BRONCOS: Bly settles in, says he's thrilled by high expectations

ENGLEWOOD -- Dre Bly knows what’s waiting for him this season.

“Double moves and deep routes,” the new Denver Broncos cornerback said. “That’s the way they’re going to attack me.”

So the blueprint of how to play Bly is clear. In Bly’s mind, so is the final result of those tests.

“I’m going to make their (butt) pay,” Bly said.

That’s what the Broncos were counting on when they acquired Bly, a two-time Pro Bowler, in an offseason trade with Detroit.

Bly initially balked at coming to the Broncos, although he said he never had any bad feelings for Denver. He said he wanted stability, which he eventually got with a five-year contract extension from Denver, and felt betrayed because Lions general manager Matt Millen said he would be traded to Washington, which is near his Virginia home.

Months later, Bly said he is having fun in Denver. He and his family have settled into Colorado, he is impressed with how the Broncos organization is run and is thrilled to play on a team with winning expectations.

“Coach (Mike) Shanahan told me once I got here I would love it,” Bly said. “He was exactly right.”

Bly spent his first four seasons in St. Louis, and played in two Super Bowls. He didn’t he didn’t make a playoff game in his four seasons with Detroit, and an odd thing about playing on the moribund Lions bothered him.

“Our schedule was always the same,” Bly said. “We always had a 1 o’clock game on Sunday. We never had any (nationally) televised game. The only televised game we had was on Thanksgiving.

“I’m part of a team now that went 9-7 last year. In Detroit that’s a great season. Here, that’s a disappointment. So I’m glad Detroit is behind me. I’m glad to be here.”

Bly should be a prime-time player for the Broncos. He won’t have the same type of season Champ Bailey had last year, and he admits it. Bailey intercepted 10 passes, but what set him apart was he rarely allowed a catch.

Bly will allow some big plays. He likes to take chances — which is why he knows that teams will test him with double moves — but he points to his 33 career interceptions and is confident he’ll have some big plays.

“They’re going to make plays,” Bly said. “But you’re not going to make a living doing that on me. My track record shows that. I hold my own, I make my amount of plays.”

Bly won’t be ignored, as he was at times in Detroit as the Lions’ top corner. But he doesn’t think he’s going to see all the passes, even with Bailey on the other side.

“It’s not like I’m a regular Joe off the street,” Bly said. “People know I make plays and I have great ball skills. People that see me in practice and see me catch the ball, and I got some of the best ball skills in this game. And I’m not going to say for the position — that’s point blank.”

With Bly at one cornerback, Bailey at the other and John Lynch and Nick Ferguson playing safety, the Broncos have great expectations for the secondary.

“This is pr[BODY]obably the best secondary I’ve been with, since I’ve been coaching, top to bottom,” Shanahan said.

Bly is the only new member of the starting secondary. For all his bravado, he knows he has prove himself to his new team and the city of Denver.

“I’m new,” Bly said. “I got to open eyes here. People may have heard of me or heard what I’ve done in the past, but until you see a guy in person you don’t know what he can do.”