Kubiak Player Management Style

[Mingo]

The players get the credit when the team wins - as they should - and the coaches get criticized when teams lose - as they should.

One of the hidden things to marvel at last season was Kubiak's use of personnel in training and in games. His training regimens that require vets to take time off from reps and take days off -while the younger players get reps - his willingness to use newer and less experienced players in his rotations and his insistence that players heal completely before returning to action produced a very great benefit.

Last year the Denver Broncos were fresher than other teams in the 4th quarter and last year the Denver Broncos were playing their best football in the playoffs. This is because Kubiak is building his depth early in training camp with repetitions and getting the younger players game experience early - by the end of the season the team is healthy and fresh - with experience from top to bottom of the depth chart. This is a secret weapon for the Denver Broncos - and probably makes them a destination for FAs who like that model of player management.

Many teams spend themselves to get to the playoffs and have nothing in the tank when they get there (many Bronco seasons went that way). I think Kubiak is really on to something for a 16 game schedule with 4 preseason games - teams wear out their starters and the replacements haven't gotten much game experience or repetitions.

 

[cdumler7]

Players talked about this after the 2013 Super Bowl that they actually felt completely worn out before the Super Bowl because they practiced so hard the week leading up. Fox had the guys in pads many of the days and going full blow just a couple of days before the big game. So then when they got to the game they had nothing left. Counter that to Kubiak who like you said gave veterans the days off needed and knew the times he really needed to take it easy on his players. WE did have that period starting in like week 12 or 13 of this past season where our injury report was very long. I remember we were having trouble having enough bodies to fully practice so pretty much the entire week was just walk through practices letting the injured guys heal up knowing they would be ready for the game and that film work was just more important those weeks.

 

[Mingo]

I think I read more than a year ago - that Kubiak picked up this philosophy of rotating and resting players based on experience or need to get reps - involving almost the entire team in games - from his one year with the Ravens.

Kubiak's biggest difference maker as a HC last year was that he had his team play its best in the 4th quarter and the Broncos peaked for the playoffs. I don't think it was due to pruddy A$$ed luck - as I've heard say in Texas.

 

[iknowftbll]

It's a great point, Mingo, because so many people have dismissed the Broncos relative good health in the playoffs as luck. Now there is no question that player health is in large part a product of good fortune or lack thereof: No team can control when a player is going to get injured. Look no further than that filthy Wallace hit on Bruton in that Steelers game. But a team can do everything in its power to preserve its assets so they'll be available in a playoff run. That's not luck. This Super Bowl run was not a product of luck: there were deliberate decisions made along the way that put this team in a position to perform when it mattered. It's a great point and certainly worth discussing. I imagine if the Broncos repeat (or even have a solid showing in the playoffs) there will be a lot of coaches adjusting to Kubiak's model in the coming seasons.

 

[Mingo]

Great points IKno.

Let's say you're a veteran star like Ward, Talib, Harris Jr., Ware, Miller and Wolfe - you've stayed in shape all year round - so conditioning isn't a factor - and Kubiak saves you 10 to 20% of your training camp reps - and game snaps. That would be the equivalent of shaving 1.6 to 3.2 games off the players wear and tear during the season. Then you make sure - after an injury - the player doesn't just come back when he is well, but when he is fresh again. It is bound to lead your team in the playoffs in fresher shape than teams not doing that.

In the mean time - Kubiak's coaches are challenged to actually coach up the guys who are new and inexperienced - since they are getting reps the vets usually get - and those coaches know the players will play in games. Coaches are forced to coach (how boring it must to be to coach an all pro - who literally can't be coached into something better).

 

[iknowftbll]

In the mean time - Kubiak's coaches are challenged to actually coach up the guys who are new and inexperienced - since they are getting reps the vets usually get - and those coaches know the players will play in games. Coaches are forced to coach (how boring it must to be to coach an all pro - who literally can't be coached into something better).

And THAT'S why this team has such great depth! It's younger guys coming in buried on the depth chart but still being given an opportunity (and indeed an expectation) to contribute. Think about Roby: the forgotten man in the NFZ. He may have made the play of the post-season by forcing that fumble that Ware recovered against the Steelers.

