Category Archives: Broncos/NFL

September 10, 2012

An auspicious beginning

By Dave Krieger

There’s a scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where Butch and Sundance are auditioning for jobs as stagecoach guards. Percy Garris, played by Strother Martin, asks if Sundance can hit anything with his six shooter.

“Sometimes,” Sundance says. “Can I move?”

“What the hell ya mean, move?” Martin asks.

Standing still, Sundance hits nothing. Martin is about to give up on him when Sundance moves as he might in a gunfight and destroys the target.

“I’m better when I move.” he says.

Which brings us to Peyton Manning and the no-huddle offense. Early in Sunday night’s game, the Broncos ran a traditional offense, huddling up between plays. They did OK, too, earning two first downs before they were forced to punt.

But it was in the no-huddle, the scheme Manning mastered in Indianapolis, that they began gashing Pittsburgh’s able defense in the second quarter. Here’s what Tony Dungy, Manning’s former coach with the Colts, posted on Twitter after the game:

“Once Broncos went to no huddle Peyton Manning led them to 3 TDs and a FG. I am so happy for him. A lot of hard work went into his comeback.”

Manning agreed, at least with the first part.

“I think it made a difference,” he said. “I think it did sort of give our offense a little boost. I can’t speak to (the Steelers), just how they felt about it, whether it fatigued them or not. I don’t know that. But it did give our offense a little boost where we got into a little rhythm.”

For those who doubted whether Manning could resemble his younger self at age 36 after multiple neck surgeries and a full year off, check out these numbers from his first game back:

He completed 19 of 26 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 129.2.

For the sake of comparison, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 22 of 40 for 245 yards, two touchdowns, a comeback-killing interception and a passer rating of 79.7.

As good as Roethlisberger was, and he was, Manning was equally productive, more efficient and less mistake-prone.

“He’s Peyton,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

“He’s a great player,” Broncos coach John Fox said. “A lot’s been made of the injury and those types of things, but we’re just glad he’s on our team.”

The atmosphere at Mile High for Manning’s Broncos debut was like that of a legendary actor opening in a new play on Broadway. The sense of anticipation, that the stadium was the place to be, came with the early-arriving crowd.

The Broncos’ return to orange as their primary uniform color gave it a visual theme. The stadium was a sea of orange. The Steelers travel so well that normally there are significant patches of yellow and black whenever they come to town. Evidently, Broncos season ticket holders were less willing to sell their tickets this time. The yellow towels that flew when the Steelers made big plays were more isolated than usual, threatening to drown in that ocean of orange.

The Broncos reported the fourth-highest attendance in franchise history — 76,823 — with 181 no-shows instead of the usual 3,000 or 4,000. If executive vice president of football operations John Elway has really made the club competitive for the first time since he was executive vice president of throwing the football, well, the Broncos may again be the toughest ticket in town.

“What an awesome atmosphere, playing in prime time and the fans were rocking,” Manning said.

The game had an odd rhythm, chiefly because for a long stretch in the middle, Manning and the offense couldn’t get on the field. In the third quarter, Pittsburgh possessed the ball for 14 minutes and 24 seconds, leaving Manning the other 36 seconds.

Of course, this was in part because Manning and the offense traversed 80 yards in two plays during those 36 seconds, including the night’s signature play, a screen pass that wide receiver Demaryius Thomas turned into a 71-yard touchdown.

For the Steelers, this had to be a nightmarish flashback. The last time they played a game that counted, it was a playoff game at Mile High in which the final scene was Thomas running toward the south end zone with the game-winning touchdown in overtime. This touchdown wasn’t quite as decisive, but their view of Thomas was exactly the same.

When I asked afterward if Manning had checked out of another play and into that one, he declined to answer, so I’m going to take that as a yes. We are only just beginning to learn the Manning Rules — what he’ll discuss and what he won’t — but an audible in the no-huddle is very common. It looked like he got to the line of scrimmage, saw the corner backing off Thomas and took advantage. If that’s true, it’s more evidence that in signing him as a free agent, the Broncos acquired as much a mental weapon as a physical one.

Interestingly, he had no problem explaining the tactical considerations that made the play an option.

“We were running the ball on a similar formation in the first half and they kept blitzing off the back side, so it was kind of a halftime adjustment,” he said.

“We thought we could fake that run to the strong side and throw him a screen, thought we’d have a chance for a big play. We weren’t thinking an 80-yard touchdown, maybe a nine-yard gain was kind of what I was thinking. So it sure was a nice surprise. Some really good blocking on that play. Zane (Beadles) got a good block, (Ryan) Clady. I know Matt Willis came all the way from the back side and got the safety and of course Demaryius did the majority of the work. Really turned it on with great speed. Just a huge play.”

Thomas, by the way, joined Eric Decker and Jacob Tamme as Manning’s leading receivers on the night, each catching five balls. Veteran Brandon Stokley caught two and Willis and Joel Dreessen caught one each.

The big play to Thomas gave the Broncos a 14-13 lead, which lasted 6 minutes and 18 seconds, the length of the Steelers’ subsequent possession. For a moment, the Broncos seemed to have forced the visitors into a three-and-out — a welcome achievement considering Pittsburgh’s previous possession lasted 8 minutes, 55 seconds — but when safety Rahim Moore was called for a personal foul on the Steelers’ failed third-down play, it gave Roethlisberger new life and he took full advantage.

When Big Ben hit wide receiver Mike Wallace with a short slant in the first minute of the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh went ahead 19-14, missing a two-point try that would have made it 21.

Now in a groove, Manning brought the Broncos right back. He hit Tamme, like Stokley a former teammate with the Colts, with his second touchdown pass — a one-yard flip on an unusual Peyton Manning rollout to his left. He hit running back Willis McGahee with another short throw for a two-point conversion that made it 22-19.

Jack Del Rio’s defense finally forced Roethlisberger into a three-and-out and Manning responded with his fourth consecutive scoring drive, not counting a kneel-down to end the first half.

When cornerback Tracy Porter intercepted Roethlisberger on the ensuing series and returned it 43 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown, the Broadway opening morphed into an outdoor party on a summer night.

It was not entirely Manning’s doing, of course. For all the frustration produced by the Steelers’ time of possession — it was 35:05 to 24:55 for the game — the Broncos’ revamped defense held them to 19 points and got the big turnover at the end. Cornerback Tracy Porter, who got the pick six, was Elway’s second-most important offseason free-agent pickup.

“They were good defensively,” Roethlisberger said. “They disguised very well. We were on the sideline talking about half the time we didn’t know what coverage they were going to.”

It might not surprise you to learn that the Steelers have had about enough of Mile High for a while.

“It’s a great place, great environment, great fans and good team,” Roethlisberger said. “I’d like to say I hope we come back here, but I hope we don’t. I hope they come back to our place because it’s a nice advantage.”

For one thing, safety Ryan Clark would be able to play then. The Steelers’ starting free safety can’t play at altitude because of a medical condition. Pittsburgh was also missing its best pass rusher, linebacker James Harrison, and its starting running back, Rashard Mendenhall.

As Manning pointed out, it’s only one game. The Broncos have an even bigger challenge in Week 2, traveling to Atlanta to play the Falcons, who beat the Chiefs in Kansas City on Sunday, 40-24.

Still, the curtain was raised at home in fine fashion. The touchdown pass to Thomas was Manning’s 400th in the NFL. (The pass to Tamme was No. 401.) Only Brett Favre (508) and Dan Marino (420) have thrown more. And Manning, clearly, isn’t done.

“There’s a lot of people that participated in that process, a lot of receivers on different teams throughout the years,” he said of the milestone.

