ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Rod Smith thinks he can still help the team.
Now, if only his hip would cooperate.
The Broncos receiver said Thursday his surgically repaired hip is getting better every day.
But the Broncos are under the pressure of a looming deadline to make a decision on him. They have until Nov. 14 to either place Smith on the 53-man roster or put him on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, ending his season.
“I plan on (making) it,” Smith said of earning a roster spot. “Honestly, I do. You’ve got to get up every day and listen to your body. Sometimes, I don’t want to do that. I’m kind of stubborn. At the same time, I have to. The last thing I want to do is hurt our football team.”
Smith said his first practice back Wednesday was filled with trepidation. He didn’t fully trust the hip.
“I was kind of paranoid out there because some plays I run and feel it in my hip,” said Smith, who’s been on the physically unable to perform list all season as he recovered from the offseason hip surgery. “I was like, ‘OK, is this good enough or not?’ I was real hesitant. I caught myself being real reserved. I still think I’m trying to push the envelope to get out there as fast as possible.”
The pain still persists. He said it’s been a constant since 2004 when the hip first started bothering him.
“When you feel things here and there, that’s the part where you kind of second-guess yourself whether you’re really ready to go,” Smith said. “I couldn’t do some of the things (Wednesday) I’m used to doing. I’m not just wanting to be out there participating. I want to go out there and contribute to us winning football games. I know I’m not to that point right now. But I took a step.”
Smith didn’t want to think about next season. Not yet at least. If he can’t go this season, he’ll address his future later.
“Honestly, it’s a day at a time for me,” Smith said. “It’s been that way since I came in this locker room. I take everything a day at a time. It’s helped me stay here this long. I can’t look toward next year when this year isn’t even up. My thing is to get better each and every day.”
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan thought Smith looked good Thursday in just his second practice.
“If he keeps on progressing like he’s doing, hopefully in three weeks he will be ready to go,” Shanahan said. “We’ll find out.”
Denver offensive boss Mike Heimerdinger likes what he sees so far from Smith.
“He pushes himself a little more each day,” Heimerdinger said. “I think he’s ahead of schedule and feeling good.”
Smith said the reason he wants to come back from this type of injury, this late in his career, is simple.
“I love to win,” Smith said. “That’s the only thing I care about.”
———
MR. VERSATILE@: Defensive back Domonique Foxworth doesn’t care where he plays. He just wants to be on the field.
Foxworth filled in for John Lynch at safety when Lynch missed the Indianapolis game with a groin injury. He took over for Champ Bailey at cornerback last Sunday night against Pittsburgh when Bailey sat out with a thigh injury.
“He is very versatile,” defensive boss Jim Bates said.
Foxworth made five tackles at Indianapolis as a free safety. He had 10 tackles and knocked down a pass against the Steelers.
“I can play wherever they need me and that’s what I’ve been doing,” Foxworth said. “For at least two years I played a lot of corner, a lot of safety and a lot of nickel back and my ability to play multiple positions should not come as a surprise.”
———
SPRINT MAN@: On his 50-yard touchdown return of a fumble Sunday, rookie defensive lineman Tim Crowder looked like a sprinter. He high stepped and glided his way to the end zone.
“I want to make it clear that I ain’t a sprinter. I never was,” Crowder said. “I looked fast, but I was running away from offensive lineman. I have speed. I used it to focus on football and baseball, but never in track.”
Crowder ran a 4.68 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine before last year’s draft.
“Every now and then, he and I would take off on sprints in college,” running back Selvin Young said about his former Texas Longhorns teammate. “The big dude can move. He has some speed.”
———
SAME PAGE@: Tight end Tony Scheffler and quarterback Jay Cutler appear to be clicking again—just like last season.
The two teamed up for 12 receptions and four touchdowns in the final five games of 2006.
Scheffler caught five passes from Cutler last week for 50 yards.
“I think we realized it was time for both of us to step up,” Scheffler said. “We couldn’t afford to let anymore opportunities to slip away. A good chemistry has developed between Jay and I. It’s because we are very, very competitive and both want to win.”
———
HENRY UPDATE@: Broncos running back Travis Henry didn’t practice Thursday due to sore ribs.
“We’ll see how he is (Friday),” Shanahan said. “Hopefully, he’ll get some reps.”
Henry said Wednesday that he remains optimistic that he can play Monday night against Green Bay. He said he planned on wearing extra padding around the ribs.
