SOMETHING TO PROVE

Denver Broncos quarterback Brian Griese insists his confidence hasn’t taken a hit during this numbingly disappointing season. His coach and teammates disagree.

Griese, thrust into the starting role in the preseason, is 2-7 in his nine starts.

He also helped engineer an overtime victory over Oakland in relief. After missing two games with a sore shoulder, he replaced an injured Chris Miller in the fourth quarter in the 27-21 victory on Nov. 22.

But last week he was mostly ineffective, completing 20 of 36 passes for 227 yards with one interception in a 16-10 loss to Kansas City that dropped the Broncos to 4-8.

Asked on Thursday if his confidence had been damaged, Griese said succinctly, “No.”

But he also admitted that his first season as a starter in the NFL has been rougher than anticipated.

“Last year we had a great team with great players, and we kind of steamrolled through the entire league,” Griese said. “This year we’ve lost some guys and have had new guys playing. For whatever reason, we haven’t gotten it done.

“And a lot of that responsibility falls on me. That’s the way it is with any team, with any quarterback. They get more of the blame--and more of the praise when things go well. It’s been rough. I’m not going to lie to you. But I just hope that everything I’m going through this year will help me in the future.

“It can go either way. You can let it get you down, and there are a lot of talented quarterbacks who have played this game that haven’t been able to handle all the pressure and all the blame. But I’m confident that I can handle it.”

He described the life of an NFL quarterback as being on an emotional roller-coaster, and said he tries to avoid listening to and reading criticism from fans and the media.

“I try to stay as far away from it as I can,” he said. “The only time I come in contact is when I come here and do this (weekly news conference). It’s hard to insulate yourself, but there’s no other way to do it. And hopefully down the road when we start winning, I’ll do the same thing and not read everything. You have to maintain an even keel.”

Coach Mike Shanahan said it was only natural for Griese’s confidence to suffer.

“The only way you get confidence back is by going out and performing,” he said. “You can talk about confidence. But until you actually get it done and people start believing in you, there’s always that question mark.

“This week will be a great challenge for Brian and the rest of our offensive team. It will be a valuable experience for him, and hopefully one that he gains confidence from.”

Fullback Howard Griffith said Griese has taken the brunt of criticism--perhaps unfairly.

“The reality is that people are raking him across the coals,” Griffith said. “It’s got to wear on him. His confidence has taken a little bruising. He just needs to hang in there. I think he has the maturity to handle it.”