It started with an innocent, bad decision. On June 28, 2009, Nate Irving was tired, but wanted to sleep in his own bed.

Irving aimed his car at North Carolina State.

At 4:40 am, he fell asleep at the wheel.

The one-car accident resulted in severe injuries, including a collapsed lung.

He had to have a titanium rod placed in his thigh to replace a section of the shattered femur bone. His vehicle ended up in a ditch next to the road. People who saw the remains of the vehicle were surprised that Irving had survived.

The adversity of this brought out Nate’s natural character. He apologized for wrecking the vehicle while still in the hospital. Within months, he was filming public service commercials to warn of the dangers of driving when drowsy. Irving has made a habit of proving that when there’s a problem, you need to focus on the solution, not the cause.

He keeps the date of the accident tattooed on his left forearm as a goad. If his mentality wanders from his goals, seeing that brings him back. He keeps a picture of the wrecked vehicle on his cellphone for the same reason.

Irving went through extensive and often painful physical therapy. There was no assurance that he would ever play football again. He’d been very fast before the wreck. Now he had to rebuild the leg muscles around a chunk of artificial bone. He took full responsibility for what he had to endure.

“It was nasty. Very immature. Selfish. Kind of complacent,” Irving has said. “I’m happy that I’m not the same person that I was before the accident.”

He’s talked about how the experience humbled him. He returned from his accident as a senior in 2010 before being drafted the next year.

In his senior year, Irving played both the Will and Mike linebacker slots. His coach wanted to emphasize his versatility to NFL scouts. It worked. He went to Denver with pick 67 in the third round of the 2011 Draft.

He spent most of the next three seasons starting on special teams, which disappointed a lot of fans. Irving has talked about how much starting on ST helped him rebuild his confidence as he continued to rebuild his body. He had a few starts in 2011 and 2012, but didn’t impress much.

Von Miller’s six-game suspension and season-ending ACL injury in 2013 meant a lot of starting experience for Irving. He didn’t try to replace Miller. He tried to be the best Sam he could. He had a good year by any measure, and he had a big reason to. Jack Del Rio, Denver's defensive coordinator, had been a Pro Bowl linebacker himself. Before the season, he’d sat down and had a talk with Irving.

"He looked at me and basically said that I needed to step up," Nate said. "He said that I was good in certain areas, but that wasn't enough. He wanted to see a more vocal player, one that was far more football smart."

Irving started working harder.

Nate had stepped up his work on his body when Brian Dawkins was in Denver. They trained together along with other Broncos during the lockout. Dawkins got Irving fired up about training his body. Nate had the same kind of experience when Del Rio laid things on the line for him. He knew the DC was right. He increased his training and his work in the film room, making the NFL’s complexity a natural part of his game. It showed in 2013 when he started at Sam. Irving has commented that starting at ST and then Sam helped him develop.

He earned the starting Mike linebacker role this year with a solid preseason showing. Many, including myself, had concerns with his abilities in coverage. Irving has been targeted seven times this season and gave up seven receptions. Five were against the Chiefs, who use Alex Smith in a West Coast Offense-based variation.

But then Nate led the team in tackles against the Chiefs, with 11. Seven of them were solo, and he added a sack. Nate has been out on the field in many nickel and dime situations. That reflects JDR’s confidence in the way he’s responded. He played 39 of the Broncos 76 defensive snaps Week 1, due to an injury, but 71 of 86 defensive snaps in Week 2.

Anyone who goes through the kind of experiences Nate has is going to waver at times, no matter how strong that person is. We all live with some dark thoughts that haunt us at 3 am once in a while. From all reports, Irving has impressed many mentors in his life. Each time he’s stumbled, he’s gotten the kind of hard-love support that he’s needed from one of them. The nudges were timely, but it’s Irving himself who’s done the hard daily work. He’s put in long hours of therapy, strength and flexibility training, and extensive film work.

It’s gotten him back on top of his situation. He’s now the starting middle linebacker for the Broncos. No one doubts it, and his performance has reflected it.

The defense needs to play a lot better as a whole, but Irving has played well overall. In both games, the defense weakened in the second half. They still played well enough for Denver to win each game. Irving has been a big part of that.

Going into Seattle, the team is going to have to step up if they want to come home with a ‘W’. Irving has to show his best leadership to keep them fired up while going head to head with the Seahawks. It comes with the territory of being the Mike.

The next game gives the Broncos a chance to recover some of the swagger they lost after the Super Bowl. It’s time for the entire team to step up and play with the kind of focus and physical skill that they can. Along with defensive leaders Terrance Knighton and T.J. Ward, Irving will have to play his best and demand it from his teammates.

Given what he’s already overcome, I’m not betting against him.