FanHouse Brandon Stokely

It happens every offseason. A team hires a new head coach, and he ends up remaking the roster in the image of his former team often with many of the same players. For Josh McDaniels, the guy tapped to replace Mike Shanahan in Denver, it's no different; the former Patriots offensive coordinator wasted little time in recruiting a couple former New England players.

On the first day of free agency, the Broncos signed former Patriots wideout Jabar Gaffney a four-year, $10 million deal ($3 million guaranteed). His role in Denver should be similar to that in New England: a third or fourth wide receiver who creates matchup problems for opposing defenses. Brandon Marshall's still the go-to guy and Eddie Royal proved he's a worthy No. 2 receiver. Gaffney and Brandon Stokely will see the field in multiple-wide receiver sets.

I guess we can slow down on all that New York-New York Super Bowl talk, huh? A week after getting manhandled by the Raiders, the Broncos came east and did the same to the Jets, ending the New York side's five-game winning streak and putting a cap into the premature notion of the Big Apple relocating to Tampa come February.

It was a disturbing return to the early part of the season for the Jets. Abysmal play calling by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer marked those rougher times and returned for an unwanted encore at the Meadowlands today. Thomas Jones carved up the Bronco defense in the first half but Schottenheimer insisted on calling empty backfields, passes on short yardage plays and, disastrously, a pitched reverse to Jerricho Cotchery. That final one led to a fumble and touchdown for the Broncos in the first quarter and set the tone for a frustrating day.

Even more troubling than the return of evil Schottenheimer, though, was the complete no-show by the Jets defense. Peyton Hillis gashed the normally stout Jets for nearly six yards a carry and Jay Cutler continued to expose the Jets secondary as Darrelle Revis and a band of clowns masquerading as NFL defensive backs. Brandon Marshall was held to five catches for 55 yards, but Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham combined for 20 catches, 277 yards and two touchdowns.

After Brandon Marshall scored the winning touchdown in Cleveland last night, he had a celebration planned that would have garnered a lot of attention. Two days after Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States, Marshall planned to pull a glove out of his pants after scoring a touchdown (see right).

Marshall said he wanted to provide a counterpoint to John Carlos and Tommie Smith's protest at the 1968 Olympics by raising a half-white, half-black glove into the air as a salute to racial harmony. It sounds more like a tribute to Jerry Seinfeld's feelings of how to achieve that state, though. Look to the Cookie!

Either way, teammate Brandon Stokley stopped him before he could follow through with it. It's not that Stokley is a depressed John McCain supporter, I've no idea of his political leanings, but because he didn't want the Broncos to suffer for Marshall's efforts. A pre-planned celebration means a penalty, and, with 75 seconds to play, a 15-yard boost to the Browns would not have been in Denver's favor. Given the NFL's penchant for fining anyone who smiles or otherwise shows emotion during games, Stokley likely saved Marshall a few bucks as well.

After the jump, Marshall talks about the plan after the game.

The Broncos put forth their most complete effort of the season against Kansas City yesterday. They ran and passed the ball with great success and stopped the Chiefs from doing the same. That defensive effort was a surprise but when you see names like Boomer Grigsby and Gilbert Harris on their stat sheet you get an idea of where it came from. The offense, though, was expected to be producing at a high level all season and has instead been an inconsistent disappointment.

Two of the reasons why there were high hopes for the offense were Javon Walker and Travis Henry. Each guy got hurt, though, and Henry had the drug test battle hanging over his head. The unit struggled without two players expected to play such major roles. When they finally blossomed yesterday, neither of the veterans played a big part. Henry scored a touchdown but it was set up by the running of Selvin Young. The rookie had 156 yards and showed an explosiveness absent from Henry even when he was healthy.

Walker didn't even have Henry's limited role. He was inactive and watched Brandon Marshall renew his claim to the top receiver job with the Broncs.