Abundance of talent gives Broncos depth perception

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Oct 8, 2002 | by Kamon Simpson

ENGLEWOOD - At some point early this week, after breaking down tape from their team's 26-13 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, Miami Dolphins coaches are going to watch highlights from the Denver Broncos' first five games.

They'll probably be more confused than ever.

The Broncos (4-1) have to be one of the most difficult teams in the NFL to scout. It isn't just that nobody knows what to expect from them going into Sunday night's matchup against the Dolphins (4-1), who took over the AFC East lead last weekend.

It's also that the Broncos have displayed so many offensive wrinkles so far.

Will the Dolphins see the team that rushed for 201 yards against San Francisco and 163 yards against Buffalo, or the team that received 328- and 316-yard passing performances from quarterback Brian Griese against Baltimore and San Diego?

Will the Dolphins see a blue-collar, straight-ahead running game spearheaded by no-frills tailback Olandis Gary and tough-nosed fullback Mike Anderson, or a sideline-to-sideline outside speed attack featuring rookie Clinton Portis?

Will the Dolphins double-cover Ed McCaffrey, who had 113 yards and a touchdown against San Diego? Or how about another big game from tight end Shannon Sharpe, who had nine catches against Baltimore? Or is Rod Smith, who has a team-leading 26 catches for 307 yards, the primary receiver?

Come to think of it, how do you prepare for a team that had nine different players catch the ball and five players - with Anderson out of the mix with a sprained ankle - carry the ball in Sunday's 26-9 victory over San Diego?

"We liked the matchups that we were getting, and we liked the defense we were facing," Griese said. "We had one play we were running that had four or five different guys I could go to. It worked well for us."

Last season, when the Broncos were 8-8, they ran out of offensive weapons. This season their game plans feature an embarrassment of riches.

"We just had some guys go down last year," coach Mike Shanahan said. "We lost McCaffrey. We lost Rod Smith. We lost a lineman here and there, and we lost some running backs. We've been fortunate we've been healthy this year. Hopefully we can stay healthy. But even if we don't, we have some young guys who played last year, who gained some valuable experience, who if put in the same situation again will flourish."

Those role players, like receiver Scottie Montgomery and tight ends Dwayne Carswell and Patrick Hape (a combined 109 yards and three touchdowns) have combined with rookies like receiver Ashley Lelie (seven catches, 84 yards) and Portis (55 carries for 306 yards and a touchdown) to provide a valuable supporting cast that takes pressure off the team's premier receiving trio of McCaffrey, Sharpe and Smith.

Still, those three have played like stars, with a combined 68 catches for 803 yards and four touchdowns. Griese has been the main benefactor. But he wasn't the reason the Broncos jumped out to a 3-0 start against St. Louis, San Francisco and Buffalo - the running game was.

The Broncos are gaining 4.7 yards per rushing attempt and are ranked eighth in the NFL in rushing offense, a vast improvement over last season, when the team was without a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since 1994.

Four times in seven seasons under Shanahan the Broncos have been ranked in the NFL's top 10 in both rushing and passing. Balance is the key to the Broncos' offensive success, and having plenty of weapons has been the key to this season's offensive resurgence.

"I think we have a few go-to guys," Shanahan said Monday.

The Dolphins will learn that soon enough.

- Kamon Simpson may be reached at 636-0215 or ksimpson@gazette.com