Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been preaching clean play and a reduction in penalties for weeks.
Joseph, though, said he couldn’t find any fault in how cornerback Riley Moss played the late-fourth-quarter deep ball against the New York Giants on which Moss drew a 38-yard defensive pass interference penalty. The play set up the Giants near the goal line, and preceded a go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds remaining.
“I wouldn’t coach it any differently,” Joseph said Thursday. “I think this: The officials, they have a tough job. It’s a tough job. To make those calls in a split second, that’s tough to do. They have an extremely tough job. I don’t put it on those guys. I put it on us to correct it and play cleaner.”
There’s a reason, though, Joseph said, a penalty like Moss’ gets more attention than, say, a critical John Franklin-Myers unnecessary roughness penalty three plays before that cost Denver 15 yards.
“The penalty itself, there’s such a huge consequence. It’s a spot foul,” Joseph said. “That makes it emotional, and that makes it tough on defenses. It’s an incomplete pass; it’s kind of grey. We’re not sure if it’s a foul or not, and it’s a (38)-yard play. That makes it emotional, and that makes it tough.
“That’s the issue with it. If it was 15 yards or 10 yards, it wouldn’t be so emotional. But it’s a spot foul, and that makes it hard.”
Joseph, overall, though, is thrilled with the way Moss is playing so far through seven games. He’s among the most targeted cornerbacks in football and, according to Next Gen Stats, has allowed the lowest completion percentage among all defensive backs with 30-plus targets at 44.4%.
“I think he’s got the hardest job on our defense weekly,” Joseph said. “Pat (Surtain II) is a great player, the No. 1 corner in football. So most of the concepts and most of the scheme from offense is going toward Riley. He’s competitive. He’s not going to back off.
“It doesn’t matter how the game’s going, if he gets a penalty or two, he’s going to compete and do his job, and that makes Riley special.”
Joseph, of course, doesn’t want Moss getting a penalty or two each week, but he’s just the latest to express confidence in the third-year corner.
Head coach Sean Payton said Moss is playing “outstanding” on Wednesday.
“All the numbers suggest it,” Payton continued. “Certainly he’s getting a lot of the targets, but yes. He’s on to the next play, and he made a great play the other day. He made a great play on the ball.”
Harvey’s blunder: Rookie running back RJ Harvey made a big mistake Sunday when he fielded a kickoff along the sideline and stepped out of bounds at the 5-yard line. Had the kick gone out of bounds on its own, Denver would have started at the 40.
“Just a poor decision,” special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi said Thursday. “… I think RJ wanted to make a play, and he got to the corner and didn’t realize he was that close to the sideline. Obviously, he was disappointed. That’s just something that we’ll learn from and move on.”
One interesting note: Rizzi said kickers are more frequently angling kicks toward the sideline because, if they’re put in a good spot, it puts a returner in a difficult position. If the ball goes into the end zone, it only comes out to the 20. If it gets out of bounds before the goal line, it’s the 40. That puts return men in just the bind Harvey found himself in: Deciding on the fly whether to field the ball in a tight spot.
Broncos healthy: Outside linebacker Jonah Elliss is trending toward a return Sunday after missing the past two games with a shoulder injury.
Elliss, like every player on the Broncos’ 53-man roster, was a full participant in Thursday’s practice.
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey (foot/ankle) was the only other player listed on the injury report.
Dallas, meanwhile, had 15 players on its injury report, including 11 who were either limited or didn’t practice. The Cowboys could be getting reinforcements this week, though, as center Cooper Beebee, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and corner Shavon Revel all returned to practice and could be activated from injury lists.
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