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By Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos
End of the third quarter. Rain has sent about half of the 68,042 fans on hand from their seats to the concourse -- and perhaps beyond.
Yet there's still a lot to learn from this game. Jay Cutler will find himself in a close game -- how will he respond? And the defense begins the fourth quarter by using a solid pass rush from Amon Gordon and other linemen to force Houston quarterback Sage Rosenfels into a third-down incompletion.
I'm headed downstairs shortly. Will return after the game.
*** Written at 8:25 p.m. MDT ***
The night fully belongs to the backups now as Jay Cutler leads the No. 2 offense onto the field. His first play of the night sees him hand off to Cedric Cobbs, who goes six yards up the left sideline.
Denver's two receivers on the field early on the drive are David Kircus and Todd Devoe, with Darius Watts seeing action on a third-and-15 play -- where he nearly nabbed a deep reception up the left sideline. Tony Scheffler, who saw plenty of first-team action, remains in at tight end. Adam Meadows is holding down the right tackle slot.
The drive ended in a punt. Sage Rosenfels and Houston's backup offense took the field for the next drive.
*** Written at 8:15 p.m. MDT ***
It may be the preseason, but the crowd found regular-season form when its noise helped induce a false start on Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels. (Owen Daniels. Sounds like a name that should belong to a pro golfer or a novelist.) The infraction turned fourth-and-1 from the 10-yard-line into fourth-and-six, and a potential seven points into three, keeping the Broncos in front 10-6.
*** Written at 8:05 p.m. MDT ***
Paul Ernster's impressive 51-yard punt (net 46) yields a second-team sighing some 3:02 into the second half.
Up front, the Broncos have ends Elvis Dumervil and John Engelberger with tackles Amon Gordon and Antwon Burton.
At outside linebacker, the Broncos sport Ray Wells and Cameron Vaughn, with Nate Webster manning the middle slot. The cornerbacks are Domonique Foxworth and Karl Paymah; the safeties are Curome Cox and Sam Brandon.
Houston's first-team offense, though, remains on the field, and it gained 33 yards on its first two plays to open the drive and move to the Denver 33.
*** Written at 7:59 p.m. MDT ***
The second half begins with the Broncos' starting defense still on the field after Paul Ernster's kickoff hit the ground three yards deep in the end zone and bounced out of it. Houston advanced to the Denver 47, but no further after Darrent Williams broke up a deep pass for Andre Johnson up the left sideline, forcing a Chad Stanley punt that flew over Charlie Adams' head and into the end zone for a touchback.
Most of the first-team offense took the field for the second half, but David Kircus lined up as the second wide receiver opposite Rod Smith. Javon Walker was back in the game when the Broncos went three-wide, but they nevertheless went three-and-out.
*** Written at 7:54 p.m. MDT ***
A late-half drive saw the Texans build their first sustained march of the game; the Texans had just 29 yards heading into this drive but had more than doubled that total on this march, which ended in a Kris Brown field goal and a 10-3 Broncos lead at halftime.
With third-and-8 from the Broncos 40, Denver went into its nickel package -- with D.J. Williams lining up as one of the two linebackers. Domonique Foxworth was the third corner, with Ebenezer Ekuban at right end and Elvis Dumervil on the left side.
One play later, the Texans had fourth-and-3; the Texans gained five yards after David Carr found Andre Johnson just before Darrent Williams arrived, keeping Houston's drive alive. Two plays later, the Texans moved to the Denver 15-yard-line; all the while, a fan-driven wave made its circuits around the stadium. (Witnessing a wave when an opponent is driving down the field in the last two minutes of a half is the most certain sign imaginable that one is watching a preseason game; three weeks from now, the entire south end of the stands is on its feet and the steel underbelly of the stadium is trembling under the weight of 75,000 people stomping their feet.)
Halftime arrives.
