OrangeShadow
11-06-2006, 05:23 AM
PITTSBURGH -- So this is what the Denver Broncos offense looks like when the shackles are taken off?
For whatever reason, mostly the distrust of quarterback Jake Plummer by coach Mike Shanahan, whether he admits that or not, the Broncos had been reluctant to take the training wheels off the offense the first seven games.
What was really perplexing about that is Shanahan is the same coach/general manager who traded a second-round pick and paid $40 million to land wide receiver Javon Walker last spring, a move aimed at increasing the big plays and stretching the field vertically.
On Sunday, facing the AFC's best run defense, Shanahan had no choice but to let Walker have his chances, and he responded with a game full of big plays as the Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-20 at Heinz Field. Walker caught six passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns and took a reverse 72 yards for another touchdown as he abused Steelers corner Ike Taylor, who needed a burn unit after the game.
"If I get one-on-one, I feel like I can win," Walker said after the game.
Win? More like dominate. He is a big, fast, strong receiver who is just what this Denver team needed. A year ago, they won the division, won a playoff game, but then lost at home in the AFC Championship Game to this same Steelers team.
The glaring problem that day was a lack of a big-play receiver. Veteran Rod Smith has never been a burner, but now in his 12th season he's been more of a possession receiver the past couple of seasons. Nothing down the field scared the opposition in 2005.
Walker does that. But heading into Sunday, he had just 33 catches, even though he was averaging 16.2 per catch. A Denver columnist lit up Shanahan Friday for not using Walker, or the passing game, more. In an era where more and more teams are throwing it more, Shanahan has gone the other way.
Getting the ball is something Walker has called for as well, although not in a bombastic Terrell Owens sort of way.
Scouts around the league have been puzzled at the way the Broncos had been playing up until Sunday. The one thing most of them have said is that this isn't what they normally get from Shanahan or his team.
His is normally daring and chancy, willing to pay the consequences of being aggressive. This season, he's been mostly like a coach from eras gone past, when passing was a luxury, not a necessity.
Before Sunday's game, the Broncos had run it 227 times and passed it 200 times. Never in the Shanahan era had the Broncos run it more than they passed. Against the Steelers, they passed it 27 times and ran it 23 times.
The Steelers dominant run defense, coupled with the fact that top back Tatum Bell was out with an ankle injury, forced Shanahan to change his tactics. The Broncos employed a lot of double-tight formations, which was a tactic to help block the Steelers outside linebackers.
Those linebackers, Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, did not get a sack of Plummer. Heck, they barely had a sniff of him.
With those guys blocked, it led to the one-on-one chances for Walker.
"Our game plan was to go to Javon," Shanahan said. "When we got 1-on-1, we were going to give Javon some shots."
The first play from scrimmage for the Broncos was a 38-yard reception from Plummer to Walker, who, of course, beat Taylor. The play was supposed to go to the other side to Smith, but the man coverage meant a shot to Walker.
The tone was set. On the Broncos second possession, Plummer tied to throw a fade to Walker, but Taylor broke it up. The next play, they went right back to it, and he scored a 10-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead only 3:55 into the game, thanks to Pittsburgh turnovers.
Walker's next big play came on the opening drive of the second half. With the Broncos leading 14-10, he took a handoff on a reverse and seemed to be boxed in for no gain. But he put a move on corner Deshea Townsend, forcing him to miss, and cut right against the grain, outrunning the Steelers defense for a 72-yard touchdown, his long stride down the sideline bringing visions of Saturday's Breeders Cup.
"That was a credit to Javon," Shanahan said. "They had the reverse stopped, but he made a guy miss. I'm not sure it was the call as much as it was a great individual effort."
The last time Walker went that far for a score on a run?
"High school," Walker said, "when I played running back."
He closed out his day with another 10-yard touchdown catch on a fade and a big 61-yard catch that set up a key field goal after the Steelers closed to 28-20 late in the fourth quarter.
When the Broncos traded to get Walker from the Packers, it was questioned by some, including me. Walker was coming off a season lost to an ACL injury and there was some uncertainty as to whether he could come all the way back. In 2004, he had 89 catches for the Packers for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns as Brett Favre's big-play guy, but ACL's can be damaging for a speed receiver. Against the Steelers, he showed that's not a concern.
"I'm happy to be playing football again after what I endured last year," Walker said.
The Broncos are happy to have him.
"He's such a threat," corner Champ Bailey said. "You see what he does to the corners that play him in man coverage."
Bailey, the best corner in football, has also been used at receiver. Last season, he might have been the team's best deep threat if he was given more chances. Now, that goes to Walker, a player Denver had to have if it was going to make a Super Bowl run.
There is no more squatting on all the short routes, or brining safeties down to stop the run. Walker's ability to stretch the field is special, which is why it needs to be used more.
If Shanahan is truly an offensive genius, which some say, he has to know that just running the ball and playing good defense won't be enough to get his team back to a Super Bowl for the first time since John Elway retired.
It's time to trust Plummer and let him open things up more. If not, get him out and go to rookie Jay Cutler. The protect-the-quarterback thing might get you to 6-2, but it won't win a Super Bowl. Plus, Walker is too good a weapon to keep shackled in some conservative offense that is aimed at protecting your quarterback.
