Perhaps there is medicinal value in playing a game with the AFC West lead at stake.
The five players who had been listed as questionable throughout the week on the Broncos’ injury report – linebacker Ian Gold, defensive ends Ebenezer Ekuban and Patrick Chukwurah, running back Tatum Bell and tight end Stephen Alexander – were upgraded Saturday to probable for the game tonight (6:15, KUSA-9) against the San Diego Chargers at Invesco Field at Mile High.
“Right now, they should be able to play unless there’s a setback,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “It’s about as healthy as we’ve been.”
Gold, Ekuban and Chukwurah missed the previous week’s game against Oakland with leg injuries and all spent the majority of workouts Wednesday and Thursday watching from the side.
Bell (turf toes) and Alexander (thumb) practiced throughout the week.
Perhaps the most critical recovery is Gold. A speed linebacker, Gold has been an every-down linebacker who ordinarily is asked to help cover the opponent’s tight end. San Diego has arguably the NFL’s best receiving tight end in Antonio Gates.
Shanahan said Bell was incorrectly mentioned as having missed a portion of practice Thursday.
“I don’t know why it was denoted that way,” Shanahan said. “He took his normal reps and rotated. We’ve got four guys rotating, so a lot of guys getting reps.”
Besides Bell, Damien Nash, Cedric Cobbs and Mike Bell all took handoffs at running back this past week.
Remembering Bo
His death brought grief. The timing of his death brought bemused smiles. Legendary coach Bo Schembechler died Friday on the eve of the national showdown between No. 1 Ohio State and his No. 2 Michigan Wolverines.
“I think the man upstairs is a little tired of listening to Woody and just thought, hey, he needed to get a different perspective,” Shanahan said.
Schembechler’s longtime Ohio State nemesis, Woody Hayes, was 74 when he died in 1987. Schembechler, who was 77, had been long retired as Michigan coach by the time Gold played there from 1996-99. But Schembechler didn’t disappear from the Wolverines’ program.
“I knew Bo really well,” Gold said. “All four years I was there, I got a chance to get to know the man. Everybody who played at Michigan or coached at Michigan, they know he was the greatest coach in the history of Michigan and one of the greatest ever in college football, period. It’s an unfortunate loss. It’s a huge loss.”
Thanksgiving schedule
Win or lose against the Chargers, the Broncos’ players will have to get over it with just one night’s sleep.
Next up, on Thanksgiving on Thursday night, is a game against the Chiefs at Kansas City. Based on their Thanksgiving game last year at Dallas, the Broncos will hold a special-teams practice Monday, put in their full game plan for the workout Tuesday and have a light workout Wednesday before flying to Kansas City.
That’s it, for the players. Strap ’em on and go play. Shanahan and his coaching staff were to spend a couple hours Saturday and this morning breaking down film on the Chiefs and coming up with a preliminary game plan.
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
