Kelly Herndon thought he’d have an advantage tonight. He thought he’d be able to help his teammates with a little Broncos offensive knowledge.
Now, Herndon doesn’t know what to expect. He doesn’t know Jay Cutler, who will make his NFL debut against Herndon’s Seattle Seahawks at Invesco Field at Mile High. When Herndon was last in a Broncos uniform, Cutler was a junior at Vanderbilt. Herndon knows Jake Plummer.
“When you play for a team, you get to know everyone’s habits and tendencies and it can be an advantage,” Herndon said. “Now it is like it’s a whole new offense when you have a new quarterback. I can’t help my guys out.”
Still, Cutler will have to account for Herndon. The former Denver cornerback has made the most of his time in Seattle and has become a starting fixture with the Seahawks. Herndon, known for his gritty, never-give-up style while playing in Denver, departed after the 2004 season as a restricted free agent. Herndon signed a five-year contract with the Seahawks. Tonight marks his first game against the Broncos.
It also marks Cutler’s first NFL start. Herndon said he was surprised Plummer was replaced.
“You don’t see 7-4 teams do that often, and I’ve always been a big Jake the Snake guy myself,” Herndon said. “But coach (Mike) Shanahan is a smart guy and he knows what he’s doing.”
Herndon hopes his return to Denver continues his success in nationally televised night games. Herndon gave Seattle a spark in Super Bowl XL in February, going 76 yards with an interception thrown by Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger. Last Monday, he picked off Green Bay’s Brett Favre.
“I’m a prime-time performer,” Herndon said, laughing. “I love that this game is a night game. I’m with it.”
While Herndon said he enjoyed his time in Denver, he hasn’t looked back since going to Seattle. The Seahawks are pleased with his play and Herndon said the Super Bowl experience was a career highlight.
“I’m used to winning. We won in Denver and we’re winning here,” Herndon said. “I couldn’t be happier. I feel like I’m playing well and we’re working hard to get back to another Super Bowl.”
Plummer will play elsewhere
Denver: Tonight begins the Broncos’ Cutler era, but the chatter about what will become of Plummer already has begun. He will not be back in Denver next season.
Sure, Shanahan said he would like Plummer to return as a backup, but Plummer will want to be elsewhere. There could be starting jobs available in Oakland, Green Bay and even Philadelphia, if Donovan McNabb has a setback in his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Expect Plummer to try to get out. And expect Denver to respect his wishes.
Plummer is likely to be cut after June 1. Cutting Plummer then will save Denver more than $3 million. You will hear and read more about Plummer’s departure until it happens. He wants to play, and it won’t be here.
No ordinary Joseph
Indianapolis: The rich are getting richer. Some around the NFL thought the Colts’ luck had run out when Edgerrin James took the big bucks in Arizona and left the team. Some thought James was the key to the Colts’ great offense and Indianapolis would suffer from his absence.
However, the Colts promptly went out and stole LSU’s Joseph Addai in the first round. Addai has been just as good as James was and has become a scoring machine. In October, people thought Shanahan was exaggerating when he said he thought the Colts were better with Addai than James. The rookie tailback makes this offense special.
Add the fact that James and the Cardinals are struggling, and once again, you have to tip the cap to Indianapolis for making another great move.
Familiar faces
Seattle: While Herndon is making a homecoming appearance today when he faces the Broncos, so are two other Seattle players. Tom Ashworth, who attended Cherry Creek and Colorado, has been solid for the Seahawks as an injury replacement for Sean Locklear. In his first season in Seattle, Ashworth, who came over from New England in the offseason, has proven to be a good free-agent pickup.
D.J. Hackett, who also played for the Buffs, is contributing as a third receiver in the absence of Bobby Engram. Hackett, who has good size and hands, could be an interesting commodity on the open market.
Fisher leaving? Not so fast
Tennessee: There are indications in Nashville that Titans owner Bud Adams is leaning toward giving coach Jeff Fisher a lucrative contract extension. If that is the case, it could mean Adams has decided to keep Fisher over general manager Floyd Reese.
Reese and Fisher haven’t had a strong working relationship for some time. It has long been believed this would likely be the pair’s last season in Tennessee together. There had been speculation that Fisher would be let go.
He still could be, but this is one of the best coaches in the NFL and one of the most respected. If he is let loose, Fisher would be the biggest name on the open market. If Joe Gibbs retires again, the Redskins likely would open the vault to sign Fisher.
