Notes from the Monday morning QB …
You think the Rockies play small ball? Check out the Broncos.
Five games into the season, Jake Plummer hasn’t completed a pass to a wideout for more than 23 yards. His longest pass of the season is a 31-yarder to tight end Jeb Putzier. His second-longest is a 26-yarder to tailback Mike Anderson. His go-to guy near the end zone? Try offensive tackle Dwayne Carswell, who leads the team with two TD catches.
What gives? Lots. First, the Broncos’ running game is producing enough big plays to light up the scoreboard. Their four longest plays of the season are runs of 55, 44, 39 and 34 yards.
Of the four, three have gone for touchdowns, two in Sunday’s game courtesy of Tatum Bell. Then there’s the improvement in the Broncos’ defense and special teams. Todd Sauerbrun had another monster game Sun- day with seven kicks that averaged 47.3 yards. The defense, meanwhile, held a team to fewer than 20 points for the fourth straight week. That’s why the Broncos won on a day when Plummer threw for 92 yards.
Add the 136 he had at Jacksonville, and his two-game total of 228 is his lowest since the 209 he had in his first two games as a Bronco. Plummer’s reaction? Check out the standings, the ones that show the Broncos in first place in the AFC West.
They’re there largely because of another Plummer stat: 0. That’s how many interceptions he threw Sunday. He has three in five games, no small feat considering he threw 27 in 27 games in 2003-04.
“We know with our defense and special teams, to make mistakes is what really will hurt us,” Plummer said. “They preached that to me all offseason: ‘Be smart with the ball. Don’t do things you don’t need to do, because we’ve got Todd Sauerbrun. If it’s third-and-10 and you don’t have something, don’t worry about it. Move on and let him punt.”‘ …
Denver started two rookie cornerbacks, Darrent Williams and Domonique Foxworth, and lived to tell. The most recent time the local 11 started two rookies on the corner? That would be never. At least Broncos P.R. man Jim Saccomano couldn’t come up with another occasion. …
Foxworth, shivering in the locker room half an hour after the game, on the prospect of starting across the field from Williams, his training camp roommate: “Actually, we talked about it during camp, not expecting it to happen as soon as it has. Ted (Sundquist) and Mike (Shanahan) deserve some credit for the draft class they brought in. Darrent and I are two of the best rookie corners out there.” …
Redskins wideout Santana Moss stretched the Denver secondary to the limit with eight catches for 116 yards, but didn’t score. Said Williams: “There’s something about those Mosses. They can run. He’s just a smaller version of Randy Moss. Every play he touches the ball, he’s looking to score.” …
Sign spotted in the Invesco stands: “Portis wears a skirt.” Hey, hey, hey, don’t be dissing my man Clinton. My tape recorder hasn’t quit crying since he left town. …
Portis doesn’t wear a skirt, but he did wear this smashing pink suit and matching alligator shoes during his days in Our Town. All I can figure is Joe Gibbs is getting to him. My spies in the Redskins’ locker room told me C.P. was wearing a conservative black pinstriped suit. Boooooooring! …
Think the Broncos’ running game has been the same since Portis hit the road? Think again. Or do I have to remind you nobody talked about this red-zone business when he was around? Fact: Portis scored 29 rushing touchdowns in 29 games in a Broncos uniform. Since, their running backs have combined for 16 in 21 games. …
Yes, Las Vegas has noticed the Broncos’ low-risk, low-reward offensive ways. To wit: Sunday’s over-under of 34 1/2 was the lowest of the Shanahan era. …
The Broncos’ unofficial team motto? Throw the first punch, ask questions later. They’re 4-0 when they score first, 0-1 when they don’t. …
Trevor Pryce, when asked about Ian Gold’s pass deflection that cost the Redskins a game-tying two-point conversion: “In Gold we trust.” …
Not that the Broncos aren’t trying to make big plays in the passing game. By Shanahan’s count, they should have come away with four or five completions on deep balls. The last was intended for Ashley Lelie with eight minutes left. Plummer threw a nearly perfect ball, only to have it tipped by a diving Ade Jimoh. Said Lelie, when asked if he thought he had six: “Yep. Game over. He got lucky. He got a hand in there, but he wasn’t even looking back for the ball.”
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on 560 ESPN radio. He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
