Kaylore
11-24-2006, 02:39 PM
Frustration growing for Broncos
Questions abound, especially at QB, as Broncos stumble on both sides of ball in loss to Chiefs
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5166909,00.html
By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
November 24, 2006
http://mas.scripps.com/DRMN/2006/11/24/112306plummer_o.jpg
Joe Mahoney © Rocky Mountain News
Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer picks himself up after a sack and recovered fumble for a 7-yard loss in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos’ Thanksgiving Day defeat at Arrowhead Stadium added to speculation about whether Plummer or backup Jay Cutler will start for the next game, against Seattle on Dec. 3. Coach Mike Shanahan wouldn’t say Thursday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Broncos can feel free to dig in, buckle up and hang on, because here comes the extra helping of Thanksgiving leftovers in the coming days.
As in leftover, still unanswered, questions about a defense that hasn't kept the points off the board, questions about an offense that certainly isn't helping that defense's cause and, probably most topical to those who fill the seats at Invesco Field at Mile High for each home date, questions about just exactly who will be the Broncos quarterback when it's time to play the Seattle Seahawks in 10 days.
And all of that sits squarely under the umbrella of the Broncos having now slapped a rather large question mark next to their own postseason hopes with a 19-10 loss Thursday night to the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.
"Whatever happens, happens," quarterback Jake Plummer said. "(Thursday) we lost, I didn't make some plays. I can't say what's going to happen. All I know is I'm getting on the plane, take a few days off and if I'm still behind the trigger I'm going to play my (butt) off, hard as I can, like I always have."
The loss dropped the Broncos to 7-4, where they now sit tied with the Chiefs in the AFC West standings. The front-running Chargers (8-2) have a chance for a two-game lead Sunday when they face Oakland.
"It's disappointing," Broncos safety John Lynch said. " . . . We're accustomed to having more success. Now we're facing some adversity. I don't have a magic answer. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and as a team decide what kind of team we want to be."
Yet, even with the other blemishes around him, rest assured all eyes, both near and far, will be looking behind center now as the Broncos' patience with Plummer appears to have run out. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has given Plummer only lukewarm public endorsements in recent weeks and the Broncos are now in possession of a two-game losing streak that has put them squarely on the back end of the AFC playoff race.
After the game, Shanahan took a brief pause after asking for questions following his opening statement as a signal to leave the podium and return to the Broncos locker room with his plan at quarterback still publicly unanswered.
Then asked as he walked into the locker room what he planned to do at quarterback, Shanahan said, "You guys had your chance."
Asked again, about 45 minutes later inside the Broncos locker room, Shanahan said; "In 12 years I've answered questions, you guys had your chance, that was it, I'm not going to answer it now."
But the feeling among many in the organization is that Shanahan is ready to make the move to rookie Jay Cutler, who was the team's first-round pick in April to be the franchise quarterback of the future.
With the Broncos' growing frustration with their offensive output and consistency, the future is believed to be a week from Sunday against the Seahawks. The offense gained only 244 yards, was 4-for-12 on third-down conversions and, for the seventh time this season, ran fewer than 60 plays.
"I can try to control what I do on the field," Plummer said. "(I) battled (hard), just didn't make a few plays. I feel like I let the guys down, but a lot of guys feel that way so frustrated yeah, but don't quit. Keep pushing, keep fighting."
Plummer and Cutler said they had not been told of an impending change at quarterback. The Broncos players won't return to the practice field until Monday and won't have a team meeting until Monday as well.
"The media's going to come at it," Cutler said. "I just deal with it and move on."
Cutler did say he thought he could be ready if he was asked to play against the Seahawks.
"You don't get a lot of reps every day in practice. I haven't played since the preseason. If I do get in there I'll have to knock the rust off," Cutler said. "But it'll slow down as the game goes on."
Said Plummer: "I'm the starter right now. But if Mike wants to put Jay in there, then my play hasn't warranted him to not do it . . . (then) I have to go with it."