“I’m grateful for their help. I guess you call it an individual record, but I kind of accept it on behalf of many great teammates and coaches. Dan Marino and Brett Favre are two of my favorite players of all time, two of the best quarterbacks of all time. I don’t really feel comfortable being in that company, but to be mentioned amongst them, it’s truly humbling and quite an honor and it’s not one that I take lightly.”

For the rest of the league, here’s the scary part: Manning still doesn’t think he’s all the way back.

“I’m still feeling my way out,” he said. “I still have some limitations. I think this team is still forming its identity. As you’re feeling yourself out and feeling the team out, when you can get a win in that process, that’s a nice thing. We’ve got an extremely tough schedule going on the road to Atlanta. It will be nice to go in there 1-0 as opposed to 0-1, but it’s going to be a serious test next Monday.”

No doubt. But Manning’s debut demonstrated the wisdom of the Broncos’ courtship last winter. For the first time since Elway retired almost 14 years ago, the Broncos have an elite quarterback, a field general who can take them as far as his teammates are ready to go.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Broncos/NFL

August 27, 2012

Two weeks out, Peyton Manning looks ready

By Dave Krieger

The Broncos’ starting quarterback reminded me of something Sunday I either never knew or had forgotten. At my age, one is never sure, but I’m pretty sure Peyton Manning would call it bad preparation either way.

He reminded me that he and Lance Ball have played together before.

Ball wasn’t drafted when he came out of the Univeristy of Maryland four years ago, but the St. Louis Rams signed him to their practice squad as an undrafted free agent. They released him at the end of September and Manning’s Indianapolis Colts picked him up two weeks later, adding him to their practice squad.

On Dec. 28, the Colts activated Ball for their season finale against division rival Tennessee. Both teams had clinched playoff berths, the Titans as division champs and the Colts as a wild card. Manning started for the Colts but played only the first series. He went 7-for-7 and led his team to a touchdown.

It is perhaps worth noting that the touchdown came on a 55-yard pass play to Joseph Addai, the Colts running back. Unlike Sunday’s big play to Ball, a 38-yard rainbow up the right sideline, this was a short pass into the right flat that Addai ran the rest of the way. Still, it’s a reminder that Manning is an equal opportunity thrower — if you’re the best matchup, he’s coming your way.

Ball made his NFL debut that day, after Manning had retired for the day. He carried 13 times for 83 yards and caught one pass for five yards from Jim Sorgi.

What this means, of course, is that Ball was practicing with Manning and the Colts for most of the 2008 season. Everybody knows Manning played with Brandon Stokley and Jacob Tamme in Indianapolis and this is at least part of the calculation that puts both Stokley and Tamme on the Broncos’ final 53-man roster.

Assuming the rib injury Ball sustained in Sunday’s third preseason game isn’t too serious, I’m thinking he makes that list, too. That would leave only one possible opening at running back for Knowshon Moreno, Jeremiah Johnson or Xavier Omon, and then only if the Broncos keep four in addition to fullback Chris Gronkowski.

I could certainly be wrong about this. My record predicting the future is not that good. I nailed that they would make another Star Trek movie after Wrath of Kahn, but that’s about it.

Still, Sunday was as close as the Broncos are likely to come to a dress rehearsal for the season opener against the Steelers on Sept. 9, and Ball was part of the first-team game plan. Manning threw to him twice consecutively on the Broncos’ first touchdown drive.

The second throw, a loft so perfect up the sideline it could have been animated by Pixar, was the drive’s big play, taking the Broncos from their own 36 to the 49ers’ 26. It was also a bomb on third-and-three.

Manning’s reminder came when I asked him about that throw, which he delivered while taking a helmet to the chest. I wondered if the timing was a matter of instinct, since he couldn’t have worked on it with Ball that much.

“Well, Lance played for the Colts; he did,” Manning said.

“But in training camp we have put him outside at wide receiver a few times and have thrown that particular pattern, actually, a couple of times in training camp. So it’s always nice when you can take something you’ve worked on in practice and take it to the playing field. I thought it was a really good route and a good finish by him today.”

Manning was sharp throughout his short stint Sunday. His second touchdown pass to Eric Decker was waiting for the third-year receiver like a room service tray suspended in mid-air after Decker sold an inside fake and turned uncovered toward the left corner of the end zone.

Against last season’s No. 2 scoring defense in the NFL, Manning played one quarter, completing 10 of 12 passes for 122 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 148.6. He might be ready.

“I’ve seen steady improvement since he’s gotten here,” coach John Fox said. “That’s a tribute to him, his work ethic. I think the offensive coaches, his offensive teammates, for being a first-year guy, he’s not a young player by any stretch, but to come in and learn an offense, execute an offense with the precision he has, is pretty good.”

Manning declined a victory lap.

“Well, you’ve still got to do it every week,” he said. “I thought we did some good things today. We moved the ball pretty well and we got two touchdowns. It would have been nice to have gotten three . . . .

“I thought one thing that was nice was the defense got a turnover and the offense went out there and capitalized with a touchdown as opposed to having to settle for three. That’s always big when you can feed off one another, offense and defense.”

After managing just 38 yards rushing against Pete Carroll’s Seattle defense last week, the Broncos made the ground game a point of emphasis this week. It set no records — 26 carries, 83 yards — but was at least a viable option. Rookie Ronnie Hillman, seeing his first preseason action, had a 14-yard burst for the day’s long run, and veteran starter Willis McGahee had a 12-yard inside scamper out of a two-back set.

“I don’t think there’s really any barrier with this offense,” Manning said. “What I’ve done in my past and the teams I’ve played on I think (is) really irrelevant to this year’s team. We’re still forming our identity, seeing what plays we can hang our hat on.

“I thought coach (offensive coordinator Mike) McCoy emphasized the running game today. He challenged the guys to run the ball. I thought we did that against a good defensive front. It’s still preseason. It really carries no weight once the regular season starts, but it was good to do that and answer that challenge.”

To be sure, the Broncos still have issues. In each of the last two weeks, Manning and the first team have beaten an NFC West first team, then watched Denver’s second and third teams dominated by their counterparts. The first team led Seattle 10-9, but the Seahawks won 30-10. The first team took a 17-0 lead against San Francisco, but the Niners won 29-24. I asked Fox if consecutive flacid performances by the back end of his roster concerned him.

“Yeah, it all concerns me,” he said. “That’s kind of what I do. At the end of the day, I think we made a little bit of improvement, not a lot, but last week we flung up 21, I don’t remember what it was this time, but we’ve got work to do. When we pick the 53, you can do that a lot of different ways.”

For example, linebacker Nate Irving, a third-round draft choice in 2011 playing on the second team, was run over by 49ers third-string quarterback Josh Johnson, whom he tried to arm-tackle.

Luckily, the second team won’t be called upon to play as a unit once the games begin to matter. The first-team defense had only one major lapse. That came after Fox decided, up 17-0, to try an onside kick. It might have worked, too, if Matt Willis hadn’t grabbed it before it traveled the necessary 10 yards. Still, this is something Fox wouldn’t try on a bet in that situation if the game counted.

Given their best field position of the day, the Niners scored on the next play. Tight end Vernon Davis ran by linebacker Von Miller and safety Rahim Moore was so late getting over he looked like he’d missed his bus.

Caleb Hanie was the second quarterback in, arriving with 42 seconds left in the first quarter and the Broncos up 17-7. He was unsteady at first, throwing his second pass behind Decker into the arms of former Bronco Perrish Cox, now a Niners nickel back.

But Hanie eventually found a rhythm, leading the Broncos to a touchdown in a two-minute drill just before halftime. Rookie Brock Oswieler, second in last week, was third Sunday. Again, the offense sputtered, suggesting Hanie will be the No. 2 quarterback going into the regular season unless John Elway elects to make a waiver wire claim at the end of the week, when all 32 teams must cut down to 53-man rosters.

