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Oct 12, 2008 5:21 pm US/Mountain
Reggie: The Broncos Can't Get Pressure Up Front
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DENVER (CBS4) ―
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Wide receiver Brandon Stokley No. 14 of the Denver Broncos scores on an 11-yard reception in the first quarter against Jacksonville on Oct. 12, 2008, at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver.
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
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Quarterback Jay Cutler No. 6 of the Denver Broncos fumbles the ball as Pierson Prioleau No. 20 of the Jacksonville Jaguars defends during NFL action on Oct. 12, 2008, at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver.
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
The Broncos have no pass rush. But at least they showed more commitment to the blitz in the second half, and that's how they slowed Jacksonville down in the 4th Quarter and gave themselves a chance to get the win.
If you're searching for a root cause for the Denver's overall defensive softness in the first three quarters, their inability to consistently get pressure on the quarterback is the prime suspect.
For most of the afternoon, Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard sat comfortably behind his offensive line and picked apart the Denver "D." He connected on 74 percent of his passes for 276 yards and one touchdown in the game.
Ideally, the Broncos want to get pressure with just four rushers and play zone coverage behind it, but that philosophy simply is not working because they don't have the personnel who can make it happen.
Defensive end Elvis Dumervil is the Broncos only pure pass rusher. He is the only player who has demonstrated that he can consistently win a one-on-one battle to get to the quarterback. Defensive tackle Kenny Peterson got good pressure on a couple of plays, so that's a promising sign.
But everyone else on the D-line gets blocked and stays blocked from the start of the play to the end. During the first three quarters, the Broncos played a lot of zone coverage, but they kept losing track of receivers in the middle zone areas (behind the dropping linebackers but in front of the deep safeties).
So that's a recipe for a bad afternoon -- no pressure on the quarterback and wide open receivers 12- to 15-yards off the ball.
In the 4th Quarter, the Broncos defense was much more aggressive. Linebacker Nate Webster got a sack on a blitz and Garrard was forced to throw under duress more often. Given the talent of cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, the Broncos should blitz in most passing situations and compress the time that the quarterback has to make a decision.
If you force the quarterback to throw fast, he's more likely to make mistakes, and Bailey and Bly will make him pay for those errors. But if you give the quarterback a lot of time to survey the defense, it doesn't matter how good your corners are, they're not going to be able to stop anyone.
Hopefully, the Broncos pass defense that we saw flashes of in the 4th Quarter is the unit that we will see in the weeks to come.
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