What happened to the Broncos on Sunday has happened enough to the New York Giants in recent seasons, those funky games where late leads turn into shocking, lousy losses.
In 2003 it happened twice to the Giants over two seasons.
They lost a January playoff game 39-38 at San Francisco that they led 38-14 in the third quarter. In September, they lost a Monday night overtime game 35-32 at home against Dallas that they led in regulation with only a few seconds left and then booted a kickoff out of bounds, allowed a big pass play and a tying field goal before being dumped in the extra period.
Thus, the Giants, after scoring the game’s last 14 points and the winning ones with five seconds left against Denver, are unusually qualified to counsel the Broncos on how to get a grip when you have lost it.
“Stay together,” Giants hardy end Michael Strahan advised. “And somebody surface the next time to be the playmaker that makes the difference.”
It would be nice to see that happen for the Broncos at quarterback.
For all of the managing that Jake Plummer has done at quarterback this season – and he has managed this offense and this team adequately in building a 5-2 record – this is a time to begin to seek more from Plummer.
He has won the matchups at quarterback against Drew Brees, Trent Green, Byron Leftwich, Mark Brunell and Tom Brady.
He has lost those against Gus Frerotte and Eli Manning.
Now Plummer gets Donovan McNabb in a season in which Plummer will have faced both quarterbacks from the last Super Bowl.
Plummer does not have to win with gaudy numbers or cosmic plays. But the Broncos need more in timely production from their quarterback. Now, with this season one game – this Eagles game – from being half over, and with five of the final nine affairs road games, it is time to begin giving Plummer more responsibility and more chances.
If the Giants are doing that with a young quarterback like Manning, the Broncos have groomed Plummer long enough to start doing the same.
What Manning did in the fourth quarter of that game cannot be lost on Plummer. I have no doubt that he watched and wished he had more of those type of chances to wing it.
What an opportunity for more growth he and the Broncos missed when Manning and the Giants gained the winning score with only five seconds left. Say that score comes with two minutes left. The Broncos would have had the ball with Plummer in the two-minute drill with a chance to see what could happen. Thus far, the only game close to that for Denver was in Week 2 against San Diego, in which Plummer succeeded by directing the team to a winning field goal. Everyone wants to see more. Much more.
I get the feeling those kind of circumstances are going to unfold on Sunday against McNabb and the Eagles.
Jake in a jungle, asked to win it late.
A longtime NFL personnel director on Monday offered this scathing critique when asked about those prospects: “Jake is athletic. When there is no pressure early in the season, he plays well. He has the talent to take your team to the Super Bowl if he is throwing it 18 to 20 times a game with no interceptions and you have a strong running game and defense. When he is out front, he plays well. But when adversity comes, he is not the guy who steps on your neck. Eli Manning stepped on the Broncos’ neck. Jake? Forget about it.”
Ouch.
Harsh, but it is what confronts Plummer. He is the only one who can change those kinds of assessments.
As much as the Denver defense gives itself props, it failed against Manning late. For some reason, the Broncos ditched their bevy of blitz packages late, retreated, and then waited too long to come strong again. Costly mistake.
As good as Jason Elam has been, he found those tricky winds in Giants Stadium took his late, initially true kick wide, opening the door for the loss.
The officiating was brutal, and the Broncos suffered from it.
And the Broncos’ failure as a team to match early prosperity by “stepping on a team’s neck” late surfaced, just like their recent patterns of early-
season success followed by late-season swoons. That is all ego and focus – too much of the first and a dearth of the second.
In the end, Manning finished the game with the ball in his hands and won it.
There are similar situations coming for the Broncos, likely even this weekend, where the ball will be in Plummer’s hands and he will be required to do more than manage, but to manufacture and to win.
This season he has been slowly, methodically groomed for this stage.
It is here.
Staff writer Thomas Georgecan be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
