The conventional wisdom is that it takes about a year to fully convert from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3, which I take to mean that it takes about that long for all of the potential defensive looks to be installed and for players to be at a point where they no longer have to think about where they need to be and what they need to do.

Promising preseason aside, this seems pretty evident with the Packers: Capers talked specifically about installing more of the defense during the bye, the team has given up plays because someone (most glaringly a certain backup safety) was in the wrong position and it seems overall like the defensive playbook is still a bit lean.

The Broncos, however, seem to have adjusted very quickly -- they've held four teams to ten points or less and gone 5-0 overall to this point. And sure, that includes the Browns and the Raiders, but they've played the Bengals (who aren't bad this year at 4-1, much to my chagrin) and held them to 7 and likewise held the Cowboys (who aren't great but also aren't terrible at 3-2) to 10.

So here's my question: How did they do it?

Did they install just the right bits first? Did they have players more ready to make the switch? What did they do that Green Bay did not?

And for the record, I'm not buying that it's because Mike Nolan is a supergenius or (as some have speculated in other threads) that Dom Capers is a complete failure -- both of these men have records of competence in the NFL as defensive coordinator, both have been good enough at that job to warrant head coaching gigs and both have been bad enough at the big job that they're back where they probably belong.

I'd venture to guess that one very good reason is that the Broncos defense has stayed pretty healthy.

The main difference I've seen is their linebackers

Where did you get the first part from? Because I've never heard a coach or player say that.

Can we wait until after the season to judge who adjusted/ who didn't/ why/ how etc? Lots of things change over the course of a full NFL season. Let's let things play out before making calls one way or the other.

The difference I believe is that they actually went out and got people in the offseason that fit into what they are trying to do. 8 of 11 defensive starters are new to the team. Brian Dawkins makes any defense better. He is simply a great player and an emotional leader. He is a Ray Lewis type of guy. He motivates other defensive players to play at a high level and with a lot of intensity. Thompson has been playing silly games with the safety position. I said at the time that it was a huge mistake to get rid of Anthony Smith, given that Rouse was injured at the time. Atari Bigby has had one month of really good play his entire time with the Packers. Who is behind him? Two guys that weren't even on our team in Preseason. Safety play in the 3-4 is very important. You have to have guys back there that know the defense. Bigby simply isn't reliable. He is an injury waiting to happen. If you don't have guys that know what they are doing back there you can't be as agressive as you need to be. That is what we're seeing right now. If Bigby can't get up to speed or if he gets injured again this year we will have the same problems that we've had.

The Broncos are now 5-0 and McDaniels attributed a lot of the success to acquiring veteran leaders. That is the problem with the Packers. They are the youngest team every single year.

BINGO

Well put taylorboy (with an assist to strat1080). Couldn't have stated it any better. Veteran leadership, new (i.e. better) players and solid play from the safety position.

Shore up the assignments and allow for more effective blitzing and we should see an improvement. I'm still not convinced that the Broncos defense is actually as good as advertised. They're weak along the defensive line and outside of Dumerville, they haven't had anyone who gets good pressure on the QB.

Elvis Dumerville is doing exactly what you want a ROLB to do, and that's get to the QB. His ability to get sacks, create pressure and force turnovers is a BIG reason that they've had the success that they have. I'm hoping that DC turns CMIII and Kampman loose as pass rushers and lets the other guys focus on the running game. That IMO is the big difference between winning and losing as a 3-4 defense. Right now Denver is winning because of the QB pressure they've been able to generate. Let's see if it holds up over the whole season.

To be perfectly honest, I think that the Packers have more talent than the Broncos do, but Denver is being much more aggressive with their defensive scheme and it's paying dividends. Hopefully getting Bigby back will shore up the weakest link on the defense and allow Capers to open things up and get more aggressive in blitzing the QB. We'll see.

Actually, 8 of the 11 are new starters -- as I understand it several of these were backups or even players promoted from their practice squad.

It sort of looks like their GM drafted them into the 3-4 that last couple of years.

The Broncos defense is making plays. They're getting pressure and the LB's are doing a pretty good job. They are doing everything the Packers are not doing. They struggled so much on D last year that it really couldn't get any worse this season. But I don't think anyone expected them to be close to #1. So after seeing this, is there hope for the Packers?

I wonder how much of the Broncos success isn't just the talent, but an entire offseason of disrespect, bad press, and such creating a bunker mentality within the organization. The "Nobody respects us!" thing.
Meanwhile the Packers came out and whupped it up in the preseason and perhaps were a little more satisfied with their progress then they should have been.
Never underestimate pro athlete's desire to prove people wrong. It's why I expect after a bye the Pack to come out and lay waste to the Lions this week. They've had to spend the last two weeks hearing about how much they suck.

Really all this comes down to one thing........THE PLAY OF THE SAFETY.......

We have guys playing SS that didn't even go through OTA'S, MINI CAMPS OR TC......They've been on the team for just weeks...

Dawkins can be pointed out as the REAL difference maker in comparing these 2 D's.

One of our best DB's, Collins, is playing more SS than his best position of FS because of Bigsby's injury and lack of PT

As Capers pointed out last winter........SAFETY IS THE QB OF THIS D..........

This is absolutely no different than the gaff in the OL with Cliffy's injury.....shuffling players while weakening the WHOLE unit because of one injury

Nolan is NOT better D coach over Capers............Nolan has better material to work with at ONE position, safety, because of injuries,Bigsby.

Yes the Bronc's LBers are playing better than the Packs............because they have safety's in place to give them opportunities to make plays that their scheme is designed to do

I think Green Bay is an undisciplined team, and I think it starts with McCarthy. I truly believe that. When this team has "easy" games, you get a distinct feeling that the team is looking ahead. Such a thought seems inconceivable for a professional team, but you see it on the field and in the comments from the players. They don't perform well under adversity. They 'expect' to win every game, but if it doesn't come easily, then they don't put up much of a fight until the last 5 minutes of the game.

All of that points to a team with poor leadership.

I don't think the Broncos' defense will sustain its outstanding performance for long, but it should at least remain respectable. Why?

1) They dumped Slowik. It's impossible to overstate Slowik's incompetence as a coordinator. He has held that job on four different teams now — four! — and has stunk up the joint each time. Last year's Broncos were, by some counts, worse than any defense of the previous 15 years. You don't get to be that bad without awful preparation and playcalling.

2) Champ Bailey is still a shutdown corner. Getting him back fully healthy makes a huge difference. Here on this site we're discussing the importance of the return of Atari Bigby. Imagine the difference a Champ makes.

3) It's easier to convert your pass rusher to a linebacker when he plays on the right side. Dumervil is a little heavier than KGB but otherwise quite similar. The problem with Kampman is that he is playing maybe his fourth most useful position (after 4-3 RDE and LDE, and 3-4 ROLB). The Packers seem to have a habit of inserting young players at positions other than the one for which they were drafted or are most suited (see Spitz, Barnett, Hawk, Colledge, Barbre, Lang??, Raji??, ...).

4) Playing the Raiders boosts your defensive stats.

5) They got rid of Marquand Manuel.



It doesn't exactly confirm what the poster said, but from this article about the immediate benefits of changing schemes:

"There is a clear indication that those teams [that changed scheme] did, in fact, gel later in the season. ... The average team that didn't switch schemes actually tended to perform better in the first four weeks of the year; .... The trend is exactly the opposite of those teams that switch defenses.
...
Fans expecting a sudden change in performance based purely on a new alignment, though, need to scale back their hopes."