FanPost

What's up with this?

D.J. Williams aims for strong suit

By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News
September 7, 2006

It all was a ruse.

D.J. Williams on the strong side. Ian Gold at weak side.

That's how the Broncos listed their outside linebackers in 2005. It was supposed to represent a shift in philosophy, for Williams particularly, given he had played the open- side spot the previous year during a season in which he was third in voting for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The only problem was, for the most part, those weren't the roles of the two players.

"Everybody thought I did, but I never swapped," Williams said.

Said defensive coordinator Larry Coyer: "We didn't really change anything but wording, that's all."

So Williams essentially stayed put on the weak side and Gold was the one aligned over the tight end, despite his smaller size.

Nonetheless, Gold managed to lead the Broncos in tackles with 106 (81 solo), playing an every-down role in the nickel while Williams sat.

So why all the confusion?

"People take things and run with it," Gold said. "It's kind of the way everybody sees that 'will' linebacker spot as the coveted spot to be at because you get a lot of the action, a lot of the blitzing and things of that nature and the strong-side spot is not as coveted because you've got a lot of coverage and not as much in the run action as far as the scheme of the defense.

"But last year, I proved that a player in the strong-side position can still be a part of the defense - and an integral part."

It's a proving ground now for Williams - for real, not just in name.

This season, he will be shifting positions and playing on the strong side, opposite Gold, with revised responsibilities.

"It's a little tough for me because I actually changed the whole position and am playing a linebacking position I've never played," said Williams, who finished sixth on the team last season with 68 tackles (44 solo). "But I'm learning, and once I figure out all the little things about it, I think I'll be real good at it."

The primary difference will be Williams will be charged with covering tight ends more often. But part of the reason Coyer made the swap is the third-year pro has made such huge strides in pass coverage.

"I think he's gifted as a cover guy," Coyer said. "He's a big fast guy with great instincts, and he's got great man-to-man skills."

Whether those abilities translate to more playing time in nickel pass packages remains to be seen. Williams played only about 55 percent of the overall snaps last season compared with 93 percent for Gold and 92 percent for middle linebacker Al Wilson.

The reason for the dip was his exclusion on obvious passing downs, not so much because of his lack of ability but because of the strength of the other two linebackers.

The substitution pattern in 2005 essentially was off the cuff and, in the process, Williams tended to get lost. Coyer is promising a more balanced approach in terms of getting the three players on the field this season by having "a planned sequence of events" in terms of the rotation instead of leaving it to chance.

"It's not easy, but we've got to be prepared," Coyer said. "We've got to have a plan. And I think we're better suited than we were a year ago with that plan."

Early in training camp, Williams still was adjusting to the pass-coverage aspect of his job, saying it was a "daily grind" because he essentially had been off a year from that aspect of the job. The biggest challenge was turning study into reaction and earning the coaches' confidence.

"I just have to get their faith that I can guard tight ends and be out there in pass situations," he said.

If Williams had his druthers, he would remain at weak side because it comes naturally but "it makes our three-man corps better as a whole, so that's what I've got to do."

Gold isn't completely satisfied, either, but he knows his place.

"It it's up to me and I had the ultimate choice of where to play and things of that nature . . . Gold said, pausing for effect, "it would be quarterback. They get paid the most."

--------------------------------------

I hate to doubt first-hand quotes, but is this true?  I mean, wasn't DJ being out of position the big story last year?  I honestly can't say I remember seeing DJ playing a lot on the weakside...of course, he didn't play that much in the first place.  Ian did blitz from the SAM position a lot though...

Thoughts?

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.