The concussions in an alarmingly short period of time are beginning to add up for Rod Smith.
Normally, when a player is dazed, a trainer will hold up two fingers and ask, “How many?” Smith, the Broncos’ all-time leading receiver in nearly every category, has been through a similar exercise three times in the past year.
His latest injury occurred after he made a 15-yard reception, then was tackled by Kansas City safety Greg Wesley in the second quarter of the Broncos’ 9-6 overtime victory Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High.
“I’m fine,” Smith said after the game.
He also suffered concussions against the Chiefs on Sept. 26 last year at Invesco and near the end of the Pro Bowl on Feb. 12 in Hawaii.
“I don’t want to talk about them, either,” Smith said. “It happens. It’s part of the game.”
It’s true. Nearly every professional football player suffers a concussion. The concern is when the injury repeats, at shorter intervals between each one. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said the extent of Smith’s injury would not be known until the receiver is examined by a specialist today. The hope is Smith will be able to play Sunday night at New England.
“Sure I’m concerned for him,” said Javon Walker, the Broncos’ No. 2 receiver, who is quickly evolving into No. 1. “Rod’s big on our team. Anytime a receiver is injured, you’re concerned for him. I hope whatever it is he’s going through will be all right.”
Broncos to sign Morgan
The Broncos are likely to sign kick returner-receiver Quincy Morgan today. Playing for Pittsburgh last season, he returned 23 kicks for a 25.3-yard average, which ranked eighth in the NFL. He also had nine catches, two for touchdowns.
Morgan could be the Broncos’ kick returner Sunday at New England, although Shanahan may push his debut back a week or two so he can become familiar with the offense.
Receiver David Kircus said he is not worried about the team signing Morgan.
“I’m not one of the guys who doesn’t want a player brought in at my position,” said Kircus, who had two catches for 26 yards Sunday. “He’s a good player. He’ll make us better. He’ll make the receivers work harder. I have no problem with it. ”
Cobbs injured
The chances of Morgan returning kicks next week increased after backup running back Cedric Cobbs suffered a badly sprained right ankle after fumbling, but recovering, the ball during his kickoff return to start the overtime.
On the play, Cobbs muffed the catch, kicked it while stooping to pick it up, fell on it, then had the ball sneak between his legs before he was able to contort his body back to cradle it.
“I felt like Frosty the Snowman out there,” Cobbs said.
He hobbled off on crutches with a severely sprained ankle that could sideline him at least a week.
Coaches know best
There were a couple of ways to look at the 20-yard run by Tatum Bell during the Broncos’ game-winning field goal drive in overtime.
Bell made his strongest run near the end of the game.
“I’m trying to end all my stereotypes – I fumble too much, I can’t go 20 carries, I die out in the second half,” Bell said. “I’m trying to end all that.”
The other way to view it is the Broncos’ running back rotation of alternating series helped keep Bell fresh for the end. Mike Bell gained 44 yards on 13 carries; Tatum Bell had 69 yards on 16 carries.
“It’s all about doing what’s best for the team,” Mike Bell said. “I think it’s good for me to share series with Tatum because I can learn by watching Tatum before I go in there. At the same time, if we’re not rotating, maybe Tatum doesn’t have the legs to make that long run at the end of the game.”
Mike Bell said he wouldn’t second-guess the brain trust: “These coaches have been successful in the NFL for a long time. They know what’s best.”
Go ahead, ice him
Employing a common tactic when opposing a potential winning kick, Chiefs coach Herm Edwards called a timeout before Jason Elam’s 39-yard field-goal attempt in overtime. The idea was to make the Broncos’ kicker out-think himself, but Elam said he always prefers the timeout.
“I don’t know why coaches started doing that,” said Elam, who made that kick and two others. “It gives you a chance to calm down, take a deep breath, see what the wind’s doing, see what the best spot is out there, double check if you’re lined up right. I like it.”
He could have used a timeout before his 44-yard attempt in the first half that sailed well wide to the left.
“I aimed at the right upright thinking it would go left, but I missed my target by 40 feet,” Elam said. “I wasn’t even in the same ZIP code.”
Lunch-time bully
On a ball that was tipped in the fourth quarter, Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, 6-feet-5, 251 pounds, pushed Denver cornerback Darrent Williams, 5-8, 188, out of his way. Gonzalez made the catch for no gain and was tackled by Williams. No penalty was called on Gonzalez.
“Because it was tipped, the officials said (Gonzalez) could do anything, and he did everything,” Denver cornerback Domonique Foxworth said.
Added Williams: “He tried to take my lunch money … and he did take my lunch money. I was mugged.”
Ernster gets his kicks
Punter Paul Ernster performed well in the second game of his four-game tryout. Ernster is punting and kicking off while Todd Sauerbrun serves a four-game NFL suspension for using a banned dietary supplement.
Sauerbrun is eligible to return Oct. 15 against Oakland, but the Broncos might keep Ernster and let Sauerbrun go if Ernster continues to perform well. Sunday, in a field position game, Ernster came up big. He had a gross average of 52 yards on five punts and had one touchback on a kickoff.
Jimmy wants Jay
Fox “NFL Sunday” analyst Jimmy Johnson made it clear who he likes as the Denver quarterback, and it’s not Jake Plummer.
“I don’t like Jake,” Johnson said on the air Sunday. “He had a good year last year, but that was an exception for him. I think Mike Shanahan’s offense can protect young Jay Cutler. I like Cutler. I’d play him now.”
Shirley Collier dies
Shirley Collier, the wife of longtime former Denver defensive coordinator Joe Collier died of a stroke Saturday night. Joe Collier was a Denver assistant from 1969-88.
The Colliers’ son, Joel, is an assistant with the New England Patriots and coached Sunday against the Jets.
Walls on Broncos
Chiefs cornerback Lenny Walls a former Bronco, remembers both good and bad sides of Plummer.
“Jake can get going and be a Pro Bowl-caliber player if he gets hot,” Walls said. “Or if (you) can get his confidence shaken you can take advantage of it as a defense and make him look pretty bad.”
Walls played four seasons with Denver before being cut last season, then signing with the Chiefs in the offseason.
“It was a little weird at first, coming into this locker room,” Walls said of playing the Broncos. “But it was fun. I ain’t got no hard feelings or nothing like that. I played for a great organization, I have a lot of good friends in Denver.”
Footnotes
Denver defensive lineman Courtney Brown was inactive Sunday and has missed both of Denver’s games with a lingering knee injury. … Defensive tackle Gerard Warren said his left big toe was sore, but he will play through it. Warren dislocated the toe Aug. 5 and missed the entire preseason. … An MRI revealed Amon Gordon, a defensive tackle on the Broncos’ practice squad, has torn knee cartilage and will be out four to six weeks.
Staff writer Mike Chambers contributed to this report.
