SUPER BOWL XXII : WASHINGTON REDSKINS vs. DENVER BRONCOS : An NFL Scout Rates Denver’s <i> Other </i> Players

The only Bronco you ever hear about on offense is that quarterback, what’s his name? John Wayne? John Elway? Something like that.

Coach Dan Reeves is beginning to bristle daily at what he takes are suggestions that his is a one-man team.

How about the other guys on the offensive unit? They can’t be that bad, can they?

Well, let’s put it this way. They’re all professional athletes. None is overpowering--in these days of 285-pound offensive linemen, the Bronco front averages 264--but perhaps half of them could start anywhere, and several would be stars.

Here’s how the offense, minus John Elway, looks to a National Football Conference scout:

Left tackle Dave Studdard, 6 feet 4 inches, 260 pounds, ninth year--”Just a guy. If Elway wasn’t so good at avoiding pressure, they’d probably be trying very hard to replace him. If you had to say he does one thing better than another, it’s probably run block. He’s not an overpowering blocker. He’s an experienced guy who understands angles or release and position, that sort of thing.”

Left guard Keith Bishop, 6-3, 265, seventh season, ‘87-88 Pro Bowl selection, first Denver lineman ever chosen for the game--”He’s probably the best lineman they’ve got. He’s a physical player, a good athlete who can stay in front of people.

“The Pro Bowl doesn’t necessarily mean anything. The Pro Bowl is the biggest joke of all time. There are people there who shouldn’t be anywhere near Honolulu, and people who miss that are a disgrace. But he’s a good solid football player who’d start for anyone in the league. If he were playing for you, you’d feel you’re good at the position.”

Center Mike Freeman, 6-3, 256, third year--”He’s the youngest guy (he replaced veteran Billy Bryan this season) and he hasn’t particularly impressed me as a physical player. I think he has potential. He’s a pretty decent athlete, he just needs to get bigger and stronger. He belongs there.”

Right guard Stefan Humphries, 6-3, 268, fourth year--”They got him from the Bears. He’s a journeyman player, very smart guy, good technician. Again, not a guy who’s going to blow you off the line of scrimmage. Doesn’t make mistakes, very aware in the blitz pickup. Not going to make the mistake that gets you beat.”

Right tackle Ken Lanier, 6-3, 269, seventh year--”He and Bishop are the two best players on the line. He can be a very physical guy and he’s a good athlete, too. These two guys could play for anybody. The rest of the guys on the line would have a hard time starting for the good teams in the league.”

Tight end Clarence Kay, 6-2, 237, fourth year--”He’s always been a good blocker, but he’s never really been used as a receiver much in the past. He’s had his best year. All his skills in the passing game have improved. Right now, you’d have to say he’s a pretty solid tight end, and there’s not that many good ones around.”

Running back Sammy Winder, 5-11, 203, sixth year--”He’s a tough overachiever. He doesn’t have great speed, he’s not a great cutter or elusive kind of back, but he’s a tough, strong, durable runner. He’ll get what the blocking allows him to get, and he’ll probably pound out a few extra yards on strength and competitiveness. He’s not going to elude anybody or pull away from the field.”

Running back Gene Lang, 5-10, 196, fourth year--”They use him as a short-yardage guy. He’s a strong inside runner who runs low and can move the pile. He has the knack of finding little creases. In the role they ask him to assume, he’s effective. If they had Winder and Gerald Willhite (on injured reserve) down and he had to be the main guy, they’d be in trouble.”

Running back Steve Sewell, 6-3, 210, third year--”He’s a very good athlete. He does everything better than he runs with the ball. Another role-type player. They like to line him up wide to get a linebacker on him, because he’ll beat most linebackers. In their preparation each week, they probably say, ‘How can we get him in a mismatch, either by putting him in motion or setting him wide?’ They like to put in a lot of gadget plays with him, throwing the ball. He’s an interesting guy you can build some things with.”

Wide receivers Vance Johnson, 5-11, 185, third year; Mark Jackson, 5-9, 174, second year, and Ricky Nattiel, 5-9, 180, first year--”It’s actually pretty hard to separate them. They all have excellent speed. Each one of them would run 4.4 on AstroTurf, or better. All of them have good moves, they’re not just straight-line speed guys. They all come off the ball quickly and get in and out of their cuts quickly. They don’t have to stop to cut.

“Vance Johnson is the best after the catch. He is a real good runner. He was a halfback at Arizona and a lot of people thought he could play it in the NFL, other than his size. I hear he hasn’t been as consistent this year and has become a little bit of a prima donna but if you want to talk about pure all- around ability, he’s the best of them.

“Mark Jackson is really smart. If you’d talk to Elway, in all honesty, I think he’d say he can rely on him more than the other two to be where he’s supposed to be, to read coverages correctly.

“Ricky Nattiel is a rookie, a very good player. He’s a speed receiver, he can get deep, he has very good moves, he makes them at top speed. Of the three, he may drop the ball more than the other two.”

And in summary:

“The offensive line, because of Bishop and Lanier, I’d say it’s above average.

“The running backs are pretty average.

“The tight end is above average.

“The receivers are exceptional.

“The quarterback is rare.”