ARNIE STAPLETON
ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — John Elway’s Bentley with the six-figure price tag was replaced by Jacob Tamme’s old white Volvo clunker in the prime parking spot outside the Denver Broncos headquarters Wednesday.
Peyton Manning revealed the reason — but didn’t know whose car it was.
When talking about tight end Julius Thomas winning his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week award, Manning mentioned the Broncos’ new parking policy.
The three Broncos who are named the team’s players of the week — one each on offense, defense and special teams — get to park up front where Elway and coach John Fox used to park their cars.
“That’s a new bone, those first three spots,” Manning said.
Then, he rattled off the names of Week 1’s winners:
“We have Rahim and Julius,” he said of Thomas, who caught three TD passes, and safety Rahim Moore, who picked off a pair of Andrew Luck’s passes in Denver’s win over Indy.
And … uh …
“Who’s the special teams player of the week for us, Erich?” Manning asked Broncos media relations manager Erich Schubert. “Do you know?”
That would be Tamme, the versatile seventh-year tight end who has played with Manning his entire career, including four seasons in Indianapolis.
“He didn’t remember? It figures,” Tamme cracked later in the locker room.
Tamme was part of the committee replacing suspended slot receiver Wes Welker in the opener. But he ended up playing 20 snaps on special teams to go with 10 from scrimmage once ace David Bruton was knocked from the game with a dislocated left shoulder.
“It’s definitely good to be useful,” Tamme said.
He secured his prime parking spot by burying punt returner Griff Whalen for a 2-yard loss at Indy’s 36 with three minutes left and Denver clinging to the last wisps of what had been a 24-point first-half cushion.
“Special teams is something I’ve always taken a lot of pride in,” Tamme said.
He also was quite proud of his new parking spot.
“I take a little flack for my Volvo I drive in here,” Tamme said. “So, I plan on parking that ‘soccer mom’ Volvo in there as much as possible.”
Thomas caught some flak himself Wednesday when he had to tote a football wrapped in a green helmet beanie during practice as punishment for his fumble and his inability to corral an onside kick Sunday night.
“I have to do a better job of holding onto the football,” said Thomas, who caught seven passes for 104 yards.
Despite his blunders, Thomas was named Offensive AFC Player of the Week.
“That’s a great honor for Julius. He deserves it,” Manning said. “Great start for him. He has really worked hard this offseason. He had some specific goals that he wanted to reach and I think he’s put the time and work in.
“He’s still a young player. He’s still got to keep improving and I think he will. I was really happy with the way he played and competed and nice to see him recognized.”
Manning will see a familiar face coming after him Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) visit the Broncos (1-0). Veteran defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson, who failed to make the final cut in Denver, signed with the Chiefs after they lost Mike DeVito to a ruptured Achilles tendon in their opener.
If Manning is worried that Vickerson knows all his tricks, he’s doing a good job hiding his concern.
“I have certainly played against former teammates before, so I think I’m used to it,” Manning said.
Broncos nose tackle Terrance Knighton said he knows Vickerson will be fired up for his homecoming game Sunday.
“He’ll probably have some type of edge, just because we did cut him,” Knighton said. “I wish him the best. I hope he plays well — not enough for them to win.”
Cowboys’ maligned D tries to build on decent debut
IRVING, Texas — Dallas defensive tackle Jeremy Mincey keeps replaying in his head the sack that wasn’t against San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick.
Mincey’s near-miss symbolized the season opener for a unit that has been shaping up as a liability for the Cowboys a year after giving up the third-most yards in league history.
The Dallas defense was better than expected, but not good enough to overcome three first-half interceptions from Tony Romo and an early fumble by DeMarco Murray in a 28-17 loss.
Kaepernick threw a touchdown pass after stepping out of Mincey’s attempt at an ankle tackle on the 49ers’ first possession. They drove on Dallas again late in the second quarter for a 28-3 halftime lead, but the Cowboys didn’t give up any more points and gave up 319 total yards.
That’s saying something for a team that allowed 415 yards per game last year, among several ignominious stats.
“It’s definitely a great game to build off,” said Mincey, who signed with the Cowboys as a free agent this year after spending most of his career in Jacksonville. “I think we’ve got a chance to do something.”
But that’s the big question heading into Sunday’s game at Tennessee, whether the Cowboys can keep it up.
The biggest names are gone — franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware to Denver after his release and linebacker Sean Lee to a season-ending knee injury in the offseason.
Dallas looked to free agency for help first, but without the money to get a headliner. Mincey came in along with a pair of interior linemen in Jeremy McClain and Henry Melton, who made the Pro Bowl in Chicago before a knee injury sidelined him early last season.
The Cowboys drafted defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence early in the second round in May, but he’s out until midseason with a broken foot.
Despite Mincey’s best efforts, Dallas sacked Kaepernick just once and didn’t get any takeaways to offset Romo’s rough day. Even when Romo is on, the defense could be in trouble without game-changing plays.
“Personally I don’t think no team could survive without takeaways,” Mincey said. “We’re going to work hard this week on getting takeaways and forcing takeaways.”
The front four should get a boost from Melton being on the field longer after he missed the entire preseason with a groin injury. McClain is likely to make his debut against the Titans after being out since early in training camp with a sprained ankle.
It looks like Dallas will have to wait at least another week on veteran end Anthony Spencer, who still hasn’t returned to practice in his recovery from knee surgery almost a year ago.
The Cowboys have to replace linebacker Justin Durant, who is expected to miss at least two games after injuring a groin against the 49ers. The first option appears to be rookie fourth-round pick Anthony Hitchens, who played just five snaps in his debut after getting some first-team work throughout the offseason.
“We have a lot of different linebackers who we think are going to contribute for us,” coach Jason Garrett said. “They did the other day in the game, so we have some options. Guys have played different spots.”
While the run defense was respectable against San Francisco, high-priced cornerback Brandon Carr was beaten badly on a couple of big plays. Kaepernick was 11 of 13 in the first half.
“I thought a couple times we could’ve contested better in third-down situations,” Garrett said. “Other times we needed some more help underneath those guys on some of those third-down situations. But I think they did some good things.”
Enough that Mincey thinks better days are ahead.