Life in the NFL
Catches help Broncos
stay in playoff huntWE were in another close game against Kansas City on Sunday, and it feels good because now we have a good chance to make the playoffs.
I was able to contribute with two catches for long gains, and both led to touchdowns.
On the first one, it was second down and Coach (Mike) Shanahan put me in for Rod Smith. The play was a double-go with Ed McCaffrey on the other side, but it was pretty much designed to go to me, and (quarterback) Brian Griese put it right there where it needed to be for me to catch it.
The second catch was almost like the catch I had in Miami, where I faked a slant and went on a go and Griese put it up for me nicely.
I'm having fun out there and I'm making some good plays that I didn't make in the beginning of the season. I hope I can keep that streak up. All of our receivers are doing well, and there haven't been any balls dropped in the last couple of games.
We control our own destiny, and the coaches told us that if we win our next game, we're in the playoffs. There's also a high likelihood of winning the AFC West championship if we beat the Raiders this Sunday. If we lose, though, we're probably out of the playoffs.
We just need to win and not shoot ourselves in the foot like we did the last time we played against Oakland.
The atmosphere in the locker room after beating the Chiefs was way different than the previous three weeks when we lost three close ones. This time, everybody was excited and pumped up. That's how it is in the locker room every time we win.
Our ultimate goal, to win the Super Bowl, is still alive.
I didn't realize how many yards and catches I have this season until yesterday. I didn't know it was that high, 30 catches for 414 yards. It's kind of like my first year in Hawaii when I had 36 catches for 518 yards.
If the first three years of my career can follow the progress of the three years in Hawaii, I'll be moving at a pretty good pace.
Things are coming along and I feel fortunate because I have a good chance to be a special player in this league. That isn't always the case for people coming out of college. For a lot of people, football stops after college and only a few get to keep playing.
I've done some Christmas shopping the last couple of weeks, but I'm not finished yet. My mom and two sisters are coming to celebrate Christmas with me and my girlfriend.
I'm the spokesperson for Denver Broncos Academy. It's a high school dropout prevention program that just started. I'll be doing a lot in the offseason, talking with kids from Central High School and East High School in Denver's lower-income neighborhoods.
I definitely want to be a high school football coach and a teacher when I'm through with playing football, so this is a good way to start to get to know and help high school kids.
It's for troubled kids and kids with no fathers and all they need is a little guidance and a positive role model in their lives.
This week, though, the biggest thing on our minds is we've got to win our next game and get in the playoffs.