Ideally, Osweiler would have proven able to back up Manning right away, which would have allowed the Broncos to carry only two quarterbacks on the active roster. But through three preseason games, Osweiler, a one-year starter at Arizona State, does not look ready for prime time.

Befitting a dress rehearsal, McCoy trotted out a variety of schemes and personnel packages Sunday. Manning and the first-team offense huddled during their first series, then went no-huddle in the second. They used a two-back formation with Chris Gronkowski at fullback — it produced McGahee’s 12-yard inside run — and an empty backfield set featuring three wide receivers and two tight ends.

For much of the second series, McCoy went with a three-wide look that had the veteran Stokley in the slot, where Manning used to find him in Indianapolis. They connected twice Sunday, including a balletic tip to himself by Stokley on a third-and-six he converted into a first down.

Manning and Stokley may be the only 36-year-old pass connection in the league this year, but they looked a lot like they did in 2004, when they were both 28 and Stokley caught 68 balls for 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“We wanted to do a lot better than we have in the past couple preseason games,” Stokley said. “We put some good things together. It would have been nice to score touchdowns every time we got the ball, but I thought all in all it was a lot better than the two weeks before.”

This week will be all about the problematic back end of the roster — in the game Thursday night at Arizona and in the work Elway and the front office staff does poring over the waiver wire Friday.

As for the first team, it looked ready for the curtain to rise on the regular season.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in Broncos/NFL

August 19, 2012

Relax: Peyton Manning is right on schedule

By Dave Krieger

Q: Obviously, no quarterback wants to take a big hit, but you took a big hit, bounced right back up. Was it nice just to kind of get that out of the way?

A: Yes.

Q: How’d you feel? I mean, was it . . . ?

A: Do what? How did I . . . ?

Q: I mean, that just tells you everything’s OK?

A: Yeah. Yeah.

This was my favorite exchange between Peyton Manning and the wretches Saturday night after preseason game No. 2. It was sort of a Saturday Night Live routine, complete with laughter from the other wretches at a colleague’s inability to elicit a quote on Manning’s much-anticipated first hit.

You may find it unsettling that a professional wretch was unable, in three tries, to frame a question that couldn’t be answered with a yes or no, but I’m here to tell you that horse left the barn a long time ago.

Everything about Saturday night’s practice game will be deconstructed, because that’s more fun than talking about unemployment, but it’s important to remember that it was only practice. The Broncos got out of it exactly what they wanted, at least in the first half.

As for the second half, which Seattle dominated thoroughly, the Broncos didn’t really need to be told that their second string isn’t very good because they already knew it. When your second-string linebacking corps consists of a disappointing draft pick from a year ago (Nate Irving) and two undrafted free agents (Jerry Franklin and Steven Johnson), depth at that position is not a strength. This is partially because of a suspension (D.J. Williams) and partially because of injuries (Danny Trevathan, Keith Brooking, Mike Mohamed).

Whether they knew their second-string offensive line would be unable to sustain any sort of running game I don’t know. Actually, their first-string offensive line didn’t do much better opening holes for runners, but it did earn Manning’s praise for its pass protection. He threw 23 passes before intermission without being sacked, although he did take that first hit as he was throwing a ball away.

The main thing Broncos brass learned about their second string is that rookie quarterback Brock Osweiler is not ready to step in if something happens to Manning. At least, he wasn’t Saturday night.

The Seahawks drafted their rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson, 18 picks after the Broncos selected Osweiler, but he looked much more ready for prime time. Of course, Osweiler started only one season at Arizona State, so he might be expected to take longer to get up to NFL speed. In the entire second half, he and the Broncos managed one first down while Wilson and the Seahawks piled up 16.

It would be nice to see Adam Weber get some work with the second team next week, although coach John Fox may feel now that Caleb Hanie needs those snaps to get ready for the season.

Luckily, once the games begin to count, entire second strings will not get much of a chance to play one another.

In the first half, with the first strings in the game, the Broncos dominated the statistics while the Seahawks dominated the time of possession. This is mostly because the Seahawks ran the ball successfully while the Broncos, with the exception of their lone touchdown drive, did not. Manning ran the no-huddle throughout, completing 16 of his 23 passes. That’s 69.6 percent, which is very good.

But he also made a couple of bad throws or bad decisions that turned into interceptions, ending two of his five possessions. Lance Ball fumbled to end a third. The other two would have been touchdowns except tight end Jacob Tamme dropped a pass in his hands at the goal line with 6 seconds left in the half and they had to settle for a field goal.

“Obviously disappointing that we turned the ball over three times, two interceptions on my part,” Manning said. “No excuse for that. I thought we did move the ball well at times and took some long drives. Just got to do a better job of finishing drives and have to eliminate the turnovers and keep our defense out of bad situations.”

What caused the interceptions?

“Every interception has its own story; nobody really wants to hear it at the end of the day,” Manning said.

“They’re interceptions. The quarterback signs the check on every ball that he throws. There’s an old saying that the most important part about every play is to possess the ball at the end of that play. That’s the quarterback’s job and I have to do a better job of that. Two interceptions tonight, two in the red zone two weeks in a row. Just can’t have it. Tipped balls, whatever it is, can’t have it. Gotta find a way to protect the ball better and ensure we get some kind of points when we’re down there in the red zone.”

Somebody asked what happened on the throw to Tamme at the goal line, trying to get Manning to say Tamme dropped it.

“It’s hard to say,” Manning said. “I didn’t see the film. It was an incomplete pass. We got the field goal there. I thought we had good field position. The penalty (unnecessary roughness on center J.D. Walton) put us in a tough spot. First and 21 from the 21 wasn’t ideal. Got back into decent field position and had a shot at it and obviously it would have been nice to have a little more time there, have a couple more downs. But Jacob Tamme is going to play a huge role for this team this year and it’s not a factor in my mind.”

In other words, No, I’m not throwing Jacob Tamme under the bus for dropping a ball, especially on a night when I threw two picks. Why are you asking me what happened there? Weren’t you watching?

The interceptions were both Manning mistakes. The first, on his fifth snap of the game, he threw right at Seahawks defensive end Red Bryant. Bryant was so surprised all he could do was bat it into the air, where linebacker K.J. Wright grabbed it. I don’t know if Manning failed to see Bryant or misread a zone drop or what, but he’ll certainly be able to tell from the video. Consider it a bit of rust after 19 months off.

The second was a third-and-10 where he tried to force a ball down the field to tight end Joel Dreessen to avoid a three-and-out. It overflew Dreessen directly into the arms of Seahawks strong safety Jeron Johnson. Dreessen wisely took the blame.

“I’ve got to find a way to make that catch, honestly,” he said. “I don’t know, I kind of stuck my hand up there and was like ‘Crap, I don’t know if I can reach it.’ I looked like a chicken. It looked like I gator-armed it. But I’ve got to find a way to make that play.”

From my vantage point in the press box, the ball looked overthrown into crowded coverage. After watching the video, I’m sure Manning will come to a conclusion about whether the pass or the decision to throw the pass was the mistake. Either way, judging by the look on his face afterward, I’m guessing he won’t make that particular mistake again.

This is a perfectionist who had multiple neck surgeries, sat out a full season and is now coming back with a new team, new playbook, new terminology and mostly new receivers. This is not like making instant coffee. With apologies to Allen Iverson, this is what practice is for.

There were stretches of really good offense that reminded you of Manning’s offenses in Indianapolis, punctuated by mistakes, by short circuits, that will send him, his coaches and his teammates back to work.

