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Broncos offense is late arrival
Two big plays help make up for another subpar performance
By Damin Esper, Special to the News
November 13, 2006
OAKLAND, Calif. - It started as the same old story for the Broncos' offense on Sunday.
On the Broncos' second possession, Jake Plummer tried to find Javon Walker on the left side from deep in their territory. Instead, he found Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha. Six plays after the interception, Lamont Jordan scored on a 1-yard run and the Broncos were down 7-0.
The Broncos eventually righted the ship and recorded a 17-13 victory at McAfee Coliseum, but they continued to struggle on offense. Plummer was intercepted three times.
Running back Tatum Bell rushed for 37 yards on 14 carries and generally was a nonfactor.
Outside of a nifty 39-yard touchdown pass from Plummer to Walker, the Broncos offense was close to a bust.
"The Oakland Raiders had something to do with that," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "Their defense played extremely well. They kept us off balance and made a bunch of plays."
The Raiders came into the game ranked ninth in the NFL in defense in yards allowed.
Two weeks ago, Oakland's defense won a game by itself, returning two interceptions for touchdowns in a 20-13 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
And to the Broncos' credit, they seemed to play better as the game progressed. Plummer completed 14-of-17 passes during the second half for 122 yards. He finished 20-of-31 for 210 yards with two touchdowns.
"You hate starting slow, especially here, because they get a lot of energy from the crowd," Plummer said. "We've just got to keep pushing for four quarters."
Added Walker: "Hopefully, it's preparing us for the playoffs."
Walker had the offensive highlight for the Broncos. Down 7-0 late in the first quarter, the Broncos faced third-and-8 at the Oakland 39. Plummer found Walker in the middle of the field, where the receiver beat cornerback Asomugha, then juked safety Stuart Schweigert onto the turf en route to the tying touchdown.
Walker offered interesting logic regarding the inconsistent offense.
"It's good to be up and down," he said. "If you've always been good, you don't want that down time to come at the end."
The Broncos' other big offensive play came during the fourth quarter on fourth-and-goal from the Raiders 1. Trailing 13-7, Shanahan eschewed the chip-shot field goal and decided to go for the lead.
The Raiders were looking run and the Broncos lined up in a power formation. However, off a play fake, Plummer found fullback Kyle Johnson off the left side of the line for a touchdown.
"It was a great play call by the coaches," Plummer said. "Kyle was able to avoid the defensive end."
It was a highlight on a day when there weren't many for the Broncos' offensive unit.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5140046,00.html
Two big plays help make up for another subpar performance
By Damin Esper, Special to the News
November 13, 2006
OAKLAND, Calif. - It started as the same old story for the Broncos' offense on Sunday.
On the Broncos' second possession, Jake Plummer tried to find Javon Walker on the left side from deep in their territory. Instead, he found Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha. Six plays after the interception, Lamont Jordan scored on a 1-yard run and the Broncos were down 7-0.
The Broncos eventually righted the ship and recorded a 17-13 victory at McAfee Coliseum, but they continued to struggle on offense. Plummer was intercepted three times.
Running back Tatum Bell rushed for 37 yards on 14 carries and generally was a nonfactor.
Outside of a nifty 39-yard touchdown pass from Plummer to Walker, the Broncos offense was close to a bust.
"The Oakland Raiders had something to do with that," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "Their defense played extremely well. They kept us off balance and made a bunch of plays."
The Raiders came into the game ranked ninth in the NFL in defense in yards allowed.
Two weeks ago, Oakland's defense won a game by itself, returning two interceptions for touchdowns in a 20-13 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
And to the Broncos' credit, they seemed to play better as the game progressed. Plummer completed 14-of-17 passes during the second half for 122 yards. He finished 20-of-31 for 210 yards with two touchdowns.
"You hate starting slow, especially here, because they get a lot of energy from the crowd," Plummer said. "We've just got to keep pushing for four quarters."
Added Walker: "Hopefully, it's preparing us for the playoffs."
Walker had the offensive highlight for the Broncos. Down 7-0 late in the first quarter, the Broncos faced third-and-8 at the Oakland 39. Plummer found Walker in the middle of the field, where the receiver beat cornerback Asomugha, then juked safety Stuart Schweigert onto the turf en route to the tying touchdown.
Walker offered interesting logic regarding the inconsistent offense.
"It's good to be up and down," he said. "If you've always been good, you don't want that down time to come at the end."
The Broncos' other big offensive play came during the fourth quarter on fourth-and-goal from the Raiders 1. Trailing 13-7, Shanahan eschewed the chip-shot field goal and decided to go for the lead.
The Raiders were looking run and the Broncos lined up in a power formation. However, off a play fake, Plummer found fullback Kyle Johnson off the left side of the line for a touchdown.
"It was a great play call by the coaches," Plummer said. "Kyle was able to avoid the defensive end."
It was a highlight on a day when there weren't many for the Broncos' offensive unit.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5140046,00.html