Dec 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive tackle Sylvester Williams (92) prepares to pass rush in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Color me stuck in the past. Nevertheless, I grew up watching the Denver Broncos‘ legendary 3-4 defenses of coordinators Joe Collier and Wade Phillips (in his first stint as DC) in the late 1970s and 1980s. As such, I see an essential part of the 3-4 scheme as having a stout middle of the defense; and that starts at nose tackle…and by the way, former Baltimore Ravens‘ head coach, Brian Billick agrees with me; you build a defense from the inside out.
Under Collier, the defense that put the Broncos firmly on the NFL map was the iconic Orange Crush defense. The middle of that defense brings a big smile to my face. Come to think of it, that whole defense brings a smile to my face. As I stated previously, it started up front with an immovable Rubin Carter on the nose. While “Three Mile” Lyle Alzado and Barney Chavous were wreaking havoc from the defensive end spots, it was Carter, at 6′ and 260 lbs who anchored down the interior part of the line to contain the running game. And yes, 6′ and 260 lbs was considered beefy in 1977. In addition to good size at NT, Carter was gifted with quickness that benefited him in shooting the gaps; not to mention a should-be hall-of-famer, Randy Gradishar along with Joe Rizzo providing middle of the defense support.
With Wade at the helm in the late 80s and early 90s, it was Greg Kragen at 6’3″ and 270 lbs who was charged with battening down the hatches inside. The difference between the two eras was that even though Kragen was larger than Carter, the size of the offensive lineman increased at a greater clip and Kragen was often matched up against somebody who was 25-30 lbs heavier than him. So he also had to rely on guile and quickness in addition to his strength. The advantage that he did have was three guys like another should-be hall-of-famer Karl Mecklenberg, along with Rick Dennison, and Rickey Hunley lined up behind him to provide a lot of supportive beef in the middle of that defense. Both defenses helped the Broncos win a lot of football games.
So that brings me to the pending 2015 NFL season and a return to Uncle Wade’s famed 3-4 defense. I realize that today’s 3-4 is a departure from that of 1977 but I believe that the middle of the defense is essential to making this defensive style a success. We have been told that Von Miller is going to be “unleashed” in the 3-4 on opposing quarterbacks. The prediction is that Miller is going to have the best year of his career. So one can assume that the rotation tandem of DeMarcus Ware and rookie, Shane Ray will have the same affect on the other side of the defense.
It will be imperative that 3rd year DT, Sylvester Williams lives up to his 1st round potential. In his first two years in the NFL, Williams did not have to be THE guy in the middle because there was a myriad of DTs rotating in and out of the 4-3 scheme; most notably, “Pot Roast”, Terrance Knighton (I still love his nickname). However, Phillips and the defense will look to Sly to become the modern-day Rubin Carter. At 6’2″ and 313 lbs, he’s decidedly smaller than Pot Roast (yup, I had to). He does have quickness that can benefit him on the nose, though. One of the things that made Sly most appealing to the Broncos’ brass going into the 2013 NFL draft was the pressure he was able to provide from the interior part of the defensive line. He has not done that much since he was drafted. In fact, he was a starter and a main part of the base package over his first two years, but would be subbed out in obvious passing downs because of his inability to rush the passer effectively.
Williams’ strength and quickness should be an asset against the run. I am hoping that this new scheme will bring out the pass-rusher the Broncos thought it was drafting. And let’s face it, as highly as he was drafted out of North Carolina, it’s time for him to prove he’s worth the pick. The third year in the NFL is typically the pivot point for most players; they’re either going to stick or be considered a bust.
Being the eternal optimist, I believe in Sly. I also believe in the talent evaluation skills of the Broncos’ brain trust. Now that rah-rah stuff alone ain’t gonna git er done! Don’t just take my word on it. There’s a guy you may have heard of who’s opinion rates just a little higher than that of your humble correspondent; John Elway.
"“We still like Sylvester, we think there’s still a lot of potential there, and we are not sure that he’s scratched it yet. If there’s any guy that can get it out of our players it’s our new defensive line coach Bill Kollar,” Elway told Troy Renck in a February 20th in a Denver Post article. “So Sylvester is going to get tested, and will get pushed. And I think it will be a good thing for Sylvester.”"
Sly has got to be able to take on two, and sometimes three blocks in order to allow the inside linebackers, most notably Danny Travathen and Brandon Marshall to fly around and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. This also applies to safeties, T.J. Ward and, most likely, Darian Stewart. When he is not taking on multiple blocks, he has to penetrate and get to the passer on a consistent basis.
Needless to say, Sylvester Williams will be taking on a huge responsibility as the fire hydrant in the middle of the new 3-4 defense. If he does not, Darius Kilgor and/or Marvin Austin will have the opportunity to step up and Sly will be stepping out. So all I ask of Sly and the defense is to take us back to the oranger pastures of yesteryear (yes, oranger).