AFC West

Sporting News, The, Dec 6, 1999

Teams are listed alpabetically

Gary was ready when opportunity arose

He didn't play in the first four games of the season, but when Denver rookie running back Olandis gary got started, he hit the ground running.

The Broncos turned to Gary, a fourth-round draft choice from Georgia, when Terrell Davis was lost for the season with a knee injury in Week 4 and Derek Loville suffered a pulled hamstring shortly thereafter. Gary has started every game since and ranks among the league leaders with 89.3 yards rushing a game. The Broncos are feeding him the ball as if he were Davis; Gary set an NFL record with 151 carries in his first six career starts.

Like Davis, Gary is a straight-ahead, no-nonsense runner who is at his best when he makes one cut between the tackles and runs downhill. He doesn't have Davis' strength or field vision, but he has thick, powerful legs that make him tough to topple, and he rarely gets caught for a loss. As Davis says, "Olandis runs heavy ... he hits you like a 230-pounder." Actually, Gary is 5-11, 218.

Gary's journey to the NFL was similar to Davis'. Davis played at Long Beach State, then transferred to Georgia, where he had a good, but certainly not eye-catching, career. Gary played two seasons at Marshall, then a Division I-AA school, before following coach Jim Donnan to Georgia. He had 698 yards and 10 touchdowns on 143 carriers (4.9 average) as a Bulldogs senior.

"Gary wasn't even recommended when you went down to scout the university," coach Mike Shanahan says. "They talked about everybody else, but nobody really talked about him. So were hoping he would be there in the fourth round."

What did the Broncos see that other teams missed? "The last four games of the season, he averaged (5.4) yards a carry against teams like Florida," Shanahan says. "He didn't have great speed, very much like Terrell. But you could see him break tackles. Every once in a while, you could see a wiggle."

--Patrick Saunders

Denver

4-7: T 4th

Tight ends have been far from sharp without Sharpe

TE Shannon Sharpe will come back this season after all. Sharpe broke his collarbone nine weeks ago in Oakland, and the widespread belief was that he had played his final game for the Broncos. Sharpe, however, is scheduled to begin light workouts this week and might be ready for the Monday night game in Jacksonville on December 13. Sharpe needs just one receiving touchdown to become the Broncos' alltime leader and wants to go out with a flourish. Remember, he's in the final year of his contract and would like to add a few late-season catches to his free-agent resume. Finally, coach Mike Shanahan still wants to win games. With Sharpe out, the tight end has largely disappeared from the offense. After a decent start, Byron Chamberlain has just one catch in the past three games.... Trey Teague, who filled in for LT Tony Jones the past two weeks, and third-year RT Matt Lepsis gives the Broncos a couple of good young tackles to develop. Lepsis already is a starter, and Teague might be next year. Jones' high salary might keep him from returning.... The Broncos are thrilled with the effort put forth by rookie RB Olandis Gary, who simply refuses to go down easily. He may wind up with 1,000 yards in just 12 games but is paying a price for his heavy load. He has been taking some wicked shots.

SCOUTING REPORT: WR Billy Miller spent the first six weeks on the practice squad, itching to get his chance. He finally did. He has played in the past five games, and though his numbers are nothing to get excited about (five receptions for 59 yards), his potential seems bright. Miller (6-3, 215) is the kind of tall, rangy receiver Shanahan likes. He's not exceptionally fast but has excellent upper-body strength. Best of all, Miller runs crisp routes and isn't afraid to take a lick in traffic. The Broncos have been searching for a third wideout to complement Ed McCaffrey and Rod Smith for two years. Miller will be one to watch at training camp.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: Weakside LB Glenn Cadrez had one of the best games of his career two weeks ago in Denver's win over Oakland, finishing with three sacks, 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. Cadrez does not have great speed, but he has great field vision. He knows what angles to take to the ball. Though LBs Bill Romanowski and Al Wilson draw superlatives for their pad-popping tackles, Cadrez makes textbook stops time after time. He was second on team in tackles last year and is third this season.

--Patrick Saunders

GRADING OUT season to date

OFFENSE C-

Remainder of season will be dedicated to developing, improving Griese.

DEFENSE C-

Pryce has become a force to be reckoned with in the defensive line.

SPECIAL TEAMS B

Returner Watson hits a rookie wall. He has lost a step and confidence.

COACHING C

Don't be surprised if Shanahan's gutty team wins last 3 home games.

BRONCOS

PASSING     Att.   Comp.   Pct.   Yds.   Long

Griese       268     155   57.8   1968     88
C. Miller     81      46   56.8    527     42

PASSING     TD   Int.   Rate   Sacks

Griese       9      8   79.6      17
C. Miller    2      1   79.6       7

RUSHING       Att.   Yds.   Avg.   TD

Gary           173    625    3.6    4
Davis           67    211    3.1    2
Loville         24    150    6.3    1

RECEIVING      No.   Yds.   Avg.   TD

McCaffrey       46    732   15.9    7
R. Smith        45    610   13.6    2
Chamberlain     23    346   15.0    1
Sharpe          23    224    9.7    0

SCORING   XPM   XPA   FGM   FGA   Pts.

Elam       20    20    21    26     83

PUNTING        No.   Yds.   Avg.   Blk.

Rouen           53   2414   45.5      0

KO RETURNS     No.   Yds.   Avg.     TD

Watson          34    857   25.2      0

PUNT RETURNS   No.   Yds.   Avg.     TD

Watson          23    115    5.0      0