Broncos go from a legend to a legend's son - Denver Broncos - Brief Article

Who says preseason games don't mean anything? Not Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who blindsided struggling quarterback Bubby Brister last week and named second-year man Brian Griese the team's starter.

Brister wasn't playing with the confidence he had last season when he compiled a 4-0 record as the team's Super Sub for John Elway. And who can blame him? Replacing a legend is difficult, and winning three straight Super Bowls has so far proved impossible. Coming into training camp, both of those jobs belonged to Brister. "The pressure to replace a guy like John Elway is tremendous," Shanahan says, "and the scrutiny by the media is something that is overwhelming."

But if it was too much for Brister--an admittedly excitable guy but a 12-year veteran with experience as a starter--what will the pressure do to Griese, a third-round pick in last year's draft who threw three passes last season?

Griese had a chance to sit back and watch, but he certainly didn't learn everything. There's no Billy Joe Hobert-esque shame in that because Shanahan's system is perhaps the most complex in the game. No. 3 quarterback Chris Miller, signed in the offseason to provide depth, says some of the Broncos' play calls are "like a short story."

There will be mistakes. Because the Broncos can't expect Griese to know the offense right away, the way Elway or even Brister did, there is more reason to doubt their chances of returning to the Super Bowl. And unless Griese can learn to beat the constant blitzes he'll see early on, making the playoffs might be a struggle.

Those worries are compounded because the Broncos won't see a pushover defense all season. You don't have to be William Rehnquist to figure out that the Broncos' first six games might be cruel and unusual punishment for an inexperienced quarterback. Jason Taylor and Daryl Gardener ... Derrick Thomas and Chester McGlockton ... Warren Sapp and Chidi Ahanotu ... Bill Belichick ... Darrell Russell and Lance Johnstone ... Vonnie Holliday and LeRoy Butler. If Griese has some restless nights, we'll know why.

Unless Griese is the biggest sleeper since, well, Terrell Davis, expect to see Brister or Miller in the saddle at some point.

Speaking of Davis, he'll be counted on to carry this team again. But after carrying the bail 661 times the past two seasons and finishing both slightly banged up, he can't be asked to take on much more of the load. And that parade of top defenses the Broncos will face this season? They'll all be keying on No. 30 with eight-man fronts.

The Broncos have been able to steer clear of major injuries or free-agent defections over the past few seasons. Although we expected to see some kinks in the Broncos' armor at some point, we didn't expect to see them before the games started counting.

Is it too late to pry Elway away from the cooler full of Coors on his front porch?

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