The experience NFL players have from their rookie year to their second season can be exponentially different. It certainly has been for Broncos defensive end Adam Gotsis.
Les Shapiro of Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 caught up with Gotsis after OTAs this week to find out just how different things have been for the 2016 second-round draft pick out of Georgia Tech. Gotsis, who didn’t even start playing organized (American) football in Australia until the age of 13, had an even steeper learning curve as an NFL rookie as he recovered from an ACL injury suffered in college.
For Gotsis, year number two is proving to be a big change.
“Yeah, it’s completely different. Last year, I mean I wasn’t even out here for OTAs, so, you know I was on the sideline doing rehab stuff. So, it’s completely different. Right now, you’re getting to play blocks and go against guys, things like that, so, this is the time that you’re working on your hands, you’re working on your feet, your eyes, technique all that stuff,” he said.
Gotsis admitted that missing out on OTAs last year was a challenge when camp rolled around.
“If you don’t really have that and then all of a sudden you jump into training camp it’s a bit hard to catch up,” he continued.
His health isn’t the only thing that’s changed this offseason. Much of the Broncos coaching staff has changed, including head coach and defensive coordinator. With the departure of former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to the Rams, defensive backs coach Joe Woods was promoted to defensive coordinator. Already, Gotsis sees a different mentality on defense.
“It’s a bit different [under Woods],” he said. “I feel like Joe Woods has a bit more attacking mentality and I think our secondary’s worked so much with Joe that they’ve just got that mentality. Like, they can play fast and free. He’s got a lot of trust in them, and I think he’s got a lot of trust in the whole defense. You know, it’s a fresh face up there. But, as again, we’ve got to go out and perform. It can all sound good and stuff like that, but you’ve got to go get the job done on Sundays.”
Gotsis knows that his unit didn’t match the expectations set by the 2015 Super Bowl team, and believes the defense on the whole has plenty of room to improve despite still being a top-five unit last season.
“Yeah, I definitely think [this defense can be better]. I wasn’t here for the Super Bowl year, but we’re holding so many of the same guys and then I think last year we’re still a top-five defense and, you know, we as a defensive line felt like we didn’t [get the job done stopping] the run. But again, that’s the defense as a whole. It’s not just on the three, four guys up front that need to do that. It’s everyone. But everyone can improve,” he says.
Overall, he sees a relentless attitude on defense that won’t be content, even with being the best in the league.
“You can be number one everything, but you’re stopping yourself if you just say, ‘We’re number one; we can relax now.’ You’re trying to push yourself to the limits, and you don’t even know where the limits are,” he says.
The improvements he’s seeing in his second year aren’t limited just to the defense. Already, he can tell that the revamped offensive line is going to be a stronger unit than in 2016.
“Yeah, definitely. I think the whole o-line has got a mentality – they’ve got a different mentality this year,” Gotsis observed. “I think they’re holding themselves to a lot higher level and you know, that’s what you want to see. You want to see everyone on this team do that. And I think that they’re going to be a big anchor of this team. They’re going to do a great job for us. So, excited to see what they do.”
Listen to the full interview with Gotsis, including his thoughts on being compared to Derek Wolfe, in the podcast below.
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