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Big offensive players like Ravens employ are a look Broncos have faced before
By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
October 4, 2006
ENGLEWOOD - As he watched the Ravens and San Diego Chargers go at it Sunday, Broncos safety John Lynch quickly saw what kind of offense Baltimore will bring to Denver for Monday night's game.
"They grow them big," Lynch said. "Big tight ends all over the place, Jamal Lewis is a big, powerful back, and then there's Steve (McNair) at quarterback. And Steve, in what I thought was the play of the game, it set up their winning touchdown, but he goes 12 yards on a run and drags about three guys with him to get the first down.
"It all revolves around the size of that offense."
And it is exactly the kind of offense McNair prefers. Even as he cinched up his tie after Sunday's 16-13 win against the Chargers, he said, "This is my kind of playbook."
Because when push comes to shove for the Ravens, they usually go big or they don't go. They used a pile of two- and three-tight end formations against San Diego.
Both of their touchdown receptions were by tight ends - Daniel Wilcox and Todd Heap - and coach Brian Billick lined up the two all over the formation in almost any down-and-distance situation, looking for matchups the team wanted.
On Heap's winner with 34 seconds to play, the two-time Pro Bowl selection had Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman on him 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.
Merriman, the league's defensive rookie of the year in 2005, went to the Pro Bowl last season for his work in the pass rush, not covering downfield.
"We talked about it on the sideline," Heap said. "We were saying, 'Hey, just throw a quick little hitch or a one step and let us run into the end zone.' So it was something we talked about and it was a play that we knew would work once we got down there."
Said Merriman: "I tried to take his head off. He ducked down. I looked up and he was falling forward."
It also was vintage McNair, in his first year with the Ravens after a June trade from the Titans. In his first four years as a starter with the Titans, tight end Frank Wycheck led the team in catches each season.
That total included 1999 and 2000, when the Titans finished 13-3 in back-to-back years and went to one Super Bowl. And in 2005, McNair's final year as a starter with Tennessee, tight ends went 2-3-4 in catches - Erron Kinney, Ben Troupe and Denver native Bo Scaife.
"And the guy that jumps out at you for the Ravens is Heap," Lynch said. "The guy has made a lot of plays for them for a long time, but I think everyone in the league right now is looking for a guy like that.
"They're hard to find, but at that position you can really create some mismatches. It's one of those things, they're too fast for a lot of linebackers, too strong for a lot of defensive backs. We've been pretty good against guys like that because we see it quite often."
That the Broncos do. With Antonio Gates of the Chargers and Tony Gonzalez of the Chiefs in the division, the Broncos defense faces the dilemma a minimum four times a season.
The Broncos use the speed they have at outside linebacker in D.J. Williams and Ian Gold to negate some of the matchup troubles, but they also have used safety Sam Brandon as a fifth defensive back - a formation the Broncos call their "big nickel" - extensively the past two seasons against the impact tight ends.
"It doesn't matter to me, usually the guy lined up opposite of me is bigger than me anyway. I guess I don't worry about how much bigger," 5-foot-8 Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams said. "For me, it doesn't matter. They're stronger than you, but you have speed, leaping ability, you have the rest. I'm pretty strong myself; you just have to play your technique and battle, you know.
"They want you to wrestle with them, but I'm not going to get up there and get all physical with them. The big guys want to grab you, toss you around, so you play the route, break on the ball, play your position."
In their 4-0 start, Heap is second on the Ravens in receptions - behind another McNair favorite and former Titans receiver, Derrick Mason - with 19, and Wilcox is fourth with seven.
However, Heap and Wilcox are the only players who have touchdown catches; Heap has three, Wilcox two.
"So Steve knows that can be a big part of an offense," Mason said. "He's always been able to find those guys when he has to."
ETC.: The Ravens put starting guard Edwin Mulitalo on injured reserve because of a torn right triceps tendon he suffered Sunday. Jason Brown is expected to play Monday in Mulitalo's spot. Brown has played in 10 games since the Ravens selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft . . . Former Broncos fullback Rashon Powers-Neal, who was released during training camp, worked out for the Buffalo Bills.
