During Mike Shanahan’s tenure as the coach of the Denver Broncos there had been eleven rushers who gained 100+ yards on the ground over the course of a game. On Sunday afternoon an undrafted free agent from Texas named Selvin Young became number twelve, lost five yards over carries and dropped to 98, and regained the 100+ mark two plays later, leaving the game immediately after that gain with the Broncos… dare I say it… routing the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the month of November. It’s time to restart a couple of meters that are surprisingly telling in relation to the success of the Broncos. The first one counts up; years until the Broncos get another win at KC (the previous mark was five years.) The second counts down; games until the Broncos have another 100 yard rusher. Here’s to a win next fall at Arrowhead. (Jay Cutler throws for 300 yards and Jason Elam misses two field goals inside 40 yards before hitting a game-tying 53-yarder at the end of regulation and a game-winning 48 yarder three minutes into overtime. Elam later discusses his plans to play until he’s sixty.) And here’s to Selvin Young’s quick feet and broad field vision, may we keep that second meter counting as long as Young stays sharp. How sharp is he? Well, compared to Travis Henry’s half-wit thuggery… Mike Shanahan came out in staunch support of Henry leading into his hearing with the NFL over a positive marijuana test. I understand the concept of supporting a member of the team, especially if you really believe the test was in error, but Young is the future back of this team and even if Henry remains throughout the season I’m hoping to hear the tag “goal line back” attached to any mention of his name going forward. Aside from his brilliant performance on Sunday, a quote from Selvin Young has me dusting off my bandwagon and applying a fresh coat of paint…
“If you watch the films on those guys, they bring that safety down a lot and they send that back-side end, he plays a little soft sometimes,” Young said. “They fly. They’re a physical defense, they’re flying over the top, their defensive tackles are fitting their heads in the right gaps, so that front side is pretty much not there. If you’re going to keep running in there, you’re going to run into darkness.
“So, seeing that out of the corner of the eye, you know, coach coached it, and that’s the good thing about the zone offense. You don’t have to have just one hole. You can look and see where you want to go, pick your poison and attack it. So that back side was there.”
I haven’t decide whether to paint the big ‘#35′Â in orange or blue. Suggestions are welcome.
