by Lindsay H. Jones The Denver Post , The Denver Post

But the Broncos' new coaching staff has asked Dumervil and the team's other primary pass rushers to banish that way of thinking as the defense transitions to a 3-4 base alignment. To get sacks in the new system, it would take a whole other mentality and skill set.

"Running backwards, opening your hips, running sideways - it's a lot of things, but that's what makes the game fun," Dumervil said before the Broncos' second preseason game Saturday night against the Seahawks.

Notice how Dumervil used the word "fun."

It's not exactly how anyone would describe Denver's defense in 2008, when the team failed to consistently harass opposing quarterbacks and failed to produce turnovers. The Broncos had only 26 sacks (ranking 26th in the 32-team NFL) and created just 13 turnovers, including six interceptions (second-

worst in the league).

"It's more of a fun defense. Everyone gets to choose and have fun, everyone gets their number called, and you've got to guess when you're going to be coming," Dumervil said. "This may be my niche, you never know."

Coach Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who mostly used a 3-4 defense when he was the San Francisco 49ers' head coach - started making moves they hoped would revitalize the pass rush.

The biggest change was moving the team's pass-rush specialists - Dumervil, Jar-

vis Moss and Tim Crowder - from defensive end to outside linebacker. The staff released or did not re-sign any defensive players it didn't think would be the right fit in the new system (like ends John Engelberger and Ebenezer Ekuban) and bulked up the line through free agency (like nose tackles Ronald Fields and Chris Baker, an

undrafted rookie). Linemen held over from the Mike Shanahan era are being asked to play different roles - like Kenny Peterson, who is now an end instead of an undersized tackle, and Marcus Thomas, who has added at least 10 pounds and is learning to play the five-technique end and nose tackle positions.

The goal is for the revamped front line to get a better push into the backfield, collapse the pocket and give the outside linebackers the room to get to the QB.

"It starts on defense with the defensive line. If the defensive line is sound and physical, the rest of the defense gels, along with the front three," defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely said.

The bodies in place - though still a work in progress, as the trade last week for defensive end Le Kevin Smith shows - the next step was installing a system and creating an aggressive, attacking style.

Fans will notice more blitz packages in the new 3-4 defense, and players hope the constant pressure will equate to more sacks.

"The outside linebackers, most of the time they're blitzing," outside linebacker Darrell Reid said. "So right there you have five people rushing instead of four. It also creates a lot of deception and things like that, because you could have four rushing, or three rushing, or five, six different players involved. There's a lot more things you can do as far as defensive calls and things guys can do."

Nolan and the defensive staff have been given autonomy in teaching and installing the new scheme, but Mc-

Daniels hasn't been left out, Reid said, because the head coach brings an interesting perspective.

"Coach McDaniels is a quarterbacks coach, so he knows what bothers quarterbacks," Reid said. "He's all about pushing the pocket, pushing quarterbacks out of their comfort level."

There have already been signs of improvement.

The Broncos sacked Seattle starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck three times in the first half Saturday night. Inside linebacker D.J. Williams got his first sack on a blitz up the middle in the first quarter, and Peterson recorded the second and third in the second quarter.

That adds to the four sacks the team recorded against San Francisco on Aug. 14. But with only a handful of front-seven players experienced in the 3-4 - notably Fields, who played it for Nolan in San Francisco; Smith, who played it with New England; and inside linebacker Andra Davis, from Cleveland - players and coaches say it is far too early to tell if the new system is working.

"We've made progress," Dumervil said. " I think we've done some good things, so we can get credit for that. But still, we can improve."

Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com

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