Reining in Pro Bowl tight ends
During their past 19 regular-season games - since the start of the 2005 season - the Broncos eight times have faced a tight end who has been named to at least one Pro Bowl. During that span, the Broncos have surrendered two touchdowns to those players and no 90-yard receiving games.
Date Player, team Rec. Yards Avg. TDs Result
Sept. 18, 2005 Antonio Gates, Chargers 6 80 13.3 0 Broncos 20-17
Sept. 26, 2005 Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs 5 29 5.8 0 Broncos 30-10
Oct. 23, 2005 Jeremy Shockey, Giants 3 44 14.7 0 Giants 24-23
Nov. 24, 2005 Jason Witten, Cowboys 9 82 9.1 1 Broncos 24-21, OT
Dec. 4, 2005 Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs 1 25 25.0 1 Chiefs 31-27
Dec. 11, 2005 Todd Heap, Ravens 5 65 13.0 0 Broncos 12-10
Dec. 31, 2005 Antonio Gates, Chargers 3 23 7.7 0 Broncos 23-7
Sept. 17, 2006 Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs 2 7 3.5 0 Broncos 9-6, OT
Power ratings
1. Chicago 65.81
2. Indianapolis 62.08
3. New England 60.51
4. Baltimore 56.94
5. Broncos 56.72
6. Dallas 54.96
7. Cincinnati 54.86
8. Philadelphia 54.60
9. Seattle 54.51
10. Atlanta 54.02
11. New Orleans 54.01
12. San Diego 53.77
13. Jacksonville 53.57
14. New York Giants 53.48
15. New York Jets 52.71
16. Washington 52.26
17. Minnesota 52.18 18. Buffalo 51.22
19. St. Louis 51.21
20. Kansas City 50.91
21. Carolina 49.70
22. Pittsburgh 45.69
23. Cleveland 45.60
24. Arizona 43.79
25. Green Bay 43.67
26. Detroit 42.35
27. Houston 41.99
28. Tampa Bay 41.11
29. San Francisco 38.89
30. Oakland 38.11
31. Miami 37.60
32. Tennessee 33.52
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5041314,00.html
Big offensive players like Ravens employ are a look Broncos have faced before
By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
October 4, 2006
ENGLEWOOD - As he watched the Ravens and San Diego Chargers go at it Sunday, Broncos safety John Lynch quickly saw what kind of offense Baltimore will bring to Denver for Monday night's game.
"They grow them big," Lynch said. "Big tight ends all over the place, Jamal Lewis is a big, powerful back, and then there's Steve (McNair) at quarterback. And Steve, in what I thought was the play of the game, it set up their winning touchdown, but he goes 12 yards on a run and drags about three guys with him to get the first down.
"It all revolves around the size of that offense."
And it is exactly the kind of offense McNair prefers. Even as he cinched up his tie after Sunday's 16-13 win against the Chargers, he said, "This is my kind of playbook."
Because when push comes to shove for the Ravens, they usually go big or they don't go. They used a pile of two- and three-tight end formations against San Diego.
Both of their touchdown receptions were by tight ends - Daniel Wilcox and Todd Heap - and coach Brian Billick lined up the two all over the formation in almost any down-and-distance situation, looking for matchups the team wanted.
On Heap's winner with 34 seconds to play, the two-time Pro Bowl selection had Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman on him 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.
Merriman, the league's defensive rookie of the year in 2005, went to the Pro Bowl last season for his work in the pass rush, not covering downfield.
"We talked about it on the sideline," Heap said. "We were saying, 'Hey, just throw a quick little hitch or a one step and let us run into the end zone.' So it was something we talked about and it was a play that we knew would work once we got down there."
Said Merriman: "I tried to take his head off. He ducked down. I looked up and he was falling forward."
It also was vintage McNair, in his first year with the Ravens after a June trade from the Titans. In his first four years as a starter with the Titans, tight end Frank Wycheck led the team in catches each season.
That total included 1999 and 2000, when the Titans finished 13-3 in back-to-back years and went to one Super Bowl. And in 2005, McNair's final year as a starter with Tennessee, tight ends went 2-3-4 in catches - Erron Kinney, Ben Troupe and Denver native Bo Scaife.
