The Denver Broncos are now forced to go to Plan B. The 2013 Plan A was Von Miller continuing to be the defensive star that he has developed into. That plan was halted after the league's best pass rusher was suspended for six games for violating the league's policy on substance abuse. The Broncos had a rough offseason, but this was by far the worst to come of it. Denver is already considered a Super Bowl favorite, so how does the team replace the biggest key to their defensive scheme?
"Replacing (Von) on the field will not be easy, but every team must deal with adversity," Broncos coach John Fox said. "We will plan accordingly and be prepared. I am confident our team will step up and meet the challenge."
That next step is difficult. The team's pass rush is already incredibly thin. The team released Elvis Dumervil in the offseason following a mishandling of his contract. That leaves fourth-year player, Robert Ayers, to step up as a quality starter. To this point, Ayers has been a rotational player, but is now poised to be in the starting lineup. Denver also signed Shaun Phillips for depth purposes, but the former San Diego Charger will likely see more playing time.
"I signed here because I want to have an impact on a team that wins. I'll line up and play wherever they need me to. I feel like I have the experience to be flexible wherever they play me," Philips said via the Denver Post.
Flexibility might be key. Without Miller, the Broncos might have to change their scheme to a more situation-based defense, rotating personnel groups based on the down and distance. Stewart Bradley might see time at middle linebacker. Nate Irvin could slide in on the strong side while Wesley Woodyard moves to the weak side.
The result could be more pressure on the secondary to step up as well. Top cornerback Champ Bailey has had some struggles ever since injuring his foot while Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is also coming off injury. When they return to full health, the need to step up and overachieve like they did last year will be crucial.
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio remains confident that the team will have no problem replacing Miller. The coordinator says he will just get more creative with the personnel the team has and go from there. He believes there are role players at every position and he will maximize them.
"We're going to find ways to utilize the talent we have; we've got a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things," Del Rio said. "This time of year we kind of experiment a little bit and see who can do what and who can handle how much, and preparing so that when the season gets here, you have the ability to be flexible."