*** Written at 7:31 p.m. MDT ***
Denver's defense continued its stellar first half by forcing its first turnover -- a D.J. Williams interception that equally belongs to Michael Myers, who diagnosed a screen play to Wali Lundy, stuck his hand into Lundy's breadbasket as the football flew in, and deflected it to where Williams could leap for the football, giving the Broncos possession at the Houston 20.
The drive petered out at the 5-yard-line following a pair of incompletions, but Jason Elam made the lead 10-0 with a 23-yard field goal.
*** Written at 7:12 p.m. MDT ***
Paul Ernster's first kickoff goes 77 yards for a touchback.
*** Written at 7:03 p.m. MDT ***
Offensive possession No. 4 was the most successful so far tonight, and it was defined by Tatum Bell's running and the Broncos' decision to take a 32-yard Jason Elam field goal off the scoreboard when the Texans were flagged for illegal-procedure after Alfred Malone lined up with his helmet over the center -- which is now illegal on field goals and extra points. One play later, Jake Plummer found Stephen Alexander to get the Broncos to the Houston 1; Tatum Bell slammed over the goal line on his second try from one yard out for the game's first touchdown.
Bell's final stat line on the drive was seven carries for 20 yards.
Credit goes to Alexander and Kyle Johnson for making the blocks that helped create just enough of a hole for Bell to squeeze through; Johnson lost his helmet in the process as Bell squeezed by and burrowed his way over the goal line, despite the Texans' protests that he didn't make it.
Post-touchdown song: That's The Way I Like It, making a return engagement after last week.
*** Written at 7:02 p.m. MDT ***
Paul Ernster's getting the punting work he lacked last week; he just punted for a second time and drilled a 36-yarder that was fair-caught back at the Houston 14. A holding penalty and Ebenezer Ekuban drag-down of Wali Lundy later, the Texans were back at their 5-yard-line facing second-and-19.
One play later, with third-and-18, Elvis Dumervil lined up at left end with Ekuban at the right side, but the Texans opted for an inside handoff to Lundy that gave Chad Stanley some more breathing room for his punt from at the goal line. Stanley's punt sailed 33 yards and gives the Broncos the ball at the Houston 45.
Ekuban -- with a sack and a tackle for a 2-yard loss -- is the early standout on defense, but the entire defensive line has been solid in the early going, just as it was last week.
*** Written at 6:49 p.m. MDT ***
Perhaps the most encouraging early sign for the Broncos tonight has been their pass rush, which has now produced sacks on each of the Texans' first two possessions -- Kenard Lang on the first drive and Ebenezer Ekuban on the second, with both coming on third-and-4 plays.
Ekuban's sack set the Broncos up for their third possession, which opened with an 11-yard Jake Plummer-to-Javon Walker connection. Mike Bell is back in at tailback, running behind fullback Kyle Johnson.
*** Written at 6:37 p.m. MDT ***
It's Tatum Bell for Mike Bell on the second possession, with Kyle Johnson as his escort.
Denver's third wide receiver on each of their first two possessions has been David Kircus, although a third-and-8 pass from the Denver 46 sailed well over his head.
Paul Ernster hit a 43-yard punt that was returned 16 yards by Philip Buchanon; a 15-yard face-mask penalty moves Houston to its 42 for its second possession.
*** Written at 6:30 p.m. MDT ***
A turnover opportunity slipped away from Denver, as Al Wilson could not quite snare a football that jarred loose after Kenard Lang hit David Carr (on a play where the initial pressure came from D.J. Williams, who had the fifth-year quarterback in his sights but just missed him.
No changes in the expected starting lineup for the defense, with Champ Bailey seeing his first playing time of the preseason. Houston's first play went to their left side -- as far from Bailey as possible -- with a nine-yard David Carr-to-Wali Lundy connection.
Former Broncos tight end Jeb Putzier entered the contest on the game's third play for Houston.
And I can't listen to the sound on the broadcast, so I have no insight into what the relatively new "Voice of the Lakers," Spiro Dedes, is offering in his play-by-play.
*** Written at 6:22 p.m. MDT ***
The Broncos' first possession continues ...
