{"id":294755,"date":"2023-10-02T22:12:34","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T22:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=294755"},"modified":"2023-10-02T22:12:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T22:12:34","slug":"broncos-journal-damarri-mathis-has-plan-to-overcome-early-season-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/nfl\/broncos-journal-damarri-mathis-has-plan-to-overcome-early-season-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"Broncos Journal: Damarri Mathis has plan to overcome early season struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Damarri Mathis is no stranger to slow starts.<\/p>\n

As a rookie, he drew four defensive pass interference penalties in his first career start Week 6 at the Los Angeles Chargers.<\/p>\n

Now a second-year player, Mathis has struggled out of the gates as the Broncos\u2019 starting cornerback opposite Pat Surtain II.<\/p>\n

Playing across from Surtain, who most quarterbacks tend to avoid from the start, is not easy duty by any stretch.<\/p>\n

But Mathis has been picked on. Las Vegas did it with Jakobi Meyers while Surtain put down a quietly ridiculous performance against All-Pro Davante Adams. Then Washington worked to get Terry McLaurin matched up with Mathis, too.<\/p>\n

Sunday against Miami, well, pretty much everybody struggled.<\/p>\n

Mathis, the former Pitt standout, is most comfortable in man coverage and still learning the nuances of NFL defensive systems. He\u2019s shown he can be a physical tackler, but has missed his share \u2014 it\u2019s been a common theme for Denver\u2019s defense in general \u2014 so far through three games.<\/p>\n

Mathis told The Post this week he doesn\u2019t think teams are targeting him extra this year. He just hasn\u2019t played well enough to force opposing quarterbacks to go elsewhere with the ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s similar (to last year),\u201d he said. \u201cI just felt like I didn\u2019t really start how I wanted to. I feel like I\u2019m starting to put better tape out there, but I\u2019m still not where I want to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to get better each week.\u201d<\/p>\n

With secondary coach Christian Parker one of just two holdovers from Nathaniel Hackett\u2019s staff last year, Mathis clearly had the trust of coaches despite entering just his second season. He spent all offseason as a starter, jumped right back into his spot after missing time in camp and hardly ever took a rep with the No. 2 unit through the offseason program.<\/p>\n

He said a tough start to the year doesn\u2019t diminish his confidence in himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, I feel like I\u2019m in a good position,\u201d he said. \u201cJust keep playing confident. Play with swag and play to the abilities that I have. Do that, trust my coaching and I\u2019m going to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Parker and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph get to a point where they consider Mathis a liability, they could decide to look at rookie Riley Moss. The Broncos traded a 2024 third-round pick to move up in the draft to select Moss, an All-Big Ten performer in college at Iowa, in the third round.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s really moving now at 100%,\u201d Payton said this week of Moss, who missed more than a month of preseason work to have core muscle surgery after developing a sports hernia. \u201cComing off an injury, there\u2019s a transition. Fortunately for us, we had enough of an early evaluation where we felt pretty good about what we saw. He\u2019s smart. He does a lot of things well. We\u2019ll begin looking at, \u2018Hey, what are roles for him?\u2019 We know he\u2019s going to be a factor (on special teams), but what are the other roles? I always say this: what do these guys do well? Let\u2019s try to have them do those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hindsight is 20\/20<\/h4>\n

Broncos receiver Brandon Johnson didn\u2019t appear to do much wrong on an offensive pass interference penalty in the end zone on what would have been a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton against Miami. Johnson, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said, may have leaned slightly too much into contact with a defensive back as he tried to create a natural pick to free Sutton. Johnson, though, carried his route through the contact and didn\u2019t put his hands on the defender or block him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrandon did exactly what I coached him to do,\u201d Payton said. \u201cI have to look at (coaching) that a little differently. It can just vary how (an official) sees it. He\u2019s running a route. He\u2019s not blocking. It just is what it is. It would\u2019ve been much harder had it been a close game. Then I have to look at, \u2018Hey, do I show an avoidance?\u2019 It was the look we wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

A number to know<\/h4>\n

38.4.<\/strong> Percentage chance, according to Sumer Sports data, that either Chicago (22.5%) or Denver (15.9%) ends up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft. The Broncos now check in with the second-highest odds per the analytics group. The result of Sunday\u2019s matchup will swing those numbers further.<\/p>\n

Bonus number<\/h4>\n

4.9.<\/strong> The number of wins the same analytics model now projects the Broncos to find this year.<\/p>\n

From the locker room<\/h4>\n

*Veteran practice squad-er Ben Niemann played linebacker with Josey Jewell at Iowa. If he\u2019s needed either in Jewell\u2019s spot or as a special teams fill-in with Drew Sanders starting for Jewell Sunday, he\u2019ll be ready.\u00a0 \u201cI was in this system with Vance last year in Arizona, so a little bit of the terminology has changed, but the bread and butter, meat and potatoes is still the same stuff. For the most part I feel pretty good about it. From the special teams perspective, just go play fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

* Niemann, who has played in 79 career games and started nine last year with the Cardinals, appreciates that special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica doesn\u2019t \u201covercomplicate the scheme. We\u2019ve got a good unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

* Former Broncos fullback Andrew Beck returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown in Week 3. Don\u2019t think Denver\u2019s current fullback, Mike Burton, missed it, either. It\u2019s the kind of play that makes fullbacks everywhere proud. When apprised Beck had hit 20 miles per hour on the GPS, Burton said he wasn\u2019t surprised, quickly referencing Beck’s 40-yard dash time from his University of Texas pro day. Fullbacks unite.<\/p>\n

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