Teams win when their best players perform. They accomplish special goals when role players exceed expectations.
Welcome to the 2015 season, Virgil Green.
As free agents one by one departed Denver, the Broncos made retaining Green a priority. He was the NFL’s fourth-best blocking tight end last year, according to Pro Football Focus. He moved piles befitting his “Incredible Hulk” nickname.
But Green doesn’t want his 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame to typecast him. Just because he hasn’t caught many footballs doesn’t mean he can’t. Coach Gary Kubiak’s fondness for using multiple-tight end formations is well known. Will that lead to Green being known well beyond Denver?
This offense, if nothing else, represents a chance for Green’s impact to grow.
“Tight ends make your offense flexible,” Kubiak said. “They give you the ability to do a lot of things, and (Green) has always handled himself on the line of scrimmage. He’s a weapon in the pass game, but he’s always done his job on the line. I think that’s a place we can improve up front in everything we do, and that includes the tight ends.”
Green is devoid of hype, respected by teammates for his head-down, rolled-up-sleeves approach. He learned to block in college out of necessity. He revels in it after reshaping his physique in the weight room.
“I love to line up,” he said, “and move someone against their will.”
In the Broncos’ new zone-blocking offense, Green provides options for Kubiak’s creative play-calling. Success comes from making different plays look the same at the point of attack. That only works if players are versatile. Think back to the Baltimore Ravens’ 30-17 playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Kubiak serving as the boss of Baltimore’s offense.
It might have been the Ravens’ most impressive game of the 2014 season, and it included a big performance from former Colorado State tight end Crockett Gillmore. With the Steelers keying on Owen Daniels, Kubiak found routes to create space for Gillmore. Gillmore caught only 10 passes during the regular season but snared two for 30 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens’ upset victory at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
“They said we wanted to be aggressive. We were looking to throw the ball downfield, and stuck to the plan,” Daniels said. “It opened some things up.”
Green, 26, has been leaning on Daniels to learn the Broncos’ new scheme. He wants to become a more well-rounded threat, and evolving into a weapon in the passing game represents the next step as he enters his fifth season. Green finished with six receptions for 74 yards and his first career touchdown last season.
“It’s just the little details; I understand the plays, but trying to understand the details about running routes, and when to do certain things against the defender are questions that I ask him,” Green said. “He’s more than willing to help. He’s a great vet. All the tight ends, and I’m pretty sure a lot of the guys on the team in general, look up to him.”
Green’s status changed this offseason when the Broncos showed how much they valued him. The offense could now change his value.
“We’ve been catching a lot of passes out there, all the tight ends really,” Green said. “We all understand how the game works. We’re going to go out there and compete. For the most part, each of us has to focus on our job and what we’re doing. We can’t too much focus on, ‘He just caught that ball’ or ‘I didn’t.’ We work well together. We’re just having fun out there.”
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or
