Both coach Josh McDaniels and quarterback Kyle Orton expressed their respect for the Ravens' defense during their conference calls with Baltimore media Wednesday.
As the Denver Broncos prepare to meet the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, McDaniels said he hasn't noticed any lag from a defense that misses six-time Pro Bowl free safety Ed Reed.
"This is a very sound, physical, fundamental defense," McDaniels said. "I don't think they try to trick you very much. They have good players everywhere. I know people talk about the loss of Ed Reed, which certainly has a big impact in terms of his playmaking ability. But I think their secondary has played very well. I think their corners don't give up any big plays. They come up, and they're good tacklers. There's not a lot of run-after-catch plays. The front seven certainly applies a lot of pressure without having to blitz, and then when they do choose to blitz, they're very effective in that mode, too. So this is a team that certainly keeps you on your toes at every position and doesn't give up many opportunities to create a big chunk of plays. That's something we've been fortunate to be able to do the first four weeks, and we're certainly going to have our work cut out for us against the Ravens."
Orton called the defense "smart."
"They're never really out of position to give up the big play," the quarterback said. "Early on, I always thought that Baltimore would be blitz, blitz, blitz. They actually drop more people into coverage than probably 95 percent of the teams around the league. They've got a great scheme, and they execute it very well."
