Bill Kollar is from the old school of no nonsense. He is deliberate, blunt and often his intense steely eyes seem to pierce through the poor soul of a lineman that hasn’t shown enough effort. An adamant, loud and expletive-laced tirade may ensue but the end game is worth it. It is a style that is slowing disappearing in sports but one that is paying dividends, for what was slotted to be, the Denver Broncos defense’s weakness entering the season. Now, months later, he is coaching three players in particular to great heights and it stands out even among a talent-laden defense.
Kollar’s on-field philosophy is simple.
“Play as hard as you can play every play. If you’re tired after two plays come out and we got other guys to go in. There is never a certain thing about getting as many sacks, tackles and all that kind of stuff. Make as many plays as you can, play as hard as you can,” he declared Thursday. “If as a player, you are playing as good as you can play, if you’re producing as good as you can produce, that is all that you can do. If everybody is doing that it ought to get us where we want to go.”
That philosophy seems to mesh perfectly with the Broncos top-ranked defense as a whole but his hungry, talented defensive line in particular.
“You don’t need anything sugar coated. You want it straight up. If you want to be great, you have to know what you are doing wrong. When you’re not playing great and someone is telling you, ‘You’re playing good’ but you’re really not, you’re going to keep playing that way,” defensive end Derek Wolfe said of Kollar Wednesday. “He doesn’t want mediocre, he wants great.”
Wolfe, Sylvester Williams and Malik Jackson are the starters on a defensive line that was a big question mark entering the season. Jackson showed great promise in pass rush and fans were still wondering if Wolfe and Williams were worth their second and first-round selections in the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts. This season they have expanded on decent past seasons and are a huge part of the Broncos amazing defense.
“I think the thing is we all wanted to get better,” Williams said of the group’s offseason. We all knew we needed to improve so thats all we wanted to do. It was like, ‘OK, we have the opportunity and the perfect coach.’ He was on us everyday from the day he came in and first met us. He told us what it was going to be. He was going to work us and gets us better and that is exactly what he did and I think that is what we respect most about him.”
Kollar’s philosophy is nothing new to the NFL. He has coached in the NFL for 27 seasons as a defensive line coach along with other duties and found his ‘no bull’ approach from his coaches that he played for in the NFL for eight season with the Cincinnati Bengals (1974-76) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1977-81).
“I think especially coaching defensive line, that is how it has to end up being. I played for a guy by the name of Abe Gibron years ago and thats how he was. I sort of took his style and I don’t think there is any other way,” Kollar said. “I tell them exactly how it is. I’m not going to end up bullshitting them and then expecting them to work their ass off and play hard in the game. If they want to end up playing as good as they can play, you have to start working hard to end up doing that. That is what we are trying to do here.”
Kollar rejoined Gary Kubiak this May after coaching with him in Houston for five seasons. He also coached with Wade Phillips there from 2011-13. From day one the players knew that Kollar was all business but that strict approach would be breed success.
“He’s going to get your work in and make sure that we’re the best defensive line in the league. That’s what I’m learning,” Malik Jackson said after meeting Kollar in May. “You have to have a great work ethic. If you don’t have a good work ethic and you’re not willing to learn and go out there and produce, you’re not going to play for him.”
Wolfe, Williams and Jackson are excelling under Kollar’s tutelage this season and each is showing more and more versatility along the way. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Wolfe and Jackson are ranked 10th and 9th respectively as 3-4 defensive ends while Williams is enjoying a career season as well.
Jackson was excellent last year in a 4-3 scheme and has transitioned smoothly this season. He is playing the run as well as the pass, making him a valuable asset. Wolfe is having the breakout season fans have been waiting for, grading higher than he ever has overall, against the run and the pass according to PFF. Lastly, Williams, replacing the run-stuffing fan favorite Terrence Knighton, has worked hard and become the stalwart in the middle the defense needed.
Phillips, who has coached in 38 NFL seasons, has not been surprised by what Kollar has gotten out of the defensive line.
“Bill is an outstanding coach. That’s a big part of it. I think that he has a knack. He has experience coaching. He has a knack for working with players and getting the best out of them and he’s always been like that,” he said Thursday.
Kollar’s intensity and demand for hustle is a big part of what he is known for but his players have been enamored with how detailed he is and what his film study and off-the-field coaching has done for them. Antonio Smith, a 12-year veteran defensive lineman in his sixth season under Kollar (five in Houston), understands better than anyone what he demands and has seen how good the fit is with Kollar and his Broncos teammates.
“The family environment we have in the locker room where Bill [Kollar] can give us things and we can pop things back to him, it is such an open form of communication. He listens to what you say, what you feel and you know he can make you better or quicker here or this and that. One thing he does do is he tells you all the information that you need to know to be successful and he lets you choose what you want to use. Now by far, more than any coach I have been around, Bill [Kollar] will have you be the most informed defensive line there is out there.”
A lot of the results of Kollar’s impact cannot be calculated but on paper the defensive line is certainly stacking up nicely. The defensive ends, defensive tackles and nose tackles have combined for 13 of the teams 44 sacks, 24 tackles for a loss and have held opponents to an average of only 84.3 rushing yards per game, good for third-best in the league. According to Williams, Kollar’s film breakdowns each week and implementing it to the practice field has been an immeasurable positive for him and his teammates.
“Wednesday he breaks everything down so much for us that it is to the point that its like, ‘I know this.’ Then we go out and practice it and he preaches it again the next day. He is so detail sound, that is why I have so much respect for coach. It is unbelievable the things I think he has done for all of our careers. Really all three of us, Me, Malik [Jackson], and [Derek] Wolfe, he’s just been able to change our game around and help us improve our game. I feel like we can only get better. I feel like the sky is the limit for all three of us if we keep working with him,” Williams said sincerely Thursday.
Kollar has been around the game too long to really say if this is the most talented group he has coached but he does believe that they can reach the team’s goal of a Super Bowl if they continue to work as hard as they have. His intense regime and fiery disposition will certainly continue through the season but in the end he wants to get his players ready each day so that on Sundays their preparation and hustle will show. His interest is not in accolades or statistics. What Kollar wants fits his old school style. He wants only his defensive linemen’s play to demand to be noticed.
“I think what happens is as people watch film they end up seeing it. You always end up seeing what the other opponents are saying. They are telling you what they see and that’s what you want. You don’t have to toot your own horn. Let your play speak for itself. I always tell them, ‘You don’t have to say anything. If you’re playing good enough everyone ends up realizing it.’”
Kollar’s impact certainly speaks for itself.
Email Sam at sam@milehighsports.com and follow him on Twitter @SamCowhick.