“We did a lot of good things and then we kind of did a few bad things,” said veteran receiver Brandon Stokley. “That’s what you take away from this game. You look at the mistakes that you made and you try to get those corrected. And if we get those corrected, we’ve got a chance to do some good things.”

As for the chemistry between Manning and his new receiving corps?

“We’re still working on it,” Stokley said. “It’s still a work in progress. We know that and we’re working hard every day in practice trying to get to be perfect. That’s what good offenses do. It takes time, and we’re trying to get there.”

Most years, fans would like to see fewer preseason games. This year, Broncos fans should wish for more. Fox extended Manning’s playing time in preseason game No. 2 from the usual quarter or so to a half.

“It’s nice to be back out there playing,” Manning said. “And I think the more I play, hopefully the more comfortable I will get. It will be nice next week, I think I’ll play probably into the third quarter. I think the flow of the game tonight is why we probably played into the half, which I was happy about, and I know the offense was happy about. You always want to score points every single time. I think we can build on this, but I still think there’s some things that we have to improve on, some things I need to improve on.”

For the crowd, the biggest play of the night was probably when Manning went down late in the second quarter as he was throwing the ball away, sandwiched between two Seahawks defenders. Finally, that first hit he’d been asked about for the last five months. It was as if it held its collective breath, waiting for him to get up.

When he climbed quickly to his feet, the crowd roared. When he hit Stokley in stride for a 22-yard gain on the next play — “a great ball, perfectly thrown, right when I cleared the defender the ball was there,” Stokley said — it roared some more.

“It was kind of weird to cheer an incomplete pass, just cheering a guy getting up,” Stokley said. “Hopefully, we don’t have to answer that question any more.”

Doctors have told Manning and Broncos officials for months that his neck is stronger than it’s ever been; the issue related to his surgery is the regeneration of the nerves that provide his arm strength.

Nevertheless, the myth took hold that a single tackle could end his comeback. So the play that was a big event for fans was a non-event for Manning and his mates. But it was another mile marker on the road back.

The wretches, of course, came back around to it, still looking for a quote. Had he heard the cheer?

“I might have, yes,” Manning allowed. “I’ve never heard a crowd cheer for an incompletion before.”

Was the best part getting over getting hit or not having to answer any more questions about it?

Once more, the form of the question gave Manning an out, and once more, as if reading a blown coverage, he took it:

“Both of them are just fine with me,” he said.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Broncos/NFL

August 9, 2012

Tom Jackson: ‘There is a collective sigh of relief and a sense of joy in this building’

By Dave Krieger

As a former teammate, Tom Jackson felt for John Elway from afar last year.

“Some of the stuff that I heard, and I hear everything that goes on in this town, some of the stuff that was happening over the net and the tweets that were coming when he attempted to tell the truth about his feelings about Tim (Tebow), I think he was somewhat shocked by the reaction of fans: ‘You need to leave town.’ ‘You’re jealous of him.’ It was hurtful. I wish I would have been around here when that happened. They would have heard an earful,” Jackson said during a recent visit to Broncos training camp.

As a member of the Orange Crush defense of the late 1970s, Jackson admits he’s partial to the Broncos, but it’s as a long-time analyst for ESPN that he says the Broncos with Peyton Manning are the best story in the NFL going into the 2012 season. And he thinks the events of Elway’s first 18 months running the Broncos front office may represent the most dramatic change of direction in NFL history.

“The stars had to be perfectly aligned for this to happen,” he said. “I always speak frankly: What happened last year is that there was a clamoring from the Tebow faithful for Tim to play football. I think that the Broncos resisted that as long as they could.

“At some point they said, and it had to do somewhat with Kyle Orton not playing very well, they said, ‘OK, we’re going to let you see him and see what we see.’ I believe they used the term at times in a different context, ‘You don’t see him every day.’ So they were going to go, OK, you’re going to get to see what we see every day. And they put him in.

“And then Tim won. And he won a lot. And he won in the most remarkable fashion that I’ve ever seen. So by the time you got to the end of the year with the win against Pittsburgh, if you were John, if you were this organization — and I think it’s the right of every GM, vice president of football operations, to do two things: name your head coach and name your quarterback — and John was having that opportunity taken from him. And I believe that without this alignment of the stars, Tim was your quarterback, period. And maybe more than a year. He was just going to be entrenched as the quarterback.

“Peyton becomes available, somehow John and Pat Bowlen land him, and now we’re going to have a revision of what goes on here in Denver. This is the story in the NFL, is this guy returning to play football, the once and only four-time MVP of the National Football League, returning to play football. And it’s a remarkable story.”

But will he be the Peyton Manning of old? Studies of late-stage veterans changing teams are all the rage. Will Manning be more like Ray Bourque in Denver or John Unitas in San Diego? Or maybe somewhere in between — say, Joe Montana in Kansas City? What about the Broncos’ receivers? What about the defense? (And, in light of Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage, what about the offensive line?) Are they good enough to constitute the supporting cast of a championship contender?

“I think that they’re going to be a pretty good team because I have faith that Peyton is going to be a pretty good quarterback,” Jackson said. “John Elway did his homework before he made this move. I was just like a lot of people — very pessimistic about the fact that Peyton could come back and return to form.

“You talk to some medical experts, they all say the same thing: His neck is fine. As soon as he strengthens the arm, as he has, he should be fine to play. I worry a little bit about the rust. When he lines up against the Steelers (in the Sept. 9 season opener), he will be 20 months having not played a meaningful game.

“But given that, if Peyton is back to form, which I think he will be, then all of those things that you talked about become better. You lose 20-25 percent of your running game because Tim Tebow leaves. You gain 20-25 percent because Peyton’s going to pull two or three guys out of the box, at least one or two.

“The defense, I was talking to Von Miller, Von and Elvis get 21 sacks (last season). I told him, ‘I have no idea how you do that when you’re behind all the time.’  If Peyton comes in and puts up 20-plus points per game, then you’re going to have a better opportunity to play defense because it’s easier to play when you have the lead.

“The wide receivers, (Eric) Decker, Demaryius Thomas, (Brandon) Stokley; the tight ends, (Jacob) Tamme, (Joel) Dreessen, all of those players are pretty good players. They will be made better by the guy pulling the trigger.

“All you need do is be around here to understand that there is a collective sigh of relief and a sense of joy in this building that did not exist when I was here last year. And I can feel it and it’s permeating every area of this football team.

“I think they’re almost hesitant to talk about it because they see it as a bashing of what they did last year, or a bashing of Tebow, to really go overboard on what they’re feeling about Peyton being here. But I think as time goes on they’ll get more and more relaxed with the fact that this, as Gene Hackman said in Hoosiers, this is your team. Feel comfortable this is your squad. Not something that’s going on in New York. Not the attention given to someone else. This is your team.”

Jackson’s Broncos career overlapped with Elway’s for four seasons: 1983-86, so he’s known him since he was the fresh-faced rookie who once lined up under guard. Having watched him since, he thinks Elway has a good chance to be a notable exception to the old saw about great players not being great executives or coaches.

“I believe that John is going to have great success over the long run, whether it’s in terms of the players that they’re picking — Von Miller probably the most high profile amongst them thus far — or going out and being able to get a Peyton Manning when there were numerous teams that wanted him. That move is going to resonate for a long time with him and this organization.

“John just has a golden touch. He understands the game. I think he has a clear vision of what he wants to do. And that’s why I felt for him last year because my thought was that vision was being taken away from him.

“I said this actually on ESPN, for those that think that he was jealous, if you heard his comment about Peyton upon arrival — “I want Peyton Manning to be the greatest quarterback of all time.” — well, that would mean that he’s better than John.

