Oakland to face NFL's best defense
The Shadow
Last week, Raiders were stopped by league's worst defense; this week,
Broncos bring best defense to town
By PHIL BARBER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
ALAMEDA - Last week, the Raiders got a chance to line up against the
worst-ranked defense in the league. They scored 14 points at Indianapolis.
This week? Horrifying as it sounds, their draw is reversed. They get the
NFL's top-ranked defense.
Yes, the Denver Broncos' defense is No. 1 in total defense, surrendering a
meager 240.8 yards per game. Measured on a per-game basis, Denver is tops in
first downs allowed (12.6), second in pass defense (142.2 yards) and fifth
in points allowed (14.8).
While coach Mike Shanahan enjoys some residual praise as an offensive
genius, it is the performance of coordinator Larry Coyer's defense that has
carried the Broncos of late. Last year, they ranked fourth in the NFL in
total defense. This year, they look even better.
"They're playing stingy defense, make no mistake about it," Raiders
quarterback Kerry Collins said. "They're limiting teams to low yardage, not
a lot of plays in any game."
"Everyone is flying to the ball," running back Amos Zereoue said. "I mean,
as soon as that ball is snapped, it's like all 11 guys are flying to the
ball. It seems like there's 10 guys on every tackle. When you have guys
flying around like that, it's definitely hard to do anything against them."
Despite its high ranking a year ago, Denver largely retooled its defense in
2004, and the tinkering seems to have paid off. The Broncos will likely
start four players Sunday who weren't on the roster in 2003: cornerback
Champ Bailey (acquired in a trade for running back Clinton Portis), safety
John Lynch (a free agent from Tampa Bay), defensive end Marco Coleman (free
agent, Philadelphia) and linebacker D.J. Williams (drafted in the first
round).
"Obviously, Champ Bailey's a big part of what they're doing," Raiders coach
Norv Turner observed. "They've got another corner (Kelly Herndon) who can
cover and go out there. They're playing a lot more eight-man front.
Obviously, Lynch helps them in that matter. He's an outstanding tackler.
Where you see Tampa maybe giving up a little more run, and Denver being a
lot better against the run, that might go hand-in-hand."
Bailey, the highest-paid cornerback in the league (as Charles Woodson will
remind you), likes what he sees in Denver.
"One thing I notice about the defense, we have a lot of guys that are very
confident in their abilities, and we have some great leaders on this team,"
Bailey said. "I think when you've got that and then you got talent on the
side of that, you can do some great things."
Coyer's defense is built largely on speed. Like Raiders defensive
coordinator Rob Ryan, he prefers a high-pressure scheme.
Coyer blitzes frequently, and asks Bailey and Herndon to handle a lot of man
coverage.
"We play more man-to-man than any team in the league, I can guarantee that,"
Bailey said. "And most of the time, we only have a single safety back
there."
Making the Broncos' defensive statistics even more remarkable is the fact
that they have been without four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trevor Pryce
for almost the entire season as he recovers from surgery for a herniated
disk in his back .
In addition, they have generated only three interceptions, including a lone
interception. Takeaways are usually the hallmark of a hot defense.
"Well, you'd always like turnovers, and you're always stressing turnovers,"
Shanahan said. "It always gives you a chance to win games. ... But the big
thing, too, is giving up points. If you don't give up a lot of points, even
if you don't give up turnovers, good things are going to happen."
There is no denying the Broncos' efforts on defense this year. But as the
Raiders stressed before their game at Indy, statistics can often deceive. At
least part of the opponents' low output can be attributed to Denver's
offense, which runs the ball effectively and knows how to work time off the
clock, keeping its defense fresh.
Last week, Carolina ran only 45 plays in a 13-10 loss to the Broncos (the
NFL average last season was nearly 63 plays), including only eight in the
fourth quarter.
"Their offense is getting a lot of plays and they're keeping the defense off
the field, so that helps the defense out a lot," Raiders wide receiver
Ronald Curry said.
"I mean, they've got a good defense going on, but at the same time, their
offense is doing a great job of controlling the tempo. If you've got 40
plays and you're comparing to other defenses in the league that's getting
60, 70 plays on them, then your numbers are going to be there."
Which leads to an interesting strategy for thwarting the Broncos' defense
this Sunday.
If the Raiders can find a way to shut down Shanahan's running game -
something that has been easier said than done for most teams - they can give
Champ Bailey et al a truer test.
EXTRA POINTS
Another day went by, and unhappy receiver Jerry Rice had been neither
released nor traded. Stopped in the parking lot a little after 4:30 p.m., he
briefly described his one-on-one Wednesday meeting with Raiders owner Al
Davis. "We talked football," Rice said. "We put two heads together and had a
good talk." Turner said he still considers Rice a starter.
The Raiders asked for and received a 24-hour extension for ticket sales.
They have until 1:15 p.m. today to unload "less than 3,000" tickets and
preserve the telecast of the Broncos game.
Quarterback Rich Gannon was back in Oakland on Thursday after visiting a Los
Angeles doctor Wednesday. His media availability has been pushed back to
early next week.
Neither LB Travian Smith (knee) nor RB Justin Fargas (toe and lower leg)
practiced Thursday. RB Tyrone Wheatley (shoulder), LB Sam Williams
(shoulder), G Ron Stone (knee) and CB Phillip Buchanon (side) all took part
in limited drills.