One of the last people you want to see on the field when you’ve called a run is Broncos nose tackle Mike Purcell.
It’s not that Purcell is going to always make the play to squelch a run before it develops. But he opens up horizons for his teammates on the front seven to contain opposing runs. This is due to his ability to occupy multiple blockers, thus allowing the simple math of the game to work in the Broncos’ favor.
If you’re looking for a concrete reason why Purcell is the proud recipient of a three-year contract extension from the Broncos, start there.
Purcell drawing two offensive linemen means that somewhere in the front seven, another Bronco runs free. Usually it’s one of the two offensive linemen, who can count on Purcell to keep the center and a guard from reaching the second level.
“The biggest thing is when people are preparing for us, they see him and they know they’ll have to stay on the double[-team] longer,” explained inside linebacker Josey Jewell. “And when they stay on the double longer it means there’s a late release on us and they’re not going to get up to the second level as quick.
“So, when you have guys like him and [DE] Shelby [Harris] it’s amazing because they take those two blockers up, and you’re usually free or you get a late blocker that’s off balance and stuff like that. We love having big guys up front like that who can man handle some people and keep the blockers off the second level.”
The numbers reveal the Purcell effect on the Broncos’ run defense. In the 20 games since Vic Fangio became the Broncos’ head coach, opponents have averaged 4.93 yards per carry when Purcell is not on the field. When he is on the defensive line, that rate plummets to a stingy 3.58 yards per attempt.
Running back Melvin Gordon experienced Purcell’s force first-hand.
“Me and him used to go at it in practice,” Gordon said. “He’s a really good two-gapper and I try to move him and I was learning off him.”
In Gordon’s eyes, the contract was “well-deserved.”
It’s a payday that didn’t seem possible 20 months ago, when Purcell was preparing to line up on the defensive line of the Alliance of American Football’s Salt Lake Stallions.
For plenty of players in that ill-fated league that would last just eight games, it appeared to be a last shot. In the 20 months leading up to joining the AAF, Purcell had been cut by six different NFL teams.
At various points in that time, the idea of a life outside of football crept into his mind. It would have been time for “a real job,” as he put it — or what the late Chuck Noll would have called “your life’s work.”
“Firefighting is something I’ve always thought about doing. That was the process,” he said.”I looked into certain tests that you have to take in order to get into it. It’s not an easy process to be accepted into the fire academy. It takes some time. I thought about doing that and coaching.
“There were plenty of options, but I’m glad I haven’t had to use any of those yet.”
But it was a reality Purcell faced when he went to Salt Lake City.
“I probably would have if it didn’t work out,” he said when asked if he would have pursued firefighting if not for the AAF. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a last-ditch effort. I wasn’t ready to hang up the pads. I wasn’t ready to hang up the cleats, so I went and played in that league.
“It took me back to high school and college football. It was the love of the game and I was out there playing. It was a fun time. I went out there, had fun, played my ball and got another opportunity with it. It was exciting. If that didn’t work out, it could have been the end of the road. I’m glad it wasn’t.”
So are the Broncos.
“Any guy who gets a contract in this league deserves it,: Gordon said. “That was said by one of the coaches today, and that holds true.”
