Horse Tracks: Todd Davis is the 'Thunder' of Broncos defense

Good morning, Broncos Country.

When Danny Trevathan left the team in free agency to join the Chicago Bears, a lot of fans were curious and worried in regard to how and who would replace his top-tier production in the Broncos defense.

After being named the player of the game in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers, it is clear that Todd Davis is that man and at a first glance  — the team's defense won't be missing a beat with him being the one to replace Trevathan.

"It’s a huge honor. I definitely feel good about it. I thank the coaching staff appointing me with that honor," said Davis in regard to being named defensive player of the game. "That’s the first one of 15 more. I just have to keep playing well."

Davis and teammate Brandon Marshall have dubbed themselves 'Thunder' and 'Lightning' and are diligently working to become the best players they can be at the position in order to keep the Broncos' defense a strong and formidable unit for the rest of the season.

"I think we mesh well. We nicknamed ourselves ‘Lightning’ and ‘Thunder.’ He’s Lightning, I’m Thunder. I think we mesh well together and I think we play well together."

Head Coach Gary Kubiak lauded Davis' efforts against the Panthers and believes the instincts he possesses at a player will continue to bode well for his growth and development at the position.

"Really good, he was the defensive player of the game. Todd is very active, very instinctive and I think Todd is going to grow with B-Marsh [ILB Brandon Marshall] in there," Kubiak remarked.  "Obviously B-Marsh played with [Bears ILB] Danny [Trevathan] all of those snaps, now he and Todd are starting to get a bunch of those snaps. [Linebackers Coach] Reggie [Herring] does a great job with those guys, so I think that the future is bright for Todd."

But Davis isn't letting the spotlight get to his head.  He's focused and determined to do whatever it takes to stop the Broncos' next opponent — the Indianapolis Colts and knows that stopping high-profile quarterback Andrew Luck is the key aspect in making that happen.

"He’s a great quarterback and I think we are starting a little rivalry with this team. They beat us two years in a row, so we definitely want this one big," stated Davis.  "Andrew Luck, like I said, he’s the driving force of that team. We definitely need to corral him and get him to the ground."

Here is to hoping Davis can elevate his play even further this weekend and play at a high level for the rest of the season.

As always, thank you for reading and here is today's offering of Horse Tracks.

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