 

[randymon]

Fox was just the opposite. Glad we have the coaches we have now and he's gone. He was a detriment to player development among other things. Rio was just clueless as a DC. He should be better as a HC as long as he doesn't try and get in the way of his DC.

 

[Mingo]

Fox was certainly reluctant to play new guys.

 

[cdumler7]

Fox was just the opposite. Glad we have the coaches we have now and he's gone. He was a detriment to player development among other things. Rio was just clueless as a DC. He should be better as a HC as long as he doesn't try and get in the way of his DC.

Honestly I was happier to see Del Rio go than I was Fox. I hated watching a Del Rio ran defense. I mean there was no creativity and no adjustments. It was our 11 are more talented than your 11. Talent alone does not win in this league. We saw in the AFC Championship game and Super Bowl how much scheme can actually change the outcome of a game. Phillips was down right brilliant in how he called those games.

 

[randymon]

Honestly I was happier to see Del Rio go than I was Fox. I hated watching a Del Rio ran defense. I mean there was no creativity and no adjustments. It was our 11 are more talented than your 11. Talent alone does not win in this league. We saw in the AFC Championship game and Super Bowl how much scheme can actually change the outcome of a game. Phillips was down right brilliant in how he called those games.

Yeah that was definitely the thing with Jack. He didn't try to disguise anything. Talent will get you so far but confusing the opponents Qb with coverages and who's coming and who's not is essential. Even when Rio did blitz, it was usually late in 2nd half and predictable when Denver was behind with time running thin. No imagination and way to predictable for sure.He was a pretty good LB though. I'll give him that.

 

[cdumler7]

Yeah that was definitely the thing with Jack. He didn't try to disguise anything. Talent will get you so far but confusing the opponents Qb with coverages and who's coming and who's not is essential. Even when Rio did blitz, it was usually late in 2nd half and predictable when Denver was behind with time running thin. No imagination and way to predictable for sure.He was a pretty good LB though. I'll give him that.

The other part with him was when we did have big leads he seemed to go completely prevent defense. Not saying it didn't work because we still won a lot of those games but we saw a lot of 21-28 point leads disappear and the game become a 1 score type game. Not exactly what I want to see. Hurt us later in the year when we got into some closer games and our guys just did not know how to finish.

 

[iknowftbll]

The other part with him was when we did have big leads he seemed to go completely prevent defense. Not saying it didn't work because we still won a lot of those games but we saw a lot of 21-28 point leads disappear and the game become a 1 score type game. Not exactly what I want to see. Hurt us later in the year when we got into some closer games and our guys just did not know how to finish.

JDR is why I officially hate the prevent defense. Before 2014 I understood why teams did it. I realize to the coaches and players winning 31-24 on a late prevent-D score instead of 31-17 doesn't matter much. Once in a while it didn't bother me either. But JDR seemed to open games in the prevent that year. I all year last year that the 2014 Broncos will be remembered as one of the greatest wastes of defensive talent in the history of the league. Then along comes Wade Philips and pretty much validated my suspicions. Good riddance, JDR!

 

[Mingo]

Exactly @iknowftbll - and John Elway proved it - by bringing in Wade Phillips and turning that talent lose. That was the season - where the scuttlebutt was John Elway and JDR almost came to blows. I'm looking forward to the Raiders games this season once again.

 

[cdumler7]

Exactly @iknowftbll - and John Elway proved it - by bringing in Wade Phillips and turning that talent lose. That was the season - where the scuttlebutt was John Elway and JDR almost came to blows. I'm looking forward to the Raiders games this season once again.

To me how this season went on defense just shows Elway was justified in being upset with how the defensive talent was being used. I know nobody likes being told they are not doing good enough in their job but when the next guy comes in with the same assets and greatly outperforms what you did it definitely shows you did not do enough.

 

[iknowftbll]

To me how this season went on defense just shows Elway was justified in being upset with how the defensive talent was being used. I know nobody likes being told they are not doing good enough in their job but when the next guy comes in with the same assets and greatly outperforms what you did it definitely shows you did not do enough.

