ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Tight end Tony Scheffler has been through this before, clawing his way up the depth chart and eventually serving as fellow rookie Jay Cutler’s favorite touchdown target over the final month of last season.
Now, he’s fighting his way back into the lineup after missing most of camp while recovering from a broken foot that sent him plummeting back down the depth chart.
“I’m just now starting to feel really confident in my foot and hopefully within the next month I can earn my way back,” Scheffler said Wednesday.
Scheffler, who was expected to play a big part in the passing game this year, didn’t play in the opener and played ever so briefly Sunday against Oakland. He said he’s just starting to get his strength back and is primed to make a big push, though.
“I’m just now getting back to full form and I think I’m at 100 percent, so it’s just a matter of working my way back into the lineup through practice, showing the coaches that I want to be out there and that I belong out there,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler faces a long road to get back on the same page with Cutler, who threw him four touchdown passes down the stretch last season.
“It’s going to come with time. I’ve got to get back to getting snaps in practice and getting back in there with him. That’s the first thing,” Scheffler said. “It’s not easy. You have to earn your way. And I went down to the bottom and I have to earn my way back up. Similar to like I did last year.”
He said his up-and-down rookie season held lessons that are helping him now.
“Definitely, I had a roller-coaster ride last year and so far this year it’s been pretty similar,” Scheffler said. “But there is one consistent thing that I’ve learned in my time here and that’s that you have to produce in practice and earn your keep, and that’s what I’m working on right now.”
A lot of teams figure jobs are won and lost in camp, through performance or injury, and it’s nearly impossible to unseat a starter once the season begins. In Denver, backups get their chance to prove their worthiness throughout the season.
“I definitely think there’s room on the scout team or anywhere in practice to show the coaches what you can do,” Scheffler said.
“So, that’s where I’m at right now. I was able to show some things at the end of the season last year, what I can do. And hopefully just in time and through hard work and practice, I can get back on the field.”
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CLOSE CALLS:@ Cutler figures the close calls the Broncos have had so far will pay dividends.
“I think this is going to help us later in the year when we get into some tight ballgames, some ballgames that mean a lot to us in the season, and these experiences are going to help us because we know we can pull games out in the last 10 seconds and overtime,” Cutler said. “We’ve been there and done it, so it will definitely pay off in the end, hopefully.”
The Broncos have pulled out wins in Buffalo and in overtime against Oakland and wouldn’t mind having a breather for a change.
They’ve accumulated 911 yards of offense but have only scored three touchdowns.
Still, Cutler isn’t concerned about not piling on the points just yet.
“We’re two games deep. It’s not like we’ve been putting up a lot of yards for 10 games and still only scoring 15-20 points a game,” he said. “We’re two games in and we’re still figuring out this team, still figuring out the offense and tweaking things and it’s a positive, I think, all the yards we’re putting up.
“We’re moving the ball well. We’re just not finishing drives and third downs. We’re getting chances in the red zone, but we just have to make them count. I think over the next couple weeks, hopefully we get better at it.”
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SPLIT VERDICT:@ The Broncos are allowing an average of 80 yards through the air and 166 on the ground.
“The defense will come around,” cornerback Dre’ Bly said. “This group can defend the run and will. The system is new. Now it’s up to us to be disciplined in the gaps and as a team keep flying around the ball. We have to play good team defense and we will make adjustments.”
The Raiders gained just 73 yards on 8-of-17 passing over 21 dropbacks, four of which resulted in sacks.
“That was impressive,” defensive coordinator Jim Bates said. “Definitely impressive, and anytime a team attempts 21 passes, they only got 17 off, we got four sacks and three interceptions, it’s hard to get better than that. That part of the defense has been really good.”
And the run defense has been really bad.
LaMont Jordan gained 159 yards rushing Sunday.
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HIGH PRAISE:@ New tight end Daniel Graham appreciates the praise coach Mike Shanahan heaped upon him, but he said he’s just doing his job.
Shanahan called Graham “the unsung hero” Sunday against Oakland, saying he dominated the line in “one of the best tight end demonstrations I’ve seen in a long time.”
“I want to be at my best every practice, every game,” Graham responded. “I’ve always tried to keep my standards high. As a pro you like to know your work doesn’t go unnoticed. I try to do the same things every game, every day,” Graham said. “I pride myself in my blocking. That is the best part of my game. I pride myself in getting open. I pride myself in making catches.”
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EXTRA POINTS:@ K Jason Elam has co-authored a Christian fiction novel about football and terrorism. “Monday Night Jihad” comes out in January. … CB Hamza Abdullah (hip) and DT Sam Adams (team decision) missed practice Wednesday.
