Veteran CB Dre Bly was picked up by the 49ers this offseason, but he spent the previous two years in the Broncos’ woeful secondary. And Bly believes he unfairly took much of the blame for Denver’s poor defensive ranking and its eventual collapse down the stretch last season, he told the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk:

“I was made the scapegoat,” Bly said. “Especially on the other side of Champ (Bailey), you’re gonna take (criticism). But I don’t care who you are, if you don’t have a pass rush and you’re not aggressive on defense, they’re gonna catch a ball.

“We weren’t aggressive last year in Denver. We let people take the fight to us. We were so predictable on defense. I don’t make no excuses; none of us played well in the system…. People are going to question my ability, saying I’m not this, I’m not that, that’s fine. I use all that for motivation.”

Other stories of note on a Monday:

• Vikings CB Antoine Winfield wants a new deal, but he’s frustrated by the team’s mixed signals.
• Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers says safety Nick Collins has some catching up to do.