Bronco news

[Atlas]

Broncos’ decision to drop Walls shows confidence in youth

SoCals link: http://profootballweekly.com/PFW/The+Way+We+Hear+It/default.htm?mode=afcwest

Considering the still gimpy state of CB Champ Bailey, the Broncos’ decision to put Lenny Walls on the reserve/injured list that requires the release of the player once he returns to health came as a surprise to a lot of people in Denver. How did a 6-foot-4 former starting cornerback who looked like he had a real future with the club fall this far this fast? Several reasons, most notably the solid play of draft choices like Darrent Williams, Domonique Foxworth and Karl Paymah, as well as nickel and dime options like Sam Brandon and Curome Cox. Williams and Foxworth passed Walls by on the depth chart back in Week Two, though Walls was still playing a fair amount because of the recent rash of injuries in the secondary. Walls also had a hard time staying healthy, suffering through shoulder problems last year and a groin strain this season, and was known to pout a bit from time to time. Walls was due to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, and with his rare size and fluid skills, he figured to to be in line for a nice raise elsewhere. Time will tell how this affects his future, but the list of suitors in need of an experienced corner once he is released figures to be lengthy. “It was something that we requested they do,” his agent, Peter Schaffer, told PFW. “There weren’t any hard feelings between us and the team, and since he was going to be entering free agency, we wanted him to have the opportunity to go to a team that he could play for.”

[Atlas]

Raiders just looking for a win at this point


ALAMEDA, Calif. - Coming off their most heartbreaking loss of the season and staring at a three-game deficit in their division, the Oakland Raiders are down to what is likely their final shot at salvaging the season.

A loss to first-place Denver on Sunday would bury the Raiders in the AFC West cellar and all but wipe out any chance the team has of making a run at the postseason. Oakland is winless in three division games and has only one win over an opponent with a winning record this year.

Conversely, Denver has won six of its last seven games and holds a one-game lead in the AFC West over Kansas City, which defeated the Raiders 27-23 last week on last-second touchdown. The Broncos (6-2) are seeking their first division title since 1998.

Oakland, which won the AFC West three straight seasons from 2000-02, is just 3-5 this season and on the verge of falling out of the playoff hunt before Thanksgiving.

"Man, they could have UCLA coming in here, we need the win," Raiders defensive tackle Ed Jasper said. "It doesn't matter. We just need to get some wins together."

Oakland had won three of four before falling to Kansas City on the final play of the game last Sunday. That prevented the Raiders from reaching the .500 mark after an 0-3 start and derailed the momentum the team picked up in October when it went 3-1.

Three of Oakland's five losses have been by six points or less.

"We've won close games and we've been in close games and not found a way to get over the hump," Raiders coach Norv Turner said. "That's the key. I know we're a lot better football team than we were last year. We're a better football team right now than we were six weeks ago, but you've got to find a way (to win) and get a break or two along the way.

"Winning helps everything. It makes your omelet taste better or whatever, your cereal or whatever you're eating."

The Raiders still have a bad taste in their mouth following the four-point loss to Kansas City in which Chiefs' running back Larry Johnson scored the game-winning touchdown on a short dive over the top as time expired.

During Kansas City's game-winning drive, Jasper was called for a tripping penalty that helped sustain the Chiefs' momentum. Afterward, Jasper and several teammates and team officials harshly criticized the officiating in the game.

Four days later Jasper remained upset by the call but says the Raiders cannot use it as an excuse.

"This sport is all about W's and L's," Jasper said. "That's all that really matters. It's always hard to come here every week after a loss and try to get it going. We all get along good, we always laugh and make practice fun. But a loss is a loss."

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who coached the Raiders in 1988 before getting fired four games into the '89 season, is 15-5 against his former team. Denver has won three of the last four games in the series and has had two weeks to prepare for Oakland because of the bye.

Since 1990 the Broncos are 12-4 coming off the bye, the third-best mark in the NFL. The last time Denver and Oakland played immediately after a bye was in 2002 when the Raiders won 34-10.

Despite the three-game lead they hold over the Raiders, Shanahan cautioned his players against overlooking their longtime division rivals.

"You could argue (Oakland) could easily be a 6-2 or 5-3 team because that's what they could be very easily," Shanahan said. "They could have easily won last week, so you're dealing with a football team that's played better each week. And that's always a dangerous football team."

[Atlas]

The "You Are Not Alone" Individual Disappointment Award:
SoCals link: http://www.harvardindependent.com/media/paper369/news/2005/11/10/Sports/Pigskin.Preview-1054276.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.harvardindependent.com
Reuben Droughns, Browns. As a fan of the Broncos front-office strategy of trading running backs after inflating their numbers in a run-friendly environment - think Clinton Portis for Champ Bailey - I half-expected Reuben Droughns, a far less gifted back than Portis, to falter in Cleveland. Denver, of course, made out like a bandit again, landing defensive star and All-Name Team member Ebenezer Ekuban, along with All-Name Second Teamer Michael Myers. Droughns has succeeded better than Browns backs of years past but has scored exactly zero times through eight games. At least MJ scored once in the "You Are Not Alone" video.