Javon Walker with the snare, out of mid-air, with a dash of flair, and a first down to draw the loudest cheer to this point in the drive and take the Broncos to midfield with a 16-yard reception.
Three plays later, Jake Plummer turned a slip-up in the backfield into a 19-yard pass to Rod Smith, resusciating the drive out of a third-and-9 situation. Of particular note on the play is the one-on-one blocking that Tony Scheffler delivered to Mario Williams, keeping the draft's No. 1 pick from threatening any kind of pressure.
Three plays later, a short Plummer pass skidded out of David Kircus' hands. Jason Elam missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt wide left, and the Broncos end their first drive scoreless.
*** Written at 6:17 p.m. MDT ***
Brian Clark fielded the opening kickoff, but took a knee in the end zone as Kris Brown drilled the football eight yards deep;
THe Broncos opened the game in a two-tight end, no-fullback set, meaning that Tony Scheffler got his third consecutive preseason start. Stephen Alexander opened as the Broncos' other tight end, while Javon Walker and Rod Smith started at wide receiver. Scheffler split in the slot spot on second-and-7 and made a six-yard reception.
The first time the Broncos used a fullback -- on third-and-1 from their 29 -- it was Kyle Johnson who lined up at the position.
Now, it's a Texans challenge of that play -- which saw Mike Bell lunge forward for just over a yard for what was ruled on the field as a first down.
The first down stands. Houston down to a pair of first-half timeouts.
Written at 6:09 p.m. MDT ***
The 17th Avenue All-Stars have sung the national anthem for the past two games -- and have done so quite well, in my humble opinion. Not too high, not too low, and at a vocal range that most can sing along with.
But their name evokes many questions:
Are they merely the best of 17th Avenue, or do they use other avenues for their talent pool? Do they have a rivalry with the 16th Avenue All-Stars? Were they on Sixth Avenue at one point, and then endured a heartache that drove them over to 17th? And do they draw from many 17th Avenues across America, or just the one in Denver or some other specific burg?
Regrettably, the "About" section of the 17th Avenue All-Stars Web site does not answer these questions. I would say that I'd do some investigation, but I'll probably forget about the subject five minutes from now and never come back to it again.
Also, we have Ed Hochuli in the house tonight to officiate the game -- easily the most muscle-bound on-field arbiter in any sport today.
Houston calls heads and loses the toss, so the Broncos will open the game on offense.
Written at 6:03 p.m. MDT ***
Top o' the evenin' to you from downtown Denver, where the 95-degree days of training camp have once again yielded to pleasantly cool, windbreaker-worthy conditions for a preseason game, and where the sight of Gary Kubiak in something other than orange and blue still seems a trifle surreal.
Granted, Kubiak did spend time in other colors during the past two decades; he coached running backs for two years at Texas A&M immediately after his playing career and helmed the quarterbacks with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994. But with 20 seasons in orange and blue between 1983 and 2005, it seemed he was as much a part of Broncos lore as the "IN-COM-PLETE" cheer.
Anyhow, off we go.
There are no unexpected changes for the Broncos. Demetrin Veal and Kenard Lang remain in the starting lineup. Domenik Hixon, Brandon Marshall, Damien Nash, T.J. Hollowell, Gerard Warren and Courtney Brown are out. Ron Dayne is expected to play.
Meanwhile, the Texans have four changes in their starting lineup from what was listed on the depth chart:
* Left tackle: Charles Spencer in place of Seth Wand;
* Tight end: Owen Daniels for Mark Bruener;
* Running back: Wali Lundy for Domanick Davis;
* Right guard: Fred Weary for Steve McKinney.
