INDIANAPOLIS — It might have been one part parting shot and one part plea.

But as Mike Shanahan was set to step away from the Broncos upon being fired after a 14-year run that included two Super Bowl wins, he simply said:

"This defense can be fixed. I believe that, and I don't think it's that far away."

But, in the end, that defense likely cost Shanahan his job, as the team went through three defensive coordinators during his last three seasons at Dove Valley. Larry Coyer gave way to Jim Bates, and Bates gave way to Bob Slowik.

Yet the missed tackles, the ill-timed mistakes, the touchdowns kept coming, while the sacks, the big stops and interceptions did not. And even an offense that finished second in the NFL in yards gained per game couldn't save it.

So, like Coyer, Bates and Slowik, Shanahan is out and a new football hierarchy is in, with head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders now calling the shots. And while the two won't publicly say the team's defense needs the most work, they already have released six players on the defensive side of the ball who played in the season finale - it was a 52-21 loss at San Diego - and three of them started that game.

And while defense largely has been out of sight for the Broncos the past two seasons, it certainly is on the mind of many. Asked during Super Bowl week to compare his career arc to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler said, "He's got one of the best defenses in the league for the last five, six years. It makes things easier, it really does. Defense wins championships."

So consider:

* The Broncos are one of only three teams to have surrendered at least 400 points in each of the past two seasons. Detroit, 0-16 in 2008 and 7-9 in 2007, and St. Louis, 2-14 and 3-13, are the others.

* No team intercepted fewer passes the past two seasons combined than the Broncos' 20 (six in '08 and 14 in '07). Detroit was next, with 21.

"And I know we want to be a big, physical, tough team to fix that," new Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "We play in a dome, but we want to play like an outdoor team."

As for the Broncos, McDaniels said Friday that they will play at least some 3-4 on defense in the upcoming season because of the problems it presents to offenses.

It makes the Broncos one of several teams making the change - the Green Bay Packers recently made the switch to a 3-4 with Dom Capers as their new defensive coordinator, and the Kansas City Chiefs are expected to change once they choose their defensive coordinator - and puts them on hunt to fill some new roles in the scheme.

"(The 3-4) is a completely different skill set, and not just the linebacker position, which is what everybody sort of sees," Schwartz said. "It's the nose guard and the defensive tackles, and it would probably take a pretty major overhaul."

Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert, whose team has played a 3-4 defense since former coach Bill Cowher was hired in 1992, said that, along with finding a nose tackle to anchor the center of the line, the two outside linebacker spots can be difficult to fill.

That's because players who were once undersized defensive ends, playing along the line of scrimmage at 260 pounds or so, now are being asked to drop into coverage as well as rush the passer. For the Broncos, that would mean players such as Elvis Dumervil or Jarvis Moss, who have played almost exclusively along the line of scrimmage, suddenly would find their things-to-do list has become much larger.

"The 265-, 270-pound end will have the most difficulty," Colbert said. "The interior defensive lineman can usually make the change because their techniques usually don't change, if they have the size. . . . When we look at a 260- or 255-pound guy, (we ask) can they make the transition to do the things they need to do, from a coverage standpoint? That's always our challenge.

"It limits your pool to a certain extent, and it also reminds you you're going to have to have a lot of patience with these guys as they develop. Everyone who has been in our system as outside linebackers, it usually took them a minimum of two years - and usually three to four years - before they were ready to contribute."

McDaniels said the Broncos were prepared to have that kind of patience when looking to play the 3-4.

The draft this year, though, can offer them some help in some trouble spots. It is one of the strongest drafts in recent memory at linebacker, especially at the top of the board.

And there are some who played as undersized pass-rush ends in college who also might be able to make the transition to outside linebacker, if asked. And a player such as Purdue's Alex Magee could be a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, though he rushed from the outside for the Boilermakers.

There also is depth to be found at cornerback, and while it's conceivable no safety will go in the first round, there are plenty available in the second and third rounds who project as productive players.

"With respect to the defense, we're going to have a system of tough, smart, instinctive, productive players that play great under pressure," Xanders said this week. "So whatever we run out of the tunnel with, we're there to stop that offense and deny points."

That's something the Broncos haven't done consistently in quite some time.

Top of the line

A look at the top players in the 2009 draft, in alphabetical order, at each of the defensive positions:

DEFENSIVE END	School	The lowdown
Robert Ayers	Tennessee	First-team All-SEC after big senior year.
*Everette Brown	Florida State	Undersized; had 13.5 sacks in ’08.
Tyson Jackson	Louisiana State	Powerful end, but should make more plays.
*Aaron Maybin	Penn State	Could project as outside linebacker in 3-4.
Brian Orakpo	Texas	Straight-line player; instincts a question.

And, maybe a little later . . . Maurice Evans, Penn State

DEFENSIVE TACKLE	School	The lowdown
Evander Hood	Missouri	Active player with 62 tackles in ’08.
*Ricky Jean Francois	Louisiana St.	Scouts like his upfield potential.
Peria Jerry	Mississippi	Had big week at Senior Bowl.
Alex Magee	Purdue	Played right end for Boilermakers.
B.J. Raji	Boston College	Most see him as a nose tackle.

And, maybe a little later . . . Sammie Lee Hill, Stillman

INSIDE LINEBACKER	School	The lowdown
Darry Beckwith	Louisiana St.	Some question only 51 tackles in ’08.
James Laurinaitis	Ohio State	Some didn’t like his ’08 efforts.
Rey Maualuga	Southern Cal	Biggest hitter in a quality group.
Scott McKillop	Pittsburgh	Plays better than he will test.
*Gerald McRath	Southern Miss	Some also see him as a weak-side player.

And, maybe a little later . . . Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER	School	The lowdown
Aaron Curry	Wake Forest	Can do it all; a safe pick all around.
Brian Cushing	Southern Cal	Played end early in his career.
Larry English	Northern Illinois	Big-time pass-rush skills.
Clay Matthews	Southern Cal	Well-rounded player with quality instincts.
Clint Sintim	Virginia	Could play in a 3-4 look.

And, maybe a little later . . . Moise Fokou, Maryland

CORNERBACK	School	The lowdown
*Vontae Davis	Illinois	Some worry he’ll test better than he plays.
Malcolm Jenkins	Ohio State	Some scouts think he will be a safety.
*D.J. Moore	Vanderbilt	Might be a late first-rounder.
Alphonso Smith	Wake Forest	At 5-9, his size is a concern.
*Sean Smith	Utah	Big corners always move up the board.

And, maybe a little later . . . Bruce Johnson, Miami

SAFETY	School	The lowdown
Patrick Chung	Oregon	Needs to show more pop in run support.
Louis Delmas	Western	Physical player, but bobbles in coverage Michigan at times.
Kevin Ellison	Southern Cal	Knee surgery this past season is a concern.
Michael Hamlin	Clemson	A four-year starter for the Tigers.
William Moore	Missouri	May lead group without a first-round pick.

And, maybe a little later . . . Nic Harris, Oklahoma

*Came out as an underclassman.

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