If all goes as the Broncos plan this season, Tony Scheffler will exceed Stephen Alexander in nearly every prominent statistical category.
Scheffler will have caught more passes, scored more touchdowns, attained more glory.
So how come Scheffler begins this season wishing he could be more like Alexander?
“To be this guy that’s labeled as a specialist or a third-down guy, it’s something that gets old,” Scheffler said. “As time goes on and I get more experience and all the great coaching they have going on here and the great strength program, that’s my ultimate goal – to become a true tight end.”
As the season begins, the rookie Scheffler readily admits the veteran Alexander represents the true definition of a tight end. Alexander, 30, is the superior blocker. His hands have been good enough for 229 career receptions and 12 touchdowns in eight NFL seasons, five as a full-time starter.
Make that six. Because Alexander is adept at executing all tight end responsibilities, he will start for a second consecutive season with the Broncos. Scheffler will replace Jeb Putzier, who was released and later picked up by Houston, as the team’s “receiving” tight end.
Alexander, however, knows he one day will surrender the lead tight end position to the mega-talented Scheffler, whom the Broncos drafted in the second round out of Western Michigan. A second-round draft choice himself, Alexander reveals not a drop of insecurity as he enters his ninth season with a gifted whippersnapper on his heels.
“My thing is, I’m going to do what I do, and if that’s not good enough, then that’s the way it is,” Alexander said. “I can’t do anything about it. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got, and if it’s not there, then it’s time for me to move on and do something else.”
Before he goes, the Broncos want Alexander to help mold Scheffler into a complete tight end. And for Scheffler, the problem isn’t in the receiving department.
“That guy can fly,” Alexander said. “He ran a route, a 10-yard across and he hit another gear that I haven’t seen him hit yet. He’s good, man. He’s going to be a really good player.”
Scheffler posted the fastest shuttle time (4.04 seconds) among prospective rookie tight ends at the NFL combine in February – no minor accomplishment considering Vernon Davis, whom San Francisco drafted with the No. 6 pick, was among the competitors.
As for blocking, Alexander said Scheffler has improved immensely, even in the short period from the early July minicamp through the recently completed training camp. The key to blocking, Alexander said, is want-to.
Scheffler, Alexander said, has the want-to. For that blocking improvement, Scheffler thanks Alexander.
“I’ve got his helmet right here,” Scheffler said, holding up the post-practice equipment that often becomes a rookie’s responsibility. “He’s been almost like a father figure to me out there. That’s something he doesn’t have to do, and it’s something I appreciate.”
Tight end
Incumbent: Stephen Alexander. Has made conversion from receiver-type Pro Bowler to steady run blocker.
Young blood: Tony Scheffler. Terrific receiving skills whose size will make him adequate blocker.
Projection: Scheffler will start in two tight-end sets this year and all by his lonesome next year.
This story has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to an error by Getty Images, it included a photo of the Broncos’ Nate Jackson, incorrectly identified as Tony Scheffler.