Plummer threw an interception — it was his 12th of the season compared with three interceptions at the same point last season — to end the Broncos' first possession of the game. Tight end Stephen Alexander tipped the pass, thrown behind him, Chiefs cornerback Ty Law snared the ball at the Broncos 46-yard line, and the Broncos never seemed to regain their balance.
But the Broncos still were in the hunt for a hard-earned win until Chiefs backup running back Michael Bennett's cracked off a 41-yard run with 4:39 to play in the game. That run finally snapped a Broncos defense that spent much of the second half on the field as the Chiefs held the ball for 35:02 in the game, 19:12 in the second half.
The Chiefs passed the 200-yard mark rushing on that battered Denver defense with more than 2 minutes to play, finished with 223 yards, with 157 of those coming from Larry Johnson.
"Missed tackles, missed assignments, it was all there," linebacker Al Wilson said. "It was all there."
Denver also had narrowed the gap to 13-10 earlier in the second half with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Plummer to Alexander with 6:21 left to play in the third quarter.
During that drive Plummer appeared to have thrown his second interception of the game with 10:01 left in the quarter — Patrick Surtain snagged the errant throw. But the Broncos got a reprieve when former Denver cornerback Lenny Walls was called for illegal contact on Broncos wide receiver David Kircus on the other side of the field.
So, the Broncos got the ball back, got the automatic first down and Plummer then tossed a 36-yard completion to Kircus on the next play — against Walls — and Denver scored eight plays later on a 1-yard pass from Plummer to Alexander.
The Broncos, though, got no closer as kicker Paul Ernster followed that with a kick out of bounds, which gave the ball to the Chiefs on their 40-yard line. Kansas City turned that into another field goal for a 16-10 lead and added their final field goal in the fourth quarter on what was their fourth drive of the night of at least 10 plays.
"We're still 7-4, which a lot of teams would like to be," Lynch said. "But momentum is not going our way; we have to do something to turn that."
Questions abound, especially at QB, as Broncos stumble on both sides of ball in loss to Chiefs
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5166909,00.html
By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
November 24, 2006
http://mas.scripps.com/DRMN/2006/11/24/112306plummer_o.jpg
Joe Mahoney © Rocky Mountain News
Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer picks himself up after a sack and recovered fumble for a 7-yard loss in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos’ Thanksgiving Day defeat at Arrowhead Stadium added to speculation about whether Plummer or backup Jay Cutler will start for the next game, against Seattle on Dec. 3. Coach Mike Shanahan wouldn’t say Thursday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Broncos can feel free to dig in, buckle up and hang on, because here comes the extra helping of Thanksgiving leftovers in the coming days.
As in leftover, still unanswered, questions about a defense that hasn't kept the points off the board, questions about an offense that certainly isn't helping that defense's cause and, probably most topical to those who fill the seats at Invesco Field at Mile High for each home date, questions about just exactly who will be the Broncos quarterback when it's time to play the Seattle Seahawks in 10 days.
And all of that sits squarely under the umbrella of the Broncos having now slapped a rather large question mark next to their own postseason hopes with a 19-10 loss Thursday night to the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.
"Whatever happens, happens," quarterback Jake Plummer said. "(Thursday) we lost, I didn't make some plays. I can't say what's going to happen. All I know is I'm getting on the plane, take a few days off and if I'm still behind the trigger I'm going to play my (butt) off, hard as I can, like I always have."
The loss dropped the Broncos to 7-4, where they now sit tied with the Chiefs in the AFC West standings. The front-running Chargers (8-2) have a chance for a two-game lead Sunday when they face Oakland.
"It's disappointing," Broncos safety John Lynch said. " . . . We're accustomed to having more success. Now we're facing some adversity. I don't have a magic answer. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and as a team decide what kind of team we want to be."
