ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Sure, the Denver Broncos lucked out Sunday. All across the league, fans and teams are abuzz over referee Ed Hochuli’s blown call that helped Denver put away the San Diego Chargers.
Jay Cutler acknowledged he fumbled the ball on second-and-goal from the 1 in the waning seconds, a turnover that turned out not to be thanks to an inadvertent whistle on Hochuli’s part.
The play occurred in the final minute. Cutler dropped back to pass. The ball slipped out of his hands, bounced off the grass and into the arms of San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins.
Hochuli ruled it an incomplete pass. Replay ruled it a fumble, but it was spotted at the 10-yard line, where the ball hit the ground, and given to Denver because the rules did not permit possession to be awarded to San Diego because the whistle had blown.
Lucky break for the Broncos. But coach Mike Shanahan disputes the notion that his team was handed their 39-38 win on a silver platter.
“We still had the ball at third-and-10 and had to get it into the end zone. Third-and-10 and then fourth-and-4. We still had to make a two-point conversion,” Shanahan said. “It wasn’t like somebody gave us the touchdown. You have to go out there and still get it done.”
Shanahan also defended Hochuli, who drew harsh criticism from Chargers coach Norv Turner and San Diego tailback LaDainian Tomlinson.
“This was the best crew that we have had in the last 20 crews I have graded,” Shanahan said. “They did a heck of a job. Every game that you see that is within a point or a field goal over the last couple years, it may be a call or a non-call that wasn’t right, but that is the nature of this game. You have to find a way to win.”
Which they did.
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EASY NOW:@ The Broncos (2-0) may sit atop the AFC West, two games ahead of the prohibitive favorite Chargers, but Shanahan would like to keep people from getting carried away.
“You are judged week by week. We started out 2-0 last season, so we can’t get too carried away with what we have done,” Shanahan said, recalling last year’s 7-9 flop.
“This football team has a good feel. We are young with a very good attitude and a game like that really helps because it shows that you can find a way to win against a good football team,” Shanahan said. “It is a good first step.”
Next up are the New Orleans Saints (1-1) and their rejuvenated spark plug Reggie Bush, a player who reminds a lot of people of San Diego backup running back Darren Sproles. Sproles returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown Sunday and then put the Chargers ahead when he took a short screen pass 66 yards for a score in the waning minutes.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t studied Bush yet,” Shanahan said when asked if he saw the similarities. “Obviously I watched him a lot in college, but I haven’t really gotten the chance to study him. I know both guys can make plays when there is nothing there. Not everybody has talked about Sproles but you can see it in preseason and on special teams over the last number of years. You can tell that both are great competitors.”
With Tomlinson limited to 26 yards on 10 carries because of his jammed right big toe, Sproles tore up Denver’s defenders for 317 all-purpose yards.
“Sproles is one of the most underrated backs in the National Football League,” Shanahan said. “He has great strength and great speed. When he caught that screen pass he ran away from a couple of our players that can run. He has strength, quickness, agility and if you make one mistake on kickoff coverage, he is gone. I have a lot of respect for him. It is a great 1-2 punch that they have.”
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EARLY CALL:@ Shanahan said he made up his mind to go for 2 points and the win long before Eddie Royal’s 4-yard touchdown pulled the Broncos to 38-37 with 24 seconds left on Sunday.
“We talked about it when we got the ball. I told these guys to get ready for it because if we score a touchdown, we are going for two,” Shanahan said. “I just wanted to get it into the back of their mind. You can always back off of it if you want but I wanted them to be ready. If we scored, to go for two.”
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EXTRA POINTS:@ The only injury of note was DT Josh Shaw, whom Shanahan said took 40 stitches for a cut calf, which he played on for two quarters. “It looked like there was a hole in his leg. That just shows you the mental toughness that some of these guys have,” Shanahan said. “He just got to the sideline and said ‘Hey, tape it up.’ He didn’t know how big the cut was until after the game.” … Shanahan said QB coach Jeremy Bates is calling the bulk of the plays on offense. The Broncos are averaging a whopping 40 points so far. … RB Andre Hall attended his mother’s funeral on Monday and will return to Denver Tuesday night. … Shanahan said CB Marquand Manuel has been dealing with a sick 2-year-old daughter who has been hospitalized. Manuel received a game ball from Shanahan Sunday. “It’s just unbelievable how guys can focus when there are tough situations at home and a lot of these players have,” Shanahan said. “We have a special group of guys.”
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:@ “We have to get better in a few areas in our pass defense, but if you stop the run you are going to make some strides. We’re not there, but the thing I was most pleased with was the effort.”—Shanahan.
