By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
When is a hamstring not the same as a hamstring?
When the hamstring pulls from the left leg of Broncos star cornerback Champ Bailey.
Yes, Bailey missed the preseason with a strained left hamstring. Yes, he strained his left hamstring again Monday night in the Broncos’ blowout victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
No, Bailey and Broncos coach Mike Shanahan don’t think it would be foolish for Bailey to play Sunday at Jacksonville.
“It’s not in the same spot,” Shanahan said. “Big difference.”
No one questions Bailey’s toughness. He has started all 99 games in his NFL career.
“We anticipate playing him,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said.
But with Bailey’s dislocated left shoulder and pulled left hamstring, the question is whether missing one game to allow him to heal would help him stay healthy for the final 12 games.
“I don’t think that way,” Bailey said. “I do what’s in front of me and stop thinking so far down the road. We’ve got the Jacksonville Jaguars, and I want to be on the field.”
Bailey was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report Wednesday. He is not expected to practice until Friday.
Ernster out, Buhl in
Paul Ernster, who handled the Broncos’ kickoff duties in the season opener at Miami, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right kicking knee during pregame warm- ups Monday night. Ernster was running when he took a fateful misstep.
Signed to the Broncos’ practice squad last week, the rookie was placed on injured reserve Wednesday and is out for the year. He was replaced on the practice squad by linebacker Josh Buhl, a former standout player at Kansas State who was recently cut by Tampa Bay.
Truth hurts
Miked for “Monday Night Football,” Bailey irked Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil by telling Broncos teammates along the bench: “They’re not playing as hard. I ain’t going to relax, though.”
Vermeil said such a comment was why he doesn’t allow his players to be miked. Mike Shanahan had no problem with it, citing the entertainment value it has with fans.
Bailey hardly backed down from his comment.
“We’ll be in their backyard (on Dec. 4) and they’ll forget what I said,” Bailey said. “Everybody said it. And I’m not going to shy away from speaking my mind. I mean, I felt like I was (dominating play), so I just said it.”
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