Yet, even with the other blemishes around him, rest assured all eyes, both near and far, will be looking behind center now as the Broncos' patience with Plummer appears to have run out. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has given Plummer only lukewarm public endorsements in recent weeks and the Broncos are now in possession of a two-game losing streak that has put them squarely on the back end of the AFC playoff race.
After the game, Shanahan took a brief pause after asking for questions following his opening statement as a signal to leave the podium and return to the Broncos locker room with his plan at quarterback still publicly unanswered.
Then asked as he walked into the locker room what he planned to do at quarterback, Shanahan said, "You guys had your chance."
Asked again, about 45 minutes later inside the Broncos locker room, Shanahan said; "In 12 years I've answered questions, you guys had your chance, that was it, I'm not going to answer it now."
But the feeling among many in the organization is that Shanahan is ready to make the move to rookie Jay Cutler, who was the team's first-round pick in April to be the franchise quarterback of the future.
With the Broncos' growing frustration with their offensive output and consistency, the future is believed to be a week from Sunday against the Seahawks. The offense gained only 244 yards, was 4-for-12 on third-down conversions and, for the seventh time this season, ran fewer than 60 plays.
"I can try to control what I do on the field," Plummer said. "(I) battled (hard), just didn't make a few plays. I feel like I let the guys down, but a lot of guys feel that way so frustrated yeah, but don't quit. Keep pushing, keep fighting."
Plummer and Cutler said they had not been told of an impending change at quarterback. The Broncos players won't return to the practice field until Monday and won't have a team meeting until Monday as well.
"The media's going to come at it," Cutler said. "I just deal with it and move on."
Cutler did say he thought he could be ready if he was asked to play against the Seahawks.
"You don't get a lot of reps every day in practice. I haven't played since the preseason. If I do get in there I'll have to knock the rust off," Cutler said. "But it'll slow down as the game goes on."
Said Plummer: "I'm the starter right now. But if Mike wants to put Jay in there, then my play hasn't warranted him to not do it . . . (then) I have to go with it."
Plummer threw an interception — it was his 12th of the season compared with three interceptions at the same point last season — to end the Broncos' first possession of the game. Tight end Stephen Alexander tipped the pass, thrown behind him, Chiefs cornerback Ty Law snared the ball at the Broncos 46-yard line, and the Broncos never seemed to regain their balance.
But the Broncos still were in the hunt for a hard-earned win until Chiefs backup running back Michael Bennett's cracked off a 41-yard run with 4:39 to play in the game. That run finally snapped a Broncos defense that spent much of the second half on the field as the Chiefs held the ball for 35:02 in the game, 19:12 in the second half.
The Chiefs passed the 200-yard mark rushing on that battered Denver defense with more than 2 minutes to play, finished with 223 yards, with 157 of those coming from Larry Johnson.
"Missed tackles, missed assignments, it was all there," linebacker Al Wilson said. "It was all there."
Denver also had narrowed the gap to 13-10 earlier in the second half with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Plummer to Alexander with 6:21 left to play in the third quarter.
During that drive Plummer appeared to have thrown his second interception of the game with 10:01 left in the quarter — Patrick Surtain snagged the errant throw. But the Broncos got a reprieve when former Denver cornerback Lenny Walls was called for illegal contact on Broncos wide receiver David Kircus on the other side of the field.
So, the Broncos got the ball back, got the automatic first down and Plummer then tossed a 36-yard completion to Kircus on the next play — against Walls — and Denver scored eight plays later on a 1-yard pass from Plummer to Alexander.
The Broncos, though, got no closer as kicker Paul Ernster followed that with a kick out of bounds, which gave the ball to the Chiefs on their 40-yard line. Kansas City turned that into another field goal for a 16-10 lead and added their final field goal in the fourth quarter on what was their fourth drive of the night of at least 10 plays.
"We're still 7-4, which a lot of teams would like to be," Lynch said. "But momentum is not going our way; we have to do something to turn that."