It’s a tie for me. But if you call Niko the steady one – I would go with him too. I think the 2008 Denver Defense is all about solidness. At least the front 7: Hold your own and let Champ and Dre’/Fox make the plays. The offense can take us far, therefore the defense must focus on not loosing the game.

Niko is just too slow to react, watching game film he takes poor angles a lot of times or simply gets out ran to a position by the running back. I think Webster also takes poor angles and has some very poor tackling technique, but what he can do is provide energy to the defense by making a big hit or big play, something Niko just doesn’t have. I believe that both of these guys are not destined for long careers with the Broncos, I am guessing that MLB will be a top priority in next year’s draft. Hopefully Webster can improve on the technique and become a more complete player this year, but I am not counting on it.

I have gone so far as to wonder whether Webster will get cut eventually. But now that the Broncos have inserted him into the starting lineup, I like the idea of adding the energy to the defense.

We might remember Al Wilson and the energy he brought. Wilson also had to learn not to overrun plays, and he always did have occasional problems in wrapping up the ball carrier. But he could fire up a defense, and he was a vicious hitter.

That is Nate. Maybe that is what they see in Nate. It just might turn out better than what we have expected.

If Niko isn’t strong enough at MLB and Webster is strong enough at MLB then that spells disaster this year for us. My hope is that Slowik will be able to coach us into good positions to hide the fact that we have no talent at the most important position on defense. That’s a thought that scares the crap out of me. I will be looking for a high draft pick next year concerning this position or a high profile FA at the very least.

With our offense being the juggernaut it is this year, hopefully they’ll be able to mask the problems we might face on defense. I wonder how many 38-35 games we will see this year. I better start exercising now and get my heart in good shape.

Maybe I’ve just seen more of him, as he has been with the Broncos longer, but what I have seen is steady improvement during last season. He is definitely fiery and seems to leave it all out on the field. He seems coachable due to his steady improvement, and I once again look forward to him progressing this season from mediocre to pretty good.

There is no denying the missed tackles and blown plays, but I will accept failures so long as there is progress. Also, given our dominant looking offense this season, I would rather have a defense that gets their business done quickly (turnover, punt, or TD) than one that slowly gets pushed down the field, so that the offense can have as many opportunities with the ball as possible.

I kinda like the move.

Although I tend to agree with TSG about the less exciting, more reliable option being preferable, I can see the reasons to throw Webster out there first. Webster is a huge injury risk, not the kinda guy you want to throw into the mix in the middle of the season and have to rely on (with no legit backup behind him).

It seems like Niko is less injury prone and will perform on special teams and continue learning the system while awaiting his opportunity. If the past is any indicator, there is a good chance he gets it at some point this season.

He said Nate got the job because Nate made plays and he (Niko) didn’t. He said that was the bottom line.

That might have been at the bottom of the staff’s overlooking Nate’s occasional whiff?

once he made enough of a commitment to make it close in the first place, was his familiarity with the system. As Koutouvides becomes more familiar with the system he might move ahead of Webster and/or he might take over if Webster gets dinged and be impossible to dislodge. At any rate, I thought Niko showed a lot of maturity and class in his reaction to not getting the nod. That’s the kind of attitude that makes for a nondysfunctional lockerroon.

I am NOT stoked on this call.

Nate Webster is a solid back up, but he generally over pursues in defense and misses a lot of tackles, which hangs the whole secondary out to dry.

Niko Koutouvides is new to the system, so I am glad he will play against the Cardinals, but Niko is always around the ball, and ALWAYS sheppards the play back into areas where plays can be made by the defense. This is the major role. MLB controls the flow of the defense, and identifies what the offense is doing. I think he has done this very well, and as DJ Williams said himself, the defense took a step up against the Cowboys when Niko was the starter.

How does everyone out there think our DB play looked against Green Bay? I thought it looked disorganized and easily read with no pressure form our DB’s what so ever. Nate Webster was the starting MLB.

I hope I am wrong, but I would feel a lot more comfortable with Niko.

he has to get a little more smarter with his gaps and his overall game knowledge."

Thats my biggest problem with going with Webster at MLB. He does not have the football IQ or game knowledge Niko has.

Thats why he over pursues all the time. It is not the MLB job to be fast off the snap all the time…he needs to be able to read when to be explosive and when to be able to hold back and plug holes. This waht makes me so nervous about him.

Has he worked hard? Damn straight.

Do I like the guy? Who can not. He’s a personality and I route for him, but he is more suited at Will or Sam than at MLB. I dont think his feel for the game is good enough.

Hope I am wrong man, and I will cheer heartily for him reagrdless

Thanks, and sorry for para-phrasing, but thats how I see it.

…are trumped by the energy that Webster brings to the field. The thing that our defense has lacked more than anything is energy and intensity. They often play flat. If someone like Webster can get this defense even a little more amped, then that more than compensates for a couple of missed tackles or gap assignments.