Out with the old, in with the notes. …
Forget struggling in the red zone. Forget not being able to score inside the 20. The Broncos couldn’t so much as gain a yard Sunday when they got near the goal line. In the end, that was the scary part. Their undersized offensive line couldn’t push the pile, and Tatum Bell couldn’t find a hole.
“It’s strange,” tight end Jeb Putzier said. “We have the talent up there. We’ve got big loads who can move the line of scrimmage, but it’s just not getting done.”
No matter what happens from here on out, know this: There are major changes coming on the offensive line after this season. …
How frustrated was Jake Plummer after the debacle in Miami? A young woman, so young that she may well have been covering her first NFL game, asked him what the Dolphins’ defense had done to shut down the Broncos’ offense. Responded Jake the Snake, “Watch the film.” …
Watch the film? Of that game? I’d rather watch the Rockies’ season highlight film. …
Hey, at least the morons with the tape recorders won’t ask the Broncos if they’re going to start fast and fade in November and December again. Not only that, Sunday’s game only counts as one loss. Though I have to say, if any game should count as two, that was it. …
Once again, people – among them, the guy typing this – overrated the Broncos. The Las Vegas wiseguys made them favorites over the Dolphins, and several high-profile news outlets, including SI.com, CBS Sportsline.com, The New York Times, USA Today and The Dallas Morning News, thought the game was compelling enough to cover. …
Trevor Pryce, when asked if he was shocked: “No. This is the NFL. This happens week in and week out in this league. You think the Jets are shocked right now? I don’t think they are. It’s the NFL. There’s not much difference between one team and another.” …
CBS’ Dick Enberg told Andre Agassi after the U.S. Open final that many people think he’s “the greatest player to play the sport.” What, is he giving him style points for his hair in the 1980s? …
True story, courtesy of Dan Le Batard of The Miami Herald. Dolphins wideout Wesley Welker, listed at 5-feet-9 and a generous 185 pounds – he might be a buck-80 – had a hard time convincing a 70-year-old neighbor that he was indeed a Dolphin. The neighbor looked Welker up and down, finally convinced, and spat. “No wonder,” he said, “we were 4-12 last year.” …
Turns out Plummer wasn’t the only quarterback to struggle on opening day. Houston’s David Carr had a 12.1 passer rating against the Bills. To put that number in perspective, Plummer threw four passes in the first quarter, all incompletions, and chalked up a 39.6. …
Can a man hitting .230 with runners in scoring position win the National League MVP award? Andruw Jones should. Why? Because he also happens to be the league’s best defensive center fielder. …
Just the fax: Forty-seven teams received votes in the USA Today coaches’ poll, including New Mexico, Air Force, Penn State and Northwestern, and Nebraska was nowhere to be found. …
The shocking part wasn’t so much that Oklahoma lost to TCU, but that the Sooners struggled so much a week later to beat Tulsa. Not that they’re one-dimensional or anything, but Rhett Bomar didn’t throw a pass in the second half. …
No, Notre Dame isn’t national championship material. Then again, every high school stud in the Midwest and several points beyond just put the Irish on his shortlist. …
And finally, Dolphins PR man Harvey Greene, on the three years he spent working for George Steinbrenner with the Yankees: “It was actually 21 years. They treat you like a dog there.”
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM and Fox Sports Net’s “Insider Edition.” He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
