It’s the middle of the offseason, Marquand Manuel. Do you know who your starting middle linebacker is?
“Koutouvides?”
Manuel had been around Niko Koutouvides for only a few days, and already knew how to pronounce his name. Amazing, simply amazing.
Or not.
“I played in Seattle with him for two years,” Manuel said.
The rest of the Broncos will have to get to know Koutouvides, a career special-teamer who backed up Pro Bowler Lofa Tatupu in Seattle and looks to get first shot at manning the middle this season. The Broncos are banking on those humble roots producing a take-charge guy, one who can shore up the league’s 30th-ranked run defense.
But first, everyone needs to know how to pronounce his name. It’s Koo-tuh-VEE-deez.
And for those slow to the take?
“No worries,” Koutouvides said. “It’s been torched up a few times in my career, so don’t worry. Niko is probably the easiest way. It’s nice and easy that way.”
OK, now that we have that straightened out, we can move on to all those questions out there.
Koutouvides hears you, Bronco Nation. He knows you’re wondering about a career backup playing such an important position.
“I understand,” he said. “People are going to talk and say, ‘He hasn’t started a game, so why should we be confident in him?’ The perception is, ‘He’s a backup player in Seattle for four years, so what will he do as a starter?’ That’s why talking about it in March isn’t going to get anything done. Let the game play itself out and let the play on the field do most of the talking.”
Koutouvides said he hasn’t been guaranteed anything by the coaches, but the plan is for him to become the middle linebacker, with last year’s starter, D.J. Williams, moving back to the weak side and newcomer Boss Bailey taking over on the strong side.
Williams had 170 tackles during his one-year experiment in the middle. Koutouvides? He has 112 in four NFL seasons, most on special teams. Things happen when you’re stuck on the depth chart behind one of the league’s premier linebackers, one who recently signed a six-year, $42 million contract.
“In reality, my teammates and coaches in Seattle had all the confidence in the world for me being the starter,” Koutouvides said.
“They just knew, being under the contract situation I was in, my hands were tied. I tell a lot of people that Lofa’s a selfish player. It takes a bulldozer to get him off the field. He never wants to come off, no matter what.”
Now, after doing more watching than playing with the Seahawks, Koutouvides will get his chance to show he can be a difference maker on the Broncos’ defense.
“Last year, there were some struggles on the defensive side of the ball. They were looking for new pieces to come in here to get this team back rolling to what it’s done in the past,” Koutouvides said.
“Some struggles” is putting it kindly, said Champ Bailey, the Broncos’ resident all-pro cornerback.
“We have to tackle better,” Bailey said. “We tackled very badly last year. We have to play better defense against the run. No big plays. That’s one thing we pride ourselves on — no big plays — and we gave up too many last year.”
If tackling is the problem, Koutouvides believes he’s the solution.
“My style is more of an aggressive, physical linebacker, especially in the run game,” he said. “I like to throw my nose in there a lot, kind of play a little angry out there, with a chip on my shoulder. And I’m kind of a vocal guy. I like to do a little talking.”
Aggressive? Physical? Kind of a vocal guy? Sounds like the defensive leader the Broncos have been looking for since Al Wilson’s departure.
But only time will tell if Koutouvides is that player. And he knows it.
“It’s tough for me being in this situation and telling you all these great things, when the only way it will be settled and done is in practice and getting it done on the field.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
