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Ware: Broncos' pass rush 'going to be a whirlwind'

CULVER CITY, Calif. -- DeMarcus Ware sees trouble on the horizon for opponents of the Denver Broncos.

After combining with fellow pass rusher Von Miller for 21.5 sacks last season, Ware says the duo is ready to smash that mark in 2015.

"I think it's going to be a whirlwind," Ware told Around The NFL on Friday. "This year's going to be that tornado."

Ware pointed to the addition of rookie outside linebacker Shane Ray, saying that the No. 23 overall pick has impressed his veteran teammates during organized team activities.

"When it's third down and it's pressure situations, you've got three guys that are going to come in there and wreak havoc," Ware said. "And with Shane Ray coming in, he's one of those guys who's stronger than he looks and he's a lot faster than he looks. He's learning a lot from me and learning a lot from Von and he's putting that in his arsenal."

Ware finished with 10 sacks last season, but admitted in April that his production tailed off down the stretch after offseason elbow surgery limited his preparation prior to September.

That hasn't been a problem this spring, with Ware and Miller spending countless hours together watching game film and learning from each other.

"We always talk about how consistent can we be throughout the game," Ware said. "We saw last year, sometime we weren't as effective as we should have been, so we go back and we watch that tape and we're like, 'What could we have done? What kind of moves could we have done?' Because you know guys are going to attack you the same way. We are a lot more effective."

Here's what else we learned from Ware:

  1. Raiders coach and former Broncos coordinator Jack Del Rio turned heads this week when he called Oakland linebacker Khalil Mack"way more physical than Von." I asked Ware if Miller took offense to Del Rio's analysis:

"I think they are two different types of players," Ware said. "You've got one guy who's a little bit bigger. You know, Khalil Mack, he's a little bit bigger than Von, so he's probably going to have a little bit more power playing against the run. But then you've got a guy like Von, who is running like a 4.4, who's a lot quicker. So he's going to use his weight and his leverage to move guys."

Said Ware: "I just think that they're two different players, and you have to look at it that way. Both of them are good."

  1. On the difference between his former quarterback, Tony Romo, and Peyton Manning:

"The composure of each quarterback," Ware said. "Romo, he's more of a gunslinger. So he can move around in the pocket, he's really slippery. He's hard to take down. He's stronger than he looks. Peyton, he sits back there and he's going to make sure that his time clock -- he's going to be off the ball. So no matter how fast you get to him, you're not going to get to him because the ball's gone. He knows exactly where he's going to go before the play."

  1. On the toughest quarterback to face in today's NFL:

"I think the toughest quarterback that guys are facing is probably Andrew Luck," Ware said. "He's one of those guys where usually a quarterback will try to scramble out of the pocket. He doesn't. He scrambles into the pocket. And so he'll let guys corral and get outside of him, but he'll go into the pocket and throw a javelin. So he's one of those guys who's hard to defend."

  1. On watching Dallas win a playoff game in his first season away from the team:

"I was proud of them. Just knowing how much scrutiny they got," Ware said. "... At the end of the day, it's all about team. How the team comes together. And they were able to be successful this season. ... You just got to be proud of that team and always hopeful for your own."

  1. On the expectations for this year's Broncos, Ware didn't mince words, saying: "I think there's nothing less than a Super Bowl."

The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses offseason clichés and who are the NFL's most valuable non-QBs. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.

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