Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag every Tuesday during the 2007 NFL season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a Broncos- or NFL-related question into the Broncos Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Malibaggers:
Before opening those letters, I share this story:
At St. John’s Catholic Church, which is positioned directly across the street from the RCA Dome, 11 parishioners at the 11 a.m. service Sunday were dressed in Colt jerseys. Nine of the 11 jerseys are Peyton Manning replicas with his No. 18.
The other two promote rookie receiver Anthony Gonzalez. I had to ask. Sure enough, they were Gonzalez’s uncle and his mother, Jenna.
“We’re his biggest fans,” Jenna Gonzalez said.
Yes, I waited until after the service before inquiring. Thanks to Saint Peyton, the Colts had a nice Sunday. And now, the mail.
After seeing the Colts run all over the Broncos, I am starting to miss Al Wilson. Is there any chance of him coming back and playing for the Broncos, or is he working with other teams?
— Ben Fleishman, Vernon Hills, Ill.
Ben – The Al Wilson question is brought up continuously and I didn’t figure it would go away this week. But Ben, you and everybody else need to understand Big Al can’t play. He has a neck injury. A neck injury so serious, he flunked a physical by the New York Giants. A neck injury so serious, he has yet to be cleared by a physician, Dr. Robert Watkins, renowned as a neck and spinal specialist.
Wilson is hoping he can be cleared for a return next season, but it’s possible he’s played his last down. After Wilson was carted off the field in Game 12 last season against Seattle, he was not the same. When it hurts for a middle linebacker to tackle, he’s not going to be effective.
The Broncos miss Al Wilson, too, but unfortunately, bringing him back isn’t a viable option. They’re going to have to figure out their run woes without him.
Can you help explain why the Broncos dumped Larry Coyer? I’ve never understood that decision. His defense was setting records this time last year. They only “tired out” because our wimpy offense kept them on the field so much.
— Geoffrey Ankeney, Olympia, Wash.
Geoffrey – No doubt, Coyer looks smarter today. Everybody liked Larry Coyer. There’s not a finer gentleman on this planet. He had it going in 2005 with his heavy dose of blitz packages on both run and passing downs, and the Broncos’ D was sensational through the first six games of last season. However, I believe Coyer was undone by his unit’s collapses in the second half of games last season.
You’re right: Too many plays were a factor. But for a franchise that has Super Bowl aspirations, I didn’t disagree that a defensive leadership change was necessary. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan did offer Coyer a chance to stay as linebackers’ coach, but understandably, Coyer didn’t accept what would have been a demotion. He’s doing just fine as a Tampa Bay assistant.
As for the Broncos, the reason for change was to get better. Jim Bates is also a fine man. Cordial. Thick-skinned, too, it seems. He has an impressive resume, but this defense not only hasn’t improved, but it’s also gone backward. Maybe, Bates’ system takes a while to execute. Perhaps, this defense is operating on the theory that you need to take three steps back before you can go two steps forward.
Problem is, a 16-game NFL schedule doesn’t offer much time for development or experimentation or margin for error.
Mike – Correct me if I am wrong, but it appears to me that Jay Cutler is WAY ahead of where John Elway was after nine games. Bear in mind that John is my FAVORITE player of all time! It just seems if our pathetic run defense and worse special teams can give Jay the ball, good things are going to happen! Do you agree?
— Drew, Naples, Fla.
Drew – I do agree. There are two ways to compare Cutler to other great quarterbacks: One is through number of games played; the other is as a quarterback in his second season. Cutler exceeds almost all the greats – whether they are Elway, Peyton Manning or Troy Aikman – through nine games. Those Hall of Fame quarterbacks were all starting to get it during their second season, though. Elway went 12-2 in his second season, and Manning was 13-3. Aikman went from 0-11 as a rookie to 7-8 in his second season. They all played substantially as rookies while Cutler didn’t take his first snap until Game 12 of his first year.
It would help Cutler’s development if the Broncos’ defense could stop the run so the offense wouldn’t have to spend so much time watching on the sideline. The run-defense problem has clearly affected the way Mike Shanahan calls his offense. Last week against Jacksonville, he goes for it on fourth down from his own 9-yard line with more than four minutes left. I don’t think he does that if he was confident his defense could get the ball back with two minutes remaining. And in the more recent game against Indy, the Broncos all but went Woody Hayes with their run-dominated game plan.
There is a formula for a second-year QB to lead his team to the Super Bowl – Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger did it within the last six years. That formula, though, includes a strong defense. Brady and Roethlisberger had it with their teams; so far Cutler doesn’t.
