Glendale, Ariz. – I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the one I used to note. …
If Champ Bailey isn’t the best cornerback in Broncos history, the numbers are doing some serious lying.
Bailey intercepted two passes in Sunday’s 37-20 victory over Arizona, giving him eight in back-to-back seasons. The last Broncos player to have that many in consecutive years? He hasn’t been born.
Is Bailey surprised to have so many, given his reputation around the league?
“A little, considering the action I get,” Bailey said. “I don’t get a whole lot of chances, so don’t I expect to make a lot of interceptions. I just expect to make plays.” …
Now for the interesting part: Bailey went into Sunday with 81 tackles, tied for second on the team. A premier cover corner with eight picks and a boatload of tackles? “Usually when a corner has a lot of tackles, it’s because they throw at him all day,” Bailey said. “But I don’t get a whole lot of plays. I ask myself, ‘How the heck do I have all those tackles?’ One thing is I don’t like missing them.” …
The number of tackles Bailey has missed this season? “At most, five,” he said. … Not that Bailey is an impact player, but the Bronx are 5-1 when he intercepts a pass. …
Tony Scheffler with Jake Plummer at quarterback: eight games, six catches, 73 yards, no touchdowns, three inactive designations. Scheffler with Jay Cutler at quarterback: three games, seven catches, 139 yards, two touchdowns. …
Scheffler and Cutler, as you probably know, were roommates during training camp. …
“I talked to Tony when I got the starting job and I told him I was going to need him,” Cutler said. “He’s like an extra (wide) receiver out there.” …
One of Scheffler’s catches was a 29-yarder, giving him three of 25-plus in the past two weeks. What gives? “It just happened that they’ve used a linebacker on me man-to-man,” Scheffler said. “I realize, if you’re going to be a successful tight end in this league, you’ve got to make plays in man-to-man coverage.” …
Talk about a surreal scene. By the end of the game, most of the people in the stands were wearing orange. For that matter, most were wearing orange at the beginning of the game too. …
The Broncos’ victory was just part of Sunday’s success story. Half the team didn’t get kicked out of the game for fighting. What with, you know, the Cardinals having given up the fight a month or two ago.
“I think you can see it just like I can,” Mike Shanahan said. Cutler’s confidence increasing with each passing moment, that is. To wit: The Broncos didn’t score a touchdown in three first-half red-zone possessions, then proceeded to go 3-for-3 in the second half. …
How big was Cutler’s 54-yard touchdown pass to Javon Walker on the Broncos’ third play from scrimmage? What, are you kidding? This is a team that had scored 31 first-quarter points in 13 games. …
Cutler, when asked if he knew the Bronx were going deep on that play: “Yeah, and we were going to do it again if it didn’t work.” …
Quincy Morgan, who returned five kickoffs for 154 yards after being inactive for the previous seven weeks: “It feels good contributing to a win. It’s tough sitting back collecting checks and not playing.”
Ran into ex-Broncos coach Dan Reeves in the press box. Reeves, now doing color for CBS Radio, is recovering from surgery to alleviate carpal-tunnel syndrome, a condition that had sent his handicap spiraling to a seven from a four. …
What, you think the better team only gets the calls in the NBA? Think again. The Cardinals were penalized six times for 52 yards. The Broncos weren’t flagged for their first penalty until the final minute. …
Talk about an emotional moment. Mike Bell, who scored on a 1-yard touchdown leap to clinch it for the Broncos, is a Phoenix native. Not only that, if the Cardinals were worth watching, he would have watched them as a kid. …
“I was sort of a fan of the Cardinals,” Bell said, “but I was more of a fan of the Broncos.”
Staff writer Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
