For the Broncos, the Spotlight Shines in a Different Place

He was the star running back of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.

Terrell Davis? No, that was Super Bowl XXXII. This time, it was finally fullback Howard Griffith’s turn.

He was the key tight end in the Broncos’ 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Shannon Sharpe? No, this time the mouth that roared had to do his talking from the sideline because of a knee injury. This time, it was Byron Chamberlain’s time for a brief moment in the spotlight.

It wasn’t surprising that the favored Broncos won their second consecutive Super Bowl crown Sunday, but it was a pleasant surprise to a few players who are normally relegated to the background to find themselves center stage.

It may be new for Griffith, who scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground after having scored a total of two rushing touchdowns in 91 career games dating to 1991, and for Chamberlain, who caught three important passes for 29 yards Sunday after having caught two passes previously in the postseason.

But it’s an old story in the Super Bowl where a Timmy Smith (Washington Redskins) or a Larry Brown (Dallas Cowboys) briefly surfaces to snatch the headlines from their better known teammates.

Asked if it was a pleasure to escape from behind Davis, at least for one game, Griffith said, “I’m not usually behind him. I’m in front of him blocking. My job is to block and block and when I’m done, block some more.”

And he did plenty of that Sunday as well for Davis, who hardly took the night off. Davis, who rushed for 2,008 yards in the regular season, ran for 102 yards Sunday, averaging 4.1 per carry.

But when it came down to the goal line, the Broncos went with The Jab. That means fake right with Davis and go left with Griffith.

Both of Griffith’s touchdowns were important. The first, a one-yard run off left guard, put the Broncos on the scoreboard in the first quarter after Atlanta had taken a 3-0 lead.

The second came early in the fourth quarter when Denver, despite its dominance of the Falcons, was still struggling to make it into the comfort zone. With kicker Jason Elam having missed a pair of third-quarter field-goal attempts, Denver led only 17-6 when Griffith took the ball into the end zone, again off left guard and again from a yard out.

“When you have a guy like Terrell Davis in the backfield,” Griffith said, “it makes it easier to catch them off guard.”

Especially left guard.

But Griffith knows what his future holds and it’s not a football.

“Just because I got a couple of touchdowns,” he said, “it doesn’t change my role.

“I could have caused a stink [over not carrying the ball more], but that would not have accomplished anything. If you prepare for success, you will have success. If you moan and groan about not having opportunities, you are going to fail.”

While Griffith had been told earlier in the week that he would be called on in goal-line situations, Chamberlain had no clue that his playing time would increase.

And it would not have if Sharpe hadn’t sprained his left knee after being hit by Falcon cornerback Ray Buchanan on a flying tackle in the first quarter.

Sharpe stayed in the game for one more series but, after he let a John Elway pass slip through his hands into those of Atlanta defensive back Ronnie Bradford, Sharpe’s evening was over.

“What you guys don’t get to see is that we play a lot in practice,” Chamberlain said. “Once they came to me early and got me in the feel of the game, I knew I was going to have to step up and have a big game and I did.

“I knew once he came to me early, I knew John [Elway] had confidence in me and once he gets that confidence in you, he’s going to come back to you often.”

Obviously Chamberlain has learned from the master when it comes to talking a confident game, although he is still far out of Sharpe’s league in that category.

But then, so is the rest of the league.

And did Sharpe give his replacement any advice?

“I just told him,” Sharpe said, “that it’s just another game. . . with a billion people watching.”