ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Jason Elam, the fastest kicker to 1,700 points in NFL history, said he made all his kicks at practice this week despite lingering numbness in his right (kicking) leg.
“It’s fine. Yeah, it’s good,” Elam said after practice Thursday. “The doctors diagnosed it as some type of nerve deal, so they’ve got me on some type of medicine to kind of calm the nerve. And it’s been feeling better. I kicked both days and it was no problem.”
Elam’s leg went numb when he kicked the extra point Sunday at Indianapolis that gave Denver a 10-0 lead. He kicked the rest of the game despite the numbness.
“I didn’t feel right before the game but my warmup was really good. I was hitting the ball really good. So, when we went up 10-0, it was like the whole inside of my leg just went numb,” Elam said. “It was weird. It was a weird deal. They worked on it and they kind of loosened it up a little bit and I was able to finish the game no problem.
“On the bus, on the plane, everything just felt weird. It felt tingly and numb.”
Elam, who said he’s never had anything like this before, is still dealing with the numbness.
“It’s not completely gone,” he said. “But it hasn’t been bothering me and I’ve been kicking fine.”
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GETTING THE CALL@: Glenn Martinez was pleasantly surprised by the promotion off the practice squad last week.
Now, the second-year receiver is hoping to make the most of his chance. With Javon Walker banged up, Martinez could be Denver’s third receiver Sunday against San Diego as he was last week at Indianapolis.
“I’ve been waiting on this opportunity and they finally gave it to me,” said Martinez, who didn’t catch a pass against the Colts. “I’m not really nervous.”
The Broncos cut returner Domenik Hixon earlier in the week after he failed to spark the special teams, which has struggled this season.
Martinez would like a shot to help revamp the return game. He’s listed as the backup on kick returns and could receive a shot returning punts.
“I love playing receiver, but I love special teams, too,” he said. “It’s a rush.”
Martinez said he left a message with Hixon, who was picked up by the New York Giants.
“I’ll call him later and congratulate him on getting picked up,” Martinez said. “It’s unfortunate he ain’t here right now. But it’s a good opportunity for him. I wish him the best.”
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BASEBALL GAZING@: Whenever defensive tackle Amon Gordon sees Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers, he contemplates what a baseball career could be.
“What’s Prince? About my height and weight?” quizzed Gordon.
There is a difference. Fielder is listed at 6-feet, 260 pounds. Gordon is 6-2, 312.
“I played until high school when I realized there wasn’t much action,” Gordon said.
“I laugh at baseball players when they pull hamstrings while running out 30 yards.”
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COLORADO NATIVE:@ Northern Colorado alum and Colorado native Vincent Jackson is having a solid season despite dropping a touchdown pass last week.
“There’s no question that he has a lot of upside,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said of the three-year pro. “And the thing that happens here, you see a guy go out and perform at a high level and make big plays and then the next step is doing it consistently and doing it against the best players.”
Jackson has 16 catches for 231 yards and a touchdown this season. His career numbers are 46 receptions for 743 yards and seven touchdowns.
He is Northern Colorado’s career leader in pass receptions (177), receiving yards (3,548), receiving touchdowns (37) and overall touchdowns (39).
“I just think anytime you see a guy that big and that fast with that ability to still get in and out of breaks and control his body, it’s really impressive,” San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers said. “So, we’ve got to continue to keep him involved and give him chances to make big plays.”
Jackson dropped a touchdown pass last week and said afterward he was distracted, something that didn’t sit well with Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson.
“I didn’t know that happened. To be distracted, for me, is … you know, it’s hard for me to believe, because at no point throughout a game, during the game, am I distracted,” Tomlinson said. “Whenever I’m out there on the field my mind is totally out there on the field and where it’s supposed to be. Maybe we need to have a talk with Vincent Jackson, to see what’s going on to make him distracted out there on the football field.
“You know, to be honest, I never thought about it until I just heard the comment about being distracted during a game. I don’t know if other guys are distracted. I have no idea. But that’s actually something to think about and probably address.”
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EXTRA POINTS@: Former Texas standout Tim Crowder has his own take on Saturday’s Texas-Oklahoma game. “Both teams are coming off losses,” Crowder said. “The bigger concern is the number of fights by the fans away from the stadium.” … OT Erik Pears’ fourth career start came a year ago against San Diego and Shawne Merriman. “I didn’t think about him,” Pears said. “I was worrying about my technique and doing what I know.” … Walker (knee) and RB Travis Henry (right knee and ankle) didn’t practice Thursday. … S Hamza Abdullah (hip) is listed as out for the game Sunday. … Denver signed WR Carlton Brewster to the practice squad.
