truebluefan

Leaning heavily on one leg

A tale of two kicks.

Big, bad Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski drove his powerful left leg forward for a 54-yard field-goal attempt Sunday night at Invesco Field. Janikowski pulverized the ball into a soaring missile. It crossed high along the goalposts, stopping only after it pelted the net protecting the stands.

It missed wide right. Not by much, but just enough to give the Broncos such great field position that their offense was able to score its first touchdown of the season in the first quarter.

Next Broncos series, the little kicker that almost always can set up for a 51-yard field goal toward the same goalposts. Jason Elam swung his right leg easily but surely. Although the kick had plenty of oomph, it didn't nearly match the velocity of Janikowski's boot, and it crossed much lower along the goalposts.

Good.

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The Broncos offense has no doubt struggled, but so far, it hasn't been a total loss - at least when measured by increments of 5, 10 and 15 yards.

The offense has committed only six penalties in five games and twice went the distance without drawing a flag.

It's that kind of discipline that has allowed the Broncos, despite an inability to score points and consistently sustain a strong passing game, to play field-position football for their strong defense.

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There have been times, at least before the Broncos handed him the keys to the running game roughly four weeks ago, that running back Tatum Bell has openly wondered why he couldn't be the back of choice in the team's offense.

"What's wrong with me?" he had said.

Well, run your finger down the list of the league's top rushers this season and it's clear Bell has plenty of company in that type of climb.

"When the coaches say

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While frustration has been the word of the week concerning Denver's lackluster offense, Rod Smith is trying to turn attention to another relevant word involving the Broncos: winning.

"I really feel if we just go out and relax and have fun, we'll open our offense up," Smith said. "We'll let our coaches get some good sleep for once. I don't think any of them are probably sleeping well. But at the same time we are winning. It would be different if we were 1-4 but we're 4-1."

Smith is the latest Broncos offensive player to chime in on the team's issues. The usually explosive Denver offense has scored only 62 points in five games, tied for the second fewest points in the NFL. However, Denver's defense has allowed a league-low 37 points and has been the main reason the Broncos are 4-1 going into Sunday's game at Cleveland.

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