Packers' task: Stop Broncos from running wild
DENVER -- Packers cornerback Charles Woodson could write a book on what he knows about the Denver Broncos' offense.
He certainly had his fill of it in eight seasons with Oakland. Yet Woodson wouldn't offer up any inside information.
"Whatever insight I have, I keep it to the team," said Woodson, whose squad will face the Broncos today.
It doesn't take a well-placed source to realize the secret behind the Broncos' offensive success is their ability to run. But lately that's been put to the test thanks to a depleted offensive line. Still, Denver (3-3) is averaging 130.7 yards rushing a game.
Chalk it up to Denver's faith in its zone-blocking scheme.
The team can simply plug in a lineman when one goes down and adjust on the fly. The Broncos lost guard Ben Hamilton (concussion) before the season, then Tom Nalen (torn biceps muscle) after a 41-3 loss to San Diego on Oct 7.
No worries; they simply shifted Chris Myers to center and inserted Chris Kuper in at left guard.
"We believe in it," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said of the blocking concept. "We know it quite well, so when you believe in something and you work on it, usually you have a chance to polish it up a lot."
The Broncos are also banged up at running back. Travis Henry, the NFL's sixth-leading rusher, is iffy for the game. His ribs are tender from the hits he absorbed in a 31-28 win over Pittsburgh last week. Henry is convinced he can play -- "Most definitely," he said Wednesday -- but the Broncos are saying he's a game-time decision.
If Henry can't go, Denver could give Selvin Young his chance. Young, an undrafted rookie out of Texas, has just 18 carries this season, but his 7.7 yards a carry average leads the league.
Shanahan doesn't expect the yards to come easy on the ground, not against the Packers' defensive front.
"Their defensive line is exceptional," Shanahan said.
He points to that as one of the big reasons the Packers (5-1) are on top of the NFC North.
That, and the right arm of Brett Favre. The Packers are tied for the second-best passing offense in the league thanks to Favre, who has thrown for 1,715 yards and 9 touchdowns.
"Brett Favre is Brett Favre," said Broncos safety Nick Ferguson. "It's hard to have a negative comment about the guy. He's great. He's done so much and proven so many people wrong."
Favre could have another weapon at his disposal if Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy activates receiver Koren Robinson. Robinson went through his first week of practice after the NFL reinstated him last week. Robinson served a one-year suspension for a repeat violation of the league's substance-abuse policy.
If Green Bay activates him, the team would have to cut a player from the 53-man roster. The team was granted a temporary roster exemption for Robinson so it could gauge his fitness level following the suspension.