The current prevalence of nickel and dime defenses— featuring five and six defensive backs—to go along with the spread offense—featuring up to four or five wide receivers— positional depth has never been more important to building a successful franchise. The Rams’ depth at defensive line—headlined by defensive ends Robert Quinn (#94) and Chris Long (#91)—will terrorize quarterbacks. spread formation. This type of offense has become prominent throughout the league and has forced teams to carry more players that can be trusted in pass coverage. Teams are stretching the defense horizontally with their formations and using specialized skill players to create matchup problems and spread the field vertically. But the only way to do that is with the necessary skill players. Where things went so well for the Denver skill players, the rest of the team ran into another reason depth is so important: injuries. Tackle Ryan Clady, Center Dan Koppen, LB Von Miller and CB Chris Harris all missed significant time for the Broncos and were unable to finish the season due to injury. The increasingly bigger and faster players that enter the NFL every year have created a more physically demanding game. The NFL reported 130 ACL injuries and 489 diagnosed concussions over the last two seasons alone. Broncos coaches had a familiar message for their players. “The way we looked at it, and the way I always looked at it: When we’re in the moment, we’re going to compete with the guys we have. ‘Next man up.’ Let’s go, let’s go get it done,” defensive MICHAEL THOMAS/GETTY IMAGES SPORT coordinator Jack Del Rio told the Associated Press. Because of the changing nature of the game, the salary cap, and injuries, teams are constantly reworking their roster and bringing in talented prospects in an attempt to stay ahead of the curve and keep 53 men that they can rely on under pressure. The 2012 Super Bowl Champions, the Baltimore Ravens, faced a familiar situation after their victory. They rewarded quarterback Joe Flacco with a six-year, $120 million contract. That same offseason, they also lost LB Paul Kruger to free agency and traded Super Bowl hero Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round draft pick. But it was nothing new for the Ravens. You don’t create one of the greatest defenses of the past two decades without building and losing a considerable amount of talent. Over the last few years, the Ravens have seen huge turnover with the retirement of Ray Lewis and the loss of players like Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard and Kruger. Just like with the other teams around the league the message is clear. “Absolutely,” defensive lineman Arthur Jones told the Baltimore Sun. “The motto of the Ravens is, ‘Next man up.’”
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