Andrew Mason's Bronco Blog
Last year, on my old WBRS radio show "Double Overtime," I called the Carolina Panthers "the most perplexing team in NFL history." Every time when other show members jumped on the Panthers bandwagon last year, they lost a game they shouldn't have and made everyone wonder. It was only when they demolished the Giants and Chicago on their way to the NFC Championship Game that they seemed to reach their full potential. Despite being a defensive-first team, the Panthers were a surprisingly prolific fantasy team last year. Everyone knows about Steve Smith and his accomplishments last year, but he wasn't the only fantasy producer on the Panthers. Jake Dellhome may not have seemed like a starting fantasy quarterback last year (believe me, I spent all year trying to replace him as my starter), but he ended the year with the 4th-most touchdowns and the 9th-most fantasy points among quarterbacks. Stephen Davis was one of the top fantasy producers for a stretch last season, and he eventually gave way to DeShaun Foster, who starred at the end of the year. Then, there was the defense, who finished last year with the second-most fantasy points among defenses behind only the Chicago Bears.
But before we go any further, I need to get this off my chest. As Ron hinted at in the Buffalo fantasy preview, Steve Smith has ruined my fantasy title hopes the last two years. That's right: not just last year, but also the year before that. Let me explain. In 2004, I pegged Smith as a real breakout player, so I spend a third round draft pick on him, expecting him to be my top receiver. I also felt pretty damn good about it. I even posted about it on my old journal. So what happened? First game, torn ACL, out for year. Ripped my heart out. Add that up to Charles Rogers' injury, Clinton Portis' and Fred Taylor's suckiness, and dropping Willis MacGahee, and I finished dead last out of 10 teams.
But it doesn't stop there. Last year, picking again in the fourth round and needing another reciever to complement Chad Johnson, I noticed Smith was still on the board. Vowing never to go down the road that crashed my fantasy season last year, I passed on Smith and instead took Minnesota receiver Nate Burleson, one of my sleeper picks. Ron gobbled up Smith with the very next pick, and we all know how that one turned out. With Smith, I would have easily won the title. I already had Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, so having Smith would have given me three of the top 4 receivers in fantasy football last year. With those three, Larry Johnson, LaMont Jordan, and Neil Rackers, I would have been unstoppable. Instead, I made an ill-fated late-season trade for Plaxico Burress and dealt away Matt Jones and Rod Smith to get Jake Plummer. My season ended in the first round of the playoffs, and I was forced to wallow in my own sorrows once again.
In fact, I could see this getting on ESPN Classic sometime. "The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Steve Smith for Ruining Pradamaster's Fantasy Hopes the Last Two Years."
REASON #5: Charles Rogers
-"Mike was so sure that Rogers was going to be a fantasy machine in 2004, and then, he also went down with a season-ending injury in Week 1"-Ron
REASON #4: Chris Cooley
-"Even if he had Steve Smith that year, Chris Cooley still was the guy that scored three touchdowns to knock his team out of the 2005 playoffs"-Dan, the guy I lost to in the playoffs last year.
REASON #3: Clinton Portis
-"I was agonizing with that #4 pick in 04. Clinton Portis, or Shaun Alexander? Clinton Portis? Shaun Alexander? In the end, I went with the hometown guy and got burned." -Me
REASON #2: The way-too-early receiver run in 04.
-"He was hoping to select Smith much later, but owners kept underestimating the strength of running backs and taking wide receivers way too early in the draft" -Brandon Funston, Yahoo! fantasy expert.
REASON #1: Bill Simmons
-"Someone will take him about five or six picks too early; everyone will make fun of the pick; and yet he'll be leading the league in receiving heading into November and everyone will be saying, "How did Murph get Alexander, T.O. and Burleson with his top three picks?" -Bill Simmons
Anyway, onto the preview.
Last Year's Fantasy Rankings, curtesy Yahoo! (positional, overall)
WR: Steve Smith (1, 11)
QB: Jake Dellhome (9, 14)
DEF: Carolina DEF (2, 35)
K: John Kasay (5, 77)
RB: DeShaun Foster (24, 103)
TE: Kris Magnum (29, 230)
WR: Keary Colbert (85, 1377)
Newcomers:
WR: Keyshawn Johnson (31, 107)
Departures:
Stephen Davis (17, ?)
Ricky Proehl (54, ?)
