ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos don’t really debate the true value of a sack these days in the grand scheme of defense. They really just try to decide who will get them and how many they will finish with in whatever becomes of the season.
Preseason can often be the great illusion when it comes to predicting of what will transfer to the field once August gives way to the regular season, but in two preseason games the summer reality is the Broncos have sacked opposing quarterbacks 12 times -- no other team that had played at least two games through Saturday night had more than nine -- and the Broncos led the way with five forced fumbles as well. And while the Broncos finished in the top five in total defense twice in two of Jack Del Rio’s three seasons as defensive coordinator, they say Wade Phillips has turned them loose -- and they like it.
“I think more with Coach Phillips, we just don’t sit around and wait for stuff to happen,’’ said linebacker Von Miller after Saturday night’s 14-10 win in Houston. “We had a lot of good players last year, so it’s easier to sit back and try to wait for somebody to make a play. With Coach Phillips, you going to go out there and manufacture a play, and that’s what I like about the defense.’’
The Broncos will definitely walk the risk-reward line more this year than they have in recent seasons. But the current state of affairs is a product of circumstance and personnel decisions. Shane Ray, the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year last season, fell into the team’s lap on draft day after an ill-timed citation for marijuana possession days before the draft pushed him down the board.
Ray, who was the No. 10 player on the Broncos' draft board when they traded up to No. 23 to select him, gives the Broncos a third option off the edge to go with the likes of Miller and DeMarcus Ware. In the 2014 draft, cornerback Bradley Roby also slid down the board on draft day because of questions about his maturity.
The Broncos, including Del Rio at the time, did their due diligence and gladly selected Roby with the 28th pick of the first round. Roby, who went on to play 75 percent of the team’s snaps last season, gives the Broncos a third top-shelf cover corner to go with Pro Bowl selections Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib. Toss in defensive end Malik Jackson poised for an even bigger breakout in a contract year, some potential finds in outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett (practice squad in ’15) and Darius Kilgo (sixth-round pick in ’15), and the Broncos carry the weight of potential on defense.
“[They’re] coming from everywhere, that’s the good thing,’’ Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said. “We’re a very consistent defense. The thing that’s most disappointing is we’re giving up penalties that help people extend drives. So that’s something that we’ve got to improve upon … but I think we’re deep on defense, and that’s a good thing. We’ll keep fresh people on the field, and hopefully we can stay after the quarterback.’’
Their 12 preseason sacks have been divided among 11 different players -- Ray and Chuka Ndulue split a sack against the Texans Saturday night -- while Kilgo and Barrett each have two sacks. And as expected in the preseason, the Broncos are saving the rest for later.
They haven’t opened up the playbook all the way. Miller has played 26 snaps in the two games combined, including just seven in the preseason opener in the Seattle, while Ware has played just 19 snaps -- against the Texans Saturday night. The Broncos have not really unveiled the good stuff with Ware, Miller and Ray all chasing the quarterback, something Phillips has said he will take a long look at using in some situations.
“It’s been a tough bunch to go against in practice every day,’’ Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning said. “It’s competitive practices when you’re going against those guys, but obviously great work for our guys up front. With our up-front guys, for the quarterbacks and receivers going against our secondary, it’s always a good challenge. They look good in practice and usually when you look good in practice you usually look good on the field and they play well. So expecting them to play well all year, and obviously it’s nice when you have a lot of confidence on that side of the ball to get you the ball back, get you some field position and some turnovers.’’