[Atlas]

Broncos 38, Raiders 21: It's time for another episode of "My Name Is Al," that slapstick comedy in which Al Davis seeks to right his wrongs and change the Raiders' karma. After making peace with Oakland officials, he does the same with Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. Next week's episode: Settling up with Irwindale.
SoCals link: http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/sports/13136650.htm

[Atlas]

Broncos at Raiders: The Raiders will be broadcasting this game in the Navajo language.

Native American fans will be thrilled. The Axis powers won't know what's going on. Unless they download a code talker's dictionary, like I did.

The Raiders are still having trouble on ah-kin-cil-toh (defense). They also need more big plays from their e-yih-sih deh-na-as-tso-si (special teams). Their offense is effective but must do a better job in the li-chi bih-na-has-dzoh (red zone). Ideally, they would like more than one reception from wo-tah lit (Randy Moss).

Prediction: against the more disciplined, more balanced Broncos, the Raiders will be forced to ne-nah-cha (surrender).

[DomCasual]

Damn, that's a relief about the Navajo thing. I have been trying all week to find out if the game was going to be broadcast in Navajo. Anyone know yet who the Navajo announcers are going to be?

[Gcver2ver3]

Good stuff Atlas...thanks for the info...it was a good read

[Atlas]

Plummer brings a smarter game
Ira Miller
SoCals link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/09/SPGL4FL6FH1.DTL

Englewood, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos are bringing an impostor to Oakland on Sunday. The guy playing quarterback looks like Jake Plummer and talks like Jake Plummer, but he's not playing like Jake Plummer did for most of his career.

This guy is playing smart football. He's managing games well, and has gone a career-best six games in a row without throwing an interception. He's more likely to throw the ball away, less likely to take off on a wild run than the guy you might remember.

He's the good Jake, the one Bill Walsh envisioned in 1997 when he wrote a scouting report for the 49ers comparing Plummer to Joe Montana, only to see the team squander its first-round draft pick on Jim Druckenmiller, instead.

It has taken nearly a decade, but Plummer is living up to his promise.

"I'm being a little smarter," Plummer said, "trying not to force things when the play breaks down, don't try to make a crazy throw."

His passer rating at midseason, 91.3, is the highest of his career. He has thrown 242 passes with only three interceptions, a terrific improvement over a career average, before this year, of one interception in every 25 passes. In five of eight previous NFL seasons, Plummer threw at least 20 interceptions; his full-season low is 14. This year, he's on pace for six.

Plummer, one of the least pretentious quarterbacks you'd ever meet, discounts all of that because, he says, a couple of bad throws this year should have been intercepted, but were dropped by defenders.

"I'm getting some lucky breaks," he said during an interview at the Broncos' headquarters. "I've gone six games, but really, I shouldn't have."

Nonetheless, it's an extreme makeover, and there are several reasons for it.

In his third year under Mike Shanahan, Plummer seems to have exorcised all the bad habits he acquired in six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. During the last offseason, offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and quarterbacks coach Pat McPherson sat with Plummer for hours on end, going over tapes of every pass he threw in 2004, and examining whether it was the right throw at the time.

Plummer also "is more comfortable with the supporting cast," Shanahan said.

The Broncos' running game is on a team-record pace. The offensive line, Plummer says, "is playing as well as any line I ever played behind." And the defense is averaging two takeaways a game compared with a season-long total of 20 a year ago, fourth worst in the league.

"I think Jake understands that he doesn't have to make plays when they're not there," Shanahan said. "At Arizona, they were probably behind more than he has been here, and he'd do everything he could to try to win. ... He had to get rid of those silly mistakes."

Teammates notice these things. Tight end Jeb Putzier recalled a conversation on the bench when another player pointed out that Plummer now seemed to get it. Wide receiver Rod Smith said, "He doesn't have to try to be a hero."

Just to drive the point home, Shanahan even has had Plummer work on throwing the ball away in practice.

"Anytime a guy's got a lot of talent, and he knows he's got the ability to make throws that most human beings can't make, he's going to take chances ... that most quarterbacks wouldn't even think about," Shanahan said. "I think having that natural ability, strong arm and the elusiveness to get out of trouble sometimes can create problems."

Plummer's previous two years in Denver were better than the Arizona years, but nothing like the level he's playing at this season. His passer rating, which did not reach 80 with the Cardinals, was 91.2 and 84.5 in 2003 and 2004. Still, he did enough to occasionally drive Shanahan nuts, like the time he threw an interception against Kansas City -- left-handed.

During the summer, Shanahan said this would be the season to judge Plummer's progress, because it figured to be a three-year process. So far, the work is on schedule. Denver has a 6-2 record and has lost only six turnovers, the lowest total in the NFL; last season, the Broncos finished 10-6 and lost 29 turnovers.

"This year, we're not putting up as many yards (as last year)," Plummer said. "But last year, we had big yardage and lost those games. This year, lower yardage, less turnovers, we're getting 'W's."

Which, after all, is the whole idea.

