Tribal Warfare
09-29-2008, 01:48 AM
Broncos say they expected Chiefs to be tough (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/818060.html)
By JEFFREY FLANAGAN
The Kansas City Star
To a man, the Denver Broncos insisted they didn’t take the 0-3 Chiefs lightly.
“We knew we would be in a for a physical game,” Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. “We didn’t think we’d just come in here and blow them out.
“It’s not like we put ourselves on a pedestal. We didn’t think that way.”
Cornerback Dre’ Bly didn’t see an overconfident team coming into Arrowhead Stadium, either.
“We didn’t think we had this won,” Bly said. “It’s the NFL. You can’t just assume you’re going to beat someone.”
Still, the Broncos had no explanation for why they couldn’t solve the Chiefs, who had been so helpless the last two weeks.
“I’m embarrassed,” Marshall said. “I don’t know what else to say. We didn’t do a good job. We were just flat the whole day for some reason.
“I know you can’t turn the ball over four times.”
Quarterback Jay Cutler understandably was not in a pleasant mood afterward. He provided nothing but short answers and seemed annoyed at any questions probing for explanations.
About his interceptions?
“Bad decisions,” he said.
When a reporter began to ask him about the team’s preparation all week, Cutler cut off the question and said, “We’re 3-1. We’ve got a lot of football left. We’re not going to go out and panic.”
And, of course, the Broncos shouldn’t panic. They’re in great shape one-quarter into the season, a fact not lost upon Broncos center Casey Wiegmann, a former Chief.
“The Chiefs came out with a lot of fight in them,” Wiegmann said. “I expected that. They played hard, and we didn’t match them.
“We didn’t get touchdowns in the red zone, and we turned the ball over too much. It’s hard to win that way. But we’ll study the film, go from there and we’ll be fine.”
Wiegmann’s homecoming didn’t end the way he envisioned. But then again, he didn’t expect anything easy at Arrowhead.
“Every place on the road is tough,” he said. “This is no exception. I played in Kansas City for seven years, and we never won in Denver. That’s the way this rivalry is.
“They’ve still got to come to our place. And we’ll be ready for them.”
The Broncos did tip their hat to the play of Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard and running back Larry Johnson.
“Larry Johnson is one of the best backs in the league,” Bly said. “When he gets rolling, he’s tough. He’s a physical guy. He played hard and ran hard.”
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan thought Huard’s play was solid, just what the Chiefs needed.
“He managed the game very well,” Shanahan said. “He made some nice throws, a real good throw to Tony Gonzalez in the end zone, got him isolated and threw it up there for him.
“And (Huard) didn’t give up any big plays.”
By JEFFREY FLANAGAN
The Kansas City Star
To a man, the Denver Broncos insisted they didn’t take the 0-3 Chiefs lightly.
“We knew we would be in a for a physical game,” Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. “We didn’t think we’d just come in here and blow them out.
“It’s not like we put ourselves on a pedestal. We didn’t think that way.”
Cornerback Dre’ Bly didn’t see an overconfident team coming into Arrowhead Stadium, either.
“We didn’t think we had this won,” Bly said. “It’s the NFL. You can’t just assume you’re going to beat someone.”
Still, the Broncos had no explanation for why they couldn’t solve the Chiefs, who had been so helpless the last two weeks.
“I’m embarrassed,” Marshall said. “I don’t know what else to say. We didn’t do a good job. We were just flat the whole day for some reason.
“I know you can’t turn the ball over four times.”
Quarterback Jay Cutler understandably was not in a pleasant mood afterward. He provided nothing but short answers and seemed annoyed at any questions probing for explanations.
About his interceptions?
“Bad decisions,” he said.
When a reporter began to ask him about the team’s preparation all week, Cutler cut off the question and said, “We’re 3-1. We’ve got a lot of football left. We’re not going to go out and panic.”
And, of course, the Broncos shouldn’t panic. They’re in great shape one-quarter into the season, a fact not lost upon Broncos center Casey Wiegmann, a former Chief.
“The Chiefs came out with a lot of fight in them,” Wiegmann said. “I expected that. They played hard, and we didn’t match them.
“We didn’t get touchdowns in the red zone, and we turned the ball over too much. It’s hard to win that way. But we’ll study the film, go from there and we’ll be fine.”
Wiegmann’s homecoming didn’t end the way he envisioned. But then again, he didn’t expect anything easy at Arrowhead.
“Every place on the road is tough,” he said. “This is no exception. I played in Kansas City for seven years, and we never won in Denver. That’s the way this rivalry is.
“They’ve still got to come to our place. And we’ll be ready for them.”
The Broncos did tip their hat to the play of Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard and running back Larry Johnson.
“Larry Johnson is one of the best backs in the league,” Bly said. “When he gets rolling, he’s tough. He’s a physical guy. He played hard and ran hard.”
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan thought Huard’s play was solid, just what the Chiefs needed.
“He managed the game very well,” Shanahan said. “He made some nice throws, a real good throw to Tony Gonzalez in the end zone, got him isolated and threw it up there for him.
“And (Huard) didn’t give up any big plays.”