FanHouse DJWilliams

The Broncos took care of some business ahead of time on Saturday night, locking up star linebacker D.J. Williams to a five year extension worth $32 million with $13 guaranteed, so sayeth Schefter on NFL.com.

Williams was set to become a free agency in the coming offseason, and taking care of this now precludes Williams' value going up as the premier linebacker on roster. The extension makes Williams the highest paid linebacker in NFL history without a Pro Bowl experience. I'm not sure if that sounds good or not. I mean, would you say that at a club? "I'm the highest paid guy to have never been rewarded by fans and my peers as outstanding in my field. How you doin?" I mean, I'm sure "I get paid an average of over $6 million dollars per year, what's up now?" works, too. I'm just saying it's kind of a dubious honor. And increases the pressure on Williams to, you know, make the Pro Bowl.

This is the kind of signing that's pretty vintage Broncos. Take care of the problem before it escalates. Of course, it's also the kind of signing that often times ends in a debilitating injury in the first year of the extension making the general managers want to put their faces in some sort of large shredding device. Hypothetically.

(HT: Mile High Report)

With Al Wilson out in Denver, the job turns to finding his replacement. Wilson was unusually popular, so much so that owner Pat Bowlen, on a personal level, was sad to see him go:

"I was pretty close to Al, personally ... I don't really get that close to a lot of players but I had a good relationship with Al... I don't think there was any option for us, or maybe Al, until he gets his neck straightened out. I don't know if wants to play this year. Maybe next year. But he was a very important part of our team for eight years. You don't get a better leader than Al."

But as we're constantly reminded, the NFL is a business, and the Broncos must get down to the business of finding Wilson's replacement. The Denver Post's Mike Klis says the team has three options: (1) Draft Michigan MLB David Harris, (2) Move D.J. Williams from outside to inside linebacker, (3) Sign a free agent like former Falcons Ed Hartwell.

Each of these options comes with risks -- Harris would be a rookie trying to adjust to the NFL on the fly; Williams has never played MLB; Hartwell, though 28, has an injury history -- and none are as appealing as keeping a healthy Al Wilson.

First it was Shawne Merriman, now it's the entire Broncos linebacking core. Soon everyone will be saying that they don't get no respect because "those Ravens linebackers" always hog the spotlight as the league's premiere defensive unit. But Denver's big three do have a point to make. Afterall, the speedy combination of Al Wilson, DJ Williams and Ian Gold was an integral part of the defense's historic early success this year. In the first three games, the Denver D-men have been the best unit in the league, allowing no touchdowns in 11 full quarters, and just one TD in their first 12. But when you look at the statistics, the Broncos middle-men hardly compare to the Ravens. Whereas the Broncos linebackers have recorded no sacks and just one turnover on the year, the Ravens fearesome linebacking core, lead by the almost scary Ray Lewis, has notched three turnovers and nine sacks. This brings me to a question that's been on my mind for some time: Is the Broncos D really as good as everyone's been saying?

Sure, the Broncos defense has allowed one touchdown this year, and the secondary is good. But are they a great defense that's going to stifle teams all year long? By stats, the Broncos aren't even contenders. They're 17th in the league in total defense, and have so far allowed an average of well over 300 total yards, 100 rushing yards, and 18 first-downs per game. Hardly first-rate numbers. In addition, the defense has only forced two turnovers and 4 sacks. Baltimore's D has already taken the ball away 13 times, and sacked the opposing team's QB 13 times.

The reason the Broncos D is getting such critical acclaim is because they've allowed just 31 points in three games. But in reality, all they've done is forced teams to stop long drives just outside of field goal range. They've also been lucky. Against New England, they were able to force a turnover inside their own ten on what appeared to be a sure New England scoring drive, and then blocked a field goal when the Pats' rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski slipped in the dirt left by the New England Revolution (Boston's soccer team, but nobody cares about them. Or soccer). I don't want to take anything away from the defense's performance, because any time a unit allows just 10.33 points/game over a three game stretch, it's not a fluke. But when Al Wilson says that he thinks his guys are "just as good" as the Ravens, he's plain wrong. All I'm pointing out is that eventually, the defense isn't going to be able to stop the opposing team at the 35 or 40 on every drive, and the lack of turnovers and sacks is going to catch up with them. I just hope it's not against the Ravens tomorrow night, because we're going to need a stiff performance from our D-men to come out of the game alive.