San Diego – History eluded him, not the end zone.
It’s a trade Tatum Bell said was more sweet than bitter. With only the game against the San Diego Chargers remaining in the 2005 regular season, Bell needed 131 yards to rush the Broncos into the NFL history book.
Before this year, only three NFL teams had two running backs each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. There were Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier of the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers and Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner of the 1985 Cleveland Browns.
Bell had a chance to join Broncos teammate Mike Anderson and make it four teams. Anderson rested Saturday with 1,014 yards. Bell had 869 yards, meaning he needed a career-high total against a San Diego defense ranked No. 1 against the run.
Although Bell gained only 52 yards, he scored all three of the Broncos’ touchdowns in a 23-7 victory. The most Bell- like run was his 19-yard touchdown sprint with 4 minutes, 32 seconds left in the game. What pleased him more were the 6-yard and 1-yard touchdown runs he got up the middle.
“I showed I could run through the tackles,” Bell said at Qualcomm Stadium. “I did all the tough runs they say I couldn’t. So, I thought I had a good game even if I didn’t get a lot of yards.”
Still, while a three-touchdown game doesn’t happen every day, this particular shot at rushing history may never happen again. Mack and Byner are assured of a 21st year as the most recent tandem to each rush for 1,000 yards.
It’s not that the Broncos didn’t try. Bell was the only Bronco to carry the ball in the first half, then he shared the rushing duties with Ron Dayne and quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt in the second half.
“Yeah, I’m a little disappointed,” Bell said. “But like I said, the team goal is more important than the personal goal. I’m still happy that we won.”
Sacking San Diego
Entering the final game, the Broncos’ defense ranked 31st in the 32-team NFL with 22 sacks. Only Cleveland had fewer sacks with 21.
But against the Chargers, the Broncos recorded a season-high six sacks, two by safety John Lynch. Perhaps the Chargers’ Drew Brees hangs on to the ball a bit too long. In their first meeting this season, the Broncos set their previous high with four sacks.
Lynch’s two sacks came in the end zone. The first resulted in a fumble the Broncos recovered at the 1-yard line and converted into a touchdown. The second sack, against Chargers backup quarterback Philip Rivers, was recovered by Chargers lineman Shane Olivea in the end zone for a safety.
Lynch, a San Diego-area product, forced two fumbles against the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium last year. Not bad for a 34-year-old defensive back who supposedly has lost some speed.
“You have a little more juice when you come home, I guess,” said Lynch, who signed with the Broncos as a free agent two years ago after 11 years with Tampa Bay. “There’s always a little extra motivation coming home. This was a team I would have been interested in playing with. They considered it and decided, naw, we’re better off not going in that direction, so there’s a little extra motivation in there as well.”
Van Pelt’s style of playing QB
The rain didn’t help Van Pelt’s confidence as he made his first NFL passing attempts Saturday. After his first three passes went awry in the second half, Van Pelt usually decided quickly to tuck-and-run rather than wait for one of his receivers to break open.
And once Van Pelt took off, he didn’t stop until there was a collision. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was asked if Van Pelt could hold up for 16 games while playing the rough-and-tumble style.
“We told him to slide and back off a little bit, but until he gets hurt, I don’t think he’s ever going to do that,” Shana- han said. “He’s big enough and strong enough that it may take a while to get hurt. But he is a very physical football player and a great competitor, and I really liked the way he played today.”
Splitting up playing time
And for the 16th game of Denver’s season, David Terrell was given a uniform. The former Bears wide receiver was inactive through the first 15 games.
On defense, the biggest adjustment the Broncos made was to compensate for middle linebacker Al Wilson’s absence because of a broken thumb. Keith Burns replaced him, but he was substituted out for nickel back Sam Brandon on passing downs. Normally, Wilson stays in and outside linebacker D.J. Williams comes out for passing downs.
For this game, Williams stayed in and made a touchdown-saving deflection in the first quarter on a pass headed for wide-open tight end Antonio Gates.
Putzier injures shoulder
Denver tight end Jeb Putzier injured his left shoulder during the first half, having taken a vicious hit from San Diego linebacker Steve Foley. Putzier didn’t return and had his shoulder iced.
“We’ll see how is it in the next few days,” Putzier said. “I do have a chance to rest, which is good.”
The Broncos didn’t report any other significant injuries.
Not much of a rush hour
San Diego rushed the ball only 20 times Saturday. Denver’s opponents ran the ball 344 times this season to set a team record for fewest rush attempts against Denver. The previous record, in a nonstrike season, was 345 set in 1996.
Denver allowed 258 points this season for an average of 16.1 points, the lowest average in Shanahan’s 11 years as coach.
Turnover ratio strong
Denver intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble and its offense didn’t turn over the ball Saturday, leaving the Broncos with a plus-20 turnover ratio – second in the NFL. Denver made 20 interceptions and recovered 16 fumbles. In the past three seasons combined, Denver had only 30 interceptions.
“We finished strong with the turnovers,” said Lynch, who forced two fumbles Saturday. “That has been a goal all season.”
Broncos fans unite
Several thousand loud Denver fans attended the game.
“I thought we had a lot of fans here last year, but we had more this year,” Lynch said. “It was great to see the support.”
Lynch jokingly said that he accounted for several of the Broncos faithful in the crowd. Lynch is from the San Diego area and several of his family members and friends made it to the game.
“It’s always special to play here,” Lynch said. “And it’s always special to win here.”
Hey, where’s the fries?
Denver players were treated with double cheeseburgers – courtesy of quarterback Jake Plummer, from In-N-Out Burger – when they departed the locker room.
Terrell was so excited to get his burger, he temporarily lost his senses.
He asked someone who bought the food and was told “Jake.” Terrell then said, “Jake who?” Told it was Plummer, Terrell screamed out “Thanks, Jake.”
Maryland class reunion
Broncos cornerback Domonique Foxworth is not surprised to see what former college teammate Shawne Merriman has accomplished this season. Merriman, who had one sack Saturday for the Chargers to finish the season with 10, is one of the top candidates for the NFL defensive rookie of the year.
Foxworth and Merriman played at Maryland. Merriman was the No. 12 pick in the April draft and Foxworth was taken in the third round by Denver.
“The guy was dominant in college,” Foxworth said. “It wasn’t fair sometimes. So seeing him have this success in the NFL was really expected.”
It hurts so good
Van Pelt, after carrying the ball Saturday more times (10) than throwing it (eight): “I feel fine physically. To me, I didn’t get hit hard. It’s kind of funny. The other team was kind of surprised at how quick and tough I was. They were laughing at me and I’m laughing at them. They don’t know who I am and I don’t know who they are and I don’t really care.”
Footnotes
LaDainian Tomlinson scored the Chargers’ only touchdown Saturday, the 80th of his career. That ties him with Emmitt Smith as the second-fastest players in NFL history (79 games) to score 80 touchdowns. Hall of Famer Jim Brown scored 80 in his first 76 games. … Champ Bailey, on the Broncos’ playoff prospects: “We have such a better team than we did last year. Obviously we’re more consistent. The offense takes care of the ball and we get the ball. What more can you ask from an offense and a defense?” … Denver’s Rod Smith didn’t get the four catches he needed for 800 in his career, but extended his streak of catching at least one pass to 108 games. … San Diego defensive tackle Jamal Williams (foot) played despite being listed as questionable and missing two days of practice last week. … Bailey led Denver with nine tackles Saturday.
Staff writer Jim Armstrong contributed to this report.
