In their second week of organized team activities the Broncos called some familiar faces up to the podium. C.J. Anderson, Virgil Green and Malik Jackson spoke to the media Thursday and it is clear that the once questionable pieces of the team are now going to be big contributors for Gary Kubiak in 2015.
Each player in their own way gave the almost identical quote of “I’ll do whatever the team asks me to do in order to win” and it will be no surprise if all three are asked to do a whole bunch in the new systems on both sides of the ball.
Each of the three players have been getting increased playing time since their entry into the league as far back as 2011 and the hunger to be a bigger part of the team is never off the mind of Anderson, Green or Jackson.
“Of course there is always competition. It’s no different than last year,” Anderson said Thursday. “I’m very mature and comfortable where I am at but I’m still hungry. At the end of the day I just want to be the best.”
Anderson broke out in 2014 in the last seven games of the season and earned himself a trip to the Pro Bowl. He is a tough working, bulky running back and has always had extra motivation after not being drafted in 2013. That edge is still there and almost every time he speaks he references the “hunger” to prove himself. Kubiak stated early that Anderson will enter training camp as the starting running back. Green, a consistent starter in years past is entering 2015 will a little more uncertainty.
A seventh round pick in 2011, Green had a career low snaps on the field of 183 in 2012 and a high of 403 in 2014 despite several injuries according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He is looking to find his niche in Kubiak’s balanced attack this year. Although he has been predominantly used as a blocker, catching only 25 passes since he entered the league, Green is ready for whatever the new staff throws at him.
“I don’t ever look at a situation like, ‘I fit this offense or that offense’. To me, I’m a ball player and at the end of the day whatever the coaches ask me, I am going to go out there and execute,” Green said.
Green will surely see the field as a blocker with his tremendous frame and ability at the end of the line but with a number of veteran tight ends on the roster, including former Houston Texans James Casey and Owen Daniels, Green will again have to convince the coaching staff that he can run the routes and catch consistently. He spoke about the competition among his teammates Thursday and admitted that it is in its early stages so far.
“We all understand how the game works. We are going to go out there and compete. For the most part each of us has to go out there and focus on our job and what we are doing.”
The third player to speak to the media, Jackson, also had a great 2014 season. All eight of his career starts came in the last two seasons and he appeared in every game. His snaps increased dramatically after his rookie season of 2012 and his consistency against both the run and pass is what has set him apart. This year he will be playing entirely inside on the line of Wade Phillips 3-4 defense and the learning process is already in full swing.
“I’m just trying to adapt and forget the things I have learned three years in a row and learn what they want us to do here,” Jackson said. “This year everybody is helping each other learn the plays. We are talking a lot more out there.”
Jackson was a great disrupter on defense and despite being attributed only three sacks in 2014 he caused and was in on many more. This season he will have a very experienced coach to get him to the next level. Bill Kollar has more than 26 years of coaching experience and brings a tenacity that was absent from the Broncos’ staff in recent years.
“He’s one of the best and he’s proven,” Jackson said of Kollar. “He expects the most out of us no matter who it is. No matter if it is me, Wolfe, Sly, Marvin, or even the youngest guy. I think he demands respect, top effort and if you can’t give it to him he lets you know he will cut you.”
After three years in the league and progressing nicely Jackson contract is up after this season. He tried to temper his excitement in regards to getting a new contract but it is something he thinks about. But he is approaching the 2015 season as a barometer of what he is worth.
“Right now it isn’t about money. I just have to go out there and earn it. I have one more year on my contract so for me to sit here and worry about a contract would be silly. The way I see it I just have to wait until the end of the year.”
Regardless of past successes or failures most players find themselves proving themselves all over with Kubiak and his staff. However, Anderson, Green and Jackson will be vital in bringing the physicality and versatility that the Broncos are look to rekindle in 2015. Anderson may have put it best when commenting on the new atmosphere at Dove Valley and all the changes that come with it.
“You don’t want to be one year wonder in this league, not at all. I’m going to go down, keep my head down and keep pushing. What happened last year, happened last year. That’s completely over and done with.”
A good seven games or earned positions under the last staff are certainly out the window and it appears that these three players are all too aware of the consequences of letting up. Their ability to play football is clear but proving it and earning it is a process Kubiak and Phillips want to see from day one. Each practice presents that opportunity, even in the “offseason”.
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