Hopefully, everything I write in the next sentence turns out to be totally wrong.
Anyway, Tony Scheffler and Eddie Royal, and in all likelihood Selvin Young, won’t play Sunday against Jacksonville.
If the names don’t ring a bell, they represent the Broncos’ leading rusher (Young) and their second- and fourth-leading receivers (Royal and Scheffler).
Mike Shanahan passed on commenting about their injuries during his regular Monday press conference. It’s called Secrecy 101, a course every coach must pass before becoming an NFL head coach.
This much you can be sure of: Royal’s sprained ankle and Scheffler’s and Young’s groin pulls are significant. This being the NFL and all, official word of their playing status won’t be released until Wednesday, if not 90 minutes to kickoff. But reading between the lines and watching Royal and Scheffler leave the locker room on crutches doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
So it has come to this: It took a while, but the Broncos have some injury issues. Just like they knew they would. Just like every other team in the league.
Question is, can they overcome them? Let the record show that when injuries hit the offensive line last season, it wasn’t the same unit. The Broncos couldn’t overcome the loss of Tom Nalen and Ben Hamilton.
They may well have to line up with backups starting vs. the Jaguars. The trick, of course, is to win with backups starting. Every team has to do it at one point or another. The ones that win are the ones that make the playoffs.
Follow Jim Armstrong’s sports updates on The Jimmy Page morning and afternoon Monday-Friday. And read his columns on Sundays at .
He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
