It was Collier who switched from the traditional 4-3 alignment to 3-4, transforming Denver’s defense into the famed Orange Crush in the late-1970s.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo — Joe Collier, the architect of the famed Orange Crush defense and arguably one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history, has died.
Collier first gained recognition as a top defensive coach for the American Football League champion Buffalo Bills in 1965. He then became the Bills head coach in 1966, posting a 9-4-1 record before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL Championship Game.
He was fired two games into the 1968 season, which opened up a 20-year opportunity with the Broncos from 1969-88, the last 17 years of which were as the team’s defensive coordinator.
When Broncos’ star defensive end Lyle Alzado suffered a season-ending injury in the 1976 opener, Collier eventually transitioned that year from the 4-3 defensive alignment that was customary throughout the NFL to the 3-4. The reason was simple: Collier believed he had more good linebackers than defensive linemen.
Soft-spoken and humble with a football intellict so extraordinary, one of his former assistants Bill Belichick gushed praised over the years, Collier shifted Rubin Carter over to playing across the center, Paul Smith to right defensive end and Barney Chavous to left defensive end. The four linebackers were Tom Jackson, Randy Gradishar, Bob Swenson and Joe Rizzo. The secondary boasted Billy Thompson and John Roswer at safety and Louis Wright and Steve Foley at cornerback.
“Genius. Most people don’t know that Bill Belichick started off with us,” Jackson said of Collier in the book, The 50 Greatest Players in Denver Broncos History. “You look at the techniques that they use now, it’s exactly what Joe Collier taught. Contact at the line of scrimmage, nobody gets a free release uncontested.
“The bump rule, I always tell people, 1977 we went to the Super Bowl and in the offseason when we met with the referees before the ’78 season, they had changed the bump rule. You could no longer bump people all over the field. You could only bump them to 5 yards. That came out of the Orange Crush.’’
Alzado returned in 1977 and Bernard Jackson replaced Roswer at free safety. The Broncos went 12-2 and beat the Steelers and Raiders in back-to-back playoff weeks to earn the team’s first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. The Orange Crush defense allowed just 10.6 points per game that season and received the bulk of the credit for that magical 1977 season.
“Joe Collier was the architect in that,’’ Foley said for The 50 Greatest Players in Denver Broncos History. “Everybody loved Joe Collier. We were just excited to be playing in Joe Collier’s defense, knowing we could play with anybody in any game.’’
When head coach Red Miller — despite three playoff appearances and no losing seasons in his four years at the helm– was fired by new owner Edgar Kaiser Jr. after the 1980 season, Collier stayed on as defensive coordinator for new head coach Dan Reeves.
Collier was the Broncos’ top defensive coach in 1986-87 when the team won its second and third AFC Championships and made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.
Collier was fired after an 8-8 season in 1988 even the Broncos ranked in the top 10 in either scoring or total defense in 11 of his 17 seasons as coordinator. He was elected into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Collier later spent two more years as the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator in 1991-92 before retiring from coaching.
After his coaching career, Collier served on the Broncos’ Ring of Fame selection committee for more than 20 years. Among his survivors are his three children, Joel, Julie and Lisa.
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