Each week, I reverse engineer how top football Defenses and Players have made great moves ON and OFF the field & how they did it.
Remembering Greatness: 2015 Broncos Defense
"No Fly Zone"The 2015 Denver Broncos were not just one of the most dominant defenses of the decade but of all time.
In today's newsletter, I'll explain what made them so special, and how they accomplished it. A reminder to use the exclusive Discount Code ‘SAVE10’ for $10 off my eBook. Imagine if you could get years' worth of Football knowledge condensed into a few hours of reading in a single eBook. By the end of this eBook, you will be able to confidently play any Linebacker or Edge Rusher position without needing to waste thousands of hours on trial and error and/or your research.
Stats That You May Not Even Get in MaddenSome of the most impressive stats include:
Along with still being at the top of the league in:
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Whether you tried to pass or run against them, it wasn't going to work. Then to top things off, at some point when your Offense is on the field, they'll probably score against you (with your Defense still on the sidelines and can't do anything about it). 2015 Broncos Stats That Still Don't Make SenseSome of my favorite mind-blowing stats from this Defense are:
Oh and one more thing to mention, the Packers were undefeated at 6-0, beaming with confidence going into that game. After watching Peyton Manning tear up the scoreboard for over a decade, this one still seems made up:
Tbh, I think Manning was just throwing all of those picks to get his Defense more reps on the field. Jk jk. Anyways, besides when the Ravens carried Trent Dilfer on their back toward a Lombardi trophy, I really can't think of another Defense in recent memory that won while their QB had those types of stats. Breaking Down Their DefenseCoaching
You can have the best talent in the world, but if they aren't put in a position to succeed, it'll be tough for them to make plays. Luckily for the Broncos, they hired one of the best Defensive Coordinators in the history of the NFL Wade Phillips. Although many people forget that Phillips wasn't their first choice for DC, it was actually Vance Joseph. Luckily for the Broncos, Joseph didn't work out and Phillips took over. Defensive SchemeWade Phillips runs a 3-4 Defense while primarily playing Man Coverage behind it. While traditional 3-4 Defenses are known to be 2-gap Defenses, what's unique about his Defense is that he runs a 1-gap Defense (typically used in 4-3 Defenses instead). Why does this even matter? Well, 2-gap Defenses are known more as a 'Read and Attack' type of Defense for the Defensive Lineman, meaning they could be in charge of 2 gaps in the running game, while also being responsible for rushing the passer. That's a lot of responsibility, along with a ton of diagnosing and figuring out the play before being able to attack. On the other hand, a 1 gap system just makes it very simple for all of the players, you have this gap, just attack and go. This 1-gap system was a huge factor in his Defense playing fast and with confidence to constantly fly around the field. On the backend of his Defense, he ran primarily Cover 1 while mixing in Cover 3/Cover 3 Match. While Zone Defenses have 'No Cover Zones' within 5 yards and certain routes that exploit holes, Man Coverage is the best coverage in Football, just cover your Receiver no matter where he goes. While every team would love to run Man Coverage, the majority of them don't have the personnel to do it, and this is exactly how the 'No Fly Zone' was created. Defensive Backs = No Fly Zone
The notorious "No Fly Zone" is made up of the Broncos Defensive Backs, most notably:
3 of them - Talib, Harris Jr, and Ward were Pro Bowlers that yea,r and Chris Harris Jr. also earned the 2nd Team All-Pro award. T.J. Ward was the thumper of the defense to set the tone of the game through crushing hits ball carriers, as well as coming in unexpectedly on a blitz. Although unlike most thumpers, Ward could also line up split out wide vs Tight Ends and cover them even if they are Rob Gronkowski.
Wade Phillips had three excellent press-man cover corners in Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr, and Bradley Roby. Chris Harris Jr in particular was a Swiss Army knife as he was able to play both outside corner or slide into the nickel corner role to lock down the slot receiver if Bradley Roby was brought onto the field. These 3 players were so dominant at blanketing receivers throughout the year that Wade Phillips consistently left them on islands to guard receivers 1 on 1. ​
What did he do with the rest of the Defense? You guessed it, he brought them on a blitz to quickly get the ball out and/or stop the running game. That’s exactly what they did in the Super Bowl to the Panthers and a big part in shutting down MVP Cam Newton's Offense. The extra unblocked defenders blew up any run that may have looked good on a whiteboard before the game, while also shutting down their passing game. Pass RushersThe Broncos Pass Rush was made up primarily = of Hall of Famer Demarcus Ware + Future Hall of Famer Von Miller. These two quickly formed one of the most accomplished and formidable pass-rushing duos ever assembled with each eventually earning 100+ career sacks of their own. Looking back at their careers, Ware earned a total of 138.5 sacks in his career, while Miller has 123.5 sacks of his own (as of the time of this writing). Although they were dominant at many things, their Speed Rushes really stood out to me.
In the game vs the Patriots, they had no answer to the Speed Rushes resulting in switching Offensive Tackles mid-game only for the same result.
Tom Brady was hit 20 TIMES in this single game! These rushes showcased how explosive they were, while still being flexible enough to bend around the corner to stay in position to sack the Quarterback. They consistently seemed unblocked/untouched leaving most fans staring at the big screen to watch the replay to figure out what happened. The replay wasn't much help as Offensive Tackles looked completely out of position and seemingly moving in slow motion trying to block the pair of them. The worst part for Offenses is that they couldn’t figure out which one of them they wanted to double team, and no matter who they chose, they were in a no-win situation.
In case Offenses didn't have enough to worry about from just the pass-rushing, every once in a while Von Miller would reroute Tight Ends and slice underneath them for the interception.
The combination of quality of Pass Rushers in the front while also having the lockdown man coverage behind it resulted in a very complete Defense that just terrorized the NFL. PS… I'm constantly learning and trying to provide you with the best value in these newsletters. I'm sure you've noticed that I've added video clips to this for the first time, and I think improvements like these will continue to improve your experience. Now that I can add videos here, I'm thinking about writing more position-specific content for example "passing off routes, x speed rush and how to master it" etc. I’d love your input on how we could make Defensive Digest even more useful for you! So please leave a comment with:
I read every single one of them! As always a huge thank you, and if you want to level up your game and/or support me, go and grab yourself a copy of my eBook!
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Defensive Clips
Each week, I reverse engineer how top football Defenses and Players have made great moves ON and OFF the field & how they did it.
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In 2022 alone, Georgia had 8 players selected in the draft, with 5 of those coming in the first round, that's not a typo. Almost half of Georgia's defense was selected in the first round. Despite losing half of their defense, they'd be the 1st ranked rushing defense, 2nd ranked in third-down efficiency, and 5th in points allowed. Only a year later, 5 more Georgia defenders were drafted, 3 of them by the same team, the Eagles (but that's for another newsletter). Over the last two years, the...