[Quesadilla Joe]

After four straight losses, Broncos players meet without coaches

The players decided it was time to gather.

The Broncos are in a four-game losing streak, there is another tough opponent in the New York Giants coming up on Thanksgiving, and fans across the country watching on TV saw star receiver Brandon Marshall animatedly lecturing, then taking a shove from, Knowshon Moreno in the embarrassing loss Sunday to San Diego.

And so Brian Dawkins, an NFL safety in his 14th season, called for a players-only meeting Tuesday. No staff. No personnel. No coaches, although Josh McDaniels was aware.

Just players.

"We talked," Dawkins said, refusing to elaborate on the meeting's topic, although he said it wasn't about any division that people outside the Denver locker room may have perceived after the Marshall-Moreno encounter late in the first half Sunday following the rookie's fumble at the goal line.

"What we do as a team, we keep that stuff to ourselves," Dawkins said. "But if we're winning and we have that same argument on the sidelines, does anybody report that? If they do, they say it's our passion. But because we lost that game, and guys were a little emotional, then it's a bad thing.

"I don't buy into that. That's not who we are, who we've been throughout this year. I don't worry about that. Those are things that happen on the sideline. That is passion."

McDaniels also saw the good in Marshall going after Moreno, being upset at what happened, and the rookie giving a little back. As they say, how can people make up if they never argue?

"This job is not always simple, not always easy, but it can be fun if you have guys like (Marshall) and Knowshon," McDaniels said. "They got into a thing, but those are two guys I enjoy the most because that's how they play. They carry that onto the field too. I think that's OK. It's not like we had guys that didn't care. It would bother me more if we had guys that don't care about winning."

Besides motivational tactics, the Broncos also could use improved health of their top two leaders — Dawkins on defense and quarterback Kyle Orton on offense.

A bum left ankle forced Orton to miss the second half of the Broncos' loss to the Redskins and most of the first half against the Chargers. He returned with 4:19 left in the half and finished the game. Orton will start Thursday night against the Giants.

"Feeling good, feeling better and should be ready to roll and hopefully not limited in anything we have to do," Orton said.

The Broncos also have hope that offensive tackle Ryan Harris will return after missing the past three games with a dislocated big toe.

Dawkins suffered a neck injury in the first half against the Chargers. Will he play against the Giants?

"That's the plan," he said.

http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13862319

Only good things can happen after a players only meeting