The Broncos hope that this month will go down in franchise annals as the one in which they shed a shackling four-game losing streak to rally for a playoff appearance.
But win or lose against San Francisco, this juncture may also go down in club lore as the time where a new generation of Broncos skill-position players took its first collective steps into stardom.
While it’s far too early to fete the accomplishments of Jay Cutler, Tony Scheffler, Mike Bell and Brandon Marshall, their contributions this month — and particularly in the last two weeks — are impressive. To wit:
GROUND: In the last two wins, Denver’s tailbacks have amassed 209 yards on 62 carries with three touchdowns. Mike Bell has just over half of those totes — 32 of them — but the bulk of the yardage, with 130 yards on those carries, as well as all three touchdowns accounted for by the position.
TIGHT ENDS: Players at the position have collectively gained 91 yards on six receptions with one score in the last two weeks. Second-rounder Scheffler has five of those catches (Nate Jackson has the other) for all but seven of the yards, along with the touchdown in the second quarter of Sunday’s 24-23 win over the Bengals.
WIDE RECEIVERS: The percentage isn’t as high here, but the last two weeks have witnessed the emergence of fourth-round pick Brandon Marshall as a go-to target. Marshall has nine catches for 123 yards in the past two weeks — giving him 39.1 percent of the receptions and 40.7 percent of the yardage amassed by the group.
And of course, Jay Cutler is back there slinging all the passes and accounting for all the aerial yardage and touchdowns. His eight scoring passes are the most for any Broncos rookie since the AFL-NFL merger (Marlin Briscoe tossed for 14 scores in 1968).
Where the rookies stood out most was on the Broncos’ signature drive of Sunday — and perhaps the entire season, the 99-yard, third-quarter march that put them in front for good. Bell had the touchdown — his eighth of the season — but he and Scheffler combined for 57 yards on the possession.
“Not only is that a good sign for the here and now, but it’s also a good sign for the future, knowing that the guys can step in now and do things,” Jackson said. “Hopefully they just keep learning as the games go on, and hopefully we make the playoffs, and they keep improving.”
And the more chances they get, the better the Broncos’ future looks — both for this year, and those yet to come.
Tags: Brandon Marshall, Jay Cutler, Mike Bell, Nate Jackson, Quarterbacks, Running backs, Tight ends, Tony Scheffler, Wide receivers
I know it wasn’t the point of your post, but any talk about offensive rookies must mention the job Erik Pears has done in relief of Matt Lepsis. The fact that there hasn’t been much chatter about Pears speaks volumes about the job he has done.
As for the guys above….Cutler to Scheffler, Cutler to Marshall, Cutler hands off to Mike Bell, the future sure is bright….
TSG
http://www.milehighreport.com
Good point, although technically, Pears isn’t a rookie … since he was on the practice squad last year and in NFL Europe in the spring, so he isn’t officially a member of this rookie class, although he’s certainly a part of the team’s overall youth movement. Ditto for Domonique Foxworth, Darrent Williams and Elvis Dumervil on defense.
I love the dance of the rookies and am very excited for our future! That drive was comparable to the infamous drive in the 1986 playoff game against Cleveland where we made the dawgs eat their own bones.
Happy New Year!
Diane
http://www.sacredjourneymassage.com
Mike S now it’s time to give yu the credit yu deserve , you’re the best weapon of the broncos and with all these new guys , the future is very bright , w or l against Sf , there’s hope again in Denver Hope of glory .
As soon as I hit “Submit” I remembered he was in Europe last season making him not a rookie. Arrrgh…
Not to burst the bubble for anyone, but Andrew, do you know what the cap situation is for this team heading into the off-season?
TSG
http://www.milehighreport.com
The sun has risen and the future does indeed look bright for Denver with all these solid young players. I am all for the youth movement and it would be great to see these rookies taste the post season this year. We have a good mix of young and vets right now. That 99 yard drive that Cutler managed was amazing. What poise he has for a rookie. ….Mike Bell tends to play better coming off the bench. Could he be the next great back out of Denver? I think he has a shot if he puts on a few pounds of musle in the offseason.
yo fellow fans:
Happy with the rookies — esp the tight end play.
But one thing: a defense that was so stingy at the outset of the year is now porous!!! And, as i said in an earlier posting (even when we werent giving up points) the reason behind it is the D-line!!!! Or rather, our lack of D-line. I’m so tired of watching whole games and seeing our down linemen get pushed around like a pop warner line. the opposing QB’s could eat their lunch, make a cell phone call, and still have time to scan the whole field.
But i dont just put it on our linemen. Where is the capacity to adjust the gameplan on the part of the D coordinator? We have the fastest line backing core in the game yet i do not remember the last time that i saw a blitz by the likes of DJ Williams or Al Wilson let alone a safety or corner blitz!!!! I do not want to necessarily return to the Greg Robinson days of blitzing on every play, but were so predictable now, and if our front four cant get it done then it has to be faced by the coaching staff. Is Larry Coyer awake up there in the box? We wont have a chance in the playoffs if the opposing quarterback’s jersey stays clean for 60 minutes.
You know what I love about Brandon Marshall is his relentless pursuit to get extra yards and his ability to catch balls in traffic!!!!