“So I think it speaks really to what’s important to John right now. And I want people to know this: John has a great love and affection for Pat Bowlen. So I don’t think it’s as much John doing it for John as it is John doing it for Pat.”

I reminded Jackson of Bowlen’s famous line, “This one’s for John,” holding aloft the Vince Lombardi Trophy when the Broncos won their first Super Bowl in Elway’s 15th season, and asked if he thought Elway was trying to return the favor.

“This one’s for John,” Jackson said, smiling. “This one’s for Pat.”

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Broncos/NFL

August 6, 2012

Broncos’ first 2012 depth chart written in pencil

By Dave Krieger

The Broncos released their first depth chart of the season this morning, but at some positions it doesn’t necessarily reflect the way they’ve been practicing.

A depth chart is required the week of the first preseason game and the Broncos play at Chicago on Thursday night.

With most of the starters set, the most interesting choices are on the second team. For example, Caleb Hanie is listed as Peyton Manning’s backup at quarterback, with rookie Brock Osweiler listed as third string and Adam Weber fourth. But during the first 10 days of training camp, Hanie and Osweiler have been splitting second-team reps, with Osweiler seeming to get the better of the comparison in the early going.

At Saturday’s summer scrimmage, Osweiler was the fourth quarterback in, but that may have been a nod to his rookie status. Asked about the order afterward, coach John Fox said they were 2a, 2b and 2c — in other words, he’s keeping an open mind until he gets to see them in preseason game action.

Similarly, rookie Ronnie Hillman is listed as third string at running back, behind Willis McGahee and Lance Ball. Hillman, a third-round draft pick out of San Diego State, is likely to be the No. 2 running back as soon as he gets healthy (hamstring).

More significant is Knowshon Moreno, a first-round pick (12th overall) in 2009 by former coach Josh McDaniels, being listed as fourth string. Moreno does not appear fully recovered from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered last November. He might be eligible for the injured list exemption approved as part of the new collective bargaining agreement — one player can return from the list during the season — but he would have to be on the 53-man roster in Week 1.

Other rookies who appear to be listed lower on the depth chart than they’ve been practicing include center Philip Blake, who has shared second-team snaps with C.J. Davis; defensive lineman Derek Wolfe, who has shared first-team snaps at left defensive end with Jason Hunter; and linebacker Jerry Franklin, who has shared second team snaps at strong-side linebacker with Nate Irving.

A year ago, in the first depth chart of 2011, Irving was listed at middle linebacker and fellow 2011 draft pick Mike Mohamed at strong-side linebacker. In the first depth chart of 2012, those positions are reversed. Mohamed is now listed as Joe Mays’ backup at middle backer.

The signing of veteran Keith Brooking on Monday may affect the chart here. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Brooking is 36.

Robert Ayers, like Moreno a first-round pick in 2009, was demoted from starting left defensive end at the end of last season to second-team right defensive end, behind Elvis Dumervil.

The weak-side linebackers are also listed too low on the depth chart because D.J. Williams is listed as the starter, even though he’ll miss at least the first six games of the season for failing a league drug test. Wesley Woodyard, listed as second team, and sixth-round draft pick Danny Trevathan, listed third, have both gotten work with there with the first team in practice.

Veteran Mike Adams is listed as the second-string strong safety, although he was getting as many reps as nominal starter Quinton Carter before Carter injured his knee and has gotten nearly all of them since.

The top four cornerbacks are listed accurately — Champ Bailey and Tracy Porter with the first team; Drayton Florence and Chris Harris with the second. Rookie Omar Bolden and veteran Tony Carter are listed with the third team, which means returning 2010 draft pick Syd’Quan Thompson may have to win the punt returner competition to make the squad.

Leave a comment | posted in Broncos/NFL

August 4, 2012

No electronics no problem for Manning

By Dave Krieger

You don’t necessarily expect the electronic communication system between coaches and the quarterback to go down in the first scrimmage of the year, but when it happened Saturday during the Broncos’ summer scrimmage, it left Peyton Manning doing what he does so often anyway — calling his own play.

Not surprisingly, it turned into the only touchdown of the sun-splashed afternoon.

“I thought (Eric) Decker’s back-shoulder touchdown catch was awesome,” Manning said of the play.

“It was excellent coverage by (Drayton) Florence, but Decker did a good job kind of holding his eyes until the last minute. Back-shoulder fades are a hard route to cover. That was something he and I had been working on, so it was good to kind of put that in play today.”

I mentioned that Manning checked off on the third-down red-zone play and appeared to leave only one second on the play clock.

“The headphones went down, actually,” he said. “Sometimes those do, on occasion. So instead of burning the timeout, coach (offensive coordinator Mike) McCoy just told me, ‘Hey, if the phones go down, just call something that you like.’

“The defense was blitzing, kind of showing man-to-man. Obviously, one-on-one on the outside, Decker and (Demaryius) Thomas have to win. So that was a good play to see out of that guy today.”

When I asked head coach John Fox if he expects to get accustomed to seeing one second on the play clock when the ball is snapped, he laughed.

“I think 18 does a pretty good job of managing the game and the offense,” he said.

The day before, Manning stopped by the KOA tent at Dove Valley and talked about what he’s looking for out of his new receiving corps.

“I think what you want to see is a guy who’s got an excellent work ethic who really wants to get better, who truly wants to master his craft,” Manning said. “I’ve been fortunate to play with a lot of guys who just wanted to get better every day.

“I had a receiver in Marvin Harrison who never missed a practice (and) only would go against the starting corner. If he were here, he would not go unless Champ (Bailey) was going to cover him. He wanted to get better every day. Those are the kind of guys I like playing with and that’s the kind of work ethic I’m seeing so far in these guys.

“Eric and Demaryius, they’re young guys but boy, they really take care of their bodies, they work hard in the weight room, they’re into it in meetings and in practice. I just have a real appreciation for that, being a veteran player seeing a young player with that kind of work ethic, and both of them have a ton of ability.

“To me it is a process, though. You can’t say you’re on the exact same page with a guy after four months. You could argue it might take two seasons to master everything. But you try to get it as good as you can. We do spend a lot of time talking in these walk-throughs, talking on the sideline.

“To me, in practice there’s never a time that you can’t do something to get better. Talk to the guy after the route on the sideline. Whether it’s a completion or an incompletion: ‘Hey, that was exactly what we’re looking for there.’ Or, ‘Here, you might have to cut that route off at 10 yards instead of 12.’ Just the little things because you want to just try to get it right. Because the game’s happening so fast out there, the more you can be on the same page, the better chance you have.”

Being able to count on a receiver being exactly where he’s supposed to be is critical, Manning explained, because on many pass plays, he never sees his intended target.

“As a quarterback, you’ve got guys in front of you, you’ve got rush, you’ve got hands up,” he said. “Dropping back, very rarely do you actually see the receiver. You’re throwing to a spot. Maybe now and then in man-to-man you might lock in on a guy and see, but on these zone coverages, you’re throwing it 18 yards on the hash, on the fifth step of the drop, whatever it may be.

“He’s got to be there. If he’s at 16, it’s not going to be complete. You’re throwing to the spot. That’s where the reps in practice and routes versus air, they’re so important, because they’ve got to be in that spot and you’ve got to trust the guy that he’s going to be there.”

With fans screaming his name and offering jerseys, programs and hats, Manning spent 10 or 15 minutes signing autographs when the scrimmage was over. The Broncos reported 41,304 fans were in attendance at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, a record for the Broncos’ summer scrimmage. Most of the lower deck and club level were filled. A few fans even dotted the upper deck.

“It was a great crowd,” Manning said. “No question the fans were into it. A beautiful day here in Denver. The players were excited. It was a little change in the routine to get out here into the stadium and play in front of the crowd. It really felt like a game atmosphere with the crowd and our pre-game routine. So I knew it was good for me and for a lot of the players going into the game against Chicago on Thursday.”

