Please, please don’t suck Shaun Philips.
(Photo: Denver Post)
Your Denver Broncos are in a real fix now. Von Miller is gone for six games and Elvis Dumervil is preparing to come here trying to tear Peyton Manning’s neck off for the Ravens. Derek wolf has a cervix on his spine or something and Robert Ayers is pretty much always, hurt. If Denver is going to have a push rush at all it’s going to be because Shaun Philips, the former Charger, doesn’t suck.
The dude has averaged just over six sacks per season during his career. He is embarking on his ninth year. Jack Del Rio and the Broncos defensive coaches are being forced to shake up their schemes and rely upon plunking guys into spots where they didn’t intend to plop them. Philips, who the crummy Chargers were willing to watch walk away, was brought here to provide depth and to help Von Miller. Now he has to do Von’s job.
Back in May, Philips told Jeff Legwold, “You have to double Von. So me and lot of guys are going to have matchups we can win, ones we have to win, because of what Von does.” That’s not going to be the case for the first six games. Philips is going to have to create matchup problems of his own. He’s also going to have to bring some veteran leadership to the linebacking corps.
Philips will be a key to the Broncos season is a very unexpected way. The Broncos clearly would not have let Elvis Dumervil leave town if they knew they would end up with so many eggs in Shaun Philips’ basket. So now he has to rise to the occasion. Two days ago he Tweeted. “Be pissed off about something today. Use it for your motivation to get better. It’s you against the world.” Now it really is Philips VS the world. Please, please don’t suck.
