THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009
SPORTS
7B
NFL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dumervil perfect fit in 3-4 defense
Cleveland Browns' quarterback Brady Quinn (10) is sacked by Denver Broncos' Elvis Dumervil (92) during the fourth quarter in Denver. Denver beat Cleveland 27-6. Dumervil has successfully moved from defensive end to outside linebacker in the Broncos' new 3-4 scheme.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With his long arms and low center of gravity, Elvis Dumervil was just the hybrid player the Denver Broncos were coveting for their conversion to a 3-4 scheme.
Initially, Dumervil balked at
Convincing him, though, took some work.
being moved to outside linebacker in defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's new formation. He liked his defensive end spot, had perfected some pretty good rush moves from there.
" still have a lot to learn. But I feel like I am going the right direction."
Any reservations Dumervil may have had went out the window Sunday, when he sacked Cleveland's Brady Quinn four times to tie a franchise mark.
Maybe this system does suit his style?
"I still have a lot to learn," Dumervil said. "But I feel like I am going the right direction."
Dumervil is giving opposing offensive linemen fits trying to figure him out. He's 5-foot-11 with a massive wing span and lots of speed.
Push him to the outside? He'll use his quickness to get to the quarterback.
ELVIS DUMERVIL Broncos linebacker
Try to knock him to the turf? He's already so low, he simply
bounces right back up.
Bottle him up?
He'll use his leverage advantage to gain separation.
"I've always had tremendous respect for him," Oakland coach Tom Cable said. "He's always a
handful. He's a competitor and he brings it every snap ... To me, this was not really a 'breakout game. I think this guy has been a good player for a while."
He's been trying to convince everyone of that for years.
So he wound up at the University of Louisville, where he had 20 sacks his senior year and captured the Bronko Nagurski Award, given to the nation's best defender.
Dumervil had 78 sacks at Jackson High School in Miami, but wasn't highly recruited. His size scared some schools away.
Again, he wasn't highly sought after, slipping into the fourth round of the 2006 draft, where the Broncos selected him to bolster their lackluster pass rush. He paid the faith with 8 1/2 sacks in his rookie season.
Now four years in, he has 30 career sacks.
"He plays with a chip on his shoulder," linebacker Andrea Davis said. "He goes out there each and every week and proves he can get the job done. I watched him at Louisville — 20 sacks in one season? You don't just stumble across
those type of numbers."
Kenny Peterson towers over Dumervil and weighs nearly 50 pounds more. Peterson, not Dumervil, looks more like the prototypical defensive lineman.
Still, Peterson can't help but be a little envious of Dumervil, whose frame is perfectly streamlined to get to the quarterback in a hurry.
"After every game, we sit and
"How do you do it?" Peterson said. "It's something he can't really explain."
What it boils down to is leverage. Dumervil gets so low that he creeps underneath a bigger player's pads. From there he simply pushes them
aside and pursues the quarterback
aside and pursues the quarterback. At least that's what Nolan has observed.
"He's short, so he plays from a leverage standpoint often," Nolan said. "He's also a good competitor. He accepts the challenge very well."
The challenge this offseason was daunting to Dumervil. Learning how to play from a stand-up position took some getting used to.
But the 3-4 alignment allows him to move around more, placing him into positions where he can utilize his leverage and speed.
"He's short, so he plays from a leverage standpoint often."
("Nolan) allows you to go out there and make plays. He is very aggressive." Dumervil said. "A lot
MIKE NOLAN Denver Broncos defensive coordinator
of guys are making plays, and he tries to put each person in a situation to try to make the best of the talent ... I couldn't be happier."
He's also serving as a mentor. Rookie Robert Ayers was in a similar boat as Dumervil, adjusting
"The one thing I learned from him is he looks at football and his job differently than most people," Ayers said. "He's taught me so much about how to rush the passer and study other people. Just things that you take for granted."
to life as a hybrid defensive endlinebacker. He frequently asked Dumervil for advice.
Kind of like the diminutive Dumervil.
Quentin leads Detroit past Indians
MLB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND Carlos Guillen hit two of Detroit's three home runs to help Rick Porcelio and the Tigers defeat Cleveland 11-3 on Wednesday night, the Indians' season-high 10th straight loss.
Porcello (14-9) allowed one run and six hits over five innings as the Tigers won their third straight. Detroit entered play 2½ games ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central. The Twins open a four-game series in Detroit on Monday.
Guillen tied a season high with four RBIs. He hit a two-run home in the third off right-hander Justin Masterson (4-9) and connected on the second pitch from left-hander Mike Gosling to make it 9-1 in the fifth. It was the fourth time in his career the switch-hitter went deep from both sides and his seventh multihomer game overall.
Porcellio walked three ane struck out one to go to 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four starts against Cleveland. The 20-year-old is the youngest pitcher to go 3-0 in a season against the Indians since Milt Pappas of Baltimore in 1958, also at age 20.
Miguel Cabrera had a two-run homer, a 440-foot shot into the bleachers in left-center in the fourth, for Detroit.
The Tigers got four straight hits and took advantage of a throwing error by first baseman Andy Marte to take a 4-0 lead in the first.
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Carlos Guillen is congratulated after hitting a solo home run off the Cleveland Indians Wednesday. The Tigers won 11-3.
Cabrera drove in one run with a single and Aubrey Huff's RBI double made it 2-0 with one out. Guillen then grounded to Marte, who threw wildly trying to get Cabrera scoring from third. Brandon Inge made it 4-0 with a groundout.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Indians loaded the bases in the first two innings, but scored only one run, on Travis Hafner's fielder's choice grounder in the first.
Masterson dropped to 0-5 in six starts since beating the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 20. The right-hander gave up seven hits and six earned runs over four innings.
his previous appearance against Detroit, he struck out six over 3 2-3 innings of scoreless relief on Aug. 1 in his Cleveland debut
after being acquired from Boston in the multiplayer trade that sent All-Star catcher Victor Martinez to the Red Sox.
Hail Mary
Eric Driscoll, West Fargo, N.D., freshman, tries to bat the football out of the hands of Alex Grandsoult, Derby freshman. Driscoll, Grandsoult and a few other friends from Ellsworth Dormitory were playing a game of catch at the basketball courts behind the dorms Wednesday night.
MLB Braves knock off Mets, cling to playoff hopes
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Tim Hudson pitched six innings for his second win since elbow surgery and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 5-2 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Brian McCann was back in the Braves' lineup after leaving Tuesday night's game with a bruised left wrist.
Hours after announcing Bobby Cox will retire as manager following next season, the Braves won for the 11th time in 13 games. Clinging to scant playoff hopes, Atlanta began the day five games behind Colorado for the NL wild card.
Adam LaRoche had three hits and two RBIs. It was their first sweep on the road against the Mets since July 2003.