ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Jim Bates has no animosity or hard feelings toward Green Bay.
The Broncos defensive boss is at peace with the team’s decision.
Bates was a finalist for the Packers head coaching vacancy in 2006, before losing out to Mike McCarthy.
“Life goes on,” Bates said Thursday. “I just moved on.”
With Green Bay coming to town on Monday night, Bates has a chance to show the Packers that their decision not make him head coach is Denver’s gain.
Yet he doesn’t view it like that. It’s simply another game, nothing more.
“You can’t get that way,” Bates said. “Green Bay counts one game.”
Bates spent the 2005 season in Green Bay as the team’s defensive coordinator. When the Packers fired coach Mike Sherman after the season, Bates interviewed for the vacancy. But after he wasn’t offered the coaching job, he elected to sit out of football for a year rather than return.
“I had a great opportunity, didn’t get it,” Bates said. “I was disappointed. I just moved on.”
It was the second time Bates was passed over for a head coaching position. Bates served as the interim coach of Miami in 2004 when Dave Wannstedt resigned. But the Dolphins hired Nick Saban the following year.
The Broncos came calling last January, and Bates was hired to help run the defense, replacing defensive coordinator Larry Coyer.
The transition, though, has been far from seamless.
Bates had no problems implementing his concepts at other stops, but the Broncos have been slow to pick up his concepts. The team’s run defense has ranked near the bottom of the league all season.
Bates’ defenses in Miami finished no lower than 10th in the league in total yards allowed. The Dolphins didn’t allow an individual 100-yard rusher over the last four games of 2002 and the entire 2003 season.
That hasn’t been the case so far in Denver. The Broncos have allowed three 100-yard rushers through the first six games.
The Broncos run defense showed improvement against Pittsburgh last Sunday night, limiting the Steelers’ explosive rushing attack to just 119 yards.
“We made some strides,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “If you don’t stop the run, I don’t care what level you’re at, you’re going to have a hard time having success.”
Now, Denver draws a Packers team that’s at the bottom of the league in rushing offense. Green Bay is struggling to find consistency on the ground, averaging just 65.7 yards a game. So, there’s nothing to be afraid of, right?
“That’s like me asking you, ‘Hey, does your dog bite?'” safety Nick Ferguson said. “If your dog has teeth, it bites. Just because someone says they’re not running the ball well, who’s to say they still can’t run effectively?”
Green Bay has taken a by-committee approach to its running game this season after losing veteran Ahman Green to the Houston Texans via free agency, and then projected starter Vernand Morency to a knee injury in the first practice of training camp.
The Packers have yet to have a 100-yard running back. They had just 56 yards rushing in a 17-14 win over Washington on Oct. 14.
“Ahman Green was an excellent player for us last year and throughout his career,” McCarthy said. “I think any time you replace a feature back like that there is always a transition.”
The same might be said for a defensive coach. Maybe the Broncos are taking some time to get to know Bates.
So far, though, what the Broncos see, they like.
“He isn’t an uptight guy,” rookie defensive lineman Tim Crowder said.
The Broncos haven’t seen any extra emotion from him, even if he’s facing the team that snubbed him.
“We haven’t noticed anything yet,” said cornerback Domonique Foxworth, who filled in for Champ Bailey last week against Pittsburgh. “I can’t tell yet. Not yet.”
Ferguson would be fired up if he was in Bates’ shoes.
“You want to show that team they made a mistake,” Ferguson said. “That they passed over a good thing. I like coach Bates. He’s very enthusiastic. He’s very encouraging even when something negative happens. It’s great to have him here.”
Bates had nothing but positive things to say about the Packers.
“It’s a great franchise,” he said. “The fans there are just tremendous, great community. We enjoyed our year there.”
