Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag every Tuesday during the 2007 NFL season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a Broncos- or NFL-related question into the Broncos Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Seriously, why didn’t they spike the ball at the end of the game at Buffalo instead of running out the field-goal unit? You would think the former would take less time.
— Les Sullivan, Tustin Ranch, Calif.
Les – You Tustin Ranch guy, you. I was wondering the exact same thing. Had the field-goal unit not run on the field, Jay Cutler could have spiked the ball with five or six seconds remaining, and everything would have been settled for the field-goal try. But as Mike Shanahan explained at his press conference, there wasn’t time for hindsight. With the clock running, there was only time for foresight.
So here’s what happened: Before the third-down snap with 18 seconds left, Shanahan had already told his field-goal team they were running on the field immediately after the play. Remember, it was third-and-10, and the completion to Javon Walker was for 11 yards. So it wasn’t clear amid the mayhem that the Broncos got a first down – and unless you’re playing for the University of Colorado against Missouri, you didn’t want to spike it on fourth down.
It was a call Shanahan felt he had to make before the final play. Besides, the fire drill was well rehearsed, wasn’t it?
Hey, Mike! So, I’m reading in the national media (I know, I know) that people around Broncos camp are saying that Jay Cutler is a loner and hard to get along with. Is there any truth to this, or am I just overreacting to people who don’t know that much about the Broncos?
— Andrew, Utah
Andrew – Are you referring to the Sports Illustrated article? If so, I read the sentence that said, “Bronco beat writers say Cutler is aloof.” I can tell you this: I’m a Bronco beat writer, and I have never had the pleasure of conversing with Peter King, who authored the piece.
From what I know of Cutler, he is hardly a loner. He has buddies and likes hanging out with them. When I’ve interviewed him, he’s been open, and I personally like his self-deprecating humor. I do think he comes from the school that teaches athletes not to get close to members of the media. That attitude will only score him points with the guys in the locker room. Nobody likes a glory hound, especially when he plays a position that gets all the glory, anyway.
I’ve sought the answer to this from a dozen sources and come up empty. What is the deal with the green sticker on the helmets of every quarterback in the NFL this year?
— Kevin B., League City, Texas
Kevin B. – Only one player is allowed to have a radio transistor-like device inside his helmet and the sticker identifies that player, which is always the quarterback.
New special-teams coach this year. Same results. What’s a fan to do?
— Petey S., Denver
Petey S. – Scott O’Brien takes responsibility for everything that happens on special teams, but the problem against the Bills wasn’t the unit but the “point men.” In case the obvious was forgotten, the most important player on the punt team was the punter, the most important player on the return team is the returner, and the most important player on the field-goal team is the field-goal kicker. Domenik Hixon should have caught that punt at the 10, but it was his first NFL play, rain was falling, and he wanted no part of catching that ball. That wasn’t O’Brien’s fault. No coach can overcome first-game jitters. I thought Hixon acquitted himself pretty well the rest of the game. His last punt catch and return to the 34 gave the Broncos good starting field position on their last, game-winning drive. One thing I like about him as a returner – he usually breaks at least one tackle on every return. Let’s give him a few more games.
As for the 74-yard touchdown return by Bills returner Roscoe Parrish, that was all about Todd Sauerbrun’s short, line-drive punt right down the field. From the time the punt left Sauerbrun’s foot, it was trouble. Parrish essentially had a 10-yard head start back up the gut and by then the coverage team was dead.
My only beef with the special-teams unit was the field-goal team should not have been running on the field in the final seconds. But then Shanahan explained why that decision needed to be made beforehand and the explanation was satisfactory, especially given the result. Besides, the final-tick kick by Elam was pretty cool, don’t you think. There’s a reason why in the movies Bruce Willis and Nicolas Cage always break free just as the bomb clock hits zero. There’s never, say, five seconds left when the heroes escape to safety.
Mike – Jay Cutler running the option. Your thoughts?
— Theodore, Denver
Theodore – My first thought was a high-rise apartment in Chicago. Allow me to explain. During the ownership meetings in Phoenix this year, I was talking to Bills GM Marv Levy in the hotel lobby. Levy lives in a Chicago high-rise during the winter and living across the hall from him is Jack Leese, the high school coach of Mike Shanahan. The connection has made good friends of Leese and Levy.
An option innovator, Leese had great success with Shanahan as his quarterback. So I was thinking, just for Marv, Shanahan broke out the option. Another funny thing, I was just talking to Shanahan this week about how his offense has many option principles in that so many plays feature misdirection. The fake handoff one way, and roll to the other while three receivers flood a zone downfield is pretty to watch.
As for Cutler running the option – he did it some in high school and during his freshman year at Vanderbilt, rushing for more than 600 yards. The mobility Cutler showed against the Bills was something I had heard about, and seen glimpses of in the past, but not to that extent. The kid oozes talent.
Do the Raiders present any kind of threat at the home opener?
— Vijay, Boulder
Vijay – I’m a Tiger guy, myself. (Rimshot.) Sorry about that, Vijay. I know you’ve never heard that one before. Anyway, the Raiders’ threat in theory is last year they had a strong defense and this year they have an improved offense. Last year, the Raiders’ problem began with their woefully inept play at quarterback. I wish I didn’t have to be so critical of kids from Grand Junction, but Andrew Walter was overmatched last year, despite his considerable arm strength. Josh McCown may not be great, but he’s far from inept. A healthy Lamont Jordan and Ronald Curry also give the Raiders some offensive weapons. I’m sure ex-Broncos defensive tackle Gerard Warren and right guard Cooper Carlisle will also make sure their units bring it on Sunday.
That’s the theory. The reality is I don’t see the Broncos having much trouble winning this game.
Why did ? I was so excited to see they signed him, but I don’t understand why for one year.
— Ben Fleishman, Des Plaines, Ill.
Ben – Three reasons: Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder and Elvis Dumervil. Moss and Crowder are rookie defensive ends and Dumervil is in his second year. They’re the future. Rice, at 33 and coming off an injury-plagued season, could yet get his contract reworked by the Broncos after this season. But considering the pay cut he had to take because of his shoulder injury, Rice didn’t want a contract going past this year. That way, if he bounces back and has a big year, he can hit the open market with the leverage he didn’t have after he was released by Tampa Bay just before training camp.
After watching some of the NFL draft this year, and most of the NHL draft this year, I have one question. Why does it take NFL teams 15 minutes to decide who to take, and NHL teams 45 seconds? I would think NHL players would be much harder to pick because they aren’t on national TV every weekend; most are just turning 18.
— Jason, Salt Lake City
Jason – There’s no excuse for the NFL allowing teams to have 15 minutes between picks. This time rule transforms what should be an exciting event of anticipation into a snoozefest. The only reason why teams are given this much time is because it is during this window that trades are discussed, and frequently made. Teams say they can’t seriously discuss trades in the weeks prior to the draft because they don’t want to tip their hand as to who they’re interested in drafting.
Valid points, but commissioner Roger Goodell would like to shorten the gap to 10 minutes in the first round. Perhaps a compromise would be to give 15-minute space between the top 10 picks, then go to 10 minutes through the rest of the first round.
Mike Klis is in his third season of covering the Broncos after previously covering the Rockies and Major League Baseball for 15 years. To drop a question into his Broncos Mailbag, or visit DenverPost.com’s .
