It’s a new year, a new coach and a new defensive coordinator. But the Denver Broncos’ ‘No Fly Zone’ secondary isn’t forgetting the sting of last year’s letdown.
To say that the No Fly Zone had a letdown is a bit of a misnomer. They once again ranked as the best pass defense in the league – the second year in a row they’ve done so. Last year the Broncos’ pass defense allowed just 2,972 yards and 5.8 yards per pass attempt. No other team in the NFL allowed less than 3,200 and 6.6. Still, the team finished on the outside looking in come the postseason.
All-Pro cornerback Aqib Talib admits there was a lackadaisical effort coming back to camp as Super Bowl champions.
“Last year it wasn’t regular. We came back lackadaisical. This year, it’s regular,” Talib said following Thursday’s first practice of training camp. “A lot of guys are hungry. That’s what every team in the league is right now, except for the Super Bowl Champions. Well, maybe the Super Bowl Champions are. It’s regular to us, last year that wasn’t regular. We’re getting back to where we want to be.”
Safety T.J. Ward says new head coach Vance Joseph has done a good job of setting a clean slate from last year, but Ward and his teammates are also fueled by the disappointment of missing the playoffs.
“We didn’t bring up last year, we’re starting fresh – a clean slate,” Ward said of whether or not Joseph references last season. “It’s 2017, we’re starting the 2017 season and doing it from here. We’re not worried about last year but it’s definitely in the back of our heads as players.”
The national media has been critical of the Broncos this offseason, suggesting they’ll continue to regress and again miss the playoffs.
That may be motivation for some players around the league, but Ward is a self-motivated man and says his team is the same.
“My fire is already fueled. I believe that for the whole team. Last year we didn’t make the playoffs, how much more motivation do you need? We need to try and win this division and what is said from here and throughout the season, it doesn’t matter because the results change automatically,” he said.
Like his teammate, Talib isn’t getting caught up in what the media thinks about Denver this season.
“All we can do is go out and play. People are entitled to their own opinions, right? We have our own opinions; they have their own opinions. I guess we’ll see. The only person that knows is God.”
For Talib and his teammates, this season is all about getting back to what they believe is their rightful place – the playoffs.
“We feel like we’re the best. We don’t even go to the dance. We don’t even go to the tournament,” Talib said. “That definitely motivates us. That’s why we all had a great offseason. That’s why we’re all here early. Everyone made their weight. Everyone made their conditioning test. That’s why we pushed ourselves this offseason, so we can get into the tournament.”
Featured Image Credit: Ryan Greene, 5280 Sports Network
