Everybody else, they see whipped topping and can’t resist sticking in a finger.
Broncos receiver Rod Smith keeps fighting the urge. Having won Super Bowls earlier in his career, Smith, in his 12th year, has reached the point where every game, it seems, puts him within reach of either a milestone or an NFL luminary on the all-time receptions list.
Know what athletes call such individual achievements? Icing on the cake. Smith is so close to 800 career receptions, he can taste it. All he needs is three catches in the season opener Sunday at St. Louis and Smith will become the 15th player in NFL history, and first undrafted player, to attain 800 career receptions.
“Not worried about (it),” Smith said. “I’ll worry about it when my career is over. I’ll come find you and you can give me some stats, tell me what I did.”
If all goes well for Smith this year, he will pass such stalwarts as Henry Ellard, Shannon Sharpe, Steve Largent, Larry Centers (a running back), Irving Fryar and Jimmy Smith.
Smith would state it differently. He would say if all goes well for him this year, the Broncos will go one game further before their season ends.
“Somehow, we have a better team than last year,” Smith said. “And we had a good team last year.”
The Broncos were 13-3 last season, received a first-round playoff bye and beat New England in the second round before getting whipped by Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game.
So why are the Broncos better this year?
“I just think we’re all hungry,” Smith said.
For something other than 800 catches.
Searching for clues
In an attempt to solve the mystery that is the Broncos’ starting tailback, speculation turned to the kickoff return team. If Mike Bell is the deep man on kick returns, it figures to drastically reduce his chances of starting at tailback.
“I’ve been returning kicks,” Bell said.
So that does it. Tatum Bell or Cedric Cobbs must be the starter.
“But I don’t know if I’m on the first-team kick return,” Mike Bell said. “We’ve been rotating guys.”
Oh. Indeed, the depth chart says No. 3 receiver David Kircus is the No. 1 kick returner.
“I know on the depth chart I’m there, but as far as what they’re going to do in the game, you never know till game day,” Kircus said. “Kick return is just like the running back situation and everything else.”
Never mind.
The piano man
As the season went on last year, Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer looked more and more like a rock musician. Turns out, Plummer has recently started playing the piano.
“I took lessons as a kid, but then I stopped playing for a while,” he said. “I took it up again, pretty much because as I started thinking about it, I really didn’t have a hobby outside of football. So, like tonight when I get home, I’ll play, just so I can get my mind away from here for a little while.”
View from over there
All that talk about less blitz and more sacks from the Broncos’ defense this year? That’s not what St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger is expecting.
“As far as we can see, they’re pressure-oriented,” Bulger said.
