Schottenheimer Still Can't Find Elway Out of It

By T.J. SIMERS

Dec. 7, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

DENVER —

If only John Elway had never been born, Marty Schottenheimer might now be regarded as one of the NFL’s all-time great coaches rather than the NFL’s resident sad sack.

But Elway grew up, a football in hand, to terrorize Schottenheimer, first in Cleveland and now in Kansas City, personally certifying Schottenheimer a tragic figure, nine times now in his career coming back from impending defeat to celebrate another Bronco triumph.

So much one-sided history between the two: “The Drive,” “The Fumble,” and now “The Rally,” a 35-31 Bronco victory before 74,962 in Mile High Stadium to pull Denver even with the 1972 Dolphins and the 1934 Bears as the only teams in NFL history to open a season 13-0.

“That was their Super Bowl; they were going to come in here and upset us,” said Neil Smith, Bronco defensive end. “But we played like champions. The crown is heavy, getting heavier and heavier every week, but so far we’ve been up to it.”

Denver won an NFL-record tying 18th consecutive game (with the ‘72-’73 Dolphins), ran its regular-season win streak at home to 23 games in a row and secured the home-field advantage in the AFC throughout the playoffs.

Ahead 14-0, 21-7, and then 31-21 with 8:25 remaining in Denver’s undefeated season, and despite the freezing temperatures, Schottenheimer had to be sweating. He had to be standing there sick to his stomach, appreciative of Elway’s confounding competitiveness, but knowing too well it was about to do him in--again.

“He is the finest competitor I have ever seen in professional sports,” said Schottenheimer, now 8-15 in his career against Elway.

And how appropriate, how predictable: For only the second time in Elway’s record-making career--now at age 38--he went over the 400-yard mark, whatever it took to savage Schottenheimer.

Third and seven at the Denver 49-yard line, the Broncos down by 10, and Elway whipped a fastball to seldom-used wide receiver Willie Green, who shucked aside Chief cornerback Dale Carter and completed the 50-yard play to the Kansas City one-yard line. Handoff to Terrell Davis, touchdown and now the Broncos trailed the Chiefs, 31-28, with 6:48 to play.

Third-and-one at the Kansas City 24, and Elway lined his comrades up with a little more than three minutes to play intending to hand the ball to Davis. As he began barking out signals, the Denver sideline began shouting to the field: “Time out, time out. . . . “

Elway noticed, called timeout and huddled with Coach Mike Shanahan. No one would have blamed Schottenheimer at this point from passing out.

Shanahan noticed the Chiefs had put in their short-yardage defensive unit and told Elway he wanted to go for the end zone.

“What a call,” Denver linebacker Bill Romanowski said. “Couldn’t believe it. Thought for sure Terrell Davis was going to run the ball, but Mike wanted to risk it all.”

Shanahan said later the Broncos would have gone for it on fourth down had they not been successful on third down, passing on 41-yard field goal attempt to tie the score, in order to try and win.

“We wouldn’t have deserved to win if we couldn’t convert a fourth down and short yardage,” said Shanahan, revealing the makeup of a head coach now 29-2 in regular-season games in Mile High Stadium.

Elway faked the handoff to Davis, the Chiefs were completely suckered, and Elway--about to be planted by Kansas City defensive lineman Chester McGlockton--lobbed a touchdown pass to Shannon Sharpe--the tight end’s first catch of the game.

Sharpe, declining to be interviewed during the week so as to not enrage the Chiefs after the personal foul-filled earlier matchup between the teams, wouldn’t shut up afterward.

“In the first half they were doing the ‘Incredible Hulk’ [Sharpe] pose and the ‘Mile High Salute,’ but there’s an old saying, those who last laugh, laugh the loudest,” Sharpe said. “I betcha they can hear me now.”

Elway, who completed 22 of 32 passes for 400 yards, found himself flat on his back beneath McGlockton--their facemasks interlocked--after he threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ed McCaffrey in the first half and following his throw to Sharpe.

McGlockton asked Elway in both cases if his passes had been completed for touchdowns, and Elway, staring directly into McGlockton’s face, reported the bad news.

“Vintage Elway,” said Chief defensive lineman Leslie O’Neal, while trudging off the field. “Vintage Elway.”

With the score tied, 21-21, at halftime, Denver came out in the third quarter in position to jump ahead, but Davis fumbled and the Chiefs recovered in the end zone. It was Davis’ first fumble in a regular-season game since Nov. 2, 1997--a span of 477 runs and catches. It was the first time the other team recovered a Davis fumble since Nov. 24, 1996, a total of 836 runs and catches.

“At this point you have to think the worst,” Bronco owner Pat Bowlen said. “We’re destined to lose this.”

But it merely set the stage for Elway’s heroics.

Schottenheimer had a different view of what transpired.

“The discussion will be about comebacks, and Schottenheimer and Elway, but that’s not the story,” Schottenheimer said. “The story is a group of guys in that locker room that had nothing to play for but their pride. They went out there and battled their tails off.

“They did everything in their power to try and win a football game for themselves and for their teammates. So I told them there are no losers in that locker room.”

Who’s he kidding? There are 45 losers in that locker room, sitting 5-8 now after losing seven of their last eight, and unable even in their desperate quest for pride to save Schottenheimer from further disgrace.

And that leaves Schottenheimer only one option: Talk Elway into retirement.

“Maybe he’ll be over to my house trying to talk me into it,” said Elway, and the way things have gone for Schottenheimer, he’d probably get lost trying to get there.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

WEEK 14

CLOSE CALLS

New York Jets 32, Seattle 31

Jets get an early Christmas present--Vinny Testaverde’s disputed touchdown run. Page 5

San Francisco 31, Carolina 28 (OT)

49ers lose 21-point lead but a Panther fumble sets up game-winning field goal. Page 6

THE REST

* Denver 35, Kansas City 31

* Buffalo 33, Cincinnati 20

* New Orleans 22, Dallas 3

* Jacksonville 37, Detroit 22