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Ready for the pressure Broncos' Plummer knows fans expect a lot from himPosted: Friday July 25, 2003 7:47 PMDENVER (AP) -- Jake Plummer took off for a short jog around the Denver Broncos' practice field Friday before the first day of training camp. He was just getting his legs stretched, but the fans who arrived early acted as if he had just thrown an 80-yard touchdown pass. Welcome to Denver, Jake, where it's all Broncos, all the time. "I keep saying I'm undefeated as a Bronco so everyone's real happy I'm here, and I want to continue that trend," Plummer said. "The fans here expect a lot and I knew that coming in and I'm not going to shy away from it." Since Plummer signed with Denver in March, excitement over the Broncos has reached a level not seen since John Elway retired in 1999 after winning consecutive Super Bowls. Fans have treated Plummer like he's the next Elway and many expect nothing short of the Super Bowl with "The Snake" running the show. Finally, after all of the hype and hoopla, Plummer got a chance to show what he can do on the field. "I had little butterflies," Plummer said. "They were like when you're getting ready to go on that big ride on the fair, you're kind of excited for it and you don't know what to expect." It took a little while for Plummer and the rest of the Broncos to scrape off the rust, but things started clicking late in practice. Plummer was off target on some of his passes during the early drills, but he started to get into a rhythm when the team went to a full squad workout. During one play, he faked a handoff, rolled to his right and threw back across his body to hit fullback Mike Anderson in stride for a completion. It was the kind of play that led Denver to sign Plummer in the offseason and one that his predecessor, Brian Griese, had trouble with. "I thought Jake did a good job," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "Everybody is a little bit rusty, but that is part of working on the first day of practice." It was just the first practice, but Plummer already liked what he saw. During one drill with the receivers and running backs, Plummer caught himself looking down the field at all of his options -- running back Clinton Portis, tight end Shannon Sharpe and receivers Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey and Ashley Lelie. "I threw the ball to Ed and then I looked at all the guys that were still running routes -- Rod and Shannon and Ashley -- and I'm like, 'Whoa, man. This is nice,"' Plummer said. "Those guys are going to make plays for me. I've just got to get the ball in their hands." |
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