“Aggressive” is the watchword at Broncos OTAs. It’s what the coaches want to see. It’s where Josh McDaniels said the team’s focus rests — “whether that means blocking kicks in the kicking game (or) pressuring more on defense than what we did in the past … (or) different things we’re doing to throw the ball downfield.”
But how aggressive the Broncos can be will depend on what the players can collectively handle — which is especially true under new, first-time NFL defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale.
“How aggressive the calls that he makes are going to be determined (by) the players and how we execute,” said linebacker Akin Ayodele, who met the media for the first time as a Bronco on Wednesday.
That determination will be made in part at OTAs, Ayodele added.
Most defensive coaches preach aggression, and Martindale is no different. It’s how a defense can make game-turning plays; unless you’re blessed with an absurd talent level, you don’t make the big plays by rocking back and waiting for something to happen. But Martindale’s coaching pedigree only underscores the aggressive reputation; he served five seasons in Oakland under then-coordinator Rob Ryan, whose last name is synonymous with aggressive defense over the last 30 years. But Ayodele knows that Martindale will only attack to the point his defense can handle it.
“The better we learn and can execute now, the more liable he is to call the blitzes, coverages and exotic plays that he likes to call,” Ayodele said. “As of right now, there’s still a lot of learning going on, but the excitement is that we’re getting after it and competing. You can tell that everybody enjoys what is going on.”
“(Martindale) has a good sense of who he wants to bring, how he wants to attack protections. He really wants to get after it. What we’re learning now, we’re more than likely going to want to do later.”
Count Ayodele among “everybody,” he noted that this defense blitzes more right now than Miami’s, where he played for the last two seasons, starting 28 games at inside linebacker.
“I like it. It’s early, but so far I think Wink has an understanding of the guys he has on this team,” Ayodele said. I’m excited about our secondary. I think (with) our front seven, really the sky’s the limit.”
And I thought they were more aggressive last year! Brian Dawkins defines the word, Wink also is very ‘aggressive’, Can’t wait for this season, I love me some defense!
I enjoy watching aggressive defense, but you have to be smart about it, because if you don’t have the personnel to do it, you’ll get exposed (or you’ll have to keep borrowing from other points of emphasis — i.e., your run defense is suspect, so you cheat your safeties, which leaves open lanes downfield).
Defensive success is often about who can mask their vulnerabilities the longest, IMHO. Sometimes it lasts a while (the ’05 Broncos), at others, it lasts a possession (the Broncos-Panthers game in ’08, when the Broncos opened the game with eight in the box and dropped a safety back 30 yards deep on every play, daring the Panthers to pass; when they hit a deep toss to Steve Smith, the tactic was destroyed).