| Travis Heath. 17th October, 2005 - 3:16 am
 So, here we are once again Bronco fans, with a record of 5-1. This marks the fourth consecutive season that the team has achieved a 4-1 record after the season’s first five games -- and the second consecutive season that the team has compiled a 5-1 record after six games. The looming question then seems to be, is this team different. I think the answer is yes, and I’ll give you ten reasons why.
10. The Broncos, for the first time in recent memory, don’t have a dominant go to running back. Many would say that this is a weakness of the team. I, however, believe that having three backs that bring three different styles of running to the table, will ultimately be a good thing for this team. I don’t know how it became accepted as convention in the NFL that having more than one back who contributes on a regular basis is a bad thing, but those people may very well change their mind after watching this year’s version of the Broncos.
9. Todd Sauerbrun. Yeah, I know I just committed the cardinal sin of sports writing, and mentioned a punter by name as a component vital to a team’s success. Well, for those of you who have watched the Broncos special teams the past 6 or 7 seasons, I think you would agree that a punter’s contributions, while often overlooked, can make a or break a season. And when you consider the Broncos are now a team that relies on their defensive prowess to win football games, Sauerbrun’s ability to pin the opposing team deep in their own territory will pay large dividends as the season progresses.
8. Al Wilson looks as dominating as ever, coming off of his amazing Week 4 performance that earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He is the unquestioned defensive leader, and his impromptu defensive audibles, have left opposing quarterbacks scratching their heads. Wilson looks determined to win his first playoff game as a professional this season.
7. Mike Shanahan has coached as well as he ever has thus far in the 2005 campaign. His offensive game plans (save of course the opening day massacre in Miami) have featured enough tricks and gimmicks to keep opposing teams off balance. And perhaps most important, Shanahan seems to have finally gotten quarterback Jake Plummer to trust the system enough to understand that he doesn’t have to force the ball down the field in an attempt to make big plays in order for the Broncos to win.
6. Ian Gold is back, and he’s back in Pro Bowl form. With the Redskins trying to tie up the game with a two-point conversion late in the game two weeks ago, Gold rose to the occasion and knocked down quarterback Mark Brunell’s pass. This epitomizes what Gold brings to the table. He makes big plays, when big plays are needed the most (yuck, I just sounded like Bill Walton there).
5. Rod Smith looks as good as he’s looked in nearly five years. Many in the Denver media were saying that Smith was washed up, and not much in the way of meaningful on field production could be expected from him this season. Well, Smith has once again proved his doubters wrong. But would anyone in Denver really expect any less from a guy who went from a practice squad player nearly a decade ago, to the most prolific receiver in team history?
4. Champ Bailey has been a dominating force when healthy. Add him to the mix with two exceptional rookie corners (see #1), and teams will have to think twice no matter where they want to throw the ball on the field. While Redskins running back Clinton Portis is certainly still a talented player, it’s looking more and more like the Broncos got the better end of the Portis-Bailey swap.
3. Plummer is finally playing smart football. Sure, he still makes the occasional boneheaded throw. By and large though, he has been taking care of the football. Consider this, at Jake’s current pace, he will cut his interception total of 20 from last season in half. That’s a great recipe for Bronco success.
2. The Denver BROWNcos defensive line brought in from Cleveland, who many were skeptical of (including some ill informed columnist from Real GM), are delivering big time results. The aforementioned columnist wrote this in August, “Recently though, Shanahan’s exploits in the draft and free agent market have been less than stellar. Perhaps, Shanahan has regained his previous slight of hand and again pulled the wool over the eyes of the rest of the league. He better hope so, or this Lake Erie Conspiracy may be the final chapter in Shanahan’s Denver saga.” Well, my apologies Shanny. It looks like you have indeed pulled the wool over the eyes of the rest of the league once again, and I admit that Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown, Michael Myers, and Ebenezer Ekuban appear to be the real deal.
1. Coach Shanahan has been grilled in the local media for some of his previous draft picks over the course of the past decade. This year though, he seems to be silencing his critics. This is largely because of two names that the American football public will soon know real well -- cornerbacks Darrent Williams and Domonique Foxworth. These two kids have held down the fort with Champ Bailey missing the past two contests with a pulled hamstring. They both have an incredible amount of maxi for young cornerbacks, and remember, cornerback may be the toughest position in the league to learn on the job as a rookie. These two kids also have a knack for forcing turnovers, something that Denver’s defense has struggled to do the past couple of seasons.
Have a take about what you just read. Contact Travis at travismheath@msn.com.
Travis is a doctoral candidate in psychology, and a freelance writer. He currently resides outside of Denver, Colorado, but he has spent time in Washington, Nebraska, and both Northern and Southern California. |
