Lonestar
12-21-2008, 03:55 PM
On pins and needles
By Jim Armstrong
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 12/21/2008 12:14:16 AM MST
Finally, some good news on the Broncos' injury front: None of their tailbacks has been attacked lately by a snowblower.
It's those guys on the other team who are giving the Broncos' tailbacks fits. Five have landed on the injured- reserve list, with the ailments ranging from neck (Mi- chael Pittman) to toe (Anthony Alridge).
Check that, says Alridge.
"It's head to toe," Alridge said. "There have probably been some of us who've had concussions but didn't tell anybody about it."
Such is life in the Broncos' backfield in 2008. What, you don't think something is in the air at Dove Valley? You don't think there's some Curse of the Bambino West going on? Then how do you explain Alridge never missing a game in college because of an injury, only to lead the parade to the IR list before the season opener?
"I really don't know what's going on," Alridge said. "It's just been freakish. There are probably a lot of people around here looking over their shoulders."
And when they do, they invariably see the latest waiver-wire all-star walking through the door at Dove Valley. The list of unknown soldiers to line up at tailback, in practice if not Sunday afternoon, includes P.J. Pope, Alex Haynes, Cory Boyd and Steve Baylark. Then, of course, there's Tatum Bell, who was hawking cellphones at the Aurora Mall before the Broncos sent him a lifeline after yet another injury.
Baylark was the latest addition, having been signed to the practice squad after the season-ending hamstring injury suffered by Peyton Hillis. The obvious question after he walked into the locker room: Um, Steve, you sure you want to do this?
"The whole injury thing is kind of spooky," Baylark said. "I've never seen anything like it. Maybe in a video game or something, but not in real life. Hopefully it isn't contagious. I'm knocking on wood."
Not that it did him any good. Baylark's days in a Broncos uniform lasted one week before he was sent packing. Hey, at least, when he knocked on wood, he didn't break his hand, a la Andre Hall against Miami.
At the risk of telling you something you already know, coach Mike Shanahan said he has never seen the likes of it. Never has he seen the injury bug bite so hard and so many in such a relatively short span of time.
"Not this many at one position," Shanahan said. "When you have injuries, you deal with it. You're dealt a hand and I'm pleased with our personnel staff that we could go out and get these guys. There's been an upside to it. I feel pretty good about a lot of these young players stepping up next year after getting an opportunity this year."
Just about every Broncos tailback with a pulse and a helmet has gotten an opportunity to run the rock. They've had five different players start at tailback, four in a span of four recent games. Thus this stat: Denver has a league-high six tailbacks who've had 15-plus carries, and the number figures to grow today, what with Pope sitting on 11 attempts.
And while we're on the subject of wacky stats, did you know the Broncos, despite all the sprains, strains and no-gains, rank fifth in the league in average per carry? It's true. They're at 4.5 yards a crack, ahead of, among others, Minnesota, which employs NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson, and Washington, where ex-Bronco Clinton Portis led the league in the first half of the season.
Oh, and how about this one? Hillis, a converted fullback, leads the team with 343 rushing yards, just ahead of Pittman, at 320. Since both are on IR, it's altogether possible Hillis could finish the season No. 1. Nothing out of the ordinary there except that the Broncos produced 11 1,000-yard backs in Shanahan's first 13 seasons.
When it comes to the Broncos' yearly rushing leaders during the Shanahan era, there have been more 2,000-yard runners (one) than those with fewer than 700 (none). If Hillis finishes atop this year's list, it would be the lowest team-leading total in franchise history. The lowest to date is 360 by Donnie Stone in 1962, when Ring of Famer Frank Tripucka was lofting 9-irons into the secondary during the pass-happy days of the AFL.
It has been one long, strange trip, this 2008 Broncos season. The days of Selvin Young setting a goal of 2,000 yards seem like ancient history. These days, Shanahan's go-to guy is more like the flavor of the week. Instead of turning to a second-stringer after an injury, he's down to "others receiving votes."
"Our running game isn't the same that it's been, for obvious reasons," Shanahan said.
The situation has put no small amount of stress on quarterback Jay Cutler and the coaching staff. With so many tailbacks down for the count, Shanahan and his staff have had to come up with ways not to get the tailback involved. Thus all those empty-backfield sets we've seen in recent weeks.
"We're throwing the ball a whole lot more," said Bell, when asked what the difference was between this Broncos team and his first tour of duty at Dove Valley. "We've got a lot of new guys here compared to when I left. . . . Hey, we've got a couple of new guys today. That's part of the NFL. Guys come and go."