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in Broncos/NFL

August 4, 2012

Should the Broncos consider moving Champ Bailey to safety?

By Dave Krieger

With each passing year, the question comes up more often: At what point do the Broncos consider moving Champ Bailey, their incomparable defensive back, from corner to safety?

Rod Woodson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a defensive back in 2009. The 10th overall pick of the 1987 draft out of Purdue, Woodson played 15 seasons in the NFL, the first 10 as a cornerback. He was named to seven Pro Bowls in that role.

In 1999, the year he turned 34, Woodson transitioned to safety, extending his career another five years. He was named to four more Pro Bowls in that role. After intercepting 47 passes in 10 seasons at cornerback, Woodson picked off 24 more in five seasons at safety.

Charles Woodson (no relation) is another elite defensive back. He was the fourth overall selection of the 1998 draft out of Michigan. After 14 seasons at cornerback, including eight Pro Bowls, the Packers moved him to safety in training camp this summer. Woodson is 35.

“They said, ‘Hey, you’re playing safety. Get back there,'”Woodson told the Chicago Tribune. “That’s what I did.”

Part of the reason is that Woodson has lost a step, which is more evident when he’s matched up in man coverage on the outside with the game’s elite pass receivers, many of them much younger than he is.

But the Packers, who struggled on defense last season, also want to give one of their best defenders more freedom to roam. This is a player with 54 career interceptions, including seven last season at age 34.

“I think something that’s been very evident for Charles, number one throughout his career, he’s been a playmaker, whether he’s played the corner or the inside position,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy told the Tribune.

“In our particular defense, we feel that he is a lot more valuable to us the closer he is to the ball because of the different positions he can play, the number of different things that we’re able to do with him. So that’s really part of the thinking of trying to get him closer to the ball and more involved because of his instincts. He plays the game a lot like a quarterback does from the defensive side.”

At least in training camp’s early days, Woodson says he’s enjoying the switch.

“It’s different from corner, where you’re usually worried about a particular receiver and how he can threaten you as a corner,” Charles Woodson said. “As a safety, you get to move around a little bit more and show different looks and not have that responsibility of just having one guy. It will be fun to play more safety. I’m getting a lot more of the calls as a safety. I’m used to being out at corner and seeing plays from that angle. To be able to play at safety and really, really, really understand the play even more, I think will play to my advantage.”

Bailey entered the league one year after Charles Woodson and, coincidentally, the same year Rod Woodson moved from corner to safety. He was the seventh overall pick of the 1999 draft out of Georgia. He turned 34 in June.

Bailey has played 13 seasons at cornerback for the Redskins and Broncos and been named to a record 11 Pro Bowls. He is arguably as good a cover corner as the league has ever seen.

He is not only the best player on the Broncos defense, he is also the smartest. Unfortunately, that means he gets few opportunities to add to his career total of 50 interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks generally choose to throw to receivers not being covered by Champ Bailey.

That’s one argument for eventually moving him to safety: He might see more balls there. And, for the first time in his nine years in Denver, the Broncos might have enough cover guys to be able to spare him. With newly-acquired veterans Tracy Porter and Drayton Florence to go with youngsters Chris Harris, Omar Bolden and Syd’Quan Thompson, they have reasonable depth at cornerback.

Of course, with veteran Mike Adams joining Rahim Moore, Quinton Carter and David Bruton, they are reasonably deep at safety, too, at least before the games — and injuries — begin.

So I mentioned to Bailey that we get the corner/safety question quite a bit on the radio show and asked if he’s thought much about it.

“This is my take on it,” he said. “Don’t move me until I can’t do it anymore, or it makes sense for our defense.

“There’s no reason for me to move if I’m still locking up on the No. 1 guy every week or I’m still making sure nobody’s making big plays on me. I don’t see any sense in me moving. It doesn’t make sense to me. So I’m going to keep playing corner until I can’t anymore.”

Bailey may have lost a step over the years, but he’s made up for it with knowledge and experience, reading receivers and anticipating where they’re going. One day it might be time for him to make the switch the two Woodsons made before him. But watching him take on young receiver Demaryius Thomas in training camp with the enthusiasm of a kid, it looks as though that time has not yet arrived.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Broncos/NFL

July 27, 2012

Do the Broncos have enough weapons for Peyton Manning?

By Dave Krieger

It’s not that fewer people had opinions in the old days. It’s just that before Twitter and Facebook, we didn’t experience the pleasure of hearing every single one of them.

Today, in order to stand out from the technologically-enhanced peanut gallery, your opinion has to be different, or at least loud, which is why any unexpressed view, no matter how inane, is just a vacuum waiting to be filled.

So we had the original reaction to the Broncos’ signing of Peyton Manning, natural and reasonable, that any team quarterbacked by a four-time Most Valuable Player should likely be included on any list of prospective championship contenders. That’s why there are nearly as many national media types at Dove Valley this week as there are players on the Broncos’ training camp roster.

Then came the first wave of blowback — the harbingers of wait just a minute. They wonder about the defense, they wonder about Manning’s health and even his prodigal perspicacity after a year off and multiple neck surgeries. But mostly, they wonder about Manning’s weapons.

Demaryius Thomas may have been a first-round draft pick, they allow, but through his first two pro campaigns, his high-water mark for catches in a season is 32. Eric Decker strikes a similar national profile — big, fast and athletic, granted, but also a similarly modest career high in receptions of 44.

Certain facts tend to go unmentioned in these revisionist bits of analysis. For example, the fact that each is entering just his third season. Or the fact that Kyle Orton threw nearly all of his passes to Brandon Lloyd during their rookie season. Or the fact that the Broncos reverted to a single wing offense last season, producing the 31st-ranked passing game in a 32-team league.

Mere details. Those who now differentiate themselves from the crowd argue Manning won’t be Manning without the crew of Hall of Fame-bound receivers he enjoyed in Indianapolis.

Of course, Manning had a little something to do with the pending Canton reservations of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Good receivers make a good quarterback better, but a great quarterback makes good receivers better, too.

Anyway, we turn to someone who knows a little something about quarterbacking championship teams for an expert view on this dispute.

John Elway might be a tad biased — he’s the architect of the Broncos’ roster — but he’s also a guy who helped make famous largely unknown young receivers named Shannon Sharpe, Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey.

“As a former quarterback, I like the targets,” Elway said when he stopped by the KOA broadcast tent at Dove Valley.

“When I look at Demaryius Thomas going into his third year and the way he played the last half of (last) year and the confidence that he’s going to come back into this year with, and the OTAs, I mean, he improved immensely in the OTAs. He had a great day (Thursday). Eric Decker I really like. Those are big, fast wide receivers that I always liked.

“Brandon Stokley’s going to come in and add some experience. Bubba Caldwell from Cincinnati has got some experience in the league and has great speed, has the ability to make the big play. And then we’ve got some young guys that we’re excited about — D’Andre Goodwin, Mark Dell, who got hurt in the preseason last year.

“Plus we feel really good about the tight ends (Joel Dreessen, Jacob Tamme, Virgil Green, Julius Thomas). We’ve got (Ronnie) Hillman in the backfield with Willis (McGahee) and so I believe we’ve got a lot of good things going on on the offensive side also.”

Elway was convinced last season that the Broncos’ biggest weakness was not the receiving corps but the defensive backfield. Aside from the courtship of Manning, that’s where he concentrated his attention during the offseason.

“Other than the quarterback position, that’s probably where we’ve improved the most,” he said. “If you look at the football team last year, when we got exposed is when people spread us out — Detroit, New England, even San Diego, although we did a good job against San Diego.

