Broncos Offseason: Joe DeCamillis’ Thoughts on Special Teams
By Tylor Walden
The Denver Broncos made a few low key decisions in regards to special teams so far in the offseason. Special Teams Coordinator Joe DeCamillis talks about the moves and what he expects in 2016.
The funny thing about special teams is that it always has the chance to sway the game in a completely different direction. We saw that with the Broncos in the 2015 season. From Brandon McManus’ game winning field goal against the Cleveland Browns, Omar Bolden’s punt return for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts.
We also cannot forget the plays made by Cody Latimer and Kayvon Webster. Last but not least, there is the punt return by Jordan Norwood. Will the Denver Broncos special teams be even better in 2016? It could be.
The man responsible for guiding this unit is Joe DeCamillis. And Broncos fans got to hear what his thoughts were on the special teams aspect of the offseason on Thursday.
Perhaps the biggest news from special teams that came about was when the Broncos used their seventh round draft pick on Syracuse punter Riley Dixon. Joe DeCamillis discussed a bit about drafting Dixon and the punter competition.
“We had some great inside information because Chris Gould was with him at Syracuse, so we knew what kind of kid he was and how talented he was. I thought the scouting staff did a great job of getting him where we did. Hopefully he has a chance to come in and compete.”
“I think it’s just like any other position. You look at C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman is back. That’s competition. You’re trying to create that all over your team. If you had drafted him in the first round, it probably would have been considered, hey, ‘it’s his job.’ But where it’s at right now, it is a competition, no question.”
Some very good points here. We know that Britton Colquitt is being paid quite nicely and that is something that the Denver Broncos cannot afford if he cannot perform. While Colquitt did a nice job in the postseason, he has to remain consistent if he wants to remain in Denver.
Joe DeCamillis mentioned Kalif Raymond (Holy Cross) and Bralon Addison (Oregon) as two guys that could win the return job.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) May 7, 2016
Some of the guys that DeCamillis is excited to see work in special teams during the summer days of OTA’s, mini camp, and training camp are Kalif Raymond and Andy Janovich, who is an undrafted free agent and sixth round selection respectfully.
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So, how does Joe DeCamillis help keep the team motivated and how to improve on special teams? He believes it has started with winning on that day and the changes.
“That competition has already been ingrained. I think Gary Kubiak did a great job selling it to them. They know that they are going to be competing for a job no matter who they are. When you have success like we did last year, it’ll be pretty easy to sell for sure.”
“You always have changes. It’s getting that continuity as quick as possible. The other thing is to keep that tradition going that was started last year. I thought they did a great job at covering. They played fast. They did things smart. We want to continue that as much as we can.”
Completely agree with you Coach. Special teams last year had its ups and downs, but I am certain that this group will continue to improve. I will be paying close attention to this unit in training camp. Should have some interesting competitions.