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Denver Broncos’ Defense Will Be Orange Crush 2.0 In 2015

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Last year the Denver Broncos had the third-best defense in the NFL with only the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks in front of them. While teams below the Broncos have retooled through the draft and the free agency, none, for now, stack up favorably. So, with both Detroit and Seattle losing key cogs in their respective defensive schemes, expect the Broncos’ defense to ascend to the throne and become the modern day iteration of the famed Orange Crush defense.

What makes this year’s Denver defense so exciting is the sheer talent of the players on the depth chart. It is a veritable who’s who of heavy hitters and ball hawks. There is elite talent to be found at almost every position on the field. Of course, there are some lesser-known names, but the vast majority of starters are fearsome defensive entities. In fact, it’s so crammed at the top that two budding defensive stars in Shane Ray and Bradley Roby are fighting for playing time.

Still, exciting can only do so much. It’s how the players fit and play within a scheme which maximizes talent. This will be the case for the Broncos and it’s what will make them ruler of the NFL defensive landscape. Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense (of which his father, Bum, is the creator) will prove to work just right in Denver. It’s a defense which leans heavily on attacking the opposing offense instead of reading and reacting. This is something which will play to the Broncos’ strengths as they have some of the most feared pass rushers in the league in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.

The best part, however, is that the new scheme will be driven by a player’s particular skill set instead of their position. This means impact guys like Ray will find himself on the field disrupting quarterbacks almost every Sunday. Also, expect to see the Broncos using this concept to exploit mismatches by shifting players throughout the game.

Beyond the scheme, there is the loaded Denver defensive secondary. A trio of Pro Bowlers will be watching the skies in TJ Ward, Chris Harris and Aqib Talib with the notable absence of now Houston Texan Rahim Moore. This gap shouldn’t be much of a concern as there has been talk of shifting Roby from nickel corner to Moore’s free safety spot. This move  work well for both Roby and the defense.

The only place lacking any star power is the defensive line. The loss of Terrance Knighton to free agency was a brutal hit (no pun intended) for Denver. This year’s line will be young and unproven. There’s a real concern that they may amount to very little as both Derek Wolfe and Sylvester Williams have bust rumors surrounding them. It’s a bit of a weakness for the Broncos, but a weakness which can be more than covered up if the rest of the defense plays well.

The Broncos are coming into 2015 looking to go on a championship run. And with a new Orange Crush defense at their disposal, they may once again prove why defense, does indeed, win championships.

Mike Carlson is a Denver Broncos Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @deejayactual or add him to your network on Google.

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