Mike – Champ Bailey is probably the best tackler on the team (maybe the league). He always gets the guy down. The thing that drives me nuts is that he does it by going low and getting the guy’s feet/legs. The rest of the defense tackles the shoulder pads or goes for the knockout “SportsCenter” hit. Why aren’t the coaches making everyone tackle like Champ!?!
— John Hyer, Denver
John – Tackling is why football insiders say Champ is a better cornerback than Deion Sanders, who was the best cover corner of all time. Hitting low, or from the belly button on down, is the surest way to tackle, but the reason other defensive backs don’t tackle this way is it often hurts. Defensive backs are generally smaller and lighter than ballcarriers who are approaching at near full speed. Tackling too low also increases the chance of a missed tackle. Diving for the feet of nimble NFL skill-position players can leave defenders swiping at air.
So in multiple ways, tackling high is the safer option. It’s not the best way because ballcarriers ordinarily can gain an extra 5 yards on contact. The Broncos are not taught to tackle this way. John Lynch, Nick Ferguson, D.J. Williams and Nate Webster are terrific tacklers. Domonique Foxworth also tackles well for his size. In general, though, the Broncos coaching and players have frequently blamed their defensive struggles on poor tackling.
Hello, Mike. What’s your take on the quiet crowds at Invesco? I’m a season-ticket holder, and for the life of me I can’t put my finger on why the crowd is so mellow when the Broncos are on defense. This used to be a place where teams dreaded to visit not only because of the Broncos, but also the crowd noise. I wish the “old” Mile High Stadium crowd would return.
— Craig Levin, Rapid City, S.D.
Craig – Don’t blame the crowd. Blame geometry. Invesco Field at Mile High covers 1.7 million square feet, twice that of old Mile High. So the same 76,000 fans can scream just as loud and make half the noise. I’m no meteorologist, but it seems to me the thunder from a lightning bolt is louder when it strikes the backyard than a mile away. I’ve heard theories that the added comfort of the new building lulls fans into a sense of contentment, but I don’t buy it. No matter how hard the fans try, the Mile High Magic will never be completely recaptured because simple physics won’t allow it.
When Gary Kubiak was here, what was the percentage of plays he called? Every week we are watching the Broncos, and there is constant criticism of the play-calling. Just wondering what the split was between Kubiak and Shanny. I believe Shanahan called more plays back then than people think.
— Joel, Palm City, Fla.
Joel – Because Shanahan has to pay attention to all facets of the game, from special teams to defense to offense to bad calls by the referees, he does delegate a portion of the play-calling to his offensive coordinators, which was Kubiak for his first 11 years in Denver and Mike Heimerdinger in the past two seasons.
I believe the size of that play-calling portion varies from game to game, situation to situation. Shanahan is confident in his play-calling ability dating back to his offensive-coordinator days with the San Francisco 49ers from 1992-94. He also called the plays during the Broncos’ back-to-back Super Bowl years.
I’m guessing the play-calling criticism regards those bouts of conservative run calls. No one ever criticizes a call on pass plays. I do think there are times when the Broncos call too many running plays in the red zone. I like first-down runs in the red zones, but second down is for play action and third down is for another pass. The Broncos like to run twice and pass once in their three-down, red zone sequence. I’m guessing Shanahan and Heimerdinger are being cautious with a second-year quarterback.
Let’s open it up! Our passing game is SO predictable. I want to see some three-wide-receiver sets from the shotgun – and not just on third-and-long – and let Jay Cutler pick the defenses apart. I understand the run game controls the clock and keeps our defense on the sidelines, but we can still run the ball from this formation.
— Rob DeLaney, Dodge City, Kan.
Rob – Like I said, no one ever criticizes pass plays. After watching Travis Henry limp out of the RCA Dome’s visiting locker room Sunday, you might get your wish this week against San Diego. Then again, No. 1 receiver Javon Walker has to also prove he’s healthy, first. It’s hard to run three-receiver sets when the Broncos have only two proven healthy receivers.
Yes, Cutler, like Elway, prefers throwing from the shotgun. And Cutler’s big arm should open the playbook. The one issue I have with your comment is while you can run from the shotgun formation, it’s not as easy as when the QB takes the snap from under center. There’s only so many draw plays and fake draw plays you can call before a defense catches on. And until the Broncos’ defense becomes passable at stopping the run, the offense has to try and control the ball. Otherwise, the defensive players will be tuckered out by halftime.
Mike Klis is in his third season of covering the Broncos after previously covering the Rockies and Major League Baseball for 15 years. To drop a question into his Broncos Mailbag, or visit DenverPost.com’s .
