Imagine that, Jay Cutler making my first sentence of training camp.
Sure, Mike Shanahan has handed him the keys to the car. Of course, Cutler is the Broncos’ most indispensable player. But while he may prove capable at times of carrying the team on his shoulders, it isn’t good business to ask him to.
Even John Elway, in the golden years of a Hall of Fame career, needed a little help. His name was Terrell Davis. Shanahan summed it up in a sentence after Davis’ election to Broncos’ Ring of Fame: “We don’t win those Super Bowls without T.D.”
Now comes Travis Henry. If behind every great quarterback is a great tailback, then Cutler needs Henry every bit as much as Elway needed Davis. In fact, he needs him more, what with Cutler’s NFL experience consisting of a five-game cameo late last season.
Forget between the 20s. You know what Cutler needs from Henry? He needs him to be a threat to score on the ground in the red zone, where the field shortens, the traffic thickens and the pass completions dwindle.
The Broncos didn’t have that commodity last season when they scored 12 rushing touchdowns, the second-lowest figure of the Shanahan era. Those 12 touchdowns broke down like this: eight for Mike Bell, two for Tatum Bell, one for Javon Walker and one for Jake Plummer.
Now for the numbers inside the numbers: Of Bell’s eight rushing touchdowns, five were virtual gimmes, coming from one yard out. Another came from two yards out and two others from three.
Maybe you’ve forgotten the game that cost the Broncos a 2006 playoff berth. They had three goal-to-go possessions against the 49ers in the season finale, but came away with no touchdowns. Enter Henry, who got big bucks from the Broncos after racking up 1,200-plus yards and seven rushing touchdowns for the Titans.
“Yeah, I do,” said Henry, when asked if he expected to have the best season of his career. “I feel like I’m in the best shape of my career. I’m healthy, and I feel like this team is special.”
It might be a special team, but only if Jason Elam stands around watching Henry score touchdowns.
Jim Armstrong issues regular reports from training camp throughout the day along with video takes from the sidelines and snippets where fans get to do the talking. Visit .
