Bolstering the Front
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Transcript of Bolstering the Front
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8/10/2019 Bolstering the Front
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Cardinals vs. Broncos
October 5, 2014 at 2:05 p.m.Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Todays Game is Presented by:
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12 13BRONCOS GAMEDAY BRONCOS GAMEDAY
BY DAVID DeCHANT
Sorry, Broncos fans. Terrance
Knightons favorite food isnt actually
pot roast.
Im a steak guy, Knighton says.
Probably a ribeye. A nice ribeye from
Ruths Chris [Steak House].
The first time he tried the food that
now doubles as his nickname was
on a Jaguars team flight back from
a game, when a clowning teammate
bestowed the new moniker upon
him. Though the pseudonym stuck,
Knighton hasnt exactly embraced the
dish in the years since.
Ive had it four times, he says.
And thats just because people
wanted to tell me that theyve got the
best pot roast.
I just came from a restaurant a
week ago that said they had the best
pot roast in Denver and they invited
me and gave me free food. Im not
going to pass on free food, so I went
and tried it.
The man colloquially known as
Pot Roast or to his teammates as
T-Knight has grown a lot since his
time in Jacksonville, and I dont mean
physically. After joining the Broncos,
he went from a relative unknown to
a national figure in less than a year,
co-starring with a French bulldog in
a tires commercial, establishing a far-
reaching Twitter personality and even
looking to start a clothing line based
on his favorite phrase, Snooo Daaat.
The more you win, the more
opportunities you get, Knighton says.
You look at Peyton [Manning]: he
has 10 commercials on TV at a time,
and thats because of the success
hes had in the league. Hes won a
Super Bowl, hes been MVP and with
winning comes individual accolades
and success.
Knightons successes became
increasingly frequent during his
first year as a Bronco, especially
after veteran defensive tackle Kevin
Vickerson went down for the season
with a hip injury in Week 12 against the
Patriots. Knighton gobbled up double
teams every week down the stretch
and led the team in tackles for loss (3)
and Denvers linemen in tackles (12)
during the playoffs, while also helping
then-rookie Sylvester Williams with
his transition to the starting lineup as
Vickersons replacement.
The signature play that turned Pot
Roast into a household name was
perhaps the Broncos biggest of the
year: Late in the third quarter of the
AFC Championship Game, with the
Patriots facing fourth-and-3 at theDenver 29, Knighton swam around
Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins and
burst toward Tom Brady, wrapping
him up for the drive-ending sack.
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the difference between winning teams
and losing teams.
The sixth-year veterans burgeoning
career and seamless transition with
the Broncos make it feel like hes
been in Denver for ages when in
fact, its only been 18 months. His
presence in Denver was only further
14 15BRONCOS GAMEDAY BRONCOS GAMEDAY
I didnt try to go out there and
be Superman, Knighton said of his
impressive late-season run. I just
wanted to make an impact. And when
you get opportunities to play in the
Super Bowl or go to the Super Bowl,
thats like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I
wanted to win so bad, it just showed
in my play.
John Elway and Co. obviously saw
potential in Knighton, who had played
for Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio
in Jacksonville, when they signed him
as a free agent in March of 2013. But
considering hed been demoted to a
backup role on a 2-14 team in 2012,even the Broncos might be pleasantly
surprised by how much impact he has
made in Denver. The player who never
quite blossomed in Jacksonville now
seems like a distant memory, while
Knighton has embraced the tone that
is well established at Dove Valley.
Everything is done for winning,
Knighton says. It starts with Elway and
it goes down all the way to the locker
room.
How we work out, how we prepare,
how we eat, how we practice
everything is based on winning. Guys
hold each other accountable and thats
SUPERMAN.
IMPACT.affirmed when Knighton was voted by
his teammates as one of two defensive
captains for 2014.
Media asked Del Rio all offseason
about a potential leadership void on
defense from the departure of 2013
captains Champ Bailey and Wesley
Woodyard, but the coordinator
reiterated he wasnt worried. With
Knighton stepping up and the addition
of other veterans like DeMarcus Ware, T.J.
Ward and Aqib Talib, that storyline has
been swallowed whole since the season
began.
Before I was voted captain, [Head]
Coach [John] Fox said there were like
seven or eight guys that got a vote,
Knighton says, so that just speaks
volumes about the defense. It doesnt
really put any pressure on me to do too
much or try to speak for the group.
Me and DeMarcus speak to the D-line,
and we know that Von [Miller] and Danny
[Trevathan] are going to speak for thelinebackers and T.J. and Chris [Harris Jr.]
and Talib will lead the back end.
I dont feel any pressure being the
captain. I dont feel like I have to do more.
Its just an honor to have it and it just shows
the respect that my teammates have for
me. It makes you want to play harder and it
makes you want to lead on the field more.
The 6-foot-3, 335-pounders presence
hasnt diminished since the end of last
season, as he continues to draw multiple
blockers and make plays despite the
extra attention. Knighton batted down two
passes against the Chiefs in Week 2, the
latter of which capped a four-down goal-
line stand in the waning seconds to clinch
a 24-17 victory. Against the Seahawks
in Week 3, he rallied the troops on the
sideline and at halftime when trailing 17-3
and then made a crucial tip of a field goal
attempt in the third quarter, sending the
ball wide and keeping the Broncos within
two scores.
Denvers D had just enough lapses
against the Seahawks to allow 26 points,
including the game-winning score in
overtime, but still looked dominant
for stretches against an offense that
brandishes a varied set of talented
weapons. The visible week-to-week
progress and potential return of Danny
Trevathan against the Cardinals have the
defenses potential pointing skyward.
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17BRONCOS GAMEDAY
GREAT DEFENSEBesides the overtime drive and the two drives at the end of the half, we looked
like a championship defense (against Seattle), Knighton says. We didnt give
them anything.
The fact now that were playing more and more together, guys are learning each
other better, were learning the defense better, and its allowing us to play faster.And it shows each week.
As long as Peyton Manning is around, the Broncos defense will come second
in the national attention it garners, no matter how well it plays. Even in 2012, when
Del Rios unit ranked second in yards allowed and fourth in points allowed, it was
Manning and the leagues second-highest scoring offense that occupied most of
the headlines.
But Knighton knows the Mile High faithful still have a special place in their hearts
for dominant play on the other side of the ball, and he hopes he and his teammatescan deliver.
You think back to the Orange Crush days and thats what Denver is known for,
Knighton says. When were playing home games, the crowd cant wait for the
defense to get on the field to make noise.
Fans want to see great defense, and thats what we want to give them.