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Ware pays Durangoan ultimate compliment

Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series with Durango native and Miami Dolphins' offensive line coach John Benton, who talked to The Durango Herald by phone Wednesday. The first part ran Sunday and can be viewed at www.durangoherald.com.

By John Livingston

Herald Sports Writer

DENVER – From the dirt-patch field behind Durango High School to the world's best football stadiums, John Benton has seen it all.

Benton, a 1982 graduate of Durango High School, is in his third stop with a National Football League team, as he currently serves as the offensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins, who lost to the Denver Broncos 39-36 on Sunday in Denver.

Growing up in Durango, Benton, son of Jack and Virginia Benton, never imagined he would be game-planning for the likes of Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.

“Man, they're a good offensive line, and the quarterback (Ryan Tannehill) helps 'em out with stringing the plays out. But they are a good, young offensive line,” Ware said after the game Sunday in a one-on-one interview with The Durango Herald. “They're really fundamentally sound.”

After graduating from DHS, Benton went on to play for Colorado State, where he developed the relationships that helped him become a coach.

Benton's first NFL job came with the St. Louis Rams, where he was an assistant offensive line coach in 2004 and the offensive line coach in 2005. The Rams went to the playoffs in 2004 and advanced out of the wild-card round to the divisional round. That year, Benton coached pro bowl left tackle Orlando Pace.

The next year, Benton coached the offensive line that paved the way for Steven Jackson's first 1,000-yard rushing season. The Rams averaged 1,579 total rushing yards in Benton's two seasons in St. Louis.

After that, Benton moved on to the Houston Texans. In eight seasons from 2006 to 2013, Benton helped turn around the Texans' line that got off to a dismal start in its first four seasons of existence. Houston made the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, losing in the divisional round both times.

Now with the Dolphins in his 11th season coaching in the NFL, Benton has seen the game undergo plenty of makeovers, especially since his playing days at CSU, where he was named to the All-Century team as a player.

“I tell ya, the spread offense is probably the biggest change I've seen,” Benton said last week while preparing for the Broncos. “It's kind of funny now teams are starting to run it more from that spread. It's always up and down depending on the team. In Houston, we ran it all the time. With St. Louis and Mike Martz, we were lucky to run the ball 10 times a game.

“As far as the NFL is concerned, it's always changing. But someone smart once told me a long time ago, 'You can never take the football out of football. It's still the same game. It's about being physical and sound more than anything, regardless of scheme.'”

Benton had to think awhile when asked who the toughest opposing defensive linemen in the NFL were the most difficult to game-plan for, but two names finally emerged: Gerald McCoy and J.J. Watt.

“It seems like, as a coach, every week you turn on film, and it's, 'How are we gonna block this guy?' By the end of the week, you come up with a plan,” he said during his phone interview Wednesday with the Herald. “There's some tremendous guys. One guy I'm glad I haven't coached against yet is J.J. Watt. It's phenomenal the things he does. Of course, thinking in terms of an offensive line coach, Gerald McCoy in Tampa Bay is another one. He's very difficult to deal with. Right now, I'm a little concerned with the Denver crew. Those guys are no slouches for sure.”

Benton never had the chance to play at Mile High, but the return Sunday to Sports Authority Field wasn't his first. He made a couple of trips back with the Texans, and he coached CSU in several Rocky Mountain Showdowns against the Colorado Buffaloes in the stadium.

Benton said it is special every time he does return.

“It's a great place and a great stadium, one of the best NFL environments you see around,” said Benton, who was unavailable for postgame interviews Sunday in Denver per NFL rules.

But the coach didn't grow up rooting for his home-state team. His respect for the Broncos came many years later as a coach at CSU, especially through his connection with former Broncos quarterback and quarterbacks coach Gary Kubiak, who was the head coach of the Texans during Benton's time in Houston.

“When I started liking football, it seemed like everyone was Broncos crazy in the Orange Crush days in the '70s,” Benton said. “Me, being defiant, I picked the Raiders, just to be contrary. I bought into it big time.

“Though, when I was at CSU, I leaned heavily on the Denver Bronco coaches. I developed a relationship with (Gary) Kubiak. I became a big Bronco fan through association with them and (Mike) Shanahan and some other coaches there. Now that I'm a coach, you're not a fan anymore, though.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com

Nov 23, 2014
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