This note’s for you, Bo. …
The Broncos are 7-2, pretty typical for a Mike Shanahan-coached team. But that’s about all this team shares with Shanahan teams of the past.
For one thing, they’ve reached crunch time and don’t know who their go-to running back is. Is Tatum Bell healthy enough to carry the load? Will Mike Bell step up or be inactive as he was at Oakland? Is Damien Nash the answer or will we see Cedric Cobbs before it’s all said and done?
“It’s definitely a challenge,” Jake Plummer said. “We’ve got to perform better running the ball. Take away Javon‘s run a couple weeks ago and we haven’t had a lot of output running the ball,” he added, referring to Javon Walker’s 72-yard run against Pittsburgh.
It isn’t just the running backs. Offensive tackle has to be a high priority for the Bronx in the 2007 draft. At the moment, their tackle tandem includes an NFL Europe alum (Erik Pears) and a player who came out of a two-year retirement during training camp (Adam Meadows). That is not, repeat not, how the coaches drew it up. …
True story. Bo Schembechler during his two decades at Michigan hired one coach out of the high school ranks. His name? Bill McCartney. …
McCartney, like so many others, considered Schembechler his mentor. Said Coach Mac in the wake of Schembechler’s passing, “During the 20-year stretch he coached, he won more games than any other Division I coach. Fame can come in a moment, but greatness comes with longevity. … Like everyone who ever played or coached for him, I’m making arrangements to go back to the funeral. … I don’t think there will be enough room wherever they hold it.” …
Champ Bailey, when asked if this was the best season of his career: “It was the best first half. I’m making plays and not giving up plays. They go hand in hand. A lot of guys can make plays, but they also give up a ton. I pride myself on being a complete player – tackling, not giving up big plays and making big plays.” …
Bailey, by the way, has more Pro Bowl votes – 184,739 – than any defensive player not named Brian Urlacher. To cast your vote, dial up NFL.com. …
The Chargers have lost six straight in Our Town. Nothing unusual there, considering they’re 5-30-1 all-time in Denver. How can that be? “The one thing I know is it has nothing to do with the altitude,” said Marty Schottenheimer. “I know the altitude has nothing to do with it.” Not only that, he knows the altitude has nothing to do with it. …
For all he’s accomplished in his career, LaDainian Tomlinson has yet to win in Denver. “I obviously think about it,” he said. “But it’s not something you focus on and say, ‘Man, I really wanted to win at Denver.’ You approach this game the same way you approach any other game and see what happens.” …
Don’t look for this trend to continue today, but the Chargers haven’t thrown a touchdown pass vs. the Broncos in the teams’ last four games. …
You knew this was going to happen … or not. According to Stats, Inc., there are two NFL quarterbacks who’ve played major minutes and not thrown an interception in the third or fourth quarters. That would be Philip Rivers and Bucs rookie Bruce Gradkowski. …
From the mailbag: “Get a life, you loser.” Sorry, too late. I’m in one baseball fantasy league and two football fantasy leagues. I’d be in a golf league, too, if my buddies had guaranteed me I could have Tiger. …
Not that Major League Baseball has competitive-balance issues, but that $51.5 million the Red Sox are paying to talk to Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is more than five teams’ 2006 payrolls – Florida, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and the Men of Monfort. …
With Kenyon Martin gone and Nene hurting, the last thing the Nuggets needed was their bench to get off to a bad start. Through Friday, the Boyz on the Bench were shooting a combined .366, including .299 for Earl Boykins. …
Can the Rockies afford to re-sign Jason Jennings? Question is, can they afford not to? J.J. allowed 206 hits in 212 innings last season. The four others in the rotation combined to allow 814 in 737 2/3 innings. …
By the numbers: Peyton Manning has thrown 18 touchdown passes, one more than the Broncos’ offense has accounted for through the air and on the ground. …
Doesn’t seem possible, but Saints rookie Marques Colston is even better than you think. He leads the league with 20 third-down catches for first downs. …
Memo to what’s left of Raider Nation: Don’t blame the D. The Raiders in their last five games have allowed 13.6 points per. Only Jacksonville (13.3) has allowed fewer. Not only that, the Raiders’ defense has scored three touchdowns, four fewer than the offense. …
And finally, happy birthday to one of the all-time good guys, Dante Bichette, who turned 43 on Saturday.
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
