Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Broncos report: Scheffler avoids being the goat after fumble

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 21, 2008 at 8:19 p.m.

Text size  
Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler shows his frustration on the bench after the Saints recovered his fumble near the end zone. Fortunately for Scheffler New Orleans failed in its comeback bid and he didn't have to feel responsible for a loss.

Darin McGregor © The Rocky

Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler shows his frustration on the bench after the Saints recovered his fumble near the end zone. Fortunately for Scheffler New Orleans failed in its comeback bid and he didn't have to feel responsible for a loss.

He Said It

“It’s a game of inches in the NFL and for three straight weeks the inches have been on our side.”

Broncos safety Marlon McCree

He Said It II

"I was tired, but I'm an old guy. Those young guy we have, they can go all day and they did.''

Defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban on the Saints running 74 plays on offense.

He Said It III

"We can't keep doing this.''

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler on the team's close escapes the last two weeks.

Numbers Game

3:58 is the total amount of time the Broncos have trailed this season. The Broncos have led for 158 minutes, 43 seconds and been tied for 17:19.

Poll

How would you rate the Broncos so far?


  • See the results »

Broncos quick links

Drew on the NFL
Drew Litton
Scores and statistics
Broncos inbox

Related Links

More Denver Broncos

More stories »

All Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler could do was sit, watch and hope.

"I was thinking the same thing 70,000 other people were thinking, only with a little more vested interest maybe," Scheffler said. "And maybe with a few more choice words in there.

"I'm glad it worked out."

After making a one-handed play on a Jay Cutler pass - Scheffler reached high to tip it and then reel it in - at the Saints' 5-yard line with about 5 minutes, 40 seconds left in the game Sunday, Scheffler had the ball knocked loose by New Orleans linebacker Scott Shanle.

Shanle, playing with a fractured right hand, used the cast on that hand to knock the ball from Scheffler's grasp.

Saints cornerback Jason David recovered the ball and returned it 17 yards to the 21-yard line.

"That's a tough play," Scheffler said. "It was a hard catch, and he comes in and makes a good play. I was lucky to not cost us the game with that play.

" . . . I can look forward to next week."

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan challenged the play, hoping the replay would show Scheffler did not have possession of the ball before it was knocked free. But the play was upheld and the Broncos lost their remaining timeout.

"I couldn't really see it, but it was a turnover, and with a timeout I thought I'd take a chance," Shanahan said. "I thought there was a chance."

The Saints then drove to the Broncos' 25-yard line, and Martin Gramatica missed a 43-yard field- goal attempt wide right that would have given the Saints a 35- 34 lead with slightly less than two minutes to play in the game.

Scheffler finished the game with four catches for 32 yards.

"We kept after it, and this team's got guts," Scheffler said.

" . . . When you play that hard and you've got this much character as we do in this room, things tend to go your way. We have a lot of confidence right now."

NEW AND IMPROVED

Saints quarterback Drew Brees spent five seasons battling the Broncos as the San Diego Chargers' quarterback, but his two career 4,000-yard passing seasons have come in the New Orleans offense.

And with his 421 passing yards against the Broncos, all four of his career 400-yard passing games have come with the Saints as well.

"He's better in New Orleans than he was in San Diego," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. " . . . He's more confident."

"He's got a lot of poise," Shanahan said.

PART LEG, PART HEAD

It had been a tough couple of weeks for punter Brett Kern.

Technical difficulties in the Chargers game the previous week produced some line-drive efforts. A free kick after a New Orleans safety just before halftime went out of bounds, allowing the Saints a field-goal attempt that ultimately missed.

So punting from his team's 37 with 22 seconds left, and dangerous returner Reggie Bush awaiting the ball deep, Kern needed his best effort this season, and he got it.

His punt went 56 yards with good hang time and pinned Bush along the left sideline. Bush ran only 13 yards before Niko Koutouvides dragged him down.

"It's the name of the game: You have to forget your last punt," Kern said. "It's all mental. I've got the physical ability to do it. It's being able to mentally forget your mistakes earlier and go out and respond."

NO, YES

The Broncos benefited from a huge replay reversal late in the first quarter. Brandon Marshall, on a third-and-1 play from the 35, ran through two Saints defenders and caught the ball in the end zone under the goal post but was ruled to have stepped out of bounds with his left foot after tapping his right foot down.

Scheffler met Marshall immediately after the play and told him not to worry about the points being taken away.

"I guess Tony and a few other guys went over to coach and told him to throw the flag," Marshall said. "And I was in."

Coming off his 18-catch effort against San Diego, Marshall finished with six receptions for 155 yards Sunday. His combined 24 catches in his first two weeks are the second most to start a season, trailing only Atlanta's Andre Rison's 26 receptions in 1994.

TURNABOUT

Broncos running back Michael Pittman has flipped the script.

His four rushing TDs, including another Sunday and a near-miss near the goal line where his knee was ruled down, are six fewer than he had in six seasons in Tampa.

"I used to get it all the way down to the goal line and Mike Alstott went in," he said.

Pittman has scored in each of the first three games. It's the first time a Denver running back has done that since Terrell Davis in 1997.

ETC.

* Safety Marlon McCree and linebacker Boss Bailey left the game during the Chargers' final drive.

Bailey, who had missed much of training camp because of a severely sprained ankle, was limping after the game but said he was fine.

