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« on: January 24, 2006, 04:05:59 pm » |
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Jake the Fake costs Broncos a chance at Super Bowl heroics
By Patrick Ridgell
The Daily Times-Call
DENVER — Lo and behold, Jake Plummer had to win the game. He had to do more than merely manage a mistake-proof team past an inferior foe. He had to do something when everyone around him could not.
It stunk to be a Broncos fan Sunday.
Pittsburgh 34, Broncos 17. No Super Bowl for Denver. Just another offseason to ponder what went wrong.
The hubbub that engulfed this Denver Broncos football team escaped Invesco Field somewhere around 2:30 p.m., when Plummer, the Pro Bowl alternate, found Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor wide open for an interception just before halftime. The Steelers scored four plays later to make their lead 24-3. All that hot air, that buzz, floated into the sky like steam escaping an iron. It never returned.
An image that sears my mind is of all those Terrible Towels twirling like helicopters in the afternoon sun amid Broncos fans dashing for exits.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
We’ll begin by saying it’s totally unfair to expect one guy to beat these Mighty Steelers all by himself, because they were, indeed, mighty. The common theme that rang though Denver’s somber locker room was that the Steelers had whipped the Broncos every way imaginable.
But let’s remember Plummer’s turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles, though one came on a desperate fourth down. Another image is coach Mike Shanahan barking at the quarterback after he threw a pick. Both of the interceptions came on Denver’s first play following Pittsburgh scores. The one before halftime doomed Denver.
“He’d like to have that one back,†Shanahan said.
“I’m taking the blame on this one,†Plummer said. “That’s my job. As the quarterback, I have to lead this team to a win, and I didn’t get that job done. I fought hard all year and all through this game, but I had a couple of poor decisions, and in a game like this, you can’t do that.â€
Plummer snapped at local reporters Wednesday when they asked him what had changed in the quarterback this year to make him better. Asked the exact same question Friday before national cameras and a larger crowd, Plummer showed humility and reflection.
Draw your own conclusions.
On Sunday, he took his time waiting to talk about the game for many reasons, not the least of which is because he can. He donned a gray cap and stood with a blank look. He credited Pittsburgh for its excellence and then kept his cool.
“The interceptions were bad, and obviously I didn’t fumble the ball much all year,†he said.
While disappointment reigns here, euphoria grips Pittsburgh, and it’s hard not be happy for Steelers coach Bill Cowher. The Steelers are a deserving champion, and Cowher drips class in a league that frequently finds it lacking. Hopefully, Shanahan offered Cowher help preparing for the Super Bowl the way Cowher offered it to Shanahan when their roles were reversed following the 1997 AFC title game.
To put Denver’s season in its proper perspective, you have to go back to July, when no one expected the Broncos to be bumming this morning because they fell one game short of Super Bowl XL. But on Sunday, there were no Champ Bailey interceptions, no long runs by Ron Dayne when they were least expected, no more magic.
It was so different from what we’d grown accustomed to. Perhaps symbolizing it all was the surreal sight of Broncos center Tom Nalen, who won’t be quoted, standing after his teammates had fled into the night, answering questions about his immediate future.
It was strange to see.
It’s time to look forward, and Plummer’s 2006 will be without offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, who will be named Houston’s coach this week. Plummer had his best season in 2005 but won’t have Kubiak around for help. The quarterback said one reason he came to Denver was to work with Kubiak, and the coach’s departure will offer an intriguing variable in 2006.
It takes a lot to reach a conference title game. Who knows if the Broncos have this in them again? We wonder if Plummer can maintain his work. Will he change? Will he improve? Can he ever win a Super Bowl? That’s a big one to think about today.
“We’re hurting from this one,†he said. “We don’t want to go home. Obviously, we had a good season. ... In the end, only one team’s happy. We’re not that team. Until you’re on that team, you’re never going to have a completely happy season.â€
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