The Oakland Raiders are preparing for life without safety Tyvon Branch. While head coach Dennis Allen will not go into details over the injury facing the veteran, he did say Branch would miss a "significant amount of time." The head coach deemed the safety's ankle injury as significant as some reports say it is a fractured fibula. In his absence, Usama Young is expected to pick up the slack.
Branch was the Raider's highest paid player. One of two returning starters for the young secondary, Branch earned a four-year extension worth $26.5 million last year. He is a true threat on the field for his explosive speed and ability to step up in help in run support. That miss talent on the field will hurt, but veteran Charles Woodson believes the team has players good enough to fill in.
"I believe we have smart players and guys that can go in and know what's expected of them, what to do," Woodson said, via the Mercury News. "We won't have to alter our game plan at all. We look forward to going down there with our full arsenal of plays and just have to stick different guys in there to implement it, and we're comfortable with that."
Allen has no plans to alter the team's defensive game plan as they prepare to play the Denver Broncos in Week 3. Not having Branch on the field to face some of the best receivers in the league could have the Raiders pushing the panic button, but instead the head coach says the team will just get flexible.
"If Ty's out for awhile, we've got guys we feel can step up and make plays, whether it's strong safety or free safety," Allen said. "I look at those as interchangeable positions, and they really need to be to have the flexibility to do different things defensively."
Young will get the start in Week 3. The free safety is in his first year with the Raiders after spending time with both the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns. In the first two games, he registered two total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Young believes his versatility will be utilized right away to make up for Branch.
"I've played free, I've played strong, I've played nickel, I've played corner," Young said. "Here as a safety, you're a safety. We mix it up so much, with guys in the box or back in space, you never know where you're going to be."
The Raiders will have their hands full on Monday. The Broncos are the hottest team in the league after two games and without Branch, quarterback Peyton Manning will be looking to expose the secondary.