"And the guy that jumps out at you for the Ravens is Heap," Lynch said. "The guy has made a lot of plays for them for a long time, but I think everyone in the league right now is looking for a guy like that.
"They're hard to find, but at that position you can really create some mismatches. It's one of those things, they're too fast for a lot of linebackers, too strong for a lot of defensive backs. We've been pretty good against guys like that because we see it quite often."
That the Broncos do. With Antonio Gates of the Chargers and Tony Gonzalez of the Chiefs in the division, the Broncos defense faces the dilemma a minimum four times a season.
The Broncos use the speed they have at outside linebacker in D.J. Williams and Ian Gold to negate some of the matchup troubles, but they also have used safety Sam Brandon as a fifth defensive back - a formation the Broncos call their "big nickel" - extensively the past two seasons against the impact tight ends.
"It doesn't matter to me, usually the guy lined up opposite of me is bigger than me anyway. I guess I don't worry about how much bigger," 5-foot-8 Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams said. "For me, it doesn't matter. They're stronger than you, but you have speed, leaping ability, you have the rest. I'm pretty strong myself; you just have to play your technique and battle, you know.
"They want you to wrestle with them, but I'm not going to get up there and get all physical with them. The big guys want to grab you, toss you around, so you play the route, break on the ball, play your position."
In their 4-0 start, Heap is second on the Ravens in receptions - behind another McNair favorite and former Titans receiver, Derrick Mason - with 19, and Wilcox is fourth with seven.
However, Heap and Wilcox are the only players who have touchdown catches; Heap has three, Wilcox two.
"So Steve knows that can be a big part of an offense," Mason said. "He's always been able to find those guys when he has to."
ETC.: The Ravens put starting guard Edwin Mulitalo on injured reserve because of a torn right triceps tendon he suffered Sunday. Jason Brown is expected to play Monday in Mulitalo's spot. Brown has played in 10 games since the Ravens selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft . . . Former Broncos fullback Rashon Powers-Neal, who was released during training camp, worked out for the Buffalo Bills.
Reining in Pro Bowl tight ends
During their past 19 regular-season games - since the start of the 2005 season - the Broncos eight times have faced a tight end who has been named to at least one Pro Bowl. During that span, the Broncos have surrendered two touchdowns to those players and no 90-yard receiving games.
Date Player, team Rec. Yards Avg. TDs Result
Sept. 18, 2005 Antonio Gates, Chargers 6 80 13.3 0 Broncos 20-17
Sept. 26, 2005 Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs 5 29 5.8 0 Broncos 30-10
Oct. 23, 2005 Jeremy Shockey, Giants 3 44 14.7 0 Giants 24-23
Nov. 24, 2005 Jason Witten, Cowboys 9 82 9.1 1 Broncos 24-21, OT
Dec. 4, 2005 Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs 1 25 25.0 1 Chiefs 31-27
Dec. 11, 2005 Todd Heap, Ravens 5 65 13.0 0 Broncos 12-10
Dec. 31, 2005 Antonio Gates, Chargers 3 23 7.7 0 Broncos 23-7
Sept. 17, 2006 Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs 2 7 3.5 0 Broncos 9-6, OT
Power ratings
1. Chicago 65.81
2. Indianapolis 62.08
3. New England 60.51
4. Baltimore 56.94
5. Broncos 56.72
6. Dallas 54.96
7. Cincinnati 54.86
8. Philadelphia 54.60
9. Seattle 54.51
10. Atlanta 54.02
11. New Orleans 54.01
12. San Diego 53.77
13. Jacksonville 53.57
14. New York Giants 53.48
15. New York Jets 52.71
16. Washington 52.26
17. Minnesota 52.18 18. Buffalo 51.22
19. St. Louis 51.21
20. Kansas City 50.91
21. Carolina 49.70
22. Pittsburgh 45.69
23. Cleveland 45.60
24. Arizona 43.79
25. Green Bay 43.67
26. Detroit 42.35
27. Houston 41.99
28. Tampa Bay 41.11
29. San Francisco 38.89
30. Oakland 38.11
31. Miami 37.60
32. Tennessee 33.52
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5041314,00.html