ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—The Broncos’ constantly rotating defensive line is perfect for Simeon Rice—for now.
Once he’s up to speed, though, Rice expects to play every down.
“It’s a long road back,” said Rice, who’s recovering from shoulder surgery. “But I have big expectations.”
Such as?
“To be me,” he said.
Rice, who signed with Denver five days before the season opener, played a limited role in a 15-14 win over Buffalo last Sunday, but had two big contributions. He knocked down a pass and snuffed out a reverse.
“He got off to a good start,” defensive boss Jim Bates said. “We look for him to continue to improve as he gets more in football shape.”
Rice won’t be happy with just improving. He wants to dominate. The three-time Pro Bowler said he’s getting close to being his old self. Rice has had eight double-digit sack seasons since being selected third overall by Arizona in 1996.
“Physically, I’m ready to surge,” Rice said. “It’s a good thing.”
Oakland defensive lineman Warren Sapp doesn’t doubt that Rice has plenty left. The two teamed up in Tampa Bay—along with Denver’s John Lynch—and helped the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl title.
“He’s special,” Sapp said Wednesday. “Simeon is one of the premium pass rushers in the game. He is a monster.”
The Broncos used a rotational system against Buffalo, shuffling in one lineman after another. By Bates’ count, every defensive lineman played at least 15 plays.
“We just like keeping the rotation going to get matchups,” Bates said. “It’s becoming more of a matchup game in today’s game.”
Rookie Jarvis Moss had never seen that many linemen used. It was almost like a fire drill.
“We stuck with the same 11 (at Florida),” he said. “But it’s a nice change of pace. It shows the depth and quality of our guys.”
Rice pictures himself as more of an every down player, once he’s back in football shape. On Wednesday, Rice, along with Elvis Dumervil and rookie Tim Crowder, stayed late after practice to work with defensive coach Jacob Burney.
“I’m continuing to improve,” Rice said. “You go out there and earn (playing time). That’s what I’m looking to do.”
Defensive line coach Bill Johnson said Rice is quickly picking up the schemes.
“He sure looks more comfortable,” he said. “I think he’s got a good feel for what we’re doing. We’re anxious to play him.
“I think he’s excited to be here. If Simeon goes out and has fun playing football, I think we’ll like the results.”
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CAPTAIN SMITH@: The Broncos have added another captain to go with Lynch, Champ Bailey, Tom Nalen and Jay Cutler.
“I had the captains come to me and said that they did not feel right not having Rod Smith as their captain,” coach Mike Shanahan said after Wednesday’s practice. “They know if he would have been healthy, he would have definitely been one of our captains.
“Rod Smith has been a leader of this football team for a lot of years. Even when he came in as a free agent he handled himself just like a captain. It gives you an idea of what type of captains we do have to want Rod Smith as part of the group. I thought it was a heck of an idea.”
The receiver is on injured reserve as he continues to recuperate from offseason hip surgery.
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HEADS-UP PENALTY@: How often does a head coach praise a player for committing a penalty?
In the case of Selvin Young, that’s what happened. It was one penalty that didn’t draw Shanahan’s ire.
Early in the Broncos’ game-winning drive, Cutler threw a wild screen pass to Young, and the ball went over his head. Young chased down the ball but instead of trying to jump on it—and risk it squirting away with Buffalo defenders rapidly approaching—he swatted the football out of bounds, drawing an illegal batting penalty.
“One of the smartest penalties I’ve ever had,” Young said. “I looked at them (Bills defenders), sized up the situation and decided to hit it out of bounds.”
The Broncos would go on to make a last-second field goal in a 15-14 win over the Bills.
After the game, Young was approached by Shanahan.
“He said it was one of the smartest plays he’s seen in a long time,” Young said. “So I felt extra good after the game.”
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EVERETT INJURY:@ Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams attended the University of Miami with Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who injured his spinal cord Sunday.
Williams said he spent several hours after the game talking to fellow Hurricanes alumni about their injured friend.
“After the game I called a lot of guys that we went to school with because I knew a lot of them didn’t know what was going on,” Williams said. “And guys called me to ask me questions and I just told them all the information that I knew.
“I’m happy that the outlook is a lot better than it was, and I hope he gets well soon,” Williams said.
The University of Miami has 46 players in the NFL, more than any other school.
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NATURAL INSTINCT:@ Safety Nick Ferguson watched both football games Monday night and noticed a lot of players dipping their heads while making a tackle, just like Everett.
“I don’t think guys intentionally try to do that (duck their heads),” Ferguson said. “It seems like it’s an involuntary defense mechanism. It’s like you’re trying to protect yourself, but you make yourself more vulnerable.”
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QUICK HITS:@ The Broncos have won their last seven home openers. … Shanahan is 19-5 against Oakland in his career. With a win Sunday, Shanahan can join Washington’s Joe Gibbs as the only active coaches with 20 regular-season wins against one team. Gibbs has beaten the Cardinals 21 times. … CB Domonique Foxworth (ankle), TE Stephen Alexander (calf) and DL Sam Adams (team decision) didn’t practice Wednesday. … Rookie DE Tim Crowder (ankle) said he’s about 85 percent and thinks he can play Sunday against Oakland.