For the record, the Broncos, according to trainer Steve Antonopulos, have studied each injury to ensure that the team's practice tendencies or training regimen weren't part of the problem. Long story short, they weren't. The technical term for each injury reads something like this: Hey, that's football.
Popular man, Antonopulos. So much so that the trainer's room looks like a scene from the Department of Motor Vehicles. But instead of taking a number, injured players have been assigned specific times to get treatment, an unheard-of practice at Dove Valley.
"We have different groups that come in at different times," Antonopulos said. "We stage our guys. You hope it never comes to that, but those are the breaks of the game. You do what you've got to do."
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
When the Broncos run
The Broncos will once again play with their trio of small running backs and are hoping for better results than last week in the loss to Carolina. P.J. Pope averaged 7.3 yards per carry in that game and caught a touchdown pass. Denver should have its fullback, Spencer Larsen, back, which should help in short-yardage situations. The Bills are allowing 114 yards rushing per game. Edge: Buffalo
When the Bills run
Bills tailback Marshawn Lynch went over the 1,000-yard barrier last Sunday vs. the Jets. But he did not practice early last week because of a sore shoulder. Lynch's backup, Fred Jackson, has 392 yards rushing this season. Denver's run defense is giving up 140.1 yards per game and remains vulnerable to the big play, such as the 56-yard TD run last week by DeAngelo Williams. Edge: Buffalo, if Lynch is healthy
When the Broncos pass
If the Broncos are going to clinch the division today, Jay Cutler must rebound from one of his worst passing days and beat the Bills in the air. Buffalo's pass rush has produced only 22 sacks (one fewer than Denver's defense), so Cutler should have time. Edge: Denver
When the Bills pass
Buffalo is averaging less than 200 yards passing per game, and with the quarterback situation in flux, this game could give Denver's secondary a boost. Buffalo QBs have been intercepted 15 times. Receiver Lee Evans needs just 65 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. Edge: Even
Special teams
Buffalo has long had solid special teams and currently is averaging 15 yards per punt return and 25 yards per kickoff return (compared with 10.2 per punt and 22.7 per kickoff for the Broncos). It could get interesting if either team attempts field goals between 40-49 yards. Denver's Matt Prater is 4-for-10 from that distance, while Buffalo's Rian Lindell is 9-for-13. Edge: Buffalo
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_11276372
By Jim Armstrong
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 12/21/2008 12:14:16 AM MST
Finally, some good news on the Broncos' injury front: None of their tailbacks has been attacked lately by a snowblower.
It's those guys on the other team who are giving the Broncos' tailbacks fits. Five have landed on the injured- reserve list, with the ailments ranging from neck (Mi- chael Pittman) to toe (Anthony Alridge).
Check that, says Alridge.
"It's head to toe," Alridge said. "There have probably been some of us who've had concussions but didn't tell anybody about it."
Such is life in the Broncos' backfield in 2008. What, you don't think something is in the air at Dove Valley? You don't think there's some Curse of the Bambino West going on? Then how do you explain Alridge never missing a game in college because of an injury, only to lead the parade to the IR list before the season opener?
"I really don't know what's going on," Alridge said. "It's just been freakish. There are probably a lot of people around here looking over their shoulders."
And when they do, they invariably see the latest waiver-wire all-star walking through the door at Dove Valley. The list of unknown soldiers to line up at tailback, in practice if not Sunday afternoon, includes P.J. Pope, Alex Haynes, Cory Boyd and Steve Baylark. Then, of course, there's Tatum Bell, who was hawking cellphones at the Aurora Mall before the Broncos sent him a lifeline after yet another injury.
Baylark was the latest addition, having been signed to the practice squad after the season-ending hamstring injury suffered by Peyton Hillis. The obvious question after he walked into the locker room: Um, Steve, you sure you want to do this?
"The whole injury thing is kind of spooky," Baylark said. "I've never seen anything like it. Maybe in a video game or something, but not in real life. Hopefully it isn't contagious. I'm knocking on wood."
Not that it did him any good. Baylark's days in a Broncos uniform lasted one week before he was sent packing. Hey, at least, when he knocked on wood, he didn't break his hand, a la Andre Hall against Miami.
At the risk of telling you something you already know, coach Mike Shanahan said he has never seen the likes of it. Never has he seen the injury bug bite so hard and so many in such a relatively short span of time.
"Not this many at one position," Shanahan said. "When you have injuries, you deal with it. You're dealt a hand and I'm pleased with our personnel staff that we could go out and get these guys. There's been an upside to it. I feel pretty good about a lot of these young players stepping up next year after getting an opportunity this year."
