Denver Native (Carol)
10-08-2009, 10:44 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13510079
Correll Buckhalter is hurt. And all is well.
Such is the attitude NFL teams habitually express whenever one of their key players suffers an injury.
And Buckhalter is a key Broncos player. The tailback leads the 4-0 team in rushing and is fourth in receiving.
There is a good chance Buckhalter won't play Sunday against the New England Patriots, however, because of an ankle sprain he suffered last weekend against the Dallas Cowboys.
"We'd love to have Correll," said Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton. "He's played great for us, been very productive. But it's one of our deeper positions on offense and we've got a lot of guys ready to go."
The question isn't necessarily who will replace Buckhalter, because rookie Knowshon Moreno has been getting the bulk of the carries anyway — 60 to Buckhalter's 37.
The question is how LaMont Jordan or Peyton Hillis will fare in Moreno's previous role as the 1A tailback. Jordan has been the more trusted No. 3 back with 17 carries to just four by Hillis.
"My job is to be prepared," Hillis said. "I have to take it all in and make sure it doesn't go in one ear and out the other. You have to expect to play all the time."
Hillis' straight-ahead, physical running style as a rookie surprise last season earned him cultlike popularity, but he has struggled in a reduced role this year.
In consecutive weeks, Hillis fumbled away the opening kickoff against the Cleveland Browns; was flagged against the Oakland Raiders for jumping the snap on first-and-goal, then didn't score on two goal-line plunges; and was penalized twice on punt coverage against Dallas.
Is he pressing?
"Pressing? I don't know. I try to play hard, and I've made some mistakes in the process," Hillis said. "It's not because I'm not mentally right.
"You do the best you can. You have to wait in line and wait your turn and one of these days, hopefully it'll happen. If not, you need to be a great team player and play where they want you to play."
Correll Buckhalter is hurt. And all is well.
Such is the attitude NFL teams habitually express whenever one of their key players suffers an injury.
And Buckhalter is a key Broncos player. The tailback leads the 4-0 team in rushing and is fourth in receiving.
There is a good chance Buckhalter won't play Sunday against the New England Patriots, however, because of an ankle sprain he suffered last weekend against the Dallas Cowboys.
"We'd love to have Correll," said Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton. "He's played great for us, been very productive. But it's one of our deeper positions on offense and we've got a lot of guys ready to go."
The question isn't necessarily who will replace Buckhalter, because rookie Knowshon Moreno has been getting the bulk of the carries anyway — 60 to Buckhalter's 37.
The question is how LaMont Jordan or Peyton Hillis will fare in Moreno's previous role as the 1A tailback. Jordan has been the more trusted No. 3 back with 17 carries to just four by Hillis.
"My job is to be prepared," Hillis said. "I have to take it all in and make sure it doesn't go in one ear and out the other. You have to expect to play all the time."
Hillis' straight-ahead, physical running style as a rookie surprise last season earned him cultlike popularity, but he has struggled in a reduced role this year.
In consecutive weeks, Hillis fumbled away the opening kickoff against the Cleveland Browns; was flagged against the Oakland Raiders for jumping the snap on first-and-goal, then didn't score on two goal-line plunges; and was penalized twice on punt coverage against Dallas.
Is he pressing?
"Pressing? I don't know. I try to play hard, and I've made some mistakes in the process," Hillis said. "It's not because I'm not mentally right.
"You do the best you can. You have to wait in line and wait your turn and one of these days, hopefully it'll happen. If not, you need to be a great team player and play where they want you to play."