tk13
09-18-2005, 01:27 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/12674314.htm
Loser will be in hole
Chargers, Broncos try to avoid 0-2 start in AFC West
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
They’re angry in Denver. How could the Broncos possibly lose their season opener at Miami?
They’re seething in San Diego. How could the Chargers possibly lose their season opener at home to Dallas?
And someone is going to be absolutely furious tonight because either the Broncos or the Chargers will be 0-2 after their early-season showdown at Invesco Field in Denver.
Ordinarily, the second game of a season doesn’t carry this much weight. But neither team figured on putting itself in such a precarious position by losing the opener.
“All of us expected to win last week,” Chargers linebacker Donnie Edwards said.
“It doesn’t matter what happened prior to this game,” Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said. “This is just a big win that we must get, and they are in the same boat and they need it bad.”
The defending AFC West champion Chargers are still trying to live down the decision to suspend Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates for the final two preseason games and the season opener, even after he ended his holdout and signed a new contract. San Diego desperately needed Gates, who set an NFL record for tight ends with 13 touchdown catches last year, when the Chargers failed to score from first and goal from the 7 in the final offensive series of their 28-24 loss to the Cowboys.
But general manager A.J. Smith said he had no misgivings about the decision, even though he acknowledged that Gates’ presence could have changed the outcome.
“If he were just on the field, just the threat would have made a difference,” Smith said. “(But) I don’t regret anything I’ve done.”
Denver had similar issues. The Broncos managed just one touchdown and one field goal in four trips inside the Miami 20. The Broncos converted one of 12 third-down situations, as Plummer only completed 45 percent of his passes with one touchdown and two interceptions.
“He did some good things, and he did some poor things,” Denver coach Mike Shanahan said of Plummer. “You want consistency.”
Adding to the importance of today’s game is what lurks ahead.
The Chargers face a brutal stretch in which they’re playing five of their next eight games on the road, including cross-country trips to New England, Philadelphia and the New York Jets, and visits by the Steelers and Chiefs.
Denver will greet the Chiefs next Monday night before a return trip to the Florida heat and a game at Jacksonville.
And there’s this to consider: Only three teams have started 0-2 and gone to the Super Bowl.
“I’m not saying 0-2 is the end of the world,” Gates said, “But we’re not an 0-2 team. One and one is non-negotiable for us right now.”
San Diego has not won in Denver since 1999 and just twice since 1987. Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, 11-20 in his career against the Broncos, is trying to maintain an even keel.
“I’ve never been one to put emphasis on one game — unless we needed it to get into the playoffs or it was a playoff game,” Schottenheimer said. “If you say this is a critical game and lose, then what’s the use to keep playing?”
Loser will be in hole
Chargers, Broncos try to avoid 0-2 start in AFC West
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
They’re angry in Denver. How could the Broncos possibly lose their season opener at Miami?
They’re seething in San Diego. How could the Chargers possibly lose their season opener at home to Dallas?
And someone is going to be absolutely furious tonight because either the Broncos or the Chargers will be 0-2 after their early-season showdown at Invesco Field in Denver.
Ordinarily, the second game of a season doesn’t carry this much weight. But neither team figured on putting itself in such a precarious position by losing the opener.
“All of us expected to win last week,” Chargers linebacker Donnie Edwards said.
“It doesn’t matter what happened prior to this game,” Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said. “This is just a big win that we must get, and they are in the same boat and they need it bad.”
The defending AFC West champion Chargers are still trying to live down the decision to suspend Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates for the final two preseason games and the season opener, even after he ended his holdout and signed a new contract. San Diego desperately needed Gates, who set an NFL record for tight ends with 13 touchdown catches last year, when the Chargers failed to score from first and goal from the 7 in the final offensive series of their 28-24 loss to the Cowboys.
But general manager A.J. Smith said he had no misgivings about the decision, even though he acknowledged that Gates’ presence could have changed the outcome.
“If he were just on the field, just the threat would have made a difference,” Smith said. “(But) I don’t regret anything I’ve done.”
Denver had similar issues. The Broncos managed just one touchdown and one field goal in four trips inside the Miami 20. The Broncos converted one of 12 third-down situations, as Plummer only completed 45 percent of his passes with one touchdown and two interceptions.
“He did some good things, and he did some poor things,” Denver coach Mike Shanahan said of Plummer. “You want consistency.”
Adding to the importance of today’s game is what lurks ahead.
The Chargers face a brutal stretch in which they’re playing five of their next eight games on the road, including cross-country trips to New England, Philadelphia and the New York Jets, and visits by the Steelers and Chiefs.
Denver will greet the Chiefs next Monday night before a return trip to the Florida heat and a game at Jacksonville.
And there’s this to consider: Only three teams have started 0-2 and gone to the Super Bowl.
“I’m not saying 0-2 is the end of the world,” Gates said, “But we’re not an 0-2 team. One and one is non-negotiable for us right now.”
San Diego has not won in Denver since 1999 and just twice since 1987. Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, 11-20 in his career against the Broncos, is trying to maintain an even keel.
“I’ve never been one to put emphasis on one game — unless we needed it to get into the playoffs or it was a playoff game,” Schottenheimer said. “If you say this is a critical game and lose, then what’s the use to keep playing?”