Just about every Broncos tailback with a pulse and a helmet has gotten an opportunity to run the rock. They've had five different players start at tailback, four in a span of four recent games. Thus this stat: Denver has a league-high six tailbacks who've had 15-plus carries, and the number figures to grow today, what with Pope sitting on 11 attempts.
And while we're on the subject of wacky stats, did you know the Broncos, despite all the sprains, strains and no-gains, rank fifth in the league in average per carry? It's true. They're at 4.5 yards a crack, ahead of, among others, Minnesota, which employs NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson, and Washington, where ex-Bronco Clinton Portis led the league in the first half of the season.
Oh, and how about this one? Hillis, a converted fullback, leads the team with 343 rushing yards, just ahead of Pittman, at 320. Since both are on IR, it's altogether possible Hillis could finish the season No. 1. Nothing out of the ordinary there except that the Broncos produced 11 1,000-yard backs in Shanahan's first 13 seasons.
When it comes to the Broncos' yearly rushing leaders during the Shanahan era, there have been more 2,000-yard runners (one) than those with fewer than 700 (none). If Hillis finishes atop this year's list, it would be the lowest team-leading total in franchise history. The lowest to date is 360 by Donnie Stone in 1962, when Ring of Famer Frank Tripucka was lofting 9-irons into the secondary during the pass-happy days of the AFL.
It has been one long, strange trip, this 2008 Broncos season. The days of Selvin Young setting a goal of 2,000 yards seem like ancient history. These days, Shanahan's go-to guy is more like the flavor of the week. Instead of turning to a second-stringer after an injury, he's down to "others receiving votes."
"Our running game isn't the same that it's been, for obvious reasons," Shanahan said.
The situation has put no small amount of stress on quarterback Jay Cutler and the coaching staff. With so many tailbacks down for the count, Shanahan and his staff have had to come up with ways not to get the tailback involved. Thus all those empty-backfield sets we've seen in recent weeks.
"We're throwing the ball a whole lot more," said Bell, when asked what the difference was between this Broncos team and his first tour of duty at Dove Valley. "We've got a lot of new guys here compared to when I left. . . . Hey, we've got a couple of new guys today. That's part of the NFL. Guys come and go."
For the record, the Broncos, according to trainer Steve Antonopulos, have studied each injury to ensure that the team's practice tendencies or training regimen weren't part of the problem. Long story short, they weren't. The technical term for each injury reads something like this: Hey, that's football.
Popular man, Antonopulos. So much so that the trainer's room looks like a scene from the Department of Motor Vehicles. But instead of taking a number, injured players have been assigned specific times to get treatment, an unheard-of practice at Dove Valley.
"We have different groups that come in at different times," Antonopulos said. "We stage our guys. You hope it never comes to that, but those are the breaks of the game. You do what you've got to do."
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
When the Broncos run
The Broncos will once again play with their trio of small running backs and are hoping for better results than last week in the loss to Carolina. P.J. Pope averaged 7.3 yards per carry in that game and caught a touchdown pass. Denver should have its fullback, Spencer Larsen, back, which should help in short-yardage situations. The Bills are allowing 114 yards rushing per game. Edge: Buffalo
When the Bills run
Bills tailback Marshawn Lynch went over the 1,000-yard barrier last Sunday vs. the Jets. But he did not practice early last week because of a sore shoulder. Lynch's backup, Fred Jackson, has 392 yards rushing this season. Denver's run defense is giving up 140.1 yards per game and remains vulnerable to the big play, such as the 56-yard TD run last week by DeAngelo Williams. Edge: Buffalo, if Lynch is healthy
When the Broncos pass
If the Broncos are going to clinch the division today, Jay Cutler must rebound from one of his worst passing days and beat the Bills in the air. Buffalo's pass rush has produced only 22 sacks (one fewer than Denver's defense), so Cutler should have time. Edge: Denver
When the Bills pass
Buffalo is averaging less than 200 yards passing per game, and with the quarterback situation in flux, this game could give Denver's secondary a boost. Buffalo QBs have been intercepted 15 times. Receiver Lee Evans needs just 65 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. Edge: Even
Special teams
Buffalo has long had solid special teams and currently is averaging 15 yards per punt return and 25 yards per kickoff return (compared with 10.2 per punt and 22.7 per kickoff for the Broncos). It could get interesting if either team attempts field goals between 40-49 yards. Denver's Matt Prater is 4-for-10 from that distance, while Buffalo's Rian Lindell is 9-for-13. Edge: Buffalo
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_11276372