“When we got spread out, we struggled. But Tracy Porter coming in with the experience he has, Drayton Florence has great experience, and then Omar Bolden, who we drafted in the fourth round. Chris Harris, the year he had last year. We bring Mike Adams in at safety and then Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter are going to have a year under their belts. So I’m excited about what we’ve got back there.”

Elway isn’t afraid to talk about championship contention — he thinks the potential is there if fortune smiles — but he knows from experience that predictions in July are subject to the vicissitudes of November and December.

“If you look at where we started a year and a half ago (when Elway took over the front office) and where we are right now, we’re really excited about it,” he said.

“Like any season, you have to get lucky. Injuries can always kill you. The unknown is always there and that’s why I always kind of temper my enthusiasm and excitement, because you never know what can happen. But I think with the people that we’ve got on this football field, we have an opportunity to compete for a world championship. There’s a lot of things that have to fall in line. But we’re excited about where we are.”

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Broncos/NFL

July 25, 2012

As Manning era begins, Broncos welcome great expectations

By Dave Krieger

When John Fox arrived as the Broncos’ new head coach last year, nobody expected much. The team he was taking over had gone 4-12 in 2010, and few experts thought it would do much better in 2011.

A year later, as Fox enters his second season in Colorado, his team has the top national story of training camp — the comeback of Peyton Manning — and many analysts are picking it to win the AFC West.

“I would hope the longer you’re in an organization that the expectations increase,” Fox said Wednesday after players reported for training camp.

“I don’t think that hurts anything. I would hope that everybody in that locker room or in that 4 o’clock meeting today has got great expectations. I think if you look around at the other 31 cities in the National Football League, I would say that everybody’s goal is to win that world championship. That’s kind of what I think everybody’s expectations are.”

The overflow media crowd at Dove Valley on Wednesday reflected intense national interest in Manning’s comeback after the four-time Most Valuable Player missed all of last season rehabilitating from neck surgery. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King listed it as the NFL’s top summer story line as he embarked on his annual tour of training camps.

Reporters and analysts will be watching Manning’s passing in camp, trying to gauge his arm strength and endurance. Dove Valley insiders say he has brought an unparalleled work ethic since signing with the Broncos as a free agent in March.

“Obviously, we’re very excited,” Fox said. “Peyton’s done everything humanly possible, both physically and mentally, to get ready for this. I know he’s excited, the rest of our team’s excited, but he’s a tremendous competitor and we’re very blessed to have him.

“I think physically he’s made tremendous improvement. I’m not sure I’ve ever been around a player with as intense work ethic as him, both physically and mentally. So he’s worked very hard. He didn’t take the last five weeks off by any stretch. By all indications he’s made great progress and we’re happy with where he is.”

Fox and his staff are hopeful that Manning’s perfectionism will rub off on his teammates as camp goes on.

“Peyton’s going to be himself,” Fox said. “What (that’s) been is a tremendous leader, a great student of the game. When you’ve won the MVP that many times and you’ve had the accomplishments on the field he has, he can’t help but have some swagger to him, and I think that’s contagious.

“We said early on that he’s the type of player that raises all boats, from how they practice, how they approach practice. I’m talking about his teammates. He’s a very unselfish guy, a great teammate, and that should be a very positive influence on our team.”

Like every NFL team, the Broncos have plenty of questions going into camp. Elvis Dumervil spoke with reporters Wednesday but declined comment on his arrest in Florida last week, saying he would await the results of the ongoing investigation by Florida law enforcement authorities. Fox said the club would do the same. Dumervil was initially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following an incident described as a traffic confrontation in Miami Beach.

With linebacker D.J. Williams suspended for at least the first six games of the season after failing a league drug test, Fox acknowledged that the veteran linebacker is unlikely to line up with the first-team defense in camp.

Williams tweeted earlier that he had been moved from his weak-side linebacker position during the offseason, prompting speculation that Von Miller, last year’s NFL defensive rookie of the year, might move to the weak side to accentuate his pass rushing abilities. Joe Mays is the incumbent middle linebacker on run downs. With Williams out, Wesley Woodyard may be the leading candidate to join the starting lineup entering camp.

Fox also said he has no specific “pitch count” for Manning — a limit on the number of throws he makes per practice or per day as he regains arm strength following a season on the injured list — but said he will monitor how his arm is feeling as camp progresses.

Between the expectations that come with Manning and the opening of a new season, spirits were high Wednesday, the manicured practice fields ready for the first workout Thursday morning.

“With each season, what’s great about the NFL, it’s new,” Fox said. “It’s 32 teams all 0-0. It’s a new race, so to speak. It’s always good getting the guys back. They all look good, they have smiles on their faces and they’re excited about getting this training camp started.”

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Broncos/NFL

July 9, 2012

Roger Staubach: Great quarterbacks make their teammates believe

By Dave Krieger

For a moment, Roger Staubach pretended not to remember. Ever the gentleman, the Hall of Fame quarterback and Naval Academy graduate was in Denver last month on business, but he was not looking to remind Broncos fans that he destroyed their dreams thirty-four years ago.

“I don’t even remember that game,” he said with a smile when I asked about Super Bowl XII. “That was a long time ago. In Denver, I don’t like to talk about it.”

The nostalgia that surrounds the Broncos’ first trip to the Super Bowl tends to skip quickly over the final game. Up until then, 1977 was a magical year. The Orange Crush defense gave up the third-fewest points in the 28-team NFL and led the Broncos to a 12-2 record.

Veteran Craig Morton, in his first season in Colorado after being acquired from the New York Giants, provided stability, if not brilliance, at quarterback. He was named the Associated Press comeback player of the year after starting all 14 games at age 34. He had gone 2-10 as a starter for the Giants the season before, prompting widespread speculation that he was finished.

In Denver, his offense was built on a four-headed running game consisting of Otis Armstrong, Lonnie Perrin, Rob Lytle and Jon Keyworth. But Morton also threw for 14 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, improving his passer rating from 55.6 the year before to 82.0.

When the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 15, 1978, they met Staubach’s Cowboys in a championship matchup of quarterbacks who had been rivals for the Dallas starting job several years before.

“Playing against Craig, I was really uncomfortable,” Staubach said. “We came out of college together. We actually played in the College All-Star Game. Four years later, I joined the Cowboys. Don Meredith retired and Craig took over. He was good to me. He had some injuries, we battled back and forth and I got a chance to start. He was a starting quarterback too, so it could have gone either way.

“I got the chance to stay in Dallas. He went to the Giants and then went to Denver and had an MVP(-type) season. They were a great team with the Orange Crush. We were in that crazy dome. It was the first indoor Super Bowl, in New Orleans, in that dome, and it was loud. In the first quarter, we fumbled a punt on the 1-yard line. If Denver recovers . . . .

“So we actually got some turnovers from Denver. Our turnovers, it seemed like, we recovered. So the first quarter, even I — I mean, coach (Tom) Landry said, ‘Get these guys under control,’ and I said, ‘Hey coach, I gotta get under control. I can’t hear anything.'”

The game was a mess. Unaccustomed to the noise level of the Superdome, both teams played as if the ball was dipped in butter. Cowboys receiver Butch Johnson fumbled on the game’s first play, a double reverse, but recovered his own miscue.

As Staubach mentioned, wide receiver Tony Hill fumbled a Broncos punt at his own 1-yard line later in the first quarter, but he, too, fell on it before the Broncos could recover. Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett fumbled on his own 19 a few plays later, but center John Fitzgerald recovered.

The Broncos were not so lucky. Morton threw two early interceptions that led to Dallas scores and an early 10-0 lead. It could have been worse. Two more Morton interceptions led to failed field goal attempts by Cowboys kicker Efren Herrera.