Rookies:
RB: DeAngelo Williams
TE: Jeff King
The biggest news with Carolina so far is Steve Smith's injured hamstring. My fantasy mind definetly jumped two beats when I heard that Smith was carted off the field, but upon further review, it doesn't appear to be too serious. People forget that Smith has a similar injury in training camp before his breakout 2003 campaign, so I'm confident that it won't have too much of an effect on his fantasy numbers. More likely, the presence of Keyshawn Johnson occupying the middle of the field will decrease Smith's touches slightly, but that also shouldn't affect his numbers much. If he's around when the third round rolls around, I'd definetly gobble him up even with the past history.
More interesting to me is the running back situation. DeShaun Foster closed the year on a tear, but still struggled to find paydirt, with only two rushing touchdowns all season. Those touchdowns did also come in his two biggest yardage games, so while we must be careful to fall victim to the small sample size, there is certainly tons of potential here. However, Carolina spent a first round pick on Memphis standout DeAngelo Williams, widely considered to be the best non-Reggie Bush running back in the draft. What does this all mean? The ultimate pain in the ass of fantasy football; the running back by committee. I think we're going to see a situation very similar to that of the Falcons. Foster will occupy the speed back role and the bulk of the carries, while Williams will plow through defenders and get the tough yards. Factor in Foster's injury history, and I think you're probably best off selecting both guys to stash away on the bench.
Fantasy owners should watch the running back situation very carefully in training camp because it has a direct bearing on Jake Dellhome's fantasy impact. Dellhome has been a rollercoaster to own in the last two years. He's good enough to win you some fantasy games, but also just bad enough to lose them back. Dellhome's effectivness is directly tied to the running game. If Foster and Williams are running through defenses, then Dellhome will be a ball-control quarterback. We'll see slightly fewer yards, but just as many TDs and fewer interceptions. If the running game is not effective, we will probably see a return of the erratic Jake Dellhome of the past couple years. Either way, if you're going to wait on a quarterback, Dellhome is a pretty solid option.
All indications seem to be that the defense will be just as good as last year. Kris Jenkins is finally healthy up front, and Dan Morgan is free to run and tackle guys all over the place. Defenses tend to be pretty unpredictable, but save for Chicago, the Panthers are the biggest sure thing out there.
Stock Report
BUY:
DeAngelo Williams: Foster should get plenty of yardage, but when push comes to shove, I expect Williams to be the goal-line back. Stephen Davis was a decaying corpse of himself all year, but still managed to score 12 touchdowns. Imagine how good Williams could be if he establishes himself as a goal-line back.
Jake Dellhome: He's got a new target in Keyshawn Johnson and an effective RB tandem in Foster and Williams. Dellhome is my sleeper star QB this season. He should throw many fewer interceptions and be much more consistent from game-to-game.
HOLD
Steve Smith: Keyshawn is coming in, but he's too old to steal too much of Smith's production. Smith won't put up the same numbers he did last year, but he's still one of the top 5 receivers in the game and could get overlooked again behind flashier targets such as Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Torry Holt, and Chad Johnson.
DeShaun Foster: Many people are putting Foster in the buy category and predicting a breakout year. Personally, with Williams around, I don't really see that happening. Still, if you're looking for a backup RB who can give your team a lift for a week or two, Foster is a good option.
SELL
Keyshawn Johnson: He's old and has been going downhill for 3 years now. In Carolina, he's going to lose a ton of catches to Steve Smith. Honestly, I'd be surprised if he breaks 500 receiving yards.
Brad Hoover: Uhh...I can't really think of anyone else.
With that in mind, where would I pick them in a TD-heavy 10 team league?
Steve Smith: 3rd
Jake Dellhome: 6th, maybe 5th
DeAngelo Williams: 6th, but I could see him as high as 4th. Personally, I'd want to get my hands on Williams as late as possible, but since it is key to stash away RBs, he could go even higher.
DeShaun Foster: 8th
Carolina DEF: 10th
John Kasay: 14th
Keyshawn Johnson: 15th, if you really need another receiver
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