When The Broncos traded up from pick 28 to 23 in the 2015 draft to grab Shane Ray, it was clear they found a battery mate in the pass rush to pair opposite of Linebacker Von Miller for years to come. Of course, future Hall of Fame Linebacker, DeMarcus Ware wasn’t about to just hand his spot to a rookie because he was drafted in the first round.
While it’s clear that both Ray and second-year Colorado State product Shaquil Barrett will be rushing the passer alongside Miller for year’s to come, Miller and Ware currently form the best edge pass rush duo in the league.
Shortly after Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips found out he added Ray to his arsenal of talented pass rushers, I asked him if he envisioned a scenario in which he used Ray, Miller and Ware on the field at the same time, and he said something to the effect of, “We look at all that stuff, but we won’t be rushing all of them off the edge…”
Although I understood that, I was excited as the season approached at the prospect of sicking all of the talented pass rushers on unsuspecting quarterbacks at the same time.
Leading up to the season opener against Baltimore, I asked Phillips again if there’s a scenario where all three of them are on the field at the same time, and he jokingly offered, “I don’t know if we’ll do that or not. The Ravens, they’ll be ready for that, so we probably won’t do that…” That was followed by laughs.
As the year unfolded, we didn’t see any formations featuring more than two edge pass rushers.
Now, the biggest game of the year — and most of these players and coaches lives — is here, and it’s a “Kitchen Sink” type game, where not only do you throw everything you have in every playbook, you then throw the proverbial kitchen sink at them.
Miller knows the challenge of slowing Panthers All-Pro Quarterback Cam Newton and the Carolina offense down, “Of course everyone knows about speed, him being fast, fast strong and tall and all that stuff,” Miller said. “His ability to make others play to a level that they would not normally play at is what I think is his greatest attribute.”
Phillips began coaching in the NFL in 1976. Despite having seen just about everything in the last 40 years, even the league’s Co-Assistant Coach of The Year isn’t getting much sleep as he tries to devise a scheme to slow Newton down. “You’re giving my nightmares now, right?” Phillips said. “Yeah, I’ve never seen one like him and nobody else has.”
In 2012, Peyton Manning’s first year in Denver, the Broncos rolled into Charlotte, dismantled Newton and the Panthers, and Von Miller looked similar to the Von Miller we saw in the AFC Championship Game.
But, this isn’t 2012. Peyton Manning can’t lead this team to victory on his back. So, the defense will have to make enough to shoulder the load, and make Newton uncomfortable.
Ware, who will be putting on a gold jacket in Canton five years after he hangs his helmet up, was as effusive in his praise of Newton as his rush mate and D.C.
“I wish I could give you all those keys, but he is one of those guys who is an awesome quarterback and he plays really well,” Ware said.
“He sits back there in the pocket, orchestrates his offense and he keeps the chains moving with his legs and also making big plays. We have things in place to slow him down, but sometimes, you can’t slow the train down – you have to let it keep rolling. Just with Cam, you have to figure out a way to stop him because he is very active.”
So in a game of this magnitude, The Broncos will need to be creative and you when you have this any talented pass rushers, they should absolutely feature a package that we’ve only really seen in practice.
The need send Ray and Ware off the edges, and send Miller up the middle, and maybe they bring the “kitchen sink.” with them and leave the Bay Area with a Lombardi trophy.
