DENVER—Marcus Thomas flashed back to his high school days as a fullback after intercepting a fourth quarter pass against Tampa Bay.
The 305-pound Denver Broncos defensive lineman had visions of breaking a few tackles and rumbling his way to the end zone.
But his good play quickly turned into a gaffe when he was stripped of the football, turning it right back over to the Buccaneers in the Broncos’ 16-13 win Sunday.
Thomas blamed the rain, saying the ball slipped out of his hands.
Teammate Michael Pittman had a different take on it, even vowing to give Thomas instructions on how to safely secure the ball when running through traffic.
“He had it like a loaf of bread,” Pittman said. “He was carrying it sideways.”
Thomas was being teased by his teammates for his miscue.
He’s just thankful he’s not being jeered.
After all, his fumble didn’t come back to bite the Broncos. Although, they would’ve had the ball deep inside Tampa Bay territory, had he simply fallen down.
Not that any of his fellow defenders were advocating such a ploy.
“He did exactly what he was supposed to do—go score,” Dewayne Robertson said. “I want him to score.”
Champ Bailey has an even better idea next time Thomas gets his hands on a ball.
“Give it to me,” he said.
Thomas picked off a Jeff Garcia pass when he dropped into coverage. Garcia didn’t account for him and tried to thread a throw over the middle to Antonio Bryant, only it hit Thomas directly in the midsection.
“I was trying to make something happen,” Thomas said. “I had that one come right to me.”
His 11-yard run after the interception wasn’t bad for a big man. He’s hoping running backs coach Bobby Turner saw his open-field moves, but not the fumble.
“I’ve been on him since two-a-days to let me get the ball in my hands,” Thomas said.
First, though, he might have to take Pittman up on his promise.
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ALL DUNN:@ Bucs tailback Warrick Dunn juked and jittered his way to a 74-yard performance Sunday, vaulting him past Eddie George and Tiki Barber and into 20th place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.
“I’m honored to be on that list with these guys,” said Dunn, who’s now rushed for 10,452 yards in his 12-year career. “The people on that list are great, great backs.”
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SOUNDS GOOD:@ Matt Prater doesn’t even look up to see if his field goals are good.
He just listens to holder Brett Kern.
“Brett always tells me he can tell by the sound, as soon as I hit it, if it’s going to be good or not,” Prater said.
As soon as Prater struck his 55-yard field goal in the second quarter, Kern was already pronouncing it good.
“(Brett) said he didn’t even need to look up—just by the sound,” said Prater, whose 55-yarder is tied for the fifth-longest in team history. “I hit it pretty good.”
So good, in fact, Prater thinks it would’ve cleared the bar from 70 yards.
“I had a wind in my back,” he said with a grin.
Prater also had four touchbacks Sunday, limiting the damage that Tampa Bay returner Dexter Jackson could do.
That booming right leg was the reason the Broncos were willing to part with longtime kicker Jason Elam in the offseason, a move that’s definitely working out.
The 24-year-old has now hit all four field goals he’s attempted this season from 50 or more yards. Not since Elam in 2002 has a Broncos kicker connected on that many 50-yard attempts in a season. Elam finished that season 4-of-6 from 50 and beyond.
“He’s handled a lot of pressure,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “We all know what a great player Jason Elam was to this organization and how many clutch field goals he’s made through the years. It’s very hard to fill those shoes, but he has stepped in and done a great job.”
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HOBBLING AROUND:@ Tony Scheffler (strained left groin) and Eddie Royal (sprained left ankle) both hobbled around the locker room on crutches after the game.
Royal didn’t think his was too serious, while Scheffler wasn’t sure.
“There’s some soreness and tightness in there,” Scheffler said.
Ebenezer Ekuban and Selvin Young also had left groin injuries for the Broncos.
Tampa Bay’s injury list included Barrett Ruud (sprained right knee) and Brian Griese (right elbow).
“It’s going to be all right,” Griese said of the injury that knocked him out of the game in the third quarter. “It kind of swelled up a little bit and caused some discomfort and pain trying to grip the ball. The doctor doesn’t seem to think that there’s anything wrong structurally so that’s a good thing.”
Royal aggravated a lower ankle sprain he’s been dealing with while returning a punt in the third quarter. The rookie wideout had three catches for 23 yards.
“The crutches are just precautionary,” Royal said.
Scheffler was bothered by a groin injury most of the second half, but further aggravated it after a 12-yard catch late in the fourth quarter when the Broncos were salting away their win.
“I tried to gut it out,” said Scheffler, who had four catches for a team-high 65 yards.
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LONG WAIT:@ So what if he may have grabbed Griese’s facemask, Elvis Dumervil finally got his first sack of the season.
“That was a long time for me,” said Dumervil, who led the team with 12 1/2 sacks last season but has been bothered by a broken pinkie on his right hand.
Dumervil raced in off the edge in the second quarter, grabbing Griese as he tried to flee the pocket on a third-down play. It appeared Dumervil may have also gotten a piece of Griese’s facemask, but no flag was thrown as the officials ruled he grabbed the quarterback by his collar.
“Thank God it was no penalty—if I did grab his facemask. It’s over with now,” Dumervil said.
Not that he was admitting to grabbing the facemask, mind you.
“I don’t know. I’ve got to watch the film,” he said.
Last week, Dumervil had the pins removed from his fractured pinkie and said he’s starting to feel like his old self.
“I can definitely bull rush now. That’s huge for me,” he said. “I’m not one-dimensional anymore.”
