ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- There are a few more lines around the eyes, each of them a mark of some lesson learned during a head-coaching tenure that lasted nearly a decade, had its share of success but ended badly for Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville.
Some things, however, haven't changed.
The Broncos defensive coordinator, now 49 and reunited with John Fox in the same role he had a decade ago in Carolina, is still a formidable presence whenever he walks onto a football field. And the schemes the NFL linebacker-turned-coach crafts still make life difficult for opposing offenses.
Denver's seventh defensive coordinator in seven years has the Broncos playing fast, and at a level this defense hasn't reached in a while. They are ranked sixth in yards allowed and 10th in points allowed.
Chiefs not drafting well
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli has often said free agency is a flawed way to build a team, where players available are often overpriced or on the downward side of their careers.
Sure, it's always necessary to sign a few guys to plug holes, but Pioli would much rather draft the right guys, develop them from within the organization, and generate the kind of stability that has made franchises such as the Pittsburgh Steelers the model of NFL success.
Problems arise when you don't draft the right guys, though.
The result can be a 1-8 record.
Timmons breaks mold
PITTSBURGH -- James
Larry Foote's a congenial chatterbox on and off the field.
And among great Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers of the recent past, Joey Porter was known for his trash talking and James Farrior for his vocal leadership.
Something about the position, maybe.
Then, of course, there's Lawrence Timmons, arguably the best linebacker for the best statistical defense in the NFL. Timmons hardly fits the mold of a loud and rambunctious Steelers linebacker -- past or present.
But he's just as productive, if not more. And he will be in focus when his Steelers (6-3) face the Baltimore Ravens (7-2) in an AFC North showdown Sunday night.
Greene: Words misused
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets running back Shonn Greene says he was "shocked" by a published report in which he was quoted as suggesting the team might need to make a change at quarterback.
Greene says Thursday the Yahoo! story included quotes that were "completely out of context." He adds that he never said anything about replacing Mark Sanchez with Tim Tebow as the quarterback. The story quoted Greene as saying: "You feel bad for Mark, but at the same time you want to win games. ... If you want to win games, you've got to try something."
Michael Silver, who wrote the story, wrote on Twitter that he stands by his column "100 pct" and quoted Greene accurately.
Greene says he texted Sanchez when he heard about the story, and the two are fine.
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