Derek Wolfe made a big impact in his rookie year. He amassed 40 tackles and six sacks in all 16 games for the Denver Broncos.

“He’s not happy with it—it’s not enough for him,” defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said of Wolfe. “He wants more, which is great.”

Von Miller gave Wolfe more credit than what we see in the stats sheets.

“I probably took about three or four sacks away from Derek Wolfe,” Miller said. “If you add that on to his total, I think he was up there in double-digits. He had an amazing rookie season and I think the way he’s been working this offseason—he’s already a leader now.”

Del Rio also thinks that Wolfe will surface as a leader.

“A young guy last year that really it was hard for him to be a leader, but he emerged as the year went on, was Derek Wolfe,” Del Rio said after mentioning Champ Bailey and Wesley Woodyard among the team’s defensive leaders. “I think you’ll see Derek take a more active role as a leader on our defense this year.”

The 6-5, 300-pound defensive end  plays most of his snaps at defensive tackle. That’s why when you look at the numbers he put up in his rookie year, it’s that much more impressive.

Wolfe can easily increase his sack total from last season. With extra attention on Miller (18.5 sacks in 2012) and newcomer Shaun Phillips (9.5 sacks), Wolfe will often be left with the one-on-one matchup. The Broncos also have Woodyard (5.5 sacks), and Robert Ayers, who will be making a huge push to make this his big year.

It’s exciting to have a very young vocal leader on the field. Miller admitted that he’s not that for the Broncos.

“That’s not me. I like to talk to my teammates but I’m not really one of those guys, ‘Step up! Everybody come on!’ That’s not me. That’s never been me. I like to get on the field and produce, make plays, let my actions on the field speak for me.”

Wolfe gets on the proverbial bullhorn and rallies the team or focuses individuals having a rough game. That’s worth three to four sacks right there.

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Dec 16 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) runs during the game against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of the gam at M

The Denver Broncos finally secured their signature victory of the season and it should be the win that silences their few remaining critics. They recorded their first road victory against a team with a winning record since 2005 and it came against a team that had owned them in previous seasons, especially when they’ve played in Baltimore.

The win pushed the Broncos winning streak to 9 games and the New England Patriots loss on Sunday Night Football means the Broncos control their own destiny for a playoff bye. If Denver wins their final 2 games, both at Mile High Stadium against teams below .500, they will get to watch the Wild Card games on TV and play at home in the Divisional Round. It would also mean a potential New England-Denver playoff matchup would be played in Colorado.

Here are some thoughts on the Broncos 34-17 thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens:

• Chris Harris made as big a game changing play as one can make in the NFL and he essentially put the game out of reach by halftime. His 98-yard pick 6 was a 14-point swing and it gave Denver a 17-0 lead at intermission. It held even bigger significance when you consider Baltimore would have had the ball to start the 2nd half and had some momentum with a score. The undrafted standout has solidified the Broncos secondary. He should be a mainstay for years to come.
• Despite the great effort by the offense, they could have played even better. They converted only 5 of 16 third-down conversion attempts which isn’t up to their standard. Their red zone struggles continued early in the game when Denver had to settle for a field goal on their second possession. But in what has become the norm this season, they turned it on down the stretch and blew away the Ravens. It will be quite a sight when this offense figures out how to play a solid 60 minutes.
• The Broncos ran the ball 45 times against Baltimore! Its obvious things are going well if the offense can rattle of that many rushing attempts. Knowshon Moreno got most of the work and he made the most of his chances. He finished with 118 yards and a touchdown and went into beast mode late in the 4th quarter. The playoff outlook for this team will be much brighter if Moreno can continue this level of play.
• The Broncos took possession of the ball with 14:31 remaining in the game and a 31-10 lead. What ensued was the definition of a championship-caliber drive. They ran the ball on 13 of 14 plays and took about 10 minutes off the clock. The Denver lead was never in danger, but a quick 3-and-out in that situation would have given Baltimore some life. Instead, Denver extinguished any hope and demoralized the Ravens in the process. Seeing the offense impose their will like that was a thing of beauty.
• Peyton Manning is just amazing to watch. Sometimes there isn’t much more to say than that. He didn’t come close to playing his best game but he still posted a quarterback rating of 94.9 and didn’t turn the ball over. This team is never in trouble as long as he is in the game.
• The entire defense played nasty once again, and Harris had the play of the day, but Derek Wolfe should be recognized for his monster effort. He had 4 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. The rookie’s play has been huge for the defensive front seven and he is a great complement to Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil coming off the edge.
• Matt Prater missed another field goal in the 40-49 yard range. This one came with no pressure as it was attempted late in garbage time. Hopefully he can get it between the uprights when Denver needs him in a big playoff spot.
• Next up for the Broncos is a home game against the Cleveland Browns next Sunday. A win will put Denver on the doorstep of a playoff bye. Go Broncos!

