It’s no fun getting chewed out by a man who successfully wrestled a bear. It’s even worse when that man, Bill Kollar, is your position coach and he isn’t accepting excuses.

Broncos second year defensive end Adam Gotsis can sport a smirk when discussing Kollar’s tough-love coaching. There wasn’t much smiling during his rookie season in 2016, when he barely made it onto the field.

Gotsis’ confidence waned. A year ago, he was an undersized rookie limited by a knee brace supporting his recently healed torn anterior cruciate ligament. And the NFL was nothing like college.

“It was tough at times. It was a grind. It really was,” Gotsis said. “But he’s doing his job. His job is to get the most out of his players, and that’s by any means. I have to respond to it. I came into this year with a new mentality, and I have a better chance of doing what he wants.”

Kollar, who campaigned for the Broncos to draft Gotsis, was disappointed as Gotsis made little progress as a rookie from his time at Georgia Tech. He issued Gotsis his sternest challenge yet when the young defensive lineman left the Broncos’ facility in January.

“I told him, ‘Dude, this next offseason is the most important time of your life,’ ” Kollar said. ” ‘It’s going to tell if you’re going to be able to play in the NFL or not. You’ve got to get bigger, stronger and faster.’ He was just outmatched last year. ‘If you come in and have the same strength you had last year, you’re in bad shape.

“ ‘I know you’re coming off the torn ACL, so it’s tough, but dude, that’s just tough (stuff). You’ve got to show up and play now or you’ll find yourself out of the league.’ ”

Even at organized team activities, it’s safe to say Gotsis responded well to Kollar’s challenge. Gotsis knows it, too, rolling up the sleeves of his jersey before every practice to let his bulging biceps and triceps get some shine.

He has made a noticeable leap from 287 pounds to 306 pounds this offseason in an effort to better hold up against NFL offensive linemen. He trained with Georgia Tech strength-and-conditioning coach John Sisk in Atlanta with a simple plan: Lift every day and eat.

“Last year when he was playing, he really wasn’t himself,” Broncos defensive coordinator Joe Woods said. “When you look at him now, he looks like an action figure.”

Gotsis is one of the most important pieces in the Broncos’ defense. There’s an open starting defensive end spot opposite Derek Wolfe. The Broncos would love for Gotsis to win it. The decision to draft Gotsis was always about potential, and there’s still hope he can become the force they envisioned.

“We call him ‘Little Wolfe,’ ” nose tackle Domata Peko said. “He’s a strong guy, a tough dude, and he works out. We’ll see what he can do for us this year.”

Gotsis said the biggest difference for him this season will be playing without a knee brace and getting an entire offseason to focus solely on football. Related Articles Broncos’ Phillip Lindsay ruled out for Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh as running back deals with toe injury

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“I can move properly. I can bend with my knee,” said Gotsis, who had 14 tackles and no sacks last season. “I can do things as a natural athlete rather than being hampered by my injury.”

Gotsis wasn’t a full practice participant as a rookie until training camp in August after spending the offseason rehabbing his torn left ACL.The knee later got infected, delaying his progress by six weeks. He played 16 games a season ago as a reserve, but he never felt comfortable playing with the brace.

Head coach Vance Joseph plans to have a defensive end rotation with incumbent starter Jared Crick competing with Gotsis, second-round pick DeMarcus Walker and Zach Kerr for the spot opposite Wolfe.