Cardinals DC Vance Joseph explains why Chandler Jones’ sack numbers are even more impressive

He could have at least two more if he hadn’t been playing a different position than he is now.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones is having an impressive season. He leads the NFL with 19 sacks and eight forced fumbles. It has earned him a Pro Bowl starting selection and he should be considered a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

He has had two games this season with four sacks, something that had only been done twice, more than 30 years ago.

As if the numbers themselves aren’t incredible enough, Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph explained why the numbers are even more impressive when he spoke to reporters on Thursday after practice.

Up until recently, he had been playing the SAM linebacker position. After the release of Terrell Suggs, who was playing the WILL, Jones moved over. In Joseph’s defensive scheme, the two outside linebacker positions are the SAM and the WILL. The WILL backer is the rush linebacker.

“When we had him and Suggs playing, he was the better dropper so he dropped more,” Joseph explained. “I didn’t drop him a lot, but he did drop probably 12 percent of the time which is probably 45 more rushes.”

Joseph believes “he’d probably have two more sacks” if he had rushed 40-45 more times than he has.

That would put him at 21 with only needing two in Week 17 to break the all-time sack record in a season.

“That speaks to the year he’s had,” Joseph said. “Being a SAM backer in this defense, usually you’re not the sack leader. It’s the WILL backer, but Chan is special.

“What he’s done is incredible.”

There is no denying that.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Sub scribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 253:

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Ep. 252:

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Broncos players showing no quit under coach Vic Fangio

Broncos players are displaying great effort under coach Vic Fangio.

The Broncos haven’t been officially eliminated from playoff contention but their chances of reaching the postseason are less than one percent. With only three games left this year, Denver has little to play for.

With that being the case, it wouldn’t be surprising to see players pack it in early and look ahead to the next season. One could argue that some players appeared to do that under former coach Vance Joseph in 2017 and 2018. It’s not happening under Vic Fangio this season.

The Broncos went into Sunday’s game against the 8-4 Texans with just four wins of their own but they looked like the better team, claiming a 38-24 win. Denver might not reach the postseason, but Broncos players aren’t going down without a fight.

“I’ve gotten comments from a lot of people throughout the league, and I have a couple really good friends on this staff here, guys that wouldn’t BS me, and they’re really impressed with how hard our guys are playing and the energy, the intensity,” Fangio said after Sunday’s victory.

“And it’s not a bunch of BS. These guys have played their asses off all year from an effort, focus, try hard. [I’m] really happy to see them get rewarded.”

Denver would be unlikely to make the playoffs even if it won its final three games and ended the year with an 8-8 record. But closing out the season on a high note would be a positive going into the 2020 season. Up next for the Broncos is a road game against the Chiefs in Week 15.

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Broncos vs. Texans series history: Denver holds slight edge

The Denver Broncos will face the Houston Texans in Week 14. Here’s a look back at the series history between the two teams.

The Denver Broncos (4-8) will meet the Houston Texans (8-4) in Week 14. It will be just the eighth time the teams have played in the regular season.

The Texans entered the league as an expansion team in 2002. As a result, it’s a team that the Broncos have only faced a handful of times. In fact, out of the 31 other teams in the league, the only team the Broncos have seen less is the Carolina Panthers.

The Broncos hold a slight 4-3 edge in the all-time series. Another interesting note between these two teams is that the Texans have never taken two in a row from the Broncos. However, with a win over the Broncos last November, the Texans will have a chance to change that on Sunday.

Last meeting: November 4, 2018: Texans 19, Broncos 17

There are a few memorable things from this game, but most of them surround three people — Brandon McManus, Demaryius Thomas and Vance Joseph.

This was the first game for Thomas after the Broncos traded him just prior to the league’s trade deadline. His first game came against his former team. He caught three passes for 61 yards on the day.

For McManus, he was made the scapegoat for the loss as he missed two field goals, including a 51-yard attempt as time expired. That kick would have won the game.

His first miss was blamed more on Joseph than on him. With 18 seconds left in the first half and facing a 4th-and-9 from the Houston 44-yard line, Joseph decided to send McManus out for a 62-yard field goal. He missed. That then gave the Texans great field position to work with and after two quick completions by Deshaun Watson, Ka’imi Fairbairn booted a 46-yard field goal to end the first half.

Instead of going into the half down three, the Broncos went in down six and that proved to be the difference in the game. It seemed that Joseph’s coaching seat became boiling hot following this loss.

It was a game that revolved around the kicking game. In addition to that series prior to halftime, Fairbairn made a 37-yard kick with less than a minute to play to put the Texans up by two points just prior to the miss by McManus.

Kickoff for Sunday’s game is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. MT and the contest will air on CBS. Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon will call the action.

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Cardinals DC Vance Joseph upbeat about Haason Reddick’s future at OLB

“I think him being a SAM backer, we’ll see his body finally unlock and you’ll see why he was a first-round pick.”

The Arizona Cardinals have decided to move linebacker Haason Reddick from inside linebacker to outside linebacker. He has changed positions multiple times in his three-year career but it looks like the team has settled on him sticking to playing outside.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph believes Reddick will thrive with move. He is excited about the prospects of what he can do moving forward.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Joseph had nothing but praise for the 2017 first-round draft pick when speaking about Reddick and the time he was playing inside linebacker snd struggling.

“He’s been open-minded, he’s been positive and it’s hasn’t all been good for him,” he said. “It’s hard. when you’ve been an outside backer all your life, now you’re playing off the ball and you’re seeing things from three different angles. Now, as an outside backer, he can see it one way again.”

Joseph said he believes Reddick’s natural position is playing off the edge.

“We had to try him at inside backer for the team’s future and his future,” he explained. “We tried it. It did not work. Now he’s going to play SAM backer moving forward and he’s going to be a good one.”

Joseph indicated Reddick is comfortable there at his new position “and that’s where he wants to be.”

He is, though undersized for the role. The reason why he was projected to play inside linebacker in the NFL was because of his size. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, that is the prototypical size for someone playing off the ball.

According to many, an edge defender should be at least 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds. He lacks length and frame.

Joseph downplayed it.

“I think the profile for outside backer has changed a little bit,” he sexplained. ‘It’s a space position, especially the SAM. That’s the dropper, that’s the guy that rushes on tight ends for the mosy part.

“He’s going to be fine. Obviously he’s not a prototypical outside backer as far as length, but he’s got great burst.”

He compared him to Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, whom he coached with the Denver Broncos. Barrett leads the league with 14.5 sacks and is undersized at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds. “He looks like Haason,” Joseph said, even though he has an inch and 15 pounds on Reddick.

“We’ll see how far he goes at outside backer,” he said. “I think him being a SAM backer, we’ll see his body finally unlock and you’ll see why he was a first-round pick. He is an explosive athlete who has rare, rare, rare speed, but you couldn’t see it because he was thinking so much and his body was locked up. But hopefully moving forward we can unlock his body and play fast.”

Thus far, Reddick has been seen as a bust of a pick. If he develops into a consistent contributor playing on the edge, it will salvage his career.

If he thrives, though, the Cardinals will look silly for trying so long to play him at a position that was foreign for him.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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