Absolutely. JDR was lazy. And this is exactly why I don't consider the Raiders a legit threat to be perennial playoff contenders. Forget them competing for a SB while he's with them. Between his work in Jacksonville (9 seasons, 3 winning seasons, 2 playoff appearances) and the way he squandered the talent at his disposal with the Broncos, I suspect Raiders fans are going to be using his name as a curse word before too many more seasons.

 

[cdumler7]

Absolutely. JDR was lazy. And this is exactly why I don't consider the Raiders a legit threat to be perennial playoff contenders. Forget them competing for a SB while he's with them. Between his work in Jacksonville (9 seasons, 3 winning seasons, 2 playoff appearances) and the way he squandered the talent at his disposal with the Broncos, I suspect Raiders fans are going to be using his name as a curse word before too many more seasons.

just makes me upset to know what could have been with an historical defense and a top-5 offense last year if we had the coaching staff we have this year. Could already be back to back champions. Throw in more the fact that our coaching staff had checked out before that game against Indy which caused our players to really check out. Maybe the most frustrating game other than our Super Bowl against the Seahawks that I have seen in a long time. I definitely celebrate that Del Rio decided to go to the Raiders. I have a Raiders fan on their board saying that Kubiak and Del Rio are equal coaches in this league.

I will say I do think Kubiak learned a lot from his year in Baltimore after getting fired by Houston. He credits a lot of what he did in the off season and managing players to what he learned from his time with the Ravens. So I think he really has taken that next step as a coach.

 

[iknowftbll]

I have a Raiders fan on their board saying that Kubiak and Del Rio are equal coaches in this league.

What is his rationale? Because their accomplishments with the Jaguars and Texans are actually similar: 8 seasons for Kubiak, 3 winning seasons, and 2 playoff appearances. So far in their first year of their second HC gig, Kubiak it is not a contest. 12-4 vs 7-9. Super Bowl Champs vs...celebrating not losing double digits AGAIN. I could go on.

 

[cdumler7]

What is his rationale? Because their accomplishments with the Jaguars and Texans are actually similar: 8 seasons for Kubiak, 3 winning seasons, and 2 playoff appearances. So far in their first year of their second HC gig, Kubiak it is not a contest. 12-4 vs 7-9. Super Bowl Champs vs...celebrating not losing double digits AGAIN. I could go on.

There is looking at their days of the Jaguars and Texans. I still say though even if you look at their days back then Kubiak at least won his division twice compared to 0 times for Del Rio in his 10 full years as a HC. We also are talking 2 different situations. Del Rio walked into a Jaguars team that had a couple of mediocre seasons but had been a winner not too long before that. They just kept that downward spiral for the most part. Kubiak took a team coming off a 2-14 season and never had a winning season ever to that of winning the division.

 

[iknowftbll]

There is looking at their days of the Jaguars and Texans. I still say though even if you look at their days back then Kubiak at least won his division twice compared to 0 times for Del Rio in his 10 full years as a HC. We also are talking 2 different situations. Del Rio walked into a Jaguars team that had a couple of mediocre seasons but had been a winner not too long before that. They just kept that downward spiral for the most part. Kubiak took a team coming off a 2-14 season and never had a winning season ever to that of winning the division.

I definitely agree Kubiak's work with the Texans is better than Del Rio's with the Jaguars. Of course, both these guys had the misfortune of coaching against Manning and the Colts in their heyday. And while a coach being mediocre somewhere doesn't mean he'll be mediocre elsewhere, in Del Rio's case he appears to have clung to his ways while Kubiak has clearly demonstrated a willingness and ability to adjust. This is evident in his approach to younger players (hence this brilliant thread) and some of the changes he made on offense throughout the season. It didn't always work, but friction in year 1 is to be expected anyway and it demonstrated he won't stick with something that's not working.

 

[SpringStein]

(hence this brilliant thread)

Oh please - compliment Mingo and we all have to get out the axes out and cut him off at the knees for a month!