Wednesday, January 18, 2006
DENVER (AP) -- Every so often over the past 15 years or so, hard-hitting Broncos safety John Lynch has had to gird up for a confrontation -- a rite of passage is more like it -- that almost every defender must face at some point in his career.
Tackling Jerome Bettis.
"They're all memorable when they're against him," Lynch said of the hits and punishment he and Bettis have dished to each other over the years, both in college and the pros. "You've just got to bring a lot because you know he's carrying a lot."
Denver defensive lineman Gerard Warren, who faced Bettis twice a year during his seasons in Cleveland, describes Pittsburgh's big fella as "a bowling ball rolling down hill."
Domonique Foxworth, a rookie cornerback from Maryland, concedes "we never saw anyone quite that big in the ACC."
If form holds, though, Foxworth, Lynch, Warren and all the Broncos will see Bettis about 15 times on Sunday when the Steelers come to town for the AFC title game.
Bettis is coming
Most of those encounters will come in short-yardage situations or near the goal line. Some might come with a win or loss hanging in the balance.
Coach Mike Shanahan's tip: "It's got to be a group effort."
Barring moving a 270-pound offensive lineman onto the scout team, there is no real way for the Broncos to emulate Bettis this week in practice.
And even if a lineman would make the move, he probably couldn't -- well -- make the moves Bettis does.
"Anytime you've got a back listed at 265 who's probably 280 and still has nimble feet like a 225-pound guy, it's going to take more than one guy to take him down," Broncos defensive line coach Andre Patterson said. "He's got great size and great feet. That's the combination that makes it so difficult. That's what makes him so special."
The Broncos insist they have confidence, mainly because of what they've been doing all season.
Tackling on this team was not great in 2003 or 2004, so since training camp started, there has been extra time devoted to wrapping up and taking people down.
Practice contact Policy
Most NFL teams, afraid of risking injuries, don't encourage much contact in practice. During training camp, Broncos were on the ground on seemingly every play.
And once the regular season started, they've opened most practices with tackling drills.
"We've done it more than most teams I've worked with," said Patterson, who has coached with the Browns, Cowboys, Vikings and Patriots before the Broncos.
As much as form counts when trying to make a tackle -- especially on a guy like Bettis -- Patterson believes it's a "want-to" thing more than anything.
"It's always what's pumping in your chest," he said.
As almost everyone has seen over his illustrious 13-year career, which many think will come to an end after this season, Bettis has a way about making players lose their will to hit him.
"He's the size of a tight end," Foxworth said. "Just shorter and wider."
Making things trickier for Denver is that the Bus does not carry the ball on every play anymore. This year, Pittsburgh has taken to giving it to Willie Parker, a more traditional back, on about 70 percent of their plays. Then, when it's time to ride the Bus, the tempo changes. Dramatically.
"It's one thing when you play a team with a big back and it's going to be him packing that thing 40 times," Patterson said. "You get ready for it. But they only give you Bettis for 15 and Parker for 25. That's a big adjustment the defense has to make."
Adjustment just in time
Last week, with the Steelers on the goal line, Indianapolis made the adjustment just in time to force Bettis' first fumble of the season, which almost led to a disastrous finish for Pittsburgh.
As everyone knows now, Bettis got a reprieve, got a chance to extend his career another game and probably wants to make amends for what could have been one of the most embarrassing slip-ups in NFL playoff history.
"You know what you're getting when the Bus is on the field," Warren said. "You want him to run sideways. Otherwise, you've got to get him down before he gets started. Once he gets moving, he's a hell of a load to bring down."