PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Broncos Can’t Trust Maddox’s Memory

Denver offensive coordinator Jim Fassel plans to change several audibles and checks that quarterback John Elway uses for Sunday’s game against the Rams.

The reason? Ram backup quarterback Tommy Maddox knows the Bronco offense, having backed up Elway for two seasons in Denver before being traded to the Rams in August.

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Rookie Isaac Bruce, the sixth receiver taken in the draft, is second among rookie receivers in touchdowns with three, trailing only Cincinnati’s Darnay Scott, who has four.

Bruce, who’s second-string behind Flipper Anderson and Jessie Hester and plays in passing downs, is second on the team in touchdown catches behind tight end Troy Drayton (four).

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With the bye week, Ram tailback Jerome Bettis dropped to fourth in the NFL with 723 yards in 200 carries, trailing Detroit’s Barry Sanders (1,035 yards in 188 carries), Dallas’ Emmitt Smith (748 yards in 184 carries) and Indianapolis rookie Marshall Faulk (812 yards in 196 carries). Bettis’ longest run from scrimmage this season is 19 yards, the third-lowest among the top 20 rushers in the league.

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Denver running back Leonard Russell, who sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 26-14 victory over Cleveland, is questionable for Sunday’s game. Don Maggs, whom the Rams were interested in as a free agent last spring, will start at right tackle in place of Russell Freeman (fractured eye socket).