Broncos DBs Hill and Goodman eager to repeat Miami-style turnaround in Denver

Broncos DBs eager for another turnaround

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Even though Andre’ Goodman and Renaldo Hill are in a new setting, they find themselves on familiar ground.

The Denver Broncos defensive backs only hope it has a similar ending.

Goodman and Hill were part of a reclamation project in Miami, helping the Dolphins rebound from a disastrous 1-15 campaign in 2007 to becoming a playoff squad last season.

Now, the good friends are eager to orchestrate a similar turnaround in Denver, joining a team that has missed the playoffs the past three seasons.

They see parallels between the situations in Miami and Denver, including a rookie coach coming on board to infuse a new attitude and a new general manager calling the shots.

Last season, Goodman sensed a vibe from the start of Miami’s camp. With Tony Sparano taking over as head coach and Bill Parcells stepping in as a new team executive, Goodman felt confident the Dolphins were on the right track.

That’s good, too, because he was sick of losing. Playing on teams in Detroit and Miami, he was a combined 26-70 in six previous seasons leading up to last year.

“Nobody can enjoy football when you’re losing,” Goodman said. “Trust me, I’ve experienced it. I felt like I lost a little bit of my competitive spirit.”

He got it back in ‘08 as Miami won the AFC East and made the postseason for the first time in seven seasons.

“You couldn’t predict that,” Hill said. “But you could sense what Sparano and Parcells were bringing and that good things were coming about.”

Hill gets an identical feeling in Denver with Josh McDaniels in charge, even if it’s been a tumultuous offseason since the 33-year-old coach replaced Mike Shanahan in January.

“There’s a lot of good talent here,” Hill said. “That’s one of the things you can just sense — these guys are motivated by having a good ball club and doing things right.”

During the offseason, Goodman had plenty of people ask him how the Dolphins transformed themselves so quickly from the dregs of the AFC into contenders.

He said it was simply an attitude adjustment.

“We were at the bottom looking up — that’s the mentality we took during training camp,” Goodman said. “It’s like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. All it is is work. You work your way out of the hole. You don’t look to see what’s at the top, you just keep continuing to work. You look up and you’re 11-5 and in the playoffs.

“At the end of the day, it’s about players wanting it bad enough to do whatever it takes to get it.”

He’s trying to instill a similar attitude in Denver.

“Every year is a new opportunity, a new chance for a new team,” Goodman said. “I like the guys we have on the team.”

Goodman and Hill developed a tight-knit friendship over their three seasons together in Miami.

So when Hill signed with Denver in March, it didn’t take long for Goodman to join him — a day to be specific.

“We have so much chemistry,” Hill said. “It’s carrying over.”

One of the reasons Hill signed with Denver was for the chance to play alongside perennial Pro Bowler Brian Dawkins, who agreed to a deal just days before Hill.

“He’s always been one of the guys I looked up to, just the way he carries himself on and off the field,” Hill said. “If you want to pattern yourself after a guy, why not him? He does everything right.”

Goodman feels the same way about fellow cornerback Champ Bailey, who’s coming off an injury-marred ‘08 season.

With the four savvy veterans, the Broncos now boast a secondary that, at least on paper, looks as good as any in the league.

“You all know about Champ, he’s a play-at-a-high-level cornerback,” Goodman said. “You know what Brian is going to bring. Me and Renaldo are the question marks until we can get out there and jell together.”

They certainly solidified the defense in Miami, helping turn around the Dolphins. They arrived in Denver to facilitate another change.

Or so that’s the theory. Goodman would’ve gone elsewhere if he didn’t think the Broncos were on the right path. He’s seen too much losing in his career to go through that again.

“When you feel you have a chance to win, that’s what brings the excitement,” Goodman said. “When you walk off the field and you’ve won the game, that’s joy. Nothing can replace that, no amount of money.”