Words can't measure Webster's eagerness to start

Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 10, 2006 at midnight

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ENGLEWOOD - Through one rehabilitation, then a second post-surgery, Nate Webster tried to convince himself everything would be the same in his right knee and he again would be imposing physically on an NFL playing field.

But the Broncos linebacker admitted Thursday, with nearly two years in the trainer's room, it was easy for negativity to creep into his thoughts.

"Being taken away from the game you love is not a good feeling. And not being able to run around the house with your kids and get outside and play with them was another hurtful feeling," Webster said.

"My mother always told me that after bad times come good times. So she kept my head focused and instead of going in the tank, gave me something to shoot at. . . . And this is one of the good times."

With Ian Gold missing a second straight practice because of a right hamstring pull, chances appear to be looking up that Webster will be starting his first regular-season game since Sept. 26, 2004, although Louis Green remains an option.

Webster is pumped for the possible start.

"It's like an early Christmas present," said Webster, who suffered a second tear of his patella tendon last year while undergoing rehabilitation from his initial injury.

"But it's a business and you have to accept responsibility for what you have to do out there on the field. It's a great feeling for me, being patient. And while it's sad an injury had to occur for me to step on the field, this is what you prepare for, playing."

Webster signed this offseason with the Broncos and when he arrived, he wasn't completely healthy after personal workouts in Miami.

His time spent with the Broncos trainers, coupled with a friendly on-field practice schedule that monitored his workload, finally has him feeling back to his pre-surgery self.

"It's really gotten me back to where I want to be," he said.

Webster hasn't played this season, but that had more to do with special-teams considerations than his defensive abilities. Webster, a third-round pick in 2000 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has played in 67 games during six previous seasons and can play the weakside and middle linebacker spots.

"He's gotten so much better since the two-a-days," linebackers coach Kirk Doll said. "You can see that in just how he's moving . . . and his reaction time has gotten better."

TAKING A BACKSEAT: Javon Walker's emergence as a frequent pass catcher in the Broncos offense has come at the expense of Rod Smith, the team's top target for several years but their second-leading receiver this season.

And while wins are tantamount for the Broncos' all-time receiving leader, he admitted he isn't completely oblivious to personal statistics and that he's "really had to rethink the season for me individually."

"Yeah, I care. If I don't get those numbers, I'm going to get fired," Smith said. "There's going to be times when I get frustrated just like everyone else. I feel like I should get the football every play, just like Javon feels like he should get it (or) Tatum (Bell). . . . If you don't want that, then something's wrong anyway."

CYCLONES LOOKING: Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster has been linked to the vacancy at Iowa State, which was created by Dan McCarney's announcement he'll step down at the end of the season.

Brewster has college experience with Texas and North Carolina and, while he said he has not been contacted by the school, he is expected to show interest in the job if he's pursued.

"I've had a stated goal of wanting to become a head coach in college, and if the right opportunity presents itself, I would certainly entertain the situation," he said after practice.

ETC.: Defensive ends Ebenezer Ekuban (thigh) and Patrick Chukwurah (right hamstring pull) missed the second full workout in preparation for the game against the Raiders . . . Cornerback Domonique Foxworth said he hasn't been informed by the league of any fines stemming from the unnecessary-roughness call on him Sunday against a defenseless receiver. Foxworth thinks the matter likely is closed . . . Cornerback Darrent Williams practiced a second straight day after suffering a second-degree left shoulder separation against the Steelers. He indicated he's feeling better than Sunday and thinks he'll be ready this weekend but that it's not totally about his ability to handle pain. "It's the motion and everything," he said. "I'm just working through it."

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