ESPN REPORT: Details on Jerod Mayo suspension.
The New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 37–22 to take the lead in the AFC East, but there was a gloomy atmosphere following the game as one of the team’s leaders, linebacker Jerod Mayo, was taken off the field due to a knee injury.
“With Jerod out, I’m still a little bit bittersweet,” head coach Bill Belichick said to reporters in Buffalo. I hope he’s doing well.
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“We’ll just move forward this week and decide what we believe to be the best course of action.”
In the second quarter, Mayo seemed to twist his knee on a tackle. After the game, he was observed using crutches and a compression sleeve covering his right knee. In Week 6, of 2013, Mayo sustained a torn pectoral injury that ended his season.
Vince Wilfork, the defensive tackle and team captain, experienced a season-ending injury in 2013 and understands what it means to lose a vital player.
“Losing a guy like that is never easy,” Wilfork remarked. I simply had a little conversation with him at halftime and went back to make adjustments, so I’m not sure exactly what it is. Honestly, I haven’t talked to him. However, our team values someone with that kind of character both on and off the field. It all comes down to who he is as a person, above all else.
“And you lose some value there even though you’re a fantastic team player and leader. On the way home, I think I’ll give him a quick call to check on him and other things. However, we will need to support one another.”
Wilfork spoke of Mayo’s injury in a solemn tone, and the two share a tight friendship.
We are so close, it’s almost like we are brothers, so it does [bite a little deeper], Wilfork added. “Off the pitch, we both spend a lot of time together with our wives and children. Because of our personal relationship and the fact that he leads the defense, it therefore has a slightly different meaning for me.
“Losing someone of that caliber is difficult, but I have a good feeling this team will come together for him.” “Finish the job for us,” was one of his remarks before the game, and I believe we did a fantastic job of supporting one another. The second half of the game was played for him by [us]. The value he adds to this team both on and off the field is significant to us.
Wilfork’s mantra—that when a guy like Mayo goes down, teammates should come together—was reinforced by quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady stated, “I think you have to rely on all of the guys that you have in the locker room that you have faith in.” “Practice helps you develop mutual trust, and it’s difficult to deal with player turnover, as every team experiences on a yearly basis. However, the team needs to unite behind the newcomer and strive for excellence.
When questioned about Mayo’s injuries, Brady became a little emotional and paused before responding, “It’s unfortunate.”
Guys like that—Jerod, we lost Vince the previous season, along with many other incredibly significant players—you just have to keep going because there is still a lot of football to be played. It’s difficult to lose those men since they have contributed greatly to our squad and have played excellent football for us.
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A bad performance by Randy Gregory is one illustration of the Broncos defense’s chaos.
Jeff Legwold, Senior Writer for ESPN
10:32 AM ET on October 4, 2023
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ENGLEWOOD, Colorado: In spite of their Sunday comeback in Chicago, the Denver Broncos are in unstable territory.
The Broncos released linebacker Randy Gregory on Tuesday, indicating that they are trying to solve some of their defensive problems quickly. In March 2022, Gregory, 30, agreed to a five-year, $70 million contract. This past week against the Chicago Bears, he was taken out of the starting lineup and Nik Bonitto, a second-year outside linebacker, took his place. On Sunday, Gregory played 33 snaps and recorded one QB hit in addition to three tackles. In four games this season, he has only racked up nine tackles and one sack.
The Broncos defense is ranked lowest or very near the bottom in all significant statistical categories after four games. It’s the worst four-game start since 1981 according to Football Outsiders’ primary defensive metric, DVOA. In four games, the Broncos have given up 1,846 yards and 150 points.
In 2022, the Raiders defeated the Broncos on November 20 without giving up their 150th point, and their opponents didn’t surpass 1,800 yards until a defeat to the Jets in Week 7.
Since defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was brought in by Sean Payton to replace Ejiro Evero, it is only logical to place the responsibility there. However, defensive tackle Zach Allen and safety Kareem Jackson, two of the team’s more seasoned players, have stated that there is much more to the team’s problems and ample reason to assign blame.
“Everyone wants to blame someone, but if you watch the Dolphins tape and the first half of their victory over the Bears, it was players failing to tackle or complete their assignments correctly; it wasn’t a scheme issue or anything of that nature,” Allen remarked. “Everyone is free to express themselves anyway they like. I cherish (Joseph).
