Jabar Gaffney
- WR
- ,
- 46
- 200 lbs
- 6' 1"
- N/A
- Full Season Projection
- Dfs Projection
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Many in the Denver crowd came hoping to get a glimpse of the future in Tim Tebow and instead got a peek at the past.
Cornerback Dre' Bly's 47-yard interception return set up Detroit's first touchdown in the Lions' 25-20 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday night.
Bly, who played two seasons in Denver before his unceremonious release following coach Josh McDaniels' hiring in 2009, picked off a pass against the Broncos for the second straight preseason - he did it while with the San Francisco 49ers last year.
Two plays later, Matthew Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Detroit third-stringer Drew Stanton's 25-yard touchdown on a quarterback draw with 1:53 left was the difference. Brady Quinn drove the Broncos into Lions territory in the closing seconds before Willie Young stripped the ball away and Korey Bosworth recovered.
Tebow's home debut will have to wait at least another week. He sat out with bruised ribs he suffered in the exhibition opener a week ago, much to the disappointment of throngs of Broncos fans donning his No. 15 jersey at Invesco Field.
Kyle Orton, fresh off signing a one-year extension that bought some time for the Broncos to formulate their long-term plans at quarterback, completed 16 of 22 passes for 177 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in four first-half possessions.
Orton has thrown four TD passes in seven drives this preseason despite playing behind a makeshift offensive line, with the team's top three tailbacks sitting out and a turnstile of targets catching his throws.
Jabar Gaffney caught six passes for 98 yards, all from Orton.
Stafford was 13 of 20 for 130 yards, guiding the Lions to scores on all four of their first-half drives.
In all, 16 Broncos sat out, including Champ Bailey , D.J. Williams, Daniel Graham, Chris Kuper, Spencer Larsen, Brandon Stokley, and Demaryius Thomas, the team's top draft pick.
The Broncos hope most of them return next week to play against Pittsburgh in the all-important third preseason game.
Broncos LT Ryan Clady, recovering from offseason knee surgery, did footwork drills with strength coach Rich Tuten on the field a few hours before kickoff.
FS Louis Delmas (groin) sat out for Detroit (1-1).
• Quarterbacks: Kyle Orton has shown no shortage of confidence in training camp and played that way. In a pass-first look on offense, he led the Broncos' starters on two scoring drives, jumped on an ill-timed Bengals penalty on each of those, and completed passes to five different players on the way to 84 yards and the two scores.
Brady Quinn struggled mightily at times — at one point, his quarterback rating was 0.0 when an interception was returned for a touchdown. He finished just 6-of-16.
Tim Tebow entered the game with 4:39 left in the third quarter and found rough going at times, but he did play patiently against the Bengals' prevent look to push the Broncos on a scoring drive to finish the game.
• Running backs: Lance Ball got the start, but as a whole this group didn't get the ball much when the No. 1 or No. 2 offense was on the field. The Broncos ran the ball just three times in the first quarter — Ball got all three carries — and eight times overall in the first half, 15 times in the game.
• Jabar Gaffney, Brandon Lloyd and Eddie Royal worked with the starters out of the three-wide look, with Royal lining up in the slot much of his time. Josh McDaniels has said they want to make a concerted effort to get Royal more involved this season, and Royal's 12-yard catch, out of the right slot, was the first score.
Brandon Stokley was the third receiver when the Broncos went to the three wide with the second-team offense and did not get a snap with the regulars. Matt Willis drew two pass- interference penalties.
If the season were starting today, the Broncos’ starting three receivers _ if they opened in a three receiver set _ would be Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Lloyd.
The second set of receivers consists of Brandon Stokley, Matt Willis and Kenny McKinley.
The rookies _ Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker _ are with the third unit.
Brandon Lloyd? Wasn’t he supposed to be washed up a couple years ago?
“”I think so,” Lloyd said, chuckling but not quite delivering what is arguably the best laugh in the game. “”I think a lot of players, when they go through a little adversity, they go into a business mode. To me, this game has never been business. It’s always been fun to me.”
The resume is there - playoff games, Super Bowl, the catches, the yards, the testimonials from the likes of Bill Belichick about the way he plays.
But in eight previous seasons in the NFL, Jabar Gaffney never has led his team in catches, or receiving yards. He may finally be in position to change all that. With Brandon Marshall taking his off-the-field baggage and three 100-catch seasons to Miami, the Broncos are a team with an opening for a go-to guy in the offense.
"I'm looking at it the way I've always looked at it, going in like I was the No. 1," Gaffney said. "Just waiting for my opportunity to make more catches, have more impact, more chances to make more plays.
"I'm a team-first guy; that's what keeps me around. So you just embrace the opportunities you have. If it happens to be more catches, more opportunities, more balls coming your way, then you try to make the best of it and be ready for it."
Gaffney isn't the biggest receiver on the Broncos' roster, and he isn't the fastest, but if knowledge is power, he may be the most powerful.
He played in Josh McDaniels' offense in New England before he arrived in Denver last year, and he is proficient at as many as five wide receiver spots, depending on how deep the coaches go into the playbook to open up the formation.
"(Gaffney's) always where you need him to be and where you expect him to be," Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton said. "And he does that at every spot. As a quarterback, if you know what you're getting from a receiver, that's always going to help."
Belichick, renowned for tossing praise around like anvils, once described Gaffney as "a tactician." He is a player who can beat you with his head as well as his feet and hands.
When Marshall was benched by McDaniels for the 2009 season finale, it was Gaffney who was Orton's leading target in the ill-fated season-ending loss to the Chiefs. In a game when the Broncos elected to throw the ball 56 times against the league's 31st-ranked run defense, it was Gaffney who finished with 14 catches for 213 yards.
In Gaffney's favor, the Broncos have a reasonably easy schedule, but as number one receivers go, he's one of the worst. Gaffney is currently at 56 in our rankings. He might be worth a spot start against an easy opponent, but that's about it.
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