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Broncos' Royal, Scheffler on crutches
October 5, 2008 - 9:50PM
THE GAZETTE
DENVER • Eddie Royal and Tony Scheffler, two of Denver’s top receivers, were on crutches after Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay.
Royal sprained his left ankle returning a punt in the third quarter. He said he didn’t have a high ankle sprain, which is the more severe type, or any broken bones. He didn’t think the injury was serious, but couldn’t say how much time he might miss.
“Hopefully I’m not going to be down too long,” Royal said.
Scheffler, a tight end, said his left groin was sore most of the second half, then he injured it on his final catch with less than 2 minutes remaining. He said he didn’t know much about the extent of his injury.
“We’ll evaluate it tomorrow morning and see what the damage is,” Scheffler said.
Running back Selvin Young and defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban also suffered what appear to be minor groin injuries.
Gruden praises Prater
Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden gave as much weight to Broncos kicker Matt Prater’s performance as he did his offense’s shortcomings. Prater nailed two field goals in the second quarter, one for 55 yards and the other for 40.
“Have you ever seen a kicker kick a 55-yard field goal and make it by 25 yards? Honest to God,” Gruden said.
Prater, who replaced longtime kicker Jason Elam after he signed with Atlanta in the offseason, averaged 69.4 yards on his kickoffs. Four of five kickoffs resulted in touchbacks and Buccaneers returner Dexter Jackson only managed to reach the 19-yard line on the other.
“Why work on your kickoff return when you come here?” Gruden said. “That guy was unbelievable. I can’t say enough about him. It’s unbelievable.”
Griese returns
Buccaneers starting quarterback Brian Griese hoped for more in his return to Denver, where he played for the Broncos from 1998 to 2002. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 88 yards.
“I was really looking forward to the game,” said Griese, who left in the third quarter with an elbow injury. “I didn’t foresee it ending this way, but it was good to be back in Denver.”
Left guard Ben Hamilton, special teams center Mike Leach and reserve center Tom Nalen are the only holdovers from Griese’s stint with the Broncos, but “there was a lot of emotion,” Griese said. “I’ve had a lot of great experiences here, a lot of great memories.”
Odds and end
Fullback Peyton Hillis, who missed Friday’s practice due to a death in the family, was inactive. Shanahan said Hillis wasn’t going to be active regardless because the Broncos wanted to have seven linebackers and seven defensive linemen. Denver didn’t use a fullback often, but Spencer Larsen took those snaps. … Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas made an interception in the fourth quarter, then lost a fumble when he tried to run with it. “I know now, hold it high and tight,” Thomas said. … Running back Michael Pittman had 39 yards rushing against his former team. “I wanted this game in the worst way,” Pittman said. “Whenever you play your ex-team, you want to do the best you can.”
Broncos' Royal, Scheffler on crutches
October 5, 2008 - 9:50PM
THE GAZETTE
DENVER • Eddie Royal and Tony Scheffler, two of Denver’s top receivers, were on crutches after Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay.
Royal sprained his left ankle returning a punt in the third quarter. He said he didn’t have a high ankle sprain, which is the more severe type, or any broken bones. He didn’t think the injury was serious, but couldn’t say how much time he might miss.
“Hopefully I’m not going to be down too long,” Royal said.
Scheffler, a tight end, said his left groin was sore most of the second half, then he injured it on his final catch with less than 2 minutes remaining. He said he didn’t know much about the extent of his injury.
“We’ll evaluate it tomorrow morning and see what the damage is,” Scheffler said.
Running back Selvin Young and defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban also suffered what appear to be minor groin injuries.
Gruden praises Prater
Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden gave as much weight to Broncos kicker Matt Prater’s performance as he did his offense’s shortcomings. Prater nailed two field goals in the second quarter, one for 55 yards and the other for 40.
“Have you ever seen a kicker kick a 55-yard field goal and make it by 25 yards? Honest to God,” Gruden said.
Prater, who replaced longtime kicker Jason Elam after he signed with Atlanta in the offseason, averaged 69.4 yards on his kickoffs. Four of five kickoffs resulted in touchbacks and Buccaneers returner Dexter Jackson only managed to reach the 19-yard line on the other.
“Why work on your kickoff return when you come here?” Gruden said. “That guy was unbelievable. I can’t say enough about him. It’s unbelievable.”
Griese returns
Buccaneers starting quarterback Brian Griese hoped for more in his return to Denver, where he played for the Broncos from 1998 to 2002. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 88 yards.
“I was really looking forward to the game,” said Griese, who left in the third quarter with an elbow injury. “I didn’t foresee it ending this way, but it was good to be back in Denver.”
Left guard Ben Hamilton, special teams center Mike Leach and reserve center Tom Nalen are the only holdovers from Griese’s stint with the Broncos, but “there was a lot of emotion,” Griese said. “I’ve had a lot of great experiences here, a lot of great memories.”
Odds and end
Fullback Peyton Hillis, who missed Friday’s practice due to a death in the family, was inactive. Shanahan said Hillis wasn’t going to be active regardless because the Broncos wanted to have seven linebackers and seven defensive linemen. Denver didn’t use a fullback often, but Spencer Larsen took those snaps. … Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas made an interception in the fourth quarter, then lost a fumble when he tried to run with it. “I know now, hold it high and tight,” Thomas said. … Running back Michael Pittman had 39 yards rushing against his former team. “I wanted this game in the worst way,” Pittman said. “Whenever you play your ex-team, you want to do the best you can.”
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