New Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is impressed.
After Day 2 of the team’s voluntary veteran’s mini camp Wednesday, and after some sessions in the classroom spent studying the team’s new schemes, Phillips said he’s pleased with how quickly the team is picking up the new system.
“The thing that impressed me the most was actually the classroom,” he said Wednesday. “We’ve got a real smart group. I’m really impressed with their focus, learning what to do. We’ve made very few mistakes, mental mistakes, and you expect a lot of them as you put things in. But we’ve made very few. We made a couple today, but not many. I’m pleased with that.”
The Broncos will transition from a 4-3 to 3-4 defense this season, expanding and/or altering the roles of some veterans. New head coach Gary Kubiak, safety T.J. Ward and linebacker Danny Trevathan all have said recently that the transition will take time, that any changes won’t resonate with every player instantly.
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Mentally, they’re prepared. And from what Phillips has seen and learned from using the defense over the years, installing the new system might not be as difficult as some would expect.
“We feel like it’s player friendly,” he said. “Everywhere we’ve been, we’ve put it in pretty quickly and players have adapted real well, so we think that helps.”
The Broncos’ offseason program still is in its infancy, and the learning and teaching has only just begun, but Phillips is encouraged.
“We’re progressing at the right pace,” he said. “We put about 80 to 90 percent of our defense in the classroom, and now we’re running about 25 percent for these three days. And they’re progressing well.”
The Broncos are about to undergo further changes, on the both sides of the ball, as they enter the 2015 draft armed with 10 picks and a few glaring needs. One of them is on the offensive line, especially at offensive tackle. But with two linebackers (Brandon Marshall and Trevathan) recovering from injuries, they might turn to the draft for defensive reinforcement.
Phillips said he wouldn’t lobby for a defensive player — “I’ve been a head coach before,” he said, smiling, but said he would give his opinion to general manager John Elway.
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“We’ve been very much involved,” Phillips said. “We graded 100 and something (defensive) guys.”
Phillips expects Elway to do as he’s said he would and pick the best player available instead of targeting a position. No matter who comes in on the defensive end, Phillips is confident the player will fit in the team’s system.
“All good players can fit in our system,” he said. “If we got a good player, we’ll find a place for him.”
Footnote. Marshall (foot surgery) and reciever Demaryius Thomas (contract) were again missing from the Broncos’ morning practice Wednesday. Also missing was receiver Isaiah Burse, whom Kubiak said was pulled early from Tuesday’s practice. Burse attended the session Wednesday, but did not participate in stretching or drills.
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or
