With questions being posed about how to fix a Broncos offense that ranks tied for last in the NFL in touchdowns, wide receiver Javon Walker says he can provide some answers.
“I’ll just say it: Give me the ball, I want the ball,” Walker said. “I don’t think I’ve been as big a part of the offense as I can be. But I’m just part of it. This isn’t complaining or saying I’m unhappy.”
It’s hard to complain about a 4-1 start, but that success has been built on a defense that has allowed only one touchdown while the offense is averaging 12.4 points per game.
“I’m just saying the offense can’t always rely on the defense,” Walker said. “We all have to pick it up. I think I am a weapon on this team, and I want to help us get going. I want to show Denver what I can do. We are having a good season so far and I don’t want to see it slip away. It won’t if we get it together. When I was in Green Bay, we found a way to get the ball in Ahman Green’s hands. We found a way to get the ball in my hands. We found a way to get the ball in Donald Driver’s hands. That’s what we have to do here. It’s all up to us to find a way.”
Walker made it clear he wasn’t trying to cause problems or make a stir, but simply expressing his passion for the game after sitting out last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“I love it in Denver. That’s why I want to work so much. Remember, I’ve missed a year. So this means a lot to me. I don’t want to waste any time. I want to play well and make things happen.”
Walker, in his first year with the Broncos after the team acquired him from Green Bay, has been Denver’s most productive offensive player. He leads the team with 20 catches for 388 yards receiving and another 48 yards rushing.
Denver coach Mike Shanahan said he wasn’t bothered by Walker’s comments.
Shanahan historically has appreciated it when players speak out and say they want to be part of the solution.
“You want guys who want the ball,” Shanahan said before bringing up a pass Walker dropped in the third quarter of the Broncos’ 13-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night.
“Javon is mad at himself that he missed that slant route that could have kept the drive going in the second series of the third quarter. That may have been the difference of us scoring. So Javon knows in the back of his mind, he better take advantage of those situations when the ball hits him in the hands.”
Shanahan said he believes the entire offense is frustrated, but each player expresses that differently. He used veteran Rod Smith as an example. Smith has 16 catches for 136 yards.
“Javon is as class a guy as you can ever be around, and he wants the ball,” Shanahan said. “Rod Smith wants the ball, and he handles it in a different way.
“One guy shared frustration with you. … The offensive line is frustrated, the coaches (are) frustrated and if you’re not frustrated, then you won’t be in this business for long. Our offense is used to being one of the tops, and when you’re not, you go back, look at yourself and try to figure out why and you work on those things to make sure that by the end of the season, you’re one of the top teams.”
Walker said that is his goal.
“I’m a competitor, so I feel like anytime that I’m out there and I can make a play, I feel like it’ll put us in position to score and then I’m going to live by that and stick to it,” Walker said. “I feel like any time I can get the ball in my hands, something good can happen, and I think more points can be scored, but like I said, I’m just executing the plays that are called right now.”
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
