Across the National Football League, it is not common for coaches to publicly call out specific deficiencies from a player.
Last week, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard publicly expressed the rush defense of cornerback Terrion Arnold was not acceptable.
Others may have reacted negatively, but Detroit’s young defensive back is used to being coached tough, and actually embraces it.
The relationship between Arnold and Sheppard is quite close, allowing for the young defensive back to steadily develop more and more into a complete cornerback.
Detroit’s first-year defensive coordinator quipped prior to practice on Thursday that the former first-round pick looked a little too excited for a player that is not participating at practice.
“Oh, he’s upright. He’s there a little too upright for me, for not playing. But I said, ‘You’re not practicing. Why are you so excited today?’ That’s just him. Seriously,” said Sheppard. “Kind of a little brother or father feel, whatever you want to call it. Like, he’s giving me no choice but to take that role on.
“And man, I love him, because the thing I love most about him, seriously, is that I challenged that player and I challenged him publicly. And a lot of guys can’t take that,” Sheppard added. “And I know he’s one that I can, because of the relationship we have. He knows I’m not like being demeaning towards him. I’m being very demanding, though, because I see something in him. I see what he can be and I fully expect him to not only reach that, but to usurp it. And I think he will.”
Arnold impressed the team’s defensive leader, not for play in coverage, but for a specific play against the Commanders on a run call.
“He had a play and a tight read, probably my most proudest play. His coverage speaks for itself, but I told you the part of the game I was looking for,” Sheppard said. “And you look down in the tight red, they ran a sweep to him. He had a blocker on him, he beats the blocker and goes under to make the play. That was probably my most proud play in that game with Terrion.
“A player that’s responding in an adverse situation, coach calling me out,” Sheppard commented further. “He can take that so wrong and go down in the dumps, but he did the opposite. So, I’ll be very excited knowing when I get that player back, and it would also be good to see him finish a game here.”
As head coach of the Denver Broncos, Vance Joseph was 0-4 against Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs. Since Joseph has returned as Broncos defensive coordinator, he’s 3-3 vs. the Chiefs.
The Broncos’ first matchup of the season vs. the Chiefs is coming this Sunday. This time around, the Broncos lead the AFC West at 8-2, while the Chiefs are in third place, at 5-4.
Coming off a bye, Reid has only ever lost four games as a head coach. The Broncos are going to get Kansas City’s best shot.
For Joseph, emerging with a fourth win over Reid’s squad starts with getting after Patrick Mahomes and limiting the Chiefs’ ninth-ranked scoring offense. Suffice it to say, Joseph admires Mahomes’ game, but that doesn’t mean he’s isn’t hankering to send the Chiefs home at .500.
“He’s been the best for a long time. He’s a winner. The plays he can make off-schedule. That makes it tough,” Joseph said. “Going against Patrick, obviously, how you rush him is important, how you cover is important, but the second part is just keep chasing him and keep plastering the back end because those plays they’ve made over the years, him and [Chiefs TE Travis] Kelce especially, have been hard of defenses.”
Adding to Joseph’s challenge this week is the expected continued absence of All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and the fact that Kansas City has a few newer receivers the Broncos have yet to face. And they’re
“It’s a true challenge, and they have these new receivers. It’s a track team,” Joseph said. “You have 4.26 [40-yard dash times], 4.30, so that makes it challenging.”
Over the years, Joseph has learned Reid’s tendencies and vice versa, but the Chiefs have had two full weeks to prepare for the Broncos. Reid has two games’ worth of tape to project what Joseph’s coverage units look like without Surtain locking down one side of the field.
Still, Joseph doesn’t base everything he does as defensive coordinator on his past experiences vs. Reid. Teams are always evolving, and Reid has been one of the consistent coaches always on that cutting edge.
“I take each game by the month at a time. I’m looking at what I’ve done over the last month, also, and he has to do that also. Teams do change,” Joseph said. “Pat hadn’t played in two weeks, so what are we doing without Pat? So that’s Andy’s concern also. It goes both ways. That’s why I don’t go back too much on certain opponents, obviously, because it matters what happened in the last month.”
Joseph strives to self-scout and stay hyper-aware of any tendencies he’s putting on tape, especially going against a savvy and perceptive opponent like Reid. Fortunately, the Broncos had three extra days this week — a mini-bye — to prepare for the Chiefs.
“I’m checking my numbers all the time as far as what I’m doing on certain downs and distances versus what, and versus what formation and personnels, so I’m keeping Andy kind of guessing also,” Joseph said.
The Broncos rank first in the NFL in sacks, red-zone efficiency, and third-down defense, and top-10 in total yards, rushing, and passing. Plus, Denver is only allowing 17.3 points per game, which ranks third.
The one fly in the ointment of Joseph’s ongoing defensive masterpiece this season is the relative lack of takeaways. The Broncos only have eight takeaways this season, which is the only key metric that ranks in the bottom-10 of the league.
Now, the Broncos’ takeaway fortunes have begun to change in recent weeks, but it’s not as if the floodgates have opened. If the Broncos are going to vanquish the Chiefs, Joseph’s defense will have to limit Mahomes and company, which is hard enough, and if they can take the ball away and give Bo Nix and Sean Payton an extra possession or two, that would be the cherry on top of a fourth straight home win over Kansas City.
“There’s a reason this team has won for a long period of time, and it’s talent, it’s coaching, it’s a program, it’s a GM, it’s ownership,” Payton said on Wednesday. “That’s where we’re aspiring to go.”
If the Broncos can defeat the Chiefs, it would make for their eight straight win of the season, giving them a 9-2 record entering their Week 12 bye. This game is more than a measuring stick; the Broncos have a chance to truly seize control of the AFC West, and signal a changing of the guard.