Morton threw half as many picks in the first half as he had all season. Add three fumbles and the Broncos, who had been plus 12 in turnovers during the regular season, had an incredible seven giveaways by halftime on their way to a 27-10 loss. After nearly throwing his fifth interception early in the second half, Morton was replaced by Norris Weese.

“It just was our day and our defense played great,” Staubach said. “People love Craig Morton in Dallas. He’s a really good guy and he was a great player. Obviously, they were pulling for me, too, but it was a weird time in my life because I’m playing against a guy that left Dallas, so if we would have lost, it would have been even a double whammy for me. But we won and it was a good win for us. I mean, the Orange Crush had a great year that year.

“It was our second Super Bowl win. I’ve learned to be humble. I won two and lost two. (Terry) Bradshaw and the Steelers are a bunch of Taliban, actually. You’ve got to stay humble. But we had a really good team in ’77.”

Now 70, Staubach sold his real estate firm, The Staubach Company, to Jones Lang LaSalle four years ago. But he remains active in the business. It was a JLL event that brought him to Denver, where he and Peyton Manning regaled some of the firm’s clients with football talk and one-liners.

A year after their victory over the Broncos, the Cowboys went back to the Super Bowl with arguably an even better team. But they met the Steelers in the first Super Bowl rematch and lost to them for the second time, 35-31.

“I think about that a lot,” Staubach said. “It kind of determined the team of the ’70s. We were in five Super Bowls in the ’70s. I quarterbacked four of them. Actually, Craig was hurt a lot in that (first) game (Super Bowl V) when we lost to Baltimore on that field goal, 16-13.

“Pittsburgh was really a good team, and so were we. We were the only NFC team in the ’70s to win a Super Bowl. We won two of ’em. The AFC dominated, and then in the ’80s it changed with New York and San Francisco.

“There were a lot of key plays in the game, things that happened. One of the tough calls was that Lynn Swann interference call.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Cowboys defensive back Bennie Barnes was called for pass interference after he and Swann collided. Replays showed Swann ran into him. The Cowboys thought it should have been ruled incidental contact. The penalty gave the Steelers a first down at the Cowboys’ 23-yard line. Pittsburgh converted the opportunity into a touchdown, stretching its lead to 28-17.

“You can’t blame anything on the referees, by the way,” Staubach said with a smile. “But at that time we were kind of in charge. We had the momentum in the third quarter. It was 21-17. I threw kind of a low pass to Jackie Smith that would have tied the game.”

That turned into one of the more famous plays in Super Bowl history. Smith was a veteran tight end who had been named to five Pro Bowls earlier in his career as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. By Super Bowl XIII, he was a month from his 39th birthday. Wide open in the back of the end zone, his feet went out from under him as he dropped Staubach’s throw. A touchdown would have tied the game at 21. Instead, the Cowboys settled for a field goal and never got closer.

Staubach explained that when the play came in from the sideline he thought it was a mistake. The call was a goal-line play featuring three tight ends but the Cowboys had the ball at the 11-yard line. Staubach called timeout and walked to the sideline. Landry admitted the mistake, Staubach said. But, barred from changing personnel on the field without running a play, he decided to stick with the call.

From the goal line, the play called for Smith to run an 11-yard route to the back of the end zone. Had Smith run that route from the 11, he would have ended up right at the goal line and “the ball would have been right there,” Staubach said.

But with Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert blitzing, Staubach had to release the ball in anticipation of Smith’s move. Instead of turning at the goal line, Smith drifted toward the back of the end zone, closer to the position where he was supposed to end up when the play was run from the goal line. “He was all alone, nobody was anywhere near him,” Staubach recalled.

By the time Smith turned, the ball was on him, lower than he expected. His feet went out from under him and he dropped it. The play could have tied the game at 21. Instead, the Cowboys settled for a Rafael Septien field goal and never got closer.

“He just got killed for that,” Staubach said of Smith. “It was just a good game and it was a tough loss. The Steelers were a really good team. That was our best team. We had Dorsett. Besides Drew Pearson, we had Tony Hill and Butch Johnson, Billy Joe (DuPree). We had a great offense that year. We led the NFL in offense.

“So that really gave the Steelers the ’70s. Kind of put us into a ‘Really good team of the ’70s,’ but if you voted for the team of the ’70s, it was . . . what was the name of that team again? Oh, yeah, Pittsburgh.”

Staubach laughed. “No, they were really good. They beat us and it was a heck of a game.”

Long before head injuries became a serious legal liability for the NFL, Staubach’s career ended with his retirement after the 1979 season. He was still near the top of his game, having led the Cowboys to an 11-5 record with 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But he had suffered multiple concussions and decided discretion was the better part of valor.

More than 30 years later, Staubach is mentally sharp with a dry sense of humor. I asked what he thought of all the lawsuits that have been filed against the league claiming inadequate treatment of and attention to head injuries.

“Well, I don’t think they did anything intentionally, to be honest with you,” he said. “I’m not involved in any of these lawsuits. There’s like 80 of them or something like that in the NFL. It’s a serious issue with the litigation right now.

“I really didn’t have a thorough CAT scan until my last year, and I had eight concussions. They would test you out. I never went back into a game when I was knocked out. I’m talking about concussions where I’m knocked out. But I played the next week.

“Fortunately, I didn’t have them real close (together). My last year I had two, but they were like four games apart. That’s where you really worry. Sometimes it’s not just getting knocked out, it’s just slapping your head and knocking things around.

“The helmet-to-helmet, some of the rule things, using your helmet as a weapon, at least two of my concussions, with Dave Robinson and L.C. Greenwood, were helmet-to-helmet. L.C.’s, I actually had a lump under my helmet when I woke up.

“So they’re doing some good things and they still maintain the integrity of the game. They definitely are protecting the quarterback more. I don’t even remember having a roughing-the-passer penalty. A lot of these guys average two a game. These quarterbacks are a little more wussy than we were.”

Just so there’s no misunderstanding, this last was a wisecrack, said with a smile.

“But they’re doing the right things and it’s going down to college and into the high schools and kids,” he said. “My first concussion — I had one in high school, one in college and with the Cowboys I had about eight of ’em. They’re studying if they lead into other problems and there probably are some things they’re doing that are showing that . . . .

“Concussions definitely aren’t good and they are trying to benchmark them and keep you out of the game and make sure you’re back. They’re doing the right things, I think, now, versus — and I don’t think it was intentional in the past, I just think it was, ‘Hey, it’s just a concussion, no big deal.'”

Before Staubach’s visit to KOA ended, Dave Logan asked about the quarterbacks he liked to watch most after he retired.

“I think watching the game you just have that feeling when a guy steps on the field that he’s going to make things happen,” Staubach said. “If they’re behind, that some way he’s going to win that game. That’s when I feel real strong about a quarterback.

“I saw that when Dallas got (Troy) Aikman back in the ’90s. I think he was fantastic. But now, you watch Peyton Manning get out there, or Tom Brady. John Elway. I mean, John’s going to figure out a way to win the game.

“There’s a lot of quarterbacks that have that confidence. You’ve got to have the physical talent. You’ve got to throw with a little velocity because there’s not a weak guy on defense. But the big thing is having your teammates believe in you because you can’t do it by yourself. If you can transfer your ability to your teammates, getting their confidence, that’s the differentiator in the Elways and the Peyton Mannings and the Bradys.

“I think I was able to transfer my confidence to my teammates. The quarterback is more than just the physical. It’s the confidence, it’s the leadership, it’s being able to get your teammates to believe, ‘Hey, we’re going to figure out how to win this game.'”

Roger the Dodger ought to know.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Broncos/NFL, concussions