In Week One, the Broncos faced a quarterback who has significant running skills. In Week Two, Denver hosts a quarterback about whom the defense is leery for another reason.
“People don’t really want to play Derek [Carr],” linebacker Von Miller told reporters on Thursday. “He’s not going to give you a chance to rush the passer. I think the average time to throw the ball to throw the ball last year was 2.5 seconds. They had Derek throwing it in 2.2 on Monday. He’s going to get the ball out very quick and he’s very accurate with his throws. They have a great offensive line, a great running back and great coaches over there. Pretty tough team that we’re going up against. We know that the ant pile is going to be stirred up a little bit, with the game they played the other day. It’s going to be tough one, but we’re looking forward to it.”
So how does a pass rusher deal with a quarterback who gets ride of the ball quickly?
“Hands up, get your hands up,” Miller said. “Try to get them third and long. I mean, at third and long you’ve got to take your time and throw the ball anyways. If you’re throwing the ball quick on third and long, we’ve got great corners. We’ve just got to let those guys spread. Three and outs happen when you throw the ball quick and don’t just want an incomplete ball. Yeah, we’ve just got to get our hands up and hopefully he’ll hold it. Rush like he’s going to hold the ball.”
Carr may end up holding the ball a little longer this week, given that he’s quite possibly now thinking about trying to get the ball to receiver Amari Cooper, given that coach Jon Gruden publicly bemoaned the team’s failure to find Cooper more frequently “for whatever reason.”