Denver Native (Carol)
11-13-2008, 10:26 PM
News from Broncos Camp as they get ready to face the Falcons.
Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall is out of the end zone antics business, preferring to leave the choreographed celebrations to others.
Marshall purged a plan at the last second to pull out a black-and-white glove in tribute to President-elect Barack Obama after a late touchdown at Cleveland last Thursday.
"That was just a special week. That's all that was," Marshall said Thursday. "I'm not as creative as those guys who get in the end zone and do all those celebrations."
He almost scored big -- with originality.
After scoring the go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute left in Denver's 34-30 win, Marshall reached for the glove from his pants.
His plot was to put it on and raise his fist to emulate the pose of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who famously raised their black gloves for racial equality at the '68 Olympics in Mexico City.
But Marshall's intentions to honor Obama's victory and how far blacks have come in the last 40 years were interrupted by fellow receiver Brandon Stokley, who rushed to him in the back of the end zone and persuaded him to scrub the salute. The Broncos couldn't afford a 15-yard celebration penalty.
Marshall said he owes Stokley his gratitude.
"I wasn't paying attention to the situation," Marshall said. "All I was thinking about was the fine."
The fine would've been fine -- just not the penalty.
Marshall said he's spoken with coach Mike Shanahan about the incident, in a joking sort of way.
Marshall has been an ardent backer of Obama, wearing T-shirts to news conferences leading up to the election.
After the game, Marshall read a statement about how inspired he was by Obama becoming the first black man elected to the nation's highest office.
Carlos and Smith recently told The Associated Press they appreciated the gesture, saying Marshall's heart was in the right place.
"He had the right idea in terms of what he was attempting to do," Carlos said. "We've come full circle to the point where so many white people in America can say I put my trust in a black man for the presidency."
Marshall said he didn't keep up with the aftermath of his actions from last week, failing to pick up a paper or switch on the television, choosing to put it behind him.
"This week I'm focused on just Atlanta and what we've got to do to beat them," said Marshall, who's tied for fourth in the league with 57 catches. "That was last week."
The big, tall target could be going up against a familiar foe in cornerback Domonique Foxworth, who was dealt to Atlanta in early September.
They both know each other's moves quite well from years spent tussling in practice.
"Fox is good," Marshall said. "It'll be fun to go against Fox."
------
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Champ Bailey is hoping he can heal enough to be on the field, not the sideline, for his homecoming to Georgia.
Bailey, who grew up in Folkston, Ga., has missed the past two games with a groin injury, but practiced Thursday on a limited basis.
"It's not exactly where I want it to be, but I'm making great progress," said Bailey, a standout player at the University of Georgia.
The Broncos will gladly take Bailey back at even 60 percent of his playmaking ability.
"He's pushing himself, but that's what you want," Shanahan said. "He doesn't need a lot of practice time. ... He's aware of what he can and what he can't do. We'll wait and see."
------
THE SEQUEL: Falcons kicker Jason Elam liked writing so much, he penned another novel.
Elam wrote "Monday Night Jihad" while with the Broncos, a suspense thriller that combines football, religion and a spy adventure in which the hero tries to stop a terrorist plot.
Now, he's coming out with "Blown Coverage," revisiting his main character, linebacker Riley Covington, a bruising linebacker and Air Force lieutenant loosely based on former Broncos reserve Steve Russ.
"It's going really well," Elam said of being an author.
So good, in fact, that he and co-author Steve Yohn just signed a deal to pen two more books in the series.
Authoring aside, Elam is having quite the season since signing with Atlanta, connecting on 19-of-21 field goals this season.
He's looking forward to facing his former team.
"It'll be good to see them in person and say 'Hi' to them," Elam said.
------
WHAT'S IN A NAME?: Falcons coach Mike Smith appreciates the skills of tight end Tony Scheffler, even if he can't pronounce his last name.
Smith referred to him as "Schegler," amusing Scheffler when he was told of the errant attempt on his name.
"That's all right," Scheffler said. "Tight end's kind of a position that's lesser known, and doesn't come with a lot of attention or fame."
Scheffler returned to the field against Cleveland after missing three games with a torn groin. He caught four passes for 92 yards.
"I wasn't feeling all that great during the game, but obviously it still worked," he said. "Maybe there's something to be learned from that -- patience in my routes and that sort of thing."
The Broncos are 5-1 this season when Scheffler plays, mainly because he stretches the field so well. The defense can't afford to focus solely on Marshall and Eddie Royal with Scheffler going across the middle.
"He's very fast, and I think he catches the ball extremely well," Smith said.
------
QUICK STUDY: Broncos rookie Peyton Hillis has been spending the week brushing up on plays from both the fullback and tailback spots.
He's not sure where he'll be needed, given the fact the Broncos are so short-handed in the backfield.
After Selvin Young (groin) and Ryan Torain (left knee) went down against Cleveland, Hillis was switched over to tailback, picking up a pivotal fourth-and-1 late in the game.
"If they need me to step up and play a role on this team, that's what I'm going to do," Hillis said.
The team recently brought back Tatum Bell to bolster the thin running back corps.
Bell was released by the Lions in early September, and has been working as a manager at a cell phone store in nearby Aurora.
"I was pleasantly surprised that he was in better football shape than I anticipated," Shanahan said after Bell's second day of practice. "He's been working out, you can tell."
------
FIRST DOWNS: Young missed his second straight day of practice Thursday. ... S Marlon McCree was held out of practice with an ankle injury.
Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall is out of the end zone antics business, preferring to leave the choreographed celebrations to others.
Marshall purged a plan at the last second to pull out a black-and-white glove in tribute to President-elect Barack Obama after a late touchdown at Cleveland last Thursday.
"That was just a special week. That's all that was," Marshall said Thursday. "I'm not as creative as those guys who get in the end zone and do all those celebrations."
He almost scored big -- with originality.
After scoring the go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute left in Denver's 34-30 win, Marshall reached for the glove from his pants.
His plot was to put it on and raise his fist to emulate the pose of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who famously raised their black gloves for racial equality at the '68 Olympics in Mexico City.
But Marshall's intentions to honor Obama's victory and how far blacks have come in the last 40 years were interrupted by fellow receiver Brandon Stokley, who rushed to him in the back of the end zone and persuaded him to scrub the salute. The Broncos couldn't afford a 15-yard celebration penalty.
Marshall said he owes Stokley his gratitude.
"I wasn't paying attention to the situation," Marshall said. "All I was thinking about was the fine."
The fine would've been fine -- just not the penalty.
Marshall said he's spoken with coach Mike Shanahan about the incident, in a joking sort of way.
Marshall has been an ardent backer of Obama, wearing T-shirts to news conferences leading up to the election.
After the game, Marshall read a statement about how inspired he was by Obama becoming the first black man elected to the nation's highest office.
Carlos and Smith recently told The Associated Press they appreciated the gesture, saying Marshall's heart was in the right place.
"He had the right idea in terms of what he was attempting to do," Carlos said. "We've come full circle to the point where so many white people in America can say I put my trust in a black man for the presidency."
Marshall said he didn't keep up with the aftermath of his actions from last week, failing to pick up a paper or switch on the television, choosing to put it behind him.
"This week I'm focused on just Atlanta and what we've got to do to beat them," said Marshall, who's tied for fourth in the league with 57 catches. "That was last week."
The big, tall target could be going up against a familiar foe in cornerback Domonique Foxworth, who was dealt to Atlanta in early September.
They both know each other's moves quite well from years spent tussling in practice.
"Fox is good," Marshall said. "It'll be fun to go against Fox."
------
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Champ Bailey is hoping he can heal enough to be on the field, not the sideline, for his homecoming to Georgia.
Bailey, who grew up in Folkston, Ga., has missed the past two games with a groin injury, but practiced Thursday on a limited basis.
"It's not exactly where I want it to be, but I'm making great progress," said Bailey, a standout player at the University of Georgia.
The Broncos will gladly take Bailey back at even 60 percent of his playmaking ability.
"He's pushing himself, but that's what you want," Shanahan said. "He doesn't need a lot of practice time. ... He's aware of what he can and what he can't do. We'll wait and see."
------
THE SEQUEL: Falcons kicker Jason Elam liked writing so much, he penned another novel.
Elam wrote "Monday Night Jihad" while with the Broncos, a suspense thriller that combines football, religion and a spy adventure in which the hero tries to stop a terrorist plot.
Now, he's coming out with "Blown Coverage," revisiting his main character, linebacker Riley Covington, a bruising linebacker and Air Force lieutenant loosely based on former Broncos reserve Steve Russ.
"It's going really well," Elam said of being an author.
So good, in fact, that he and co-author Steve Yohn just signed a deal to pen two more books in the series.
Authoring aside, Elam is having quite the season since signing with Atlanta, connecting on 19-of-21 field goals this season.
He's looking forward to facing his former team.
"It'll be good to see them in person and say 'Hi' to them," Elam said.
------
WHAT'S IN A NAME?: Falcons coach Mike Smith appreciates the skills of tight end Tony Scheffler, even if he can't pronounce his last name.
Smith referred to him as "Schegler," amusing Scheffler when he was told of the errant attempt on his name.
"That's all right," Scheffler said. "Tight end's kind of a position that's lesser known, and doesn't come with a lot of attention or fame."
Scheffler returned to the field against Cleveland after missing three games with a torn groin. He caught four passes for 92 yards.
"I wasn't feeling all that great during the game, but obviously it still worked," he said. "Maybe there's something to be learned from that -- patience in my routes and that sort of thing."
The Broncos are 5-1 this season when Scheffler plays, mainly because he stretches the field so well. The defense can't afford to focus solely on Marshall and Eddie Royal with Scheffler going across the middle.
"He's very fast, and I think he catches the ball extremely well," Smith said.
------
QUICK STUDY: Broncos rookie Peyton Hillis has been spending the week brushing up on plays from both the fullback and tailback spots.
He's not sure where he'll be needed, given the fact the Broncos are so short-handed in the backfield.
After Selvin Young (groin) and Ryan Torain (left knee) went down against Cleveland, Hillis was switched over to tailback, picking up a pivotal fourth-and-1 late in the game.
"If they need me to step up and play a role on this team, that's what I'm going to do," Hillis said.
The team recently brought back Tatum Bell to bolster the thin running back corps.
Bell was released by the Lions in early September, and has been working as a manager at a cell phone store in nearby Aurora.
"I was pleasantly surprised that he was in better football shape than I anticipated," Shanahan said after Bell's second day of practice. "He's been working out, you can tell."
------
FIRST DOWNS: Young missed his second straight day of practice Thursday. ... S Marlon McCree was held out of practice with an ankle injury.