Derek Wolfe returned to the Denver Broncos active roster on Monday after serving a four-game suspension to start the 2015 season stemming from a league PED policy violation.
Wolfe owned his mistake and vowed to make right to his teammates and Broncos fans. He’ll have his first chance to start doing that on Sunday when the Broncos travel to Oakland.
But Wolfe’s suspension puts head coach Gary Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips in an interesting position. They currently have the best defense in football, led by the No. 1 passing defense and the No. 8 rushing defense. Wolfe was the entrenched starter and played through the preseason, but the defense played at an unprecedented level without him.
Wolfe’s return begs the question, “Why fix what isn’t broken?” Should Wolfe start and get the majority of snaps over Vance Walker or Antonio Smith?
We posed that very question to Dee White and Kent Erickson of Mile High Sports AM 1340 for this week’s edition of “In My Humble Opinion.”
Erickson says this is big boy football. White says chemistry is the key.
One thing that neither is debating is the fact that Denver’s defense just got better, regardless of how much Wolfe plays on Sunday.
IMHO: Derek Wolfe shouldn’t start or get the bulk of snaps on Sunday
Dee White, co-host of Notaro and Big Dee on Mile High Sports AM 1340, played some d-line in his day (that’s apparent when you meet him), and he knows how important chemistry is for a defensive unit.
“There’s a subconscious communication that goes on,” he says. “Guys know what other guys are going to do because they’ve worked, they’ve repped together. You don’t want to disrupt that chemistry.”
White acknowledges that Wolfe will and should get reps against Oakland, but says it’s unlikely that he’ll be 100 percent game ready.
How close is Wolfe going to be to game ready? White says Wolfe will be fully healthy, but it’s the timing and communication issues that he’ll need to get back in-sync with before he’s ready to step back into the starting role. He expects Wolfe to be worked in early and often, but not to start or get the lion’s share of reps.
He wonders, “Why would you replace a guy on a unit that’s been playing out of its mind?”
Kent Erickson of The Big Show says it’s because in the NFL, the best players play.
IMHO: Derek Wolfe should start and get the bulk of snaps on Sunday
Kent Erickson, co-host of The Big Show on Mile High Sports 1340, saw plenty of guys like Derek Wolfe, Vance Walker and Antonio Smith during his 21 years in the video department for the Denver Broncos.
What’s his one takeaway from all that experience? “The best players play,” he says.
“This is big boy football. Nothing is fair in the NFL,” and that includes guys coming off a PED suspension getting looks at reclaiming a starting job.
“If Derek is the best player in practice this week, he should start,” Erickson stated matter-of-factly.
“Wolfe is one of the better – not an All-Pro, but very good – inside run stoppers. He’s quick to find the ball, which is exactly what you want from a five-technique guy in a 3-4 defense. He’s very good at what he’s asked to do, which is take on a double team and find the ball.”
As for the matter of chemistry, Erickson points out that Wolfe played throughout the preseason and missed “four games, not four seasons.”
Dee White of Notaro and Big Dee says unspoken communication is of more importance than it may appear.