Adams may be realizing this and with a young team, the owner may want to secure Fisher again for the long term.
Around the league
If Joey Harrington finishes strong, don’t be surprised if the Dolphins try to deal Daunte Culpepper in the offseason. A healthy Culpepper could garner some interest. Harrington over Culpepper seemed ridiculous a couple of months ago, but Harrington has the confidence of his coaching staff and his teammates. …
In addition to Tennessee offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who is getting interest at several schools, Tennessee assistant Dave McGinnis is surfacing as a candidate at Arizona State. McGinnis coached the Cardinals and is popular in the Phoenix area. …
Cutler will become the 199th starting quarterback to debut in the NFL since Favre began his 232-game starting streak in 1992. Cutler was 9 years old when the Favre streak started. Now the two QBs, who share agent Bus Cook, will be playing on the same day. …
The Chargers are feeling super confident heading into December. Superstar linebacker Shawne Merriman returns today against Buffalo after a four-game NFL suspension for violating the steroid policy. The Chargers went 4-0 in Merriman’s absence. With him back, they appear ready to close the door on the AFC West. …
New commissioner Roger Goodell is getting players’ attention with the heavy fines he is handing out. The $10,000 fine he slapped on Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick for giving fans an obscene gesture is twice what Plummer received two years ago for doing the same thing. …
Some around the league are stunned that Philadelphia quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmer got bypassed at Michigan State. Watch for him to surface with a big promotion somewhere. …
Talk is heating up that Browns general manager Phil Savage may be entering the final month of a job he took less than two months ago. …
New Oakland offensive coordinator John Shoop was run out of Chicago a while back, so don’t expect miracles as Shoop takes over the dormant unit for the demoted Tom Walsh.
Herndon homecoming
Cornerback Kelly Herndon will be facing the Broncos tonight for the first time since leaving the team as a restricted free agent and signing with the Seattle Seahawks in 2005:
Local ties: Played with Broncos from 2002-2004.
Size: 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
Age: 30
Known for: Being a feisty, scrappy player. He plays to the whistle. Great tackler. Very tough.
Career highlight: Made a 76-yard interception return against Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL.
FYI: Was drafted by an Arena League team while playing for the Broncos in 2004. Herndon kept his day job in the NFL.
EXTRA POINTS
AT ISSUE
Big Apple attitude
What New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin’s relationship with his players.
Background: It seems every week some kind of drama involves Coughlin and his players. Maybe it’s New York. Maybe it’s because Coughlin grates on his players. Several key players, including receiver Plaxico Burress and tight end Jeremy Shockey, have been critical of Coughlin. Two weeks ago, it was star running back Tiki Barber who took a shot at his coach. Then the Giants blew a 21-0 lead Sunday to the Titans with less than 10 minutes to play in regulation and lost 24-21. That prompted Coughlin to publicly rip quarterback Eli Manning for throwing an interception in the final seconds, enabling the Titans to kick a game-winning field goal.
Williamson’s take: This stuff can’t work in New York. There is too much drama. These are star players we’re talking about, and there is a wedge between the coach and his players. Noteworthy is that the players aren’t afraid of Coughlin, a known tyrant. If they were, players wouldn’t repeatedly question the coach. This partnership must end. Coughlin is entering his final month as the team’s coach.
THE HOT SEAT
Vick taking a licking
Who: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.
When: Today at Washington.
Why: Vick might be in his final month with the team. It would be dramatic for the Falcons to part ways with Vick, but it could happen. Last week, after another poor performance, Vick made an obscene gesture toward jeering Falcons fans. This came days after Jim Mora, the father of the Falcons’ coach, called Vick a “coach killer.” Vick’s play is uneven again after a midseason resurgence. Vick is not working in Atlanta. He has a month to rally the team, and he had better start impressing the brass today against the Redskins, or the immensely talented but underproductive player might be on his way out.
ROOKIE WATCH
Cutler’s time arrives
Who: Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler.
When: Tonight against Seattle at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Why: The Cutler era has arrived in Denver. When the Broncos traded up to get him on draft day, some key people in the organization quietly said Cutler reminded them of John Elway and they thought he could become that “franchise” kind of quarterback. Today is historic. There’s little doubt Cutler’s time with the Broncos will have several chapters. Regardless of whether today’s result against Seattle is a plus or a minus, it’s a day that long will be remembered.
Broncos mailbag: Bill Williamson posts a new installment each Tuesday on DenverPost.com. Previous mailbags also are available on the website.
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
