Harris fighting for job among crowded secondary

by Ryan Ebert

Broncos cornerback Chris Harris barely made the team's roster last year after going undrafted from Kansas.

It was his incredible work ethic that got people to first notice him.

Early on that was enough to play on special teams.  He kept impressing the coaches as he found a nice spot as nickel corner.

Now in his second year he knows his job isn't secure and will have to earn a spot in 2012.

"Being an undrafted free agent, you have to prove yourself every year," Harris said. "So I never stop working."

Harris is going to have to show the same thing that got him his job last time and keep it in a crowded secondary, especially since he doesn't have experience with him as do the players that Denver signed in the offseason.

Denver brought in defensive backs Tracy Porter, Drayton Florence, and Mike Adams.  Those players have a combined total of 21 years of experience.

Fourteen-year veteran Champ Bailey has seen that Harris isn't backing away from the competition.

"He's holding his own," Bailey said, noting that Harris always has a smile on his face. "That's one thing about him, he's such a competitor. He feels confident about what he does. He's just letting his play speak for itself."

Harris believes the competition will only help him.

"Its just something I can gain experience from," Harris said. "These guys have been in the league for a long time. They are just adding competition and just making me better.

"We all talked as defensive backs and said we're never going to give each other bad advice, always try to help each other," he continued. "The competition is only going to make everybody better."

Many of the players in the secondary are aware that they need to earn their spot, and that most of the openings will be empty until the regular season.

"We all understand every spot is up for grabs, except Champ's,” Harris said. “There's competition everywhere.”

His young age might go against Harris, but he sees it as more room for improvement and that it gives him more time to learn.

"Really I just want to get faster and stronger," he said. "I'm only 22 years old. We drafted a guy that's older than me coming in, so I'm still young, still learning the game a lot more. There's a lot I can learn."

He could be talking about Omar Bolden who is a 23-year old rookie from Arizona St., or he could be talking about center Philip Blake from Baylor who is 26-years old.  Like Bolden, Harris himself will be fighting for the second, third, and fourth cornerback spots.  Both were four-year starters in college, but Bolden hasn't yet face the pros yet.  The experience Harris has is something he holds valuable to himself and the team.

"Playing against top receivers like (Wes) Welker, Antonio Gates, I kind of got thrown in on the fly," Harris said. "Being able to go out there and play against those top guys definitely gives me confidence going into this season."

Harris was able to play in the playoff games Denver was in and made five tackles in the overtime win against the Steelers and started against Brady and the Patriots.

"Not a lot of undrafted rookies get that experience in the playoffs," Harris said.

Harris did point out a fact that while he and his teammates are vying for a spot, that there is a common goal for everyone.

"We're all here for one common goal, and that's to win a Super Bowl," Harris said.

Carter, Harris making place for themselves on defense

by Ryan Ebert

The Broncos have a good combination of veterans and young players in their locker room.  A pair of young defensive backs have stood out coming up big at times making a promising future for themselves.  Safety Quinton Carter and cornerback Chris Harris were former Big 12 rivals and should improve themselves and the Broncos defense this coming year.

They came into the league without an offseason, but did have help from veterans Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins.  With those two leading the secondary they helped the Broncos defense only allow opposing offenses to convert under 34% of their third-down conversions.

Chris Harris, undrafted from Kansas, had a nice rookie year totaling 72 tackles with an interception against the Raiders in a 38-24 victory.  He started the first game of his career in Week 13 against Minnesota helping the Broncos get a huge 35-32 win.

Quinton Carter,drafted out of Oklahoma in the fourth round, had a good year as a replacement for Rahim Moore who disappointed many his rookie year.  He started in 10 games putting up 56 tackles and a sack.  In the playoffs Carter made his presence felt as he picked off Ben Roethlisberger that put Denver in an easy situation to score which led to a field goal by Matt Prater that extended the score to 17-6 over Pittsburgh at the time.  In the divisional playoff round Carter intercepted Brady capping off a nice season for the rookie.

The veterans in Bailey, Florence, and Porter have been mentoring the young guys, and Carter and Harris have done all they can to keep all the information in their heads.  Both players have taken their challenges on well and be part of Del Rio's defense this year.

"I think the group is pretty good," Del Rio said. "We've got a good group of vets that are doing their best to share some of the knowledge that they've gathered over the years. I think he does take some time -- most of the guys do -- but Drayton in particular, Champ, those guys have been really good about giving some insight to some of the younger players, helping them grow."

Head coach John Fox believes the offseason workout will benefit the two players greatly which can make them into consistent contributors on the defense.

"The second time around, their sophomore season, they feel way more comfortable," Fox said. "Again, you have to develop a pro body. This game is twice as long as the college game when you figure in the preseason as well as the playoffs. It takes a while. They are much further along and much more comfortable the second time around."