Set him free, and you can bet there will be more games like the one he had Sunday
For whatever reason, mostly the distrust of quarterback Jake Plummer by coach Mike Shanahan, whether he admits that or not, the Broncos had been reluctant to take the training wheels off the offense the first seven games.
What was really perplexing about that is Shanahan is the same coach/general manager who traded a second-round pick and paid $40 million to land wide receiver Javon Walker last spring, a move aimed at increasing the big plays and stretching the field vertically.
On Sunday, facing the AFC's best run defense, Shanahan had no choice but to let Walker have his chances, and he responded with a game full of big plays as the Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-20 at Heinz Field. Walker caught six passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns and took a reverse 72 yards for another touchdown as he abused Steelers corner Ike Taylor, who needed a burn unit after the game.
"If I get one-on-one, I feel like I can win," Walker said after the game.
Win? More like dominate. He is a big, fast, strong receiver who is just what this Denver team needed. A year ago, they won the division, won a playoff game, but then lost at home in the AFC Championship Game to this same Steelers team.
The glaring problem that day was a lack of a big-play receiver. Veteran Rod Smith has never been a burner, but now in his 12th season he's been more of a possession receiver the past couple of seasons. Nothing down the field scared the opposition in 2005.
Walker does that. But heading into Sunday, he had just 33 catches, even though he was averaging 16.2 per catch. A Denver columnist lit up Shanahan Friday for not using Walker, or the passing game, more. In an era where more and more teams are throwing it more, Shanahan has gone the other way.
Getting the ball is something Walker has called for as well, although not in a bombastic Terrell Owens sort of way.
Scouts around the league have been puzzled at the way the Broncos had been playing up until Sunday. The one thing most of them have said is that this isn't what they normally get from Shanahan or his team.
His is normally daring and chancy, willing to pay the consequences of being aggressive. This season, he's been mostly like a coach from eras gone past, when passing was a luxury, not a necessity.
Before Sunday's game, the Broncos had run it 227 times and passed it 200 times. Never in the Shanahan era had the Broncos run it more than they passed. Against the Steelers, they passed it 27 times and ran it 23 times.
The Steelers dominant run defense, coupled with the fact that top back Tatum Bell was out with an ankle injury, forced Shanahan to change his tactics. The Broncos employed a lot of double-tight formations, which was a tactic to help block the Steelers outside linebackers.
Those linebackers, Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, did not get a sack of Plummer. Heck, they barely had a sniff of him.
With those guys blocked, it led to the one-on-one chances for Walker.
"Our game plan was to go to Javon," Shanahan said. "When we got 1-on-1, we were going to give Javon some shots."
The first play from scrimmage for the Broncos was a 38-yard reception from Plummer to Walker, who, of course, beat Taylor. The play was supposed to go to the other side to Smith, but the man coverage meant a shot to Walker.
The tone was set. On the Broncos second possession, Plummer tied to throw a fade to Walker, but Taylor broke it up. The next play, they went right back to it, and he scored a 10-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead only 3:55 into the game, thanks to Pittsburgh turnovers.
Walker's next big play came on the opening drive of the second half. With the Broncos leading 14-10, he took a handoff on a reverse and seemed to be boxed in for no gain. But he put a move on corner Deshea Townsend, forcing him to miss, and cut right against the grain, outrunning the Steelers defense for a 72-yard touchdown, his long stride down the sideline bringing visions of Saturday's Breeders Cup.
"That was a credit to Javon," Shanahan said. "They had the reverse stopped, but he made a guy miss. I'm not sure it was the call as much as it was a great individual effort."
The last time Walker went that far for a score on a run?
"High school," Walker said, "when I played running back."
He closed out his day with another 10-yard touchdown catch on a fade and a big 61-yard catch that set up a key field goal after the Steelers closed to 28-20 late in the fourth quarter.
When the Broncos traded to get Walker from the Packers, it was questioned by some, including me. Walker was coming off a season lost to an ACL injury and there was some uncertainty as to whether he could come all the way back. In 2004, he had 89 catches for the Packers for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns as Brett Favre's big-play guy, but ACL's can be damaging for a speed receiver. Against the Steelers, he showed that's not a concern.
"I'm happy to be playing football again after what I endured last year," Walker said.
The Broncos are happy to have him.
"He's such a threat," corner Champ Bailey said. "You see what he does to the corners that play him in man coverage."
Bailey, the best corner in football, has also been used at receiver. Last season, he might have been the team's best deep threat if he was given more chances. Now, that goes to Walker, a player Denver had to have if it was going to make a Super Bowl run.
There is no more squatting on all the short routes, or brining safeties down to stop the run. Walker's ability to stretch the field is special, which is why it needs to be used more.
If Shanahan is truly an offensive genius, which some say, he has to know that just running the ball and playing good defense won't be enough to get his team back to a Super Bowl for the first time since John Elway retired.
It's time to trust Plummer and let him open things up more. If not, get him out and go to rookie Jay Cutler. The protect-the-quarterback thing might get you to 6-2, but it won't win a Super Bowl. Plus, Walker is too good a weapon to keep shackled in some conservative offense that is aimed at protecting your quarterback.
Set him free, and you can bet there will be more games like the one he had Sunday