Two weeks ago, following the embarrassing 70-20 loss to the Dolphins, Jackson stated, “We didn’t execute nothing we put in place.”
What became of the team who finished the previous season holding ten opponents to 20 points or fewer? The following list includes the top five causes for the change:
The impact of Bradley Chubb
In the first half of Sunday’s game, Jackson rallied the defense to the sideline, gave them some stern words, and even declared, “It’s the same guys.”
However, since Bradley Chubb was traded to the Miami Dolphins on November 1, 2022, the defense has actually changed.
Prior to the Chubb deal, the Broncos allowed 16.5 points per game; following the move, they allowed 25.2 points in the nine games played in the previous season. In the 13 games since Chubb was traded, they have given up 29.0 points per game, and this season, they have given up 37.5 points per game.
Though there are other factors at play, such as injuries, subpar tackling, and an inability to consistently win the line of scrimmage, Chubb’s absence is undoubtedly not the only one. When he was on the field, he consistently provided an advantage, and the Broncos haven’t fully replaced his impact against the run and pass rush.
Inactive coverage
During the past two weeks, a number of opposition personnel executives and coaches participated in an informal survey in which they reported that defensive backs are giving up much too much territory in “off” coverage when executing zone looks.
In essence, those analysts think the Broncos are attempting to restrict the possibility of big plays while compensating for a general lack of speed. However, the defensive backs have often been positioned further away from receivers, sometimes even going beyond the first-down sticks. In order to make that work, even though it’s customary to drop the safeties deep, the front six needs to win more frequently. Defensive backs must close on the ball carrier and make quality tackles, frequently one-on-one.
Teams have gorged themselves on the catch-and-run space; the Broncos rank bottom in the league (allowing 8.9 net yards per pass attempt) and are among only two clubs to allow more over eight yards per attempt in that area.
America TODAY Sports’ Jamie Sabau
Diminished value of nickel
The team as a whole suffered from K’Waun Williams’ ankle ailment, which prevented him from playing since he had surgery during training camp. One of the hardest players for general managers to find is a nickel cornerback who can play physicality at the line of scrimmage and enough athleticism in pass defense down the field.
Williams is regarded as one of the greatest when healthy.
This season, the Broncos have used five defensive backs, or nickel snaps, more than any other personnel group. This includes both four- and five-man fronts.
The Broncos’ nickel package in the run game was constantly under attack from opponents, particularly Miami and Chicago, who combined for 350 and 171 yards of rushes, respectively. In two snapshots, the Dolphins’ first four rush attempts against the Broncos nickel in their first drive alone resulted in 47 yards and a touchdown, while the Bears’ first six plays against the Broncos nickel on Sunday included a 24-yard run and a 29-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields to DJ Moore.
QBs playing in their element
According to ESPN, the Broncos have the lowest pass rush victory percentage in the league (30.5%), while the Cowboys have the highest win percentage in the league (60.6%). While Baron Browning is still recovering from knee surgery that was done in the off-season, Frank Clark is out, Gregory has only had one sack in four games, and Allen has only had half a sack.
The Broncos have seen glimpses of Jonathon Cooper, who recovered the forced fumble and scored on Sunday, and Bonitto, who had a 2.5-sack day and was instrumental in the win against the Chicago Bears. Out of the Broncos’ eight sacks, the two possess 6.5.
However, 13 passing touchdowns with completion rates of76.9%,69%,89%, and 80% have been achieved by opposing quarterbacks with comparatively calm labor.
Confidence bruised
All of this has a very human component to it: mistakes lead to further mistakes.
In the Miami debacle, even third-year and former All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II acknowledged he let a play get away on the 68-yard touchdown pass from Dolphins backup quarterback Mike White to Robbie Chosen. “I can’t do that,” Surtain murmured.
Watch any of De’Von Achane’s touchdown runs to see how frequently the Broncos miss tackles in clusters rather than just one on a play. They make mistakes because they want so badly for things to work out, which is in part why Jackson gave his teammates such a hard time on Sunday in Chicago, when the Bears’ once-slumbering offense eventually scored on three of its first four plays.
Jackson remarked, “I’m just trying to emphasize to the guys that we have to do it the right way.” “Whenever we follow the correct procedures and pay attention to detail, we’re difficult to beat.”
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