posted 01-24-2006 06:15 AM         

Unable to feed the orange madness, unable to beat Pittsburgh or escape the shadow of John Elway, Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer had nothing left to do except walk away as the loneliest man in Colorado.

Ten solitary steps from the locker room, Plummer finally threw in the towel. It landed in a heap against a wall.

With a chance to lead Denver to the Super Bowl and capture the city's heart, Plummer dropped the ball. He fumbled twice and threw two interceptions. Asked to be the hero, he stumbled Sunday during a 34-17 loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC title game.

"If we lose, I'm taking the blame," Plummer said. "That's my job." (excellent Jake,,,the field general should!)

As Denver wakes up this morning, it is still very much Elway's town. Plummer? He's trying. But trying is not enough.

It's never enough.

"All season long, Jake Plummer had eight turnovers. And then he gives the football away four times to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They don't need any help. They're good enough," former Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe said.

Everywhere you turned Sunday, there were ghosts and reminders of the way we were in Denver, when the Broncos defined excellence in the NFL.

Denver running back Mike Anderson reported to work wearing a bright orange No. 7 jersey, with "Elway" stitched across the back. Why? "This was the time to bring it and come up big," Anderson explained.

As orange balloons filled the sky before kickoff, Sharpe unabashedly wept with emotion for the first time since he retired from football.

But here is what was most haunting. As Elway and more than 75,000 Broncomaniacs watched, a hero wearing No. 7 put his signature on the game.

This No. 7, however, played quarterback for the Steelers. He walks to the line of scrimmage with a swagger and casts a long shadow, the way Elway did.

This hero's name is Ben Roethlisberger. By passing for two touchdowns, then scoring another on a 4-yard run, Pittsburgh's QB was everything the Broncos hoped Plummer could be but ultimately was not.

Plummer looked scruffy. At age 31, he played like a slacker along for the ride. (what's new,,,seen that for many years)

"It would be OK if the NFL automatically put the Broncos back in the championship game next season for all the good work they did this season. But it doesn't work that way. You start back at Square One," Sharpe said.

All season long, coach Mike Shanahan had meticulously schemed to avoid the very situation the Broncos found themselves in against Pittsburgh. They were forced to rely on Plummer to make the big plays rather than not mess it up.

Plummer made big plays. For the Steelers. He committed errors of passion, then compounded them by pressing harder. What happened to No-Mistake Jake? (who is that?)

Two Plummer errors in the opening half set up Pittsburgh for two easy touchdowns, staking the Steelers to a 24-3 halftime lead that not only trashed the Denver game plan but left the crowd too stunned to provide any Mile High mojo.

Abandoning their running attack, the Broncos had no choice except to put their hope of a comeback in Plummer's hands. He battled. True to his nickname as the "Snake," he slipped from the grasp of defenders. He briefly teased die-hard fans, pulling Denver to within 10 points of the lead.

But in the end, after two more turnovers that had Shanahan rubbing his eyes in disbelief, Plummer failed. (quite predictable)

After the loss, Plummer gave a private, emotional farewell to assistant coach Gary Kubiak, who is leaving to be the head coach in Houston. He taught Plummer how to think, teaching a quarterback who likes to let his hair down that he can find happiness coloring within the lines of the playbook.

Last week, when asked about Elway, you could practically see Plummer's skin crawl. Sure, the comparisons aren't fair. (yes they are,,,,Jake couldn't carry Elway's jock strap)

But after falling flat on his unshaven face in the biggest game of his career, Plummer can only watch the scrutiny grow hairier.

posted 01-24-2006 01:21 PM         

Bottom line is.........Plummer and the Broncos made it to the Championship game.......how many others didn't?

A/C...I know you hate him........but he's not on AZ's team anymore.......why do you care what he's doing now? I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

Oh, yeah.......as far as media reporters......I don't listen to them.........they are only expressing their own opinions...as they sure don't speak for all the fans.

posted 01-24-2006 03:24 PM         

quote:

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Originally posted by CJ:
....Oh, yeah.......as far as media reporters......I don't listen to them.........they are only expressing their own opinions...as they sure don't speak for all the fans....

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posted 01-24-2006 09:27 PM         

quote:

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Originally posted by CJ:
A/C...I know you hate him........but he's not on AZ's team anymore.......why do you care what he's doing now? I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

Oh, yeah.......as far as media reporters......I don't listen to them.........they are only expressing their own opinions... as they sure don't speak for all the fans.

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CJ - Why would I hate Jake as a football player? I don't! I rate him as a C grade NFL quarterback. I've always disliked ASU and the Cardinals, and have said so a hundred times on these forums. To berate me for giving my opinion and analysis of the game while in progress, seems unfair. I called it like I seen it! I said I was neutral sunday on the games being played. Made no difference to me who won,,,,I just wanted to view good ball games. I said at the half,,,Pittsburg needed to score 10 more points in the second half to be on their way to the Super Bowl. I'm sorry I was right. In my opinion, Jake aided the Steeler victory.

As for the reporter not speaking for all of the fans,,,,,,maybe so. But, he is far more knowledgeable about the intricacy of the game than you or I. Apparently you were not watching as the first half ended? The Denver fans boo'd as their team was heading off the field to the locker room. I'm pretty sure those boo's, as in the past, were directed at Jake.

Now,,,, my opinions of Jake Plummer as a person are quite different. He,,,like OJ Simpson, Robert Blake, Kobe Bryant, etc...... showed he was able to 'buy' his way out of a sexual abuse case in Tempe [many other allegations of the same nature reported]. Jake felt he was so special that he could take advantage of a young female who said NO. While dancing in public, his advances were rejected,,,,,but he decided he had the right to put his hand down this young lady's panties. Witnesses reported what they saw,,,the young lady pleaded for his arrest to go forward. But his money and fame, and the money of the Cardinal organization, brought [bought] about a dismissal of the charges by the Tempe police department. Just sweep it under the rug! I have a daughter and if she said NO, I hate to think what I would have done. The criminal justice system follows the money. Sad,,,,,,,,,,,

posted 01-24-2006 10:23 PM         

As far as I'm concerned......I have nothing more to say about this subject.