ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Broncos offensive guard Ben Hamilton was placed on injured reserve Friday with post-concussion symptoms, making him ineligible for the remainder of the season.
The seven-year veteran has missed all three of Denver’s games this year, breaking his streak of 5,407 consecutive snaps that began when he became the Broncos’ starting left guard in 2002.
“I talked to Ben Hamilton and his wife for a while,” head coach Mike Shanahan said. “We came to the conclusion Ben is going to go on IR this season. We thought it was in his best interest.”
Hamilton was injured on what he termed a “routine hit” early in training camp when he banged helmets with a teammate.
“He really didn’t want it, but he’s been struggling here for the last six or seven weeks,” Shanahan said. “And his condition is a big question mark, if he was going to be ready for the remainder of the season.”
“We thought it would be in his best interest not to try to come back,” Shanahan said.
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LYNCH, WALKER INJURY UPDATE@: The status of free safety John Lynch and wide receiver Javon Walker remained unclear.
Shanahan said both would be decisions.
Lynch first tweaked his groin against Oakland on Sept. 16 but thought little of it. In the second quarter against Jacksonville, he felt something grab and decided not to risk further injury.
Walker skipped practice Wednesday with swelling in his surgically repaired right knee.
Quarterback Jay Cutler (ankle) participated in the entire practice.
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RUN DEFENSE WOES@: Stopping Peyton Manning? The Denver Broncos are equally concerned about the Colts ability to run the football.
“The last few years they’ve gone to more run than they have in past years,” defensive coordinator Jim Bates said. (Joseph) Addai is a strong running back, he sees daylight really well, runs hard, (a) punishing type runner.”
The numbers put up by the Colts running game and Addai aren’t dazzling. Indianapolis averages 112 yards per game on the ground, ranking 16th in the NFL, and Addai has posted only 271 yards in three games.
Bates hinted that the run is what makes the Colts effective.
“They change it up as far as different downs,” Bates said. “They mix it up more than they’ve had the past.”
Addai ran for 1,081 yards in 2006 as a rookie.
Given Denver’s inability to stop the run so far this year, the Broncos could see a lot of him Sunday. Denver’s run defense ranks 29th.
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HENRY FACTOR@: RB Travis Henry has caused problems for the Colts defense. During two previous games, he has run 216 yards.
“They (the Broncos) run the ball as well as anyone in the league,” Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said. “We’re familiar with Travis.”
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DOME EFFECT@: Jay Cutler has heard second-hand what the crowd noise at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis can do. The Indiana native brushed aside any such talk as the Broncos prepared for the Colts.
“Any time you go on the road, the crowd’s a problem,” Cutler said. “That’s why we work so hard in the offseason and the mini-camps and the OTA’s so we can get everyone on the same page and know the audibles, know my count, know what I’m saying out there without really hearing me.”
“We handled it OK in Buffalo,” Cutler said. “It was loud there, but obviously getting into a dome it gets a little bit louder, but I don’t see it presenting too many problems for us.”
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EXTRA POINTS:@ Mike Shanahan has had three consecutive meetings with defending Super Bowl champions, New England in 2004 and 2005 and Pittsburgh in 2006. … Peyton Manning, a close friend of Colorado Rockies 1B Todd Helton, has taken batting practice with the Rockies during past seasons. Helton was Manning’s college backup at Tennessee from 1992 to 1994.
