Broncos fall at Dallas 31-20 (*Sour Grapes*)
Ekuban, Henry suffer injuries vs. Cowboys
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
Irving, Texas - Those Dallas Cowboys must be real proud.
Here it is mid-August, preseason game No. 2, yet the Cowboys played as if it's never too early to embarrass an injury-riddled opponent in a game that doesn't count.
The Cowboys had their way here Saturday night at muggy Texas Stadium, whipping the Broncos, their weeklong practice buddies, 31-20. Although an honest beating explained much of the outcome, the Broncos wondered if Cowboys coach Wade Phillips got a little carried away with trying to send some sort of preseason statement.
"I don't know if Wade's (ticked) off the Broncos fired him, but it sure looked that way," Broncos safety John Lynch said.
Lynch wanted to make it clear he was joking.
But as a safety entering his 15th season, Lynch is qualified to know football's unwritten rules better than most. The Broncos played their base, seven-man front on defense Saturday and, because their offensive line is so banged up, tried to employ a conservative plan when they had the ball.
"That's not what they did," Lynch said. "They came out and game- planned us, blitzing every play. They came after us. It's no excuse for the way we played. But I think they might have broken the code of ethics for the preseason."
A few other Broncos, including quarterback Jay Cutler, shared similar feelings about the Cowboys getting a little too aggressive with their approach to a preseason game. Phillips seemed befuddled, even a little hurt, at the accusations he coached against the preseason protocol of fairness.
"It's nothing we didn't do all week in practice," said Phillips, who was fired after two seasons as Broncos head coach following the 1994 season, and replaced by Mike Shanahan.
Indeed, a primary reason the Broncos came down for two-a-day practices before the preseason game was to get accustomed to the 3-4 defense Phillips directed for the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers last year.
And just so there is no misunderstanding, the blitz is to the 3-4 defense what short passes are to the West Coast offense.
"It's what we ran against them in San Diego," Phillips said. "They blitzed us, too. We picked it up."
It could have been worse for Phillips. He got hurt only by words. Shanahan's team continues to get beat up physically. Running back Travis Henry and defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban had to be carried off the field Saturday.
Ekuban, who was about to start his third year in Denver, tore his right Achilles, an injury that will finish his season. Henry, the Broncos' biggest offseason prize, suffered what has been diagnosed as a first-degree sprain in the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He will undergo an MRI today; if the first-degree sprain is confirmed, Henry should return before the regular season opener Sept. 9 at Buffalo.
Those injuries came after a practice week in which rookie defensive end Tim Crowder (sprained left ankle) and right tackle Adam Meadows (calf strain) suffered serious injuries.
The Broncos are closer to broken than battered. And the regular season is three weeks away.
It was the injury to Meadows, combined with physical setbacks to left guard Ben Hamilton (concussion), left tackle Ryan Harris (back surgery) and right tackle Jacob Rogers (knee), that left the Broncos' offensive line decimated for this game against the attacking Cowboys defense.
The Broncos' O-line situation was so desperate, Erik Pears had to play the entire first half at right tackle, then began the second half playing left guard for the second-team offense. Chad Mustard, a tight end when the week began, played right tackle in the second half Saturday.
The Cowboys showed no mercy. They harassed Jay Cutler on nearly every play, and the second-year quarterback endured some tough lessons.
"They did blitz a lot but that's not an excuse," Broncos center Tom Nalen said. "After the first series, we should have been prepared for it. We'll have to watch the film and learn from it."
With the first team playing so poorly on both sides of the ball - the Cowboys led 24-6 at halftime - Shanahan had his starters play the entire first half, or at least a half-quarter more than planned.
"We're not there yet, we've got a long ways to go," Shanahan said. "One of the reasons our defensive starters stayed out there through the first half is because I felt we needed that cohesiveness. Hopefully, it'll come to us pretty quickly."
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
Irving, Texas - Those Dallas Cowboys must be real proud.
Here it is mid-August, preseason game No. 2, yet the Cowboys played as if it's never too early to embarrass an injury-riddled opponent in a game that doesn't count.
The Cowboys had their way here Saturday night at muggy Texas Stadium, whipping the Broncos, their weeklong practice buddies, 31-20. Although an honest beating explained much of the outcome, the Broncos wondered if Cowboys coach Wade Phillips got a little carried away with trying to send some sort of preseason statement.
"I don't know if Wade's (ticked) off the Broncos fired him, but it sure looked that way," Broncos safety John Lynch said.
Lynch wanted to make it clear he was joking.
But as a safety entering his 15th season, Lynch is qualified to know football's unwritten rules better than most. The Broncos played their base, seven-man front on defense Saturday and, because their offensive line is so banged up, tried to employ a conservative plan when they had the ball.
"That's not what they did," Lynch said. "They came out and game- planned us, blitzing every play. They came after us. It's no excuse for the way we played. But I think they might have broken the code of ethics for the preseason."
A few other Broncos, including quarterback Jay Cutler, shared similar feelings about the Cowboys getting a little too aggressive with their approach to a preseason game. Phillips seemed befuddled, even a little hurt, at the accusations he coached against the preseason protocol of fairness.
"It's nothing we didn't do all week in practice," said Phillips, who was fired after two seasons as Broncos head coach following the 1994 season, and replaced by Mike Shanahan.
Indeed, a primary reason the Broncos came down for two-a-day practices before the preseason game was to get accustomed to the 3-4 defense Phillips directed for the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers last year.
And just so there is no misunderstanding, the blitz is to the 3-4 defense what short passes are to the West Coast offense.
"It's what we ran against them in San Diego," Phillips said. "They blitzed us, too. We picked it up."
It could have been worse for Phillips. He got hurt only by words. Shanahan's team continues to get beat up physically. Running back Travis Henry and defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban had to be carried off the field Saturday.
Ekuban, who was about to start his third year in Denver, tore his right Achilles, an injury that will finish his season. Henry, the Broncos' biggest offseason prize, suffered what has been diagnosed as a first-degree sprain in the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He will undergo an MRI today; if the first-degree sprain is confirmed, Henry should return before the regular season opener Sept. 9 at Buffalo.
Those injuries came after a practice week in which rookie defensive end Tim Crowder (sprained left ankle) and right tackle Adam Meadows (calf strain) suffered serious injuries.
The Broncos are closer to broken than battered. And the regular season is three weeks away.
It was the injury to Meadows, combined with physical setbacks to left guard Ben Hamilton (concussion), left tackle Ryan Harris (back surgery) and right tackle Jacob Rogers (knee), that left the Broncos' offensive line decimated for this game against the attacking Cowboys defense.
The Broncos' O-line situation was so desperate, Erik Pears had to play the entire first half at right tackle, then began the second half playing left guard for the second-team offense. Chad Mustard, a tight end when the week began, played right tackle in the second half Saturday.
The Cowboys showed no mercy. They harassed Jay Cutler on nearly every play, and the second-year quarterback endured some tough lessons.
"They did blitz a lot but that's not an excuse," Broncos center Tom Nalen said. "After the first series, we should have been prepared for it. We'll have to watch the film and learn from it."
With the first team playing so poorly on both sides of the ball - the Cowboys led 24-6 at halftime - Shanahan had his starters play the entire first half, or at least a half-quarter more than planned.
"We're not there yet, we've got a long ways to go," Shanahan said. "One of the reasons our defensive starters stayed out there through the first half is because I felt we needed that cohesiveness. Hopefully, it'll come to us pretty quickly."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:29 AM
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