Shanahan has a history of harnessing a quarterback. He did it with John Elway and with Steve Young, both of whom had to be trained not to rely so much on their natural athleticism, and, between them, they won three Super Bowls in the '90s.

It's clear Plummer has bought into the new order. He prefers the word efficiency to the phrase managing the game, but he also knows it's still too early in the season to claim success.

"I don't want to overblow everything," he said. "There's eight more games. I could be this No-Mistake Jake manager guy, and go to Oakland and throw three picks and we get our ass kicked and everyone will be saying, 'Look, there he is again, that Mistake Jake that can't do nothing right.'

"I just want to keep playing ball and lead these guys and, right now, the way the team's playing, it's a lot of fun."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No-Mistake Jake
How Jake Plummer's statistics for eight games in 2005 compare with his eight-game averages during his previous eight seasons in the NFL:

Ave.

Att. Comp. Pct. Yards Gain TD Int. Rating

2005 242 144 59.5 1,644 6.79 12 3 91.3

Previous 257.8 146.5 56.8 1,722 6.68 9.5 10.2 73.1

[ludo21]

Oak definietly is a dangerous team to play off our bye. Their eagerness to prove their better than their record, the fact they have to run the table for even a shot at the playoffs, and add that this is a rivalry game it should be a fun one to watch.

[UltimateHoboW/Shotgun]

Broncos at Raiders: The Raiders will be broadcasting this game in the Navajo language.

Native American fans will be thrilled. The Axis powers won't know what's going on. Unless they download a code talker's dictionary, like I did.

The Raiders are still having trouble on ah-kin-cil-toh (defense). They also need more big plays from their e-yih-sih deh-na-as-tso-si (special teams). Their offense is effective but must do a better job in the li-chi bih-na-has-dzoh (red zone). Ideally, they would like more than one reception from wo-tah lit (Randy Moss).

Prediction: against the more disciplined, more balanced Broncos, the Raiders will be forced to ne-nah-cha (surrender).
Rep for code talker ref

[Atlas]

Did anyone know this?? I found this very hard to believe. Hopefully the streak ends Sunday.

SoCAls link:http://www.chieftain.com/sports/1131696868/5

Broncos' Smith still looking for big game against Raiders

DENVER - Rod Smith has 30 career 100-yard receiving games, but not a single one in 20 games against the Oakland Raiders.

Denver’s leader in career pass receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown receptions has come close. He caught two passes for 99 yards a year ago.

The 11-year veteran wouldn’t offer an explanation.

‘‘It could be coverages and it could be the defense they played,’’ quarterback Jake Plummer said. ‘‘In our offense, we take what they give us and maybe Rod wasn’t available.’’

Smith’s two best statistical games against Oakland came in 1999 and 2001. He had 10 catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns on Nov. 5, 2001, and a touchdown catch and seven receptions for 79 yards on Oct. 10, 1999.

‘‘There were times Rod had to work against All-Pros,’’ Plummer said. ‘‘He’s had to go against Charles Woodson lately, but I’m sure Rod wouldn’t use that as an excuse nor be concerned about statistics.’’

Smith has 42 catches for 559 yards and three TDs this year. With 65 career touchdowns, he needs one to break a tie with Terrell Davis for first-place on the franchise all-time list.

PICKING IT UP: While Smith has failed to reach the century mark in reception yardage against the Raiders, Ashley Lelie hasn’t.

Two of Lelie’s four 100-yard games have come against the Raiders.

‘‘There is no rhyme or reason for it,’’ Lelie said. ‘‘It’s just coincidence.’’

Lelie caught four passes for 106 yards on Dec. 22, 2002, in Oakland. He made three catches for 108 yards on Sept. 22, 2003.

‘‘It’s all about making plays,’’ Lelie said. ‘‘I made the plays I had to.’’

Lelie has only 22 catches this year. His yards-per-catch average is down from 20.1 in 2004 to 15.4 this year.

DEFENDING THE PASS; Denver players expressed concern with an imbalance in the Oakland offense. The Raiders rank near the bottom in rushing, 88.5 yards per game and near the top in passing at 246 yards per game.

‘‘There’s no question that they have the personnel to have a strong passing game, but their running game is deceptive,’’ Denver safety John Lynch said. ‘‘They’ve fallen behind in games and been forced to throw the ball in many of their games.’’

In contrast, the Broncos defense allows 88.3 yards a game on the ground. They give up an average of 244.5 passing yards per game.

‘‘I don’t know who has the advantage here,’’ linebacker Al Wilson said. ‘‘This tells me we’ll be in for a game. We know we’ll be facing a hot quarterback.’’

Kerry Collins has thrown for 2,057 yards and 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions. ---

BRONCO BRIEFS: Wilson paraded around the locker room with a throwback leather football helmet adorned with a Broncos logo. ‘‘I got it from Marco Coleman,’’ he said of the Denver defensive lineman. ‘‘He wore it when he came into the league.’’ Coleman is 35. . . . The Raiders lead the all-time series 53-34-2 and in one stretch early in the series won 14 straight. . . . Plummer has won all three of his starts in Oakland (including one while with Arizona), throwing five TD passes and two interceptions.