am going to get beat,” he said six months ago. “But I will make more plays than I will give up.”
Bly knows the NFL game is stacked for receivers to beat cornerbacks. He has come to terms with his job.
“You got to go out and do it the best you can,” Bly said. “If it doesn’t work, you get better the next time.”
Bly kept in step with that philosophy in the second half of the Broncos’ 23-20 overtime victory over the Oakland Raiders at Invesco Field at Mile High on Sunday.
With the Broncos in control of the Raiders, whose primary offense was running the ball, Bly made his first Denver mistake. An admitted on-field gambler, Bly bit on a Jerry Porter move. It resulted in a 46- yard touchdown play for Oakland that cut the Broncos’ lead to 17-10 in the third quarter, giving the Raiders their first real momentum of the game during a stirring comeback.
The Raiders tried to further exploit Bly in the final seconds of regulation. That likely will happen often with Bailey, a Pro Bowl player, on the opposite side of the field.
“Dré knows balls will come his way,” Broncos defensive tackle Amon Gordon said. “And we know he’s going to have it covered.”
Oakland quarterback Josh McCown went for it all again with Porter against Bly in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Porter had a step on Bly, but the ball was overthrown. Try, try again. On the next play, McCown went to Porter, but Bly read it and made an acrobatic interception, giving Denver a chance to win in overtime.
After the game, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan noted Bly’s bounce-back play and called him a “great player.”
Bly’s early Denver days have been largely positive. He and Bailey are making quarterbacks nervous. In Denver’s 15-14, season-opening victory at Buffalo, the Broncos allowed 72 yards net passing. Against the Raiders, Denver allowed 53 yards net passing, second fewest allowed by Denver in the Shanahan era.
Bailey knows that on those occasions when Bly is beaten he will suffer the public’s wrath.
“I really don’t think people get it,” Bailey said. “They don’t know how hard this is. Dré has made and will make way more plays than he has given up and will give up. The guy is great for us.”
That’s what the Broncos hoped for when they went after Bly in a trade with the Lions in late February. Bly asked out of Detroit and the Broncos dealt running back Tatum Bell and offensive tackle George Foster to get him. The Broncos felt the need for a proven veteran cornerback after the death of two-year starter Darrent Williams. The feisty Williams had to overcome his small size, but Bly is a more traditional cornerback. Williams and Bly, though, shared the same attitude.
“Look, you never want your guys to get beat, but they are; that’s just the way it is at cornerback,” defensive boss Jim Bates said. “But you can’t worry about it and Dré doesn’t worry about. After the touchdown, he went back there and didn’t let it bother him. He knew he was going to come back and make a big play and he did. That’s what good cornerbacks do.”
Bly on the fly
Broncos reporter Bill Williamson offers background and analysis on cornerback Dré Bly:
Acquired: Denver traded running back Tatum Bell and offensive tackle George Foster to Detroit for Bly in March.
Contract: Bly, 30, signed a five-year, $33 million deal.
The good thus far: Had a huge interception in the final seconds of regulation against Oakland on Sunday.
The bad thus far: Bit on a move by the Raiders’ Jerry Porter and was beaten badly on a 46-yard touchdown pass.
The skinny: Bly is smart, tough and confident. He has made many more plays than he has given up. He and left cornerback Champ Bailey have been instrumental in the Broncos having the top-ranked pass defense in the NFL through the first two games. Bly will gamble and get beaten, but he will also make big plays.
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denver-post.com.
