DENVER -- Much maligned a year ago, the offense had its way
Friday when the Denver Broncos focused on their red-zone offense at
training camp.
The Broncos were one of the NFL's least efficient offenses from
inside the 20, with only 24 touchdowns on 49 trips last year. On
Friday, after days of struggling, they were much better.
"I think there were still some plays we should have made down
there," quarterback Jake Plummer said. "Down there we have to
find a way to get it into the end zone."
The red-zone drills began with a patented touchdown by Jerry
Rice, who caught a bullet from Bradlee Van Pelt in the back of the
end zone. Rice secured the ball and got both feet down as two
defenders looked on.
Plummer and Van Pelt combined for several touchdown passes. Rod
Smith lost cornerback Lenny Walls with a nice move for an easy
scoring pass from Plummer and beat rookie Darrent Williams for
another score.
The ground game was equally effective. Mike Anderson and Ron
Dayne ran untouched into the end zone twice. No one laid a hand on
Tatum Bell on his 2-yard TD run.
"It was an area of emphasis and we tried to work on it today,"
Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "We had a lot of different
scenarios with different down and distance."
Darius Watts and Triandos Luke had apparent TD passes stripped
away in the end zone.<
------=
^VAN PELT'S ADVENTURE:@ As he anticipated, Van Pelt had highs
and lows at his new spot with the second team.
Besides the read to Rice at the back of the end zone, he found
enough of an opening between Ian Gold and Sam Brandon for a 20-yard
completion. He also hooked up with Kyle Johnson on a fingertip grab
for a long touchdown.
There were two other times when he looked like an inexperienced
second-year pro. Brandon easily intercepted two passes, one when
Van Pelt threw the ball up for grabs and another while he was
trying to throw the ball away and avoid a sack.
"I never said I would be perfect," Van Pelt said. "I'm going
to struggle as I learn."
Matt Mauck, one of Van Pelt's rivals for the No. 2 spot, was
also intercepted. Defensive tackle Dorsett Davis batted a pass in
the air and secured the ball with both hands before landing on the
ground.<
------=
^BIG CATCHES:@ There were two standout catches on a day in which
the receivers had the better of the secondary. The best was a
sliding two-handed catch by tight end Jeb Putzier while on his
side.
A catch by Watts wasn't far behind. Watts reached behind the
helmet of Karl Paymah to bring in the ball, spin around and drag
two feet in bounds.<
^------=
^PHYSICAL WITH EKUBAN:@ Defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban was on the
receiving end of some physical play.
Early in the morning drills, free agent rookie tackle Erik Pears
knocked him off his feet and continued to hit him after the
whistle. Ekuban got up swinging, but the players were separated
before blows landed.
Sixth-year tackle Cornell Green pancaked Ekuban on his back on a
pass play. The two exchanged verbal jabs, but nothing more.<
^------=
^BRONCOS BRIEFLY:@ DB Champ Bailey was out of drills for a
second day with a sore left hamstring. ... WR Todd Devoe spent most
of the morning practice trying to run off the effects of a sore
right foot. ... K Jason Elam capped a two-minute drill drive with a
45-yard field goal. ... LB Patrick Chukwurah was shaken up, but not
seriously hurt by a hard hit taken on a running play.<
------=
^SHANNY SAYS:@ "I can't call it a fight because it wasn't a
fight. You've got to keep your composure. The teams that fight
usually fight during the season and a lot of times it costs the
team the game."<
Shanahan, when asked about the skirmish between Ekuban and
Pears.