Put aside the stats and the win-loss record for a moment and peek inside the Broncos’ huddle.
The game is tight, the crowd is screaming, coaches Mike Shanahan and Gary Kubiak have quickly discussed the next play and the quarterback steps into what is now an 11-man circle.
At this point, Shanahan’s job is done. It’s all on Jake Plummer now.
The Nervous Nellies at Invesco Field at Mile High may not realize this, but the moment Plummer steps into the huddle, as he will Saturday against the Oakland Raiders, is the moment the Broncos’ offensive players exhale.
“You can get so uptight with the pressure that goes on through the course of the game, and he’s the perfect fit,” tight end Stephen Alexander said. “When he steps in the huddle, he’s not a jokester, but it’s a calming thing. There’s been several times where we’re down or whatever and he’s taken charge and said, ‘Look, fellas, we’ve got to do it right here. I’m going to do it for you, you do it for me. Let’s do this for each other.’ That means a lot when it comes from who we see as our leader.”
There’s some insight into Plummer’s presence beyond the shaggy hair and scruffy beard. Now for some numbers. Plummer left Arizona for Denver three years ago, and the Broncos have reached the playoffs all three years. After winning 30 games in six seasons as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback, Plummer has 30 wins in roughly 2 1/2 seasons for the Broncos.
Among NFL quarterbacks who have started each of the past three seasons, only Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have a better record than the 30-11 mark Plummer has compiled. That’s it. Brady and Manning. Even John Elway had years when he looked up to Joe Montana and Dan Marino.
Doesn’t all this evidence, plus more touchdown passes (60) than interceptions (33), prove that in Plummer the Broncos have a really good quarterback?
“Not bad,” receiver Ashley Lelie said. “But I don’t think he will be all summed up until we get that championship, that ring. That’s how it is for quarterbacks. We’ve got to get him that ring before people really realize how good of a season he’s had.”
When it comes to quarterback expectations, a story Shanahan likes to tell is of San Francisco’s Steve Young during the final seconds of the 1992 season. Young had guided the 49ers to the NFL’s best regular- season record (14-2) and the NFC championship game. Young also played extremely well in that NFC title game – a loss to the Dallas Cowboys – completing 25-of-35 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown, plus he ran for another score.
The reaction by 49ers fans after their team got beat?
“He got booed off the field in the NFC championship game,” said Shanahan, who was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator at the time. “The whole thing in San Francisco was you had to win the Super Bowl.”
Young was following Montana, who was undefeated in four Super Bowls. Plummer is following Elway, who won Super Bowls in his final two seasons. No matter that Brian Griese was in between – Elway’s enormous legacy is imposing enough to shadow his next two, three or more successors.
Are the quarterback standards tougher in Denver than in other places?
“I don’t think so,” Plummer said. “I think every quarterback has to live up to expectations. Certain cities carry certain legacies. In Arizona, I had a lot on my plate, too, coming out of Arizona State. It’s not like I have more here. The difference here is they do things here that help you out, by getting good players and getting into situations where the level of expectations for each player is set really high.”
Huddle up, fellas. The Broncos have some work to do. For Plummer, his job will hardly be done if his team beats the Raiders.
Armed for success
Among quarterbacks who have started the past three seasons, Denver’s Jake Plummer is the NFL’s third-winningest QB:
Record || Pct.
Tom Brady, N.E. 37-9 80.4
Peyton Manning, Ind. 37-9 80.4
Jake Plummer, Den. 30-11 73.2
Donovan McNabb, Phi. 29-11 72.5
Michael Vick, Atl. 22-10 68.8
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