McCree said he suffered a stinger after taking a blow to the side of the helmet as he tried to make a tackle. "I'll be OK."

* Broncos defensive tackle Josh Shaw played in the game with 40 stitches in his lower leg from a cut he suffered against the Chargers last week.

* Broncos defensive end Tim Crowder, who had played in the first two games, was a game-day inactive as Jarvis Moss played in his first game this year.

Also inactive for the Broncos were safety Hamza Abdullah, running back Ryan Torain, linebacker Louis Green, tackle Erik Pears, center Tom Nalen, wide receiver Darrell Jackson and defensive tackle Nic Clemons.

* The Broncos' 114 points this season are the most in franchise history for the first three games.

* It is the sixth 3-0 start in Shanahan's tenure as head coach.

* A staple of the Broncos' successful teams under Shanahan has been fast starts. With two touchdowns on two first-quarter possessions, Denver now has outscored opponents by a 28-6 margin to begin its first three games.

* The Broncos kickoff-coverage team, maligned in the first two games, got four touchbacks from Matt Prater and a long return of 25 yards by New Orleans' Pierre Thomas on Sunday.

* Nate Webster's 34-yard fumble return for a score in the second quarter was his second career TD. Webster had a 17-yard runback Nov. 11 in a win at Kansas City.

* Denver wore its alternate home orange jerseys for only the third time in the regular season and first time since Nov. 28, 2004, and won for the first time in the throwback motif.

* Peyton Hillis became the first rookie to start at fullback for Denver in the regular season or postseason since Melvin Bratton started the 1989 AFC Championship Game.

* Rookie Wesley Woodyard was Denver's special-teams captain Sunday.

* Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams was credited with 16 tackles, including 14 solo.

Comments

  • September 22, 2008

    4:48 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    trueblueandorange writes:

    don't good coaches "adjust" to the opponents? how long does it take to get killed by rushing only 3 linemen before we "adjust"? the broncs need aggressive defensive calling, more blitz packages and much much much more pressure on the opposing quarterback. it doesn't matter if we have 10 champ baileys on defense if you can't pressure the QB. it took 3 quarters of miserably getting beat before they finally "adjusted" and rushed 4 guys with better results. terrible play calling and terrible coverage. not going to win many like that.

  • September 22, 2008

    7:12 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BroncoRick69 writes:

    Dear Denver Broncos:
    Please do something about your porous defense. You cant cover up their inadequacies by having a high powered offense and expect to go all the way. The New Orleans Saints should not have even come that close to winning that game. I would be a much more proud Bronco fan if I knew we actually made an effort to win that game. Again we were left to hoping that someone would make a mistake; which they did. That is the only way we won the game. I would not be very happy with my team if I were Mike Shanahan right now.

  • September 22, 2008

    8:42 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    incognitoboy writes:

    i wonder if shanahan would consider trading our entire 2009 draft to pittsburgh for troy polamalu? or maybe to baltimore for ed reed.... is there somone like those guys who will be available in the next draft around, oh, maybe the 22nd - 28th pick? hmmmm?

    ok, i know. wishful thinking. but hey, my cups half full. at least i'm anticipating another low draft spot......

    trueblueandorange, yes good coaches DO adjust on-the-fly to the opponents. and while i think shanahan is a good coach, he seems to prefer the 'gameplan' approach. confidence in your gameplanning abilities is good, but sticking with it in the face of opponents adjustments is just slow suicide, in my opinion. the GOOD opponents will make their adjustments and come back at us, as evidenced the last two weeks. WE need the ability to have an answer to the adjustments. mix up the packages and/or the personnel to throw different looks, coverages, and blitz packages at them.

    i sincerely hope these plans are forthcoming, i.e. shanahan not showing the full hand, ace-up-the-sleeve kinda thing. GAWD i hope it's not a 'don't have the personnel' thing......

    couldn't we try a well disguised corner blitz? roll the linebacker or safety out to cover the WR and let champ nail the qb full-steam?

  • September 22, 2008

    8:49 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BroncoB writes:

    To Bronco Rick:

    Even if they made the field goal we would of had two min left. I dont think they could have stopped us from getting into FG range.

  • September 22, 2008

    9:08 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SirRealist writes:

    Heartily agree about putting up a better rush, and you know, blitzing every-so-often wouldn't kill you when their QB is completing everything under the sun anyway, right? You might just knock him down a few times and give him something to think about, which is a lesson I learned 35 years ago in high school - no pressure = completed passes. Doesn't mean you kill the guy, and by the way, watch for a fine on the Saints #94 this week for trying to injure Cutler by landing on him and pulling his hands off the ground to maximize the weight on him - Goodell just sent an email to teams this week stating that wouldn't go unpunished. But really Broncos, adjust faster would ya?

  • September 22, 2008

    1 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Rutabaga writes:

    I don't think Scheffler looks at all like a goat. Nope. But I'll tell you who looks like a goat more than anyone for sure. Al Davis. I think he is part goat. His face is all shrively and I think he has got horns too under that pasted on hair thing he wears. I'm glad he doesn't live near by. He is too scary.

  • September 22, 2008

    2 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    coachk writes:

    I do think that Hillis started at least one of the other 2 games this season. I really like him and wish they would make him more like Alstot. He is going to be something special if given the opportunity.

  • September 22, 2008

    2:47 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    MarcoPolo writes:

    Now if the Nuggets can get on track this year, we'll have two professional sports teams averaging 100+ points per game.