Foxworth left nothing in the tank

Cornerback cleared after hyperventilating in team's locker room

Lee Rasizer, Jeff Legwold And Brad Byler, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 25, 2006 at midnight

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Domonique Foxworth might actually have played his heart out Sunday.

His 14 tackles were a career-best, a performance that moved him to the point of exhaustion in a victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.

As the team gathered for the postgame pep talk from coach Mike Shanahan, the Broncos cornerback collapsed because of what team trainers described as hyperventilation.

He was treated in-house and no further testing at a hospital was deemed necessary.

Foxworth declined comment afterward other than to say, "I'm good."

His only real problem seemed to be when he told media-relations personnel he would prefer to have a more colorful term for his condition, like "man breathing."

"We're so proud of him," safety Curome Cox said. "We knew he was hurting, but he showed the fire he has by making sure he finished for us. That just shows the character he has by keeping going. He didn't want to show it or let anyone else know."

Cox said that at one point during the game, Foxworth "landed kind of on his chest," which might have started the health distress.

The Bengals running 76 plays and Foxworth in the game for most of them because of extensive use of nickel personnel only exacerbated the issue.

"He has a huge heart, but he's going against linemen and he had 14 tackles," Cox said.

Foxworth's previous career best for tackles was 10 on Oct. 16, 2005, against the New England Patriots.

BOUNCING BACK: The Broncos got a major scare during the third quarter when leading receiver Javon Walker hurt his right wrist after he was tackled on an end-around and immediately ran to the sideline for treatment. But he returned five plays later and ran another end- around.

"It was kind of scary," said Walker, who already was nursing a mild left shoulder separation. "After a while, hey, I'm not a running back. But I'll try to make something happen whenever I get the opportunity."

Walker, who had postgame X-rays on the wrist, also had a 39-yard touchdown catch.

TRIPLE THREAT: Jason Elam recorded his 14th consecutive 100-points season on a second-quarter extra point. Elam tied Gary Anderson and Morten Andersen for most triple-figure scoring seasons in NFL history.

"It's really kind of weird seeing my name up there with those guys," Elam said. "But it's a team thing. I never would have done it had I played for some other teams."

The kicker never has scored fewer than 100 points since breaking into the league in 1993, and he already owns the mark for most consecutive triple-figure scoring seasons.

SNOWBALL'S CHANCE: Three- to four-feet snowbanks against the walls around the field's exterior were the only clues of the blizzard that blanketed the city last week.

Crews of 150 to 200 people worked 24-hour shifts to get Invesco Field at Mile High ready for game day.

The team recognized the yeoman's work of the clean-up crew by awarding a game ball to vice president of stadium operations Mac Freeman.

The biggest effects of the storm came in the lack of bodies in the stands, with big pockets of open seats, particularly in the top two decks. There were 5,536 no-shows for an announced crowd of 70,223.

QUICK TURNAROUND: The Broncos rushed for 26 yards on 12 carries before halftime but roared back with 101 yards on 22 attempts in the final two quarters to approach its 136.4 per-game average.

"I just think we came out with the mentality we wouldn't take no for an answer," said Mike Bell, who scored his eighth rushing touchdown this season.

"We came out there with that monster in mind. The offensive line did a great job and the passing game opened it up."

Tatum Bell lost his fourth fumble and might also have a shaky grasp on the starting job with his second straight tentative performance, outside of a 20-yard run during the third quarter.

"That's up to the coaches," Mike Bell said. "I just go in when they put me in."

FRIENDLY COMPETITION: Bengals receiver Chad Johnson is known for his flamboyant touchdown celebrations and his taunting of defensive backs. But there wasn't much of either from the player who sometimes refers to himself as "Ocho Cinco" in reference to his No. 85 jersey.

Johnson, who primarily was matched up with Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, was held to three catches for 32 yards and no touchdowns.

He also lost a fumble, while Bailey had his eighth interception of the season.

Asked if he felt the matchup against Bailey was a draw, Johnson said he wasn't really keeping track of the individual matchup.

"It's a friendly competition," he said. "We talk all the time. He was giving me advice before on my game when we were in Hawaii (for the Pro Bowl). I've given him advice on his game. It was just friendly competition, but it all comes down to the fact that we lost the game."

Johnson had several dropped passes as well as the fumble during the first half, preventing the Bengals from adding to their 17-14 halftime lead.

"It could have been my worst first half ever," he said. "I dropped the ball, I fumbled and it just didn't play out the way it should have. It's just one of those games you have to play perfect and we didn't."

SECOND LOOK: Shanahan disagreed mightily with a replay review during the third quarter that kept the ball on the Broncos 1-yard line. Shanahan said he didn't think the Bengals' Glenn Holt had both feet down when the officials ruled Holt had downed a punt.

Holt briefly had gone into the end zone and came back out to catch the ball.

"From my perspective, I could see his foot on the line," Shanahan said. "He didn't establish himself in the field of play. What they were telling me was that they could not see that on their copy. I thought I could see it on the big screen. Sometimes (a challenge) works out and sometimes it doesn't."

The Broncos took the ensuing possession 99 yards for a touchdown.

"Makes for a better story," Shanahan said.

INJURY REPORT: In addition to Foxworth and Walker, Darrent Williams left the game on the Bengals' final drive because he had injured his back during a punt return. He said he was "OK" after the game. Karl Paymah played in Williams' right cornerback spot on the Bengals final drive.

Tackle Adam Meadows, who had missed three games because of a left hamstring injury, was in uniform but George Foster started at right tackle.

ETC.: With his third touchdown catch of the season, tight end Tony Scheffler tied Clarence Kay for the team record for touchdowns by a rookie tight end . . . The win made the Broncos 19-3 at home in December in Shanahan's tenure, which started in 1995 . . . Jay Cutler joined Dan Marino as the only rookie quarterbacks in league history to throw at least two touchdowns in each of their first four starts.

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