Broncos notes: Weather delay provides time to reflect

DENVER -- When the Denver Broncos went into the locker room to wait during a weather delay in the first half, they put the time to good use.

The officials suspended the game with 14:53 remaining in the second quarter because of lightning in the area.

Players and coaches huddled together during the 25-minute delay.

“It was kind of like a second halftime,” quarterback Jay Cutler said. “It was a little bit of a break to go over our game plan to see if we liked what we were doing.”

The Broncos weren’t perfect after the break. On the second play after the delay, Oakland linebacker Kirk Morrison intercepted Cutler to set up a Raiders field goal.

The delay was rare. Broncos spokesman Jim Saccomano said the team doesn’t keep official stats on weather delays, but in his 30 years with the team he couldn’t remember another weather delay at a regular-season home game.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said the only time he could remember a similar delay because of lightning was when he was an assistant at the University of Florida in 1982.

A handful of NFL preseason games have been suspended because of weather. This year, a preseason game between Washington and Baltimore on Aug. 25 was halted with 11:38 remainingin the third quarter because of lightning.

A higher power?

After two dramatic wins, Shanahan wondered if late running back Damien Nash and late cornerback Darrent Williams had a hand in the victories. Nash and Williams died earlier this year.

“I think you go back to Darrent and Damien,” Shanahan said. “Somebody is pulling for us up there, I know that.”

Bly recovers

Cornerback Dre Bly gave up a 46-yard touchdown to Jerry Porter but rebounded for a big interception with 14 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.

“It happened, I stayed in it and we pulled out a win,” Bly said about giving up the touchdown.