The quiet Bronco is quietly plotting his comeback.
Running back Quentin Griffin, often overlooked in discussions regarding Denver’s running back corps for 2005, said Thursday that his injured knee is nearly mended.
And even though Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell appear to be locked in a battle for the starting tailback job, Griffin said he’s determined to regain a prominent place in the offense.
“I earned my spot to play and I want to do the same thing – earn it again,” Griffin said after minicamp practice. “I don’t mind coming in under the radar.”
Speaking to reporters for the first time since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while returning a kickoff in Denver’s Oct. 25 loss at Cincinnati, Griffin vowed he has the right stuff to contribute this season.
“I think things happen, and you’re going to get up or you’re going to stay down,” he said. “It depends what type of person you are. You’ll see what I’m made of in a little bit. I’m either going to lay down or I’m going to triumph over this injury.”
Griffin was a limited participant in the Broncos’ team camp last month, but coach Mike Shanahan said Griffin is close to 100 percent now.
“He’s practicing full speed and he’s come back and he’s come back well,” Shanahan said. “Anytime you have an injury like that, it takes some time. But he’s worked hard with the rehabilitation, and hopefully he’s ready to go.”
Griffin’s NFL career has been a series of highs and lows. Drafted from Oklahoma in the fourth round in 2003, the 5-foot-7 scatback suffered a broken leg during his first training camp practice. He recovered in time to fill in for Clinton Portis and rush for 136 yards in a key December road victory at Indianapolis. When Portis was traded to Washington last year, Griffin earned the starting job and rushed for 156 yards in Denver’s season-opening victory against Kansas City.
But Griffin’s fourth-quarter fumble at Jacksonville on Sept. 19 cost Denver a chance to kick a game-winning field goal. Then he sprained his ankle Oct. 3 in a victory at Tampa Bay. That injury, coupled with him rushing for only 139 combined yards in Weeks 2-4, cost him the starting job as Reuben Droughns emerged. Griffin’s frustrating 2004 season came to an end with his knee injury at Cincinnati.
Griffin’s rehabilitation was slow until he underwent arthroscopic surgery in April to clean out cartilage in his knee. Since then, he has made steady progress.
“I tore my meniscus, too, with my ACL,” he said. “That was the hardest thing to get over. I think it’s a lot better now. I needed that surgery, to get me over the hump.”
Griffin is not a power runner. He relies on quickness, and a healthy knee, to make defenders miss. Can he regain the elusiveness that enabled him to rush for 3,756 career yards at Oklahoma?
“That question plagues me all the time,” he said. “But every day I think I’m getting a little bit better.”
Asked if he has the confidence to carry the ball 25 times a game, Griffin said: “It’s the NFL, yeah, but I did it in college. It’s all up in the air, really. I’ve always had some type of confidence. I feel pretty good.”
Griffin’s knee requires daily treatment and he has yet to take a hit. But, he said, he’s getting close.
“You’ll know when I’m back,” he said. “You’ll see it.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
