| For most of his rookie season Ashley Lelie would show a glimmer of greatness on a semi-regular basis. A near-miss on a deep reception here, a third-down catch there -- but nothing on a consistent basis, as he didn't score a touchdown or post a 100-yard game until December.
But from the beginning of training camp onward, those glimmers have been as reliable as the sunrise -- and just as frequent. At one stretch of camp, one could have dubbed the Play of the Day the Lelie Play of the Day, so recurring were his acrobatic receptions. But those were in front of a few hundred, or maybe just over 1,000 fans.
"He's making the spectacular catch look very, very routine," tight end Shannon Sharpe said. "He's made more spectacular catches in this training camp than I can remember in 14 years of being in training camp. He's going to be special."
Midway through the first quarter of Monday night's preseason game with the Indianapolis Colts, millions more saw what the Broncos coaches, players and officials have been clued in on for a while -- that Lelie is indeed the real deal, a receiver capable of the kinds of spectacular plays that few can make.
Lelie's leaping, 55-yard touchdown grab behind Colts rookie safety Mike Doss was not just a glimpse of what could be. It was simply what is -- that he is starting to emerge as one of the game's most electric young receivers, capable of turning the game's momentum with a single grab.
Using a Jake Plummer rollout, Lelie got behind the coverage and into the open field down the right sideline. 50 yards back upfield, Plummer had two appetizing options -- either take advantage of the open field and sprint forward for a potential first down, or stop and heave for Lelie, creating the potential for a touchdown.
"We called that play wanting to get a three-deep (zone defense)," Plummer said. "They actually went to two-deep; Ashley sat down, the safety (Doss) kind of bit on him, and he just ran by him. It really wasn't supposed to go to him, but as I got out there, I was just about ready to run, try to get four or five yards and go on second down.
"Right when I started to take off -- or was getting ready to take off -- he had sprung by the guy and I let it go, and he just made a great catch."
Inside the 5-yard-line, Lelie extended his arms as Doss closed in and reached back for the pass, their collective momentum sending Lelie spinning and flying into the end zone. It was a catch that might have inspired disbelief, but the Colts chose not to challenge it; the second-year wideout had cleanly, clearly roped in the pass.
A one-play drive for a touchdown. A good throw, but a truly amazing catch -- one that might not have been possible a year ago.
"Turning around and jumping for the catch -- I might not have had enough confidence in me making the catch to turn around and jump for it," Lelie said. "I probably would have tried to grab it with my body or something like that."
The touchdown was not the only fine moment for Lelie against the Colts. Just when the Broncos offense was starting to languish a tad -- with two false-start penalties in the first three and a half minutes of the third quarter -- Lelie rode to the rescue once again, leaping for a high pass and turning the play into a 26-yard gain. Unfortunately, that reception was for naught, as Mike Anderson lost the football after a 7-yard run later in the drive, allowing Colts linebacker Marcus Washington to recover.
Well, one can't expect Lelie to post every yard on every drive. But the time the first-team offense had departed, Lelie had tallied 92 yards on four receptions -- an average of 23.0 yards per catch.
"That's what we expect out of him," wide receiver Rod Smith said. "He's one of those guys -- he's a big-play type receiver, and at the same time, he's still going to learn a lot more as far as understanding the feel of the game, and that's going to make him a more complete receiver. He's definitely one of those guys -- he's going to go get the ball."
But Sharpe doesn't need any more convincing regarding No. 85.
"He's going to be special," he said.
Source: DB | |
