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Inside the Game: Saints vs. Broncos Connections

Bill Johnson served as defensive line coach for Denver from 2007-08

Photos taken at the New Orleans Saints game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday, October 28, 2012. Photos taken by Michael C. Hebert.

New Orleans defensive line coach Bill Johnson served in the same position in Denver from 2007-08...Saints rookie safety Vonn Bell and rookie wide receiver Michael Thomas won the 2014 College Football National Championship with Broncos tight end Todd Heuerman. Thomas and Bell also played with Broncos cornerbackBradley Roby with the Buckeyes…Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi and Broncos offensive line coach Clancy Barone, defensive assistant Chris Beake, special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis and quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp served on the same coaching staff in Atlanta. Johnson, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak and Barone also served on the same staff at Texas A&M. Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who served in the same position in Denver in 2011 when the Broncos advanced to the AFC Divisional round, served on the same staff with Barone, Beake, DeCamillis, Knapp and Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips in Atlanta, while Knapp served on Allen's staff when he served as head coach of theOakland Raiders in 2012. Phillips served in the same position in New Orleans from 1981-1985 under his father Bum Phillips and was the interim Head Coach for the final four games of the 1985 campaign...Broncos center Dillon Day attended West Monroe High School in Monroe, LA…New Orleans LS Justin Drescher is a Colorado Springs native, who handled long snapping duties at the University of Colorado from 2006-09...Saints quarterback Garrett Grayson played at Colorado State with Broncos linebackerShaquil Barrett, running back Kapri Bibbs and offensive guard Ty Sambrailo in the 2013 season…Denver wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert served as tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette from 1999-2001 and served as tight ends coach at Northeast Louisiana University from 1995-97 after previously serving as a graduate assistant in Monroe in 1994 and started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at LSU after being a three-year letterman for the Tigers...Saints safety Jairus Byrd and center Max Unger played with Broncos safety T.J. Ward at Oregon from 2007-08…Broncos cornerback Taurean Nixon attended Southern Lab High School in Baton Rouge, LA and was a standout at Tulane…Saints running back Marcus Murphy played with Broncos defensive end Shane Ray and guard Connor McGovern at Missouri…Saints veteran punter Thomas Morstead played at SMU with Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders during the 2006-2008 seasons. New Orleans cornerback Sterling Moore and Sanders were also teammates at SMU in 2009. Moore and Denver linebacker Dekoda Watson were teammates in Dallas in 2014… Saints defensive end Paul Kruger, linebacker Craig Robertson and Broncos safetyT.J. Ward were teammates with the Cleveland Browns…New Orleans running backs coach Joel Thomas and Denver assistant offensive line coachJames Cregg served on the same coaching staff at Idaho from 2004-05. New Orleans wide receivers coach John Morton and Cregg served on the same Southern California coaching staff in 2010...Saints defensive assistant/linebackers James Willis was tutored by Broncos linebackers coach Reggie Herring at Auburn from 1990-91...New Orleans pass rush specialist Brian Young was tutored by Denver defensive line coach Bill Kollar in St. Louis from 2001-03. Saints assistant head coach/linebackers Joe Vitt and Kollar served on the same Rams staff from 2004-05...New Orleans head coach Sean Payton served on the same New York Giants offensive coaching staff with Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville from 2001-02...Denver linebacker Todd Davis spent part of the 2014 season with the Saints… Denver safety Lorenzo Doss prepped at St. Augustine (New Orleans) HS and was a standout at Tulane before being selected by Denver in the 2015 NFL Draft...Saints offensive line coach Dan Roushar tutored Broncos wide receiver Bennie Fowler when he served as offensive coordinator at Michigan State from 2011-12…New Orleans linebackers Michael Mauti and Nate Stupar played with Denver wide receiver Jordan Norwood at Penn State...Saints defensive end Kasim Edebali and Broncos safety Justin Simmons were teammates at Boston College.

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