No reason to take win seriously

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Oct 16, 2000 | by Lynn Zinser

DENVER - Remember those classic Broncos-Browns grudge matches, played on grimy fields in grimy weather with dog bones flying, emotions crackling and playoff fates hanging on every play?

Sunday's game was nothing like that.

In their reincarnation as an expansion team, the Browns aren't a rival for the Broncos anymore. They're a gift, a team the Broncos beat 44-10, a get-well card with an NFL postmark. And it arrived when the Broncos needed it most.

"We need to start building something and turn this season around," said Denver quarterback Brian Griese. "This was a good place to start."

The Broncos were in a bad spot for awhile. Just two weeks ago, they had dropped consecutive home games in beloved Mile High Stadium, turned even their loyal fans surly, suddenly looked like they'd spend the season watching Oakland from the underside of the AFC West standings.

Last week started their cushy stretch, granted them by the NFL for their last-place finish a year ago, but the Broncos still had some trouble at winless San Diego and weren't feeling all that cheeky.

They also had enough injuries to swamp a trauma ward, including having an entire position - fullback - eliminated from the offense.

So what happened? The Browns arrived, wearing those familiar orange helmets but with few other characteristics resembling an NFL team. If this was college football, this wouldn't count toward bowl eligibility. In the NFL, it goes in the standings as a legit 44-10 win. If the Broncos make the playoffs, they should send the Browns a fruit basket.

Hey, the Titans and Rams rode this kind of a schedule right to the Super Bowl last season.

To their credit, the Broncos weren't kidding themselves. The numbers were gaudy. The defense was dominant. Their attitude was sober.

"It was a win," said receiver Rod Smith, brushing aside his career-best three touchdown catches. "That's all I care about."

Realism was contagious.

"The two teams we've faced the last two weeks, they've got struggling offenses," said Broncos safety Billy Jenkins, being as diplomatic as he could and not mentioning his two interceptions. "And next week, we face another struggling offense. We have to keep everything in perspective and keep working."

The next test of the Broncos' sobriety comes this Sunday with the latest in the cupcake series: a game at Cincinnati. Then they get a week off. A true week off.

"If we can go into Cincinnati and play well again on both sides of the ball," said Griese, "we'll go into the bye week in great shape."

It's not until after the bye that the Broncos find out if these little self-esteem boosters actually worked. In November they start playing real teams again: Jets, Raiders, Seahawks.

The playoffs are still a long way away. If the Broncos lose too many of those games, this game won't be any fresher in their minds than those old playoff classics vs. the Browns.

So this wasn't The Drive. It held no resemblance to The Fumble. It was a pleasant romp over a bad team.

The Broncos couldn't have asked for much more.