Jake Plummer
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There haven't been a lot of big plays in the
passing game, but that has been the Denver Broncos' trade-off for fewer turnovers. Jake Plummer hasn't thrown an interception in six straight games, an
impressive streak for a player who has been mistake-prone for most of his career. Read our mid-season report card to see how the passing game stacks up.
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REPORT CARD AFTER 8 GAMES
PASSING OFFENSE: B -- There haven't been a lot of big plays in the
passing game, but that has been Denver's trade-off for fewer turnovers.
Jake Plummer hasn't thrown an interception in six straight games, an
impressive streak for a player who has been mistake-prone for most of his
career. The Broncos have had moderate success passing the ball --
Plummer has 12 touchdowns and is on pace for about 3,300 yards.
RUSHING OFFENSE: A -- Mike Shanahan has usually avoided a tailback
committee, but this year Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell have complemented
each other very well. Anderson is running hard and is averaging 4.5
yards per carry. Bell has been the big-play threat, and has 562 yards and
five touchdowns despite having only 80 carries.
PASS DEFENSE: D -- The Broncos have given up a lot of passing yards
and big plays this season. Champ Bailey has dealt with shoulder or
hamstring injuries from the first play of the second half of Denver's
season opener. That hasn't helped. The Broncos have turned to rookie
cornerbacks, who have played well, but they're still rookies. How they hold up
in the second half of the season will be worth watching.
RUSH DEFENSE: B -- Denver has rushed for almost twice as many yards
as its opponents this season. The Broncos held down Jacksonville's Fred Taylor, Kansas City's Priest Holmes and San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson
already this season. Washington's Clinton Portis has 103 yards against
Denver, and he is the only back to top 100 yards against the Broncos.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B -- The Broncos have been consistent covering
kickoffs and punts, and that's an improvement over last year's problems.
Punter Todd Sauerbrun hasn't caused any problems, and he has been a
significant upgrade for the team. Denver could be even better on special teams
if rookie returner Darrent Williams started breaking some long plays.
Jason Elam has been in a strange slump, but he should recover in the
second half.
COACHING: A-minus -- The only real flaw has been the Broncos'
problems in the second half. Other than that, Mike Shanahan has done all the
right things; from his tailback committee to keeping Jake Plummer out
of vulnerable situations. Defensively, the Broncos have blitzed a lot
this season and it has hurt them at times, but that is their identity.
They just need to bring down the quarterback more often.
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