National Football League

Broncos forced to switch defensive schemes on fly

Published Nov. 12, 2010 4:35 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Denver Broncos worked all summer on mastering defensive coordinator Don Martindale's system.

And then one fractured foot forced them to forgo those plans.

With hybrid pass-rusher Robert Ayers sidelined for the last month, the Broncos have scrapped their 3-4 look in favor of their old scheme that features four defensive linemen and three linebackers.

This despite hardly having the personnel for the alignment, which could be a reason the Broncos (2-6) are surrendering a league-high 155 yards rushing a game.

''There's no one looking forward to Robert Ayers coming back more than me,'' Martindale said Thursday.

When Ayers might be back remains up in the air and he's already been ruled out for Sunday's game against Kansas City (5-3).

Ayers didn't have a protective boot on his broken foot this week and he's been working out with the team's strength and conditioning coach, giving Denver optimism that he'll return soon.

The Broncos were hoping Ayers would emerge as their top pass-rusher once Elvis Dumervil, who led the league in sacks last year, was lost for the season with a torn chest muscle early in training camp.

And Ayers was having a solid season when he got hurt in a loss at Baltimore on Oct. 10, and the defensive switch has had mixed results. The 4-3 defense was solid against the New York Jets, a disaster against the Oakland Raiders.

''I don't want to sit here and say we're going to only play this or that at this point,'' Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. ''We're going to practice both because we have to, understanding that we'd love to be back into that 3-4 mold as much as we could.''

Defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson thinks the struggles on defense have little to do with what scheme they're in and everything to do with simple things, such as technique.

It's a sentiment shared by Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins.

''We've been in place to make the plays, we just haven't made them,'' Dawkins said. ''Whatever the situation calls for, you have to be able to adjust. We've had our share of difficulties, whether it be injuries, but you can't use that as an excuse.''

The Broncos have had a week off to go back to the drawing board and prepare for the Chiefs, who lead the NFL in rushing behind a pair of backs on pace for 1,000-yard seasons in Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.

Hardly an easy assignment for a team that's allowed a combined 471 yards rushing over the last two games.

''They have a potent attack,'' Dawkins said. ''The thing we have to do defensively is we have to tackle well. We have to set the edges on these guys.''

McDaniels didn't assemble the roster this season with the notion of having to go back to a primarily 4-3 look. That's why he beefed up the interior line, adding Jamal Williams and Justin Bannan.

Being so thin at linebacker, though, the Broncos have rotated in players such as Ryan McBean, Ronald Fields, Marcus Thomas and Vickerson.

''If we can get back to playing the 3-4 or odd front, those kinds of things have certainly been more productive for us over the course of the long haul than the 4-3 front or the 4-3 personnel grouping,'' McDaniels said. ''We didn't try to do what we did with our front and our linebacking corps to play that front.''

Dawkins has long brought energy and exuberance to the field, constantly striving to create a spark. In practice this week, he's been looking for the same type of reaction from his defensive brethren, a passion for change.

''The tempo at practice has been excellent,'' Dawkins conceded.

As for any indications the Broncos will be improved on defense in the second half of the season, Dawkins said that's something better to show than tell.

''It's about doing. I think that's the mindset,'' Dawkins said. ''Even though we've dug ourselves a tough hole thus far, guys are having fun playing the game.''

Can players have fun when the team is struggling?

''You don't enter the game with 2-6 on your mind,'' Dawkins said. ''You enter the game with, 'This is the game we're going to win. We're going to try our best to go out and do what we do.' You don't go in saying, 'We're 2-6.' That's not the way you play any sport.''