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Wesley Woodyard is leading the charge both on and off the field (Ron Chenoy – US PRESSWIRE).

Denver Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard is known for making an impact on people’s lives…an impact to the tune of a team leading 100 tackles so far this season.  Since being an undrafted free agent from the University of Kentucky in 2008, Woodyard’s play has reflected his leadership, his effort, and his heart.  So much so, in fact, that his story has taken him from draft afterthought, to being named a team captain in each of his first five seasons, to leading the team in tackles in 2011 and thus far in 2012, and even to earning AFC Defensive Player of the week honors earlier this year.  Interestingly enough, his story represents his other passion – his community.

“We’re a family-based foundation,” Woodyard said at the 16ways Foundation Toy Drive held Monday at the Denver Downtown Aquarium.  ”We love to work in the community and build the community.”

What started two years ago with a small smattering of donated toys under a Christmas tree has ballooned to a full-scale community event that produced hundreds of gifts for children in Denver, many of whom might not otherwise receive anything during the holidays.  This has made other Woodyard’s Broncos teammates take notice.

Rookie defensive tackle Derek Wolfe shared why it was important to support Woodyard’s foundation.  “I came from kind of a rough childhood.  I’ve woken up without any presents.  Coming from a situation like that, I know what it’s like.  You need somebody to believe in you and give that support.  I want to get into the same things that he’s doing.”

As a two time recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for outstanding leadership on the field and within the community, Woodyard has taken on the role of mentor even when it comes to stoking other Broncos’ desire to be engaged with the work of giving back.

“The biggest thing is show those young guys the way to do it,” Woodyard said.  “You’ve got to lead them into doing stuff, so eventually it will brighten up in their eyes and they’ll see how to do it.  A couple of them have already expressed interest on how to get stuff started.  It’s all about the community and they want to help out any way they can.”

Woodyard took time to sign autographs at the 16ways Foundation Toy Drive.

One of those young guys taking a cue from his captain is cornerback Tony Carter.  “It means a lot, just to make a difference in someone else’s life.  Wesley does a great job of doing wonderful things in the community for people.  I support him 100 percent.  As soon as the idea and everything came about, I knew I was going to be here.  It’s a blessing just to be here.”

It’s no surprise that Woodyard would take a mentoring approach to engaging his colleagues in charitable work.  16ways co-founder Derrick Kelly is not only Woodyard’s partner in the foundation, he is also his lifelong mentor.  Both from LaGrange, Georgia, Kelly filled a void for Woodyard growing up through a one-to-one mentoring relationship.

“It’s not trying to be a hero or anything,” Kelly said about the value of mentoring, “It’s just lending an ear, lending some advice, and we just go from there.”

Kelly went on to explain that their mentoring relationship was a key component for Woodyard’s desire to use his on-field platform to give back through 16ways Foundation.  ”He became a social worker.  He started mentoring during his internship and he was like, ‘we’ve got to put something together.’  He got out here his rookie year and started doing his thing, and we put a name to what we do and took it nationwide.”

That story is at the heart of a team captain and community leader.  Woodyard is impacting lives, yes.  But perhaps just as critical, he is keeping that cycle going by inspiring those around him to follow his lead – and in a month that has been filled with terrible news around professional sports, that’s a good word to hear.

“He’s one of the high character guys not only on our team, but in the NFL,” Carter said of his fellow defender.  ”It’s great to see someone like him doing great things on and off the field.  I definitely look up to him personally.”

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