HOUSTON — Coaches never apologize for having talent. Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith isn’t about to start.
Smith’s second go-round as a Broncos assistant coach began with a talented rookie pass rusher named Von Miller joining the team. Four years later, Smith arrived in Atlanta as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator with an opportunity to strike gold again with Vic Beasley Jr.
If Beasley’s 2016 season is any example of what’s to come, Smith will go 2-for-2.
Beasley (15 1/2) beat out Miller (13 1/2) for the NFL sack title this season, and Sunday he will have an opportunity to make his mark on Super Bowl LI — much like Miller did last February against the Carolina Panthers. The outside linebacker contributed 3 1/2 sacks to the Falcons’ 23-16 victory in Denver in Week 5 and now is drawing double teams, which have been mandatory to keep Miller off quarterbacks.
“In a sense, they’re similar athletes,” Smith, the Broncos’ special-teams coach from 1993-96 and linebackers coach from 2011-14, said of Beasley and Miller. “And in other senses, they’re not.”
Miller has a lot of respect for Beasley, whom he calls his “little brother.” The reference makes sense, because Vic has wanted to be like Von for a long time.
“I idolized Von coming out of college,” said Beasley, who played at Clemson. “I saw a lot of similarities in our game. We haven’t really worked out together, but I met him after the Denver game. We talked a little bit. I’m looking forward to spending time with him in the offseason.”
Miller has become the teacher after years of being the student. It’s a rite of passage for a star who dominated in the playoffs a year ago, culminating in an MVP performance in Super Bowl 50.
“When Von came in,” Smith said, “he was very talented. A lot of his issue wasn’t coaching. It was teaching him how to practice and how to prepare. Early in his career, you had to stay firm on him and strong with him. I’m really proud of him and how he’s grown and matured as a young man on and off the field.”
It’s been well documented how much of an impact DeMarcus Ware’s arrival in Denver has had on Miller’s career, but Miller often lists Smith and Dwight Freeney as key contributors in his ascension to stardom.
Miller credits Freeney, a free-agent signing by the Falcons a year ago, for perfecting his devastating spin move. For the 36-year-old Freeney, that spin move is his legacy.
“He’s a guy that is an amazing talent. We have a very similar body type, undersized. I ran into him a few times and we talked about spin moves,” Freeney, who has 122 1/2 career sacks, said of Miller. “I saw him try to use it, so I gave him so pointers on how to do it. This is a big fraternity. I’m here to help. Even though he plays for the Broncos, we’re friends. I wanted to make sure I could help evaluate his game even further.”
Freeney, 36, has tried to teach Beasley the spin move, but the 236-pound, second-year pro hasn’t quite gotten it down yet.
One thing Beasley has figured out is an ability to rush the quarterback from all over the field. Smith has lined up Beasley on the inside and off the edge, looking to take advantage of his athleticism. The result has been a total turnaround from Beasley’s disappointing rookie season, when he had four sacks.
Smith spent a lot of time working with Beasley in the offseason.
“(He) was amazing. Just having somebody there to push me like that was very beneficial,” Beasley said of Smith. “Dwight brought a lot to the team too. He’s a great leader.”
Atlanta’s defense, much like Beasley, has flown under the radar with most of the Super Bowl hype centered on the game’s two high-powered offenses. Atlanta’s defensive statistics are pedestrian (25th in the 32-team NFL in total defense, 27th in scoring defense, tied for 16th in sacks), but the Falcons showed vast improvement in the second half of the season and have played their best in the playoffs.
“It’s good that nobody is talking about us, so we can be the silent attack,” Smith said.
The Broncos laid out a game plan of how to defeat New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady by landing 18 hits on him during the AFC Championship game last year. Miller had 2 ½ sacks. Two weeks later, Miller and Ware combined for 4 ½ sacks in Denver’s Super Bowl 50 victory.
Asked if they could duplicate that Super Bowl performance Sunday against the Patriots, Beasley and Freeney smiled.
“There’s nothing more gratifying than watching defensive linemen or outside linebackers destroy offensive tackles, hit a quarterback and change the entire game,” Freeney said. “A quarterback can be null and void if that defensive line